Behind South Carolina congressman James E. Clyburn stand eight other remarkable men: the first Black politicians to go to Congress from his home state, and who blazed a path for his own ascent. South Carolina's first eight Black congressmen all rose to office following the Civil War and emancipation. It would take nearly a century before the ninth Black representative, Clyburn himself, was elected.

In The First Eight, Congressman Clyburn shares these men's stories, and their message of liberty, with the nation they served. Among them are Joseph Rainey, the first Black politician to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in our nation's history, who was born enslaved in 1832; Robert Smalls, iconic for his heroism during the Civil War, and Richard Cain, who ran a widely read newspaper for Black South Carolinians and is associated with the Emanuel AME Church. Through the trials, tribulations, triumphs, and challenges that all nine men faced, Congressman Clyburn reveals a whole new way of understanding the period between the Civil War and the present.

FREE ADMISSION, REFRESHMENTS & LITE BITES

Come On In! Meet Rep. Clyburn Saturday January 24th from 11:30am-1:30pm