Three women with strong ties to the Orangeburg community have been recognized for their distinguished courage and ability in effecting social change in the local area, state and nation.

The I. DeQuincey Newman Institute for Peace and Social Justice within the University of South Carolina College of Social Work held its second annual "A Seat At The Table" event on Thursday at the Clarion Hotel in downtown Columbia.

Held at the end of Women's History Month, the event focused on 10 African-American women from across the state and their roles as mothers, wives, confidantes, poets, social activists, professors, educators, librarians, humanitarians, administrators and authors.

'Our' three honorees

Orangeburg resident Dr. Clemmie Webber, a retired university professor and former recipient of the Order of the Palmetto and National Mother of the Year Award; Frances Finney, a retired educator and recent inductee into the Claflin University Hall of Fame; and Emily Clyburn, a retired librarian and co-founder of the James E. and Emily E. Clyburn Endowment for the Archives and History at South Carolina State University, were among the 10 honorees.

The ladies' stories from early childhood to present are presented in a documentary, "Notable African-American Women: In Their Own Voices," for which a companion booklet is available as a discussion guide.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime event. It allows us the opportunity to highlight not just these 10 women, but all women," said Dr. Sadye Logan, chair of the I. DeQuincey Newman Professorship. Logan said the narratives will be used to provide support and guidance to the state's young women through discussion groups, related programs and activities.

The documentary is part of an oral history project on which Logan is working. She said she will never forget intimate interviews she had with the women..

"It was really important to do it in the context of people who were still moving, alive and enjoying life," she said.

I. DeQuincey Newman

The I. DeQuincey Newman Institute for Peace and Social Justice was conceived in 1991 in partnership with USC, the College of Social Work and interested community groups to improve human relations and public interest services.

"A Seat at the Table" is a fund development and commemorative celebration in honor of the life and legacy of the late Rev. I. DeQuincey Newman.

Newman led the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People through the turbulent 1960s and then came out of retirement in 1983 to be elected as the first African-American state senator since Reconstruction. In 1943, he was among those who organized the Orangeburg branch of the NAACP. A recipient of the Order of the Palmetto in 1979, Newman also helped organize the Progressive Democratic Party, which initiated full participation by blacks in the state Democratic Party. Among the ways the state has honored Newman's legacy has been with an endowed professorship in his honor, the first endowed chair at USC that is named after an African-American.

With "A Seat At The Table," the institute initiated phase one of the Notable African-American Women Project and hopes to create support for its programs and activities and to fund development for the I. DeQuincey Newman Institute and Chair. Among the institute's activities are the Newman Scholars Program and the Newman Lecture Series on social and economic justice.

"There would not be a seat at the table or a seat on the bus had it not been for people like the 10 distinguished people that we're honoring tonight," said Dr. Harris Pastides, vice president of research and health sciences.

Dr. Clemmie Webber

Webber, 94, said the honor was reflective of her desire to give her best in anything that she did. She said her honesty, straightforwardness and consideration of life's possibilities have contributed to her successes.

"I have lived a full, full life. I use the word 'dabble' advisedly, but I've had a part of so much that contributed the best I had to offer not only to my immediate family, but my community. I always start with family. That's what life is all about," said Webber, who retired as a chemistry professor at SCSU after 25 years.

She has co-authored several scientific books and pamphlets and has also authored a few books of her own, including "The College Soda Shop: An Education for Life," and "The Treadwell Street Saga," which reflects on her experience growing up in Orangeburg in the 50s.

After a brief time away from Orangeburg, Webber returned and taught at the former Wilkinson High School and at various elementary schools. She and her husband, the late Paul Webber Sr., operated, at various times, the College Soda Shop, the Riverside Soda Shop, Webber Homes, Webber Motor Sales and the Orangeburg Tigers baseball team.

"I was literally born knowing what I wanted to do in life. I really wanted to be a brilliant specialist and, to that end, I was given a lot of hope, encouragement and help for as long as I can remember," said Webber, a recipient of the Orangeburg Citizen of the Year 2003 Award. She also had a hand in the restoration of the old Orangeburg Cemetery.

Webber can be seen in the documentary talking about her love for mankind and the earth.

"I've loved the earth and what comes from it," she says. "Mankind is beautiful in spite of the faults and things we haven't learned."

Frances Finney

Finney, wife of retired South Carolina Supreme Court chief justice and former interim SCSU president Ernest Finney, didn't think her accomplishments were all that noteworthy but was happy to be honored at the same time.

"Anytime someone wants to pick you out of a crowd to honor you, you just feel so special. People have published books and held high offices, and that's what I consider notable," Finney said. "But I do know that I have had one job in making sure that my husband stayed where he was whenever he reached out to the community because .. it takes two.

"My favorite expression when I was at State was teamwork. You can't be successful unless you have it, so that's what it has been in this family. When my husband was on the horizon, he was the noted one, and I've always done my job in making sure the family was okay. He had nothing to worry about then," she said.

Finney, who received an early childhood education degree from then Claflin College, went on to get her master's degree in education from SCSU.

"I did know a little bit about raising children, and all of mine have made us very proud. Two are attorneys, and one is a published author and tenured professor at the University of Kentucky in creative writing. I think I had a lot to do with that," said the retired teacher, who was also active during the Civil Rights Movement.

"We (women) marched, strategized, cooked and just had meetings to keep the team together. It's a big job keeping a team going," said Finney, whose last job was at USC-Sumter, where she was coordinator of student employment and ran the veteran's office. It was there where she also founded a Students In Search For Positive Role Models program, which still exists.

"That's what makes me feel good. We wanted to give students a good shot on how to get from one point to another," said Finney, who can be seen in the documentary talking about her early childhood years growing up on a farm.

Emily E. Clyburn

Emily Clyburn, wife of Sixth District Congressman and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, said she was surprised when she learned she was selected as one of 10 female honorees.

"I was a little bit surprised and obviously pleased. We do things, work with our husbands and work with family. It's just something that you do," Mrs. Clyburn said.

"You don't expect any recognition for it, but it's for a good cause. I. DeQuincey Newman was an icon. He was just very instrumental in human rights, civil rights and politics. This event is a fundraiser for his institute, and I hope it's a very successful endeavor," she said.

Clyburn, who can be heard in the documentary talking about how much dating has changed between now and back in her younger years, said education was an integral part of her life.

"When I went to South Carolina State in 1957, there were very few options available to African-Americans. It was usually education, nursing or the ministry. I selected education with an emphasis in library science," she said.

Clyburn has worked in elementary, middle- and high schools, a naval hospital and a veterans administration hospital during her long career in librarianship.

"Education and reading is very important. When I was growing up, television was not an option for most people, so you read to be entertained, or you listed to the radio," she said.

Motivators and role models

Dr. Logan said those who work in the institute felt that the voices of the 10 honorees could serve as powerful motivators and role models for all youth.

The documentary, "Notable African-American Women: In Their Own Voices" is available for $25. Individuals can purchase a copy with a check made payable to the USC Educational Foundation mailed to Dr. Sadye Logan, Director, USC - I.D. Newman Institute, College of Social Work, Columbia, SC 29208. For more information, call Logan at 803-777-3912.

T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5534. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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