 Let me just begin by recognizing some of our elected officials. John Rickenbacker with Congressman Clyburn's office. We have Reverend McDowell on the city of Columbia. Paul Livingston, a tremendous supporter on Richland County Council. We have Bill Ann Saul on the school district one in the back. And we have a candidate for County Council, Will Brennan. Where's Will? Will, raise your hand. And I would be remiss if I didn't recognize Bishop James, the first African AME bishop that I knew when I was first elected mayor. And the way I knew him is that President Bill Clinton called me to direct me to do something, to have Bishop James elected to something. So I knew right then and there I didn't have any more instruction about the importance of an AME bishop. And who else? So we have other elected officials I've missed. Angela will recognize everyone when we get back. And because the legislature is going back in, I'm going to have to leave. But now I'd like to introduce Angela Clyburn Hannibal, who will introduce the program and do a word of welcome also. Hello, thank you, everyone, for being here today. I am going to, Mayor Bob already did a welcome, but I will just say a few words. We're here today to do the reinstallation of the historic marker that was stolen in 2017 from the front of the building here. And we thank you all for being here today for that on behalf of the Renaissance Foundation. It was stolen, but it is represented by your presence here this morning. The spirit and the mission of the Renaissance Foundation is steady and unmoved and strong here today. The program will go as follows. We will have the invocation by Dr. Harry Singleton, the third professor of religion and theology at Benedict's College. We'll have the occasion by Robin Weights, executive director of historic Columbia and Amy Moore, principal planner of preservation planner, City of Columbia. The historic Bethel Civil Rights Society history will be read by Dr. Bobby Donaldson. The introduction I'm giving to you now. Remarks will be given as well from the Office of Congressman James E. Clyburn by John Rickenbacker. Representative Todd Rutherford was on the program here today. I don't believe he's able to make it. Councilman Paul Livingston of Richland County Council, Councilman Edward McDowell from Columbia City Council, and Bishop Frederick Calhoun James, retired, 93rd Elected Bishop of the AMEC, and Bishop Samuel L. Green Senior, presiding prelate of the Seventh Episcopal District of the AME Church. And then we'll have our closing remarks by Mary Skinner-Jones, Executive Director of the Renaissance Foundation, and our benedict will close by Reverend Dr. Cesar Roland Richburg, pastor of Bethel AME Church. And thank you all for coming and hope you enjoy the program. Good morning to all. Let me say before I render the invocation that I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Ms. Mary Skinner-Jones, my home girl from the Republic of Ory for allowing me to be a part of this program. This is a very significant program for us as we move forward, not only in terms of remembering the legacy of our ancestors, but also continuing the work of being recognized as free human beings in this society. Let us receive the invocation to the God of Hope, the God of Freedom, to the God of Love, and to the God of Justice. We come again, Lord, asking that you simply be with us to honor the true meaning of Emanuel as we continue our four centuries-plus battle to affirm our humanity in a racist and hostile society. We ask that you especially be with this project and all affiliated with the Restoration Project and be there with an imperturbable sense of courage and resolve, commensurate with the founders of this great denomination who decided that walking away from the racism of the white Methodist Church in 1787 was more important than capitulating to the liturgical dehumanization of orthodox Methodism. That dignity, in other words, was more important than conformity. Continue to imbue them and us all with the incessant resilience to bigotry and all its manifestations and to demonstrate to the nation and world that that resilience is only a gratuitous expression of your boundless love, a love that definitively establishes racism as the highest sin and freedom as the highest virtue. Let us finally say that our posterity will be able to say about us that we had the courage to honor those brave abolitionists that came before us and paved the way for us to challenge the sacrosanct nature of racial bigotry and that we had the vision to pass the mantle of struggle for the right to be recognized as free human beings to them. Ladies and all of the blessings we ask in your name and everyone gathered said, amen, a sheh. Good morning. I'm Robin Waits. I'm the executive director with Historic Columbia. I'm delighted to be here this morning. As I know, Dr. Donaldson is going to mention in just a few minutes, this certainly is a site that is a key, important part of our local and statewide history. And that's for many reasons, that it connects to the person who envisioned this building, who laid out the design, to the people who spoke from the pulpit and sang from the choirs, to the meetings and the gatherings that were held in this space. I'm going to borrow from the National Trust of Historic Preservation and just say, this place matters. At Historic Columbia, we manage six historic sites that serve as tangible elements of our past. And we utilize these places to talk about all the people who lived and worked at the sites. We offer a bus tour that visits 30 sites that are associated with African-American history. And of course, this is one of those sites. We offer a bus tour that travels through lower Richland, addressing sites associated with both the Black and the White families who lived there. We offer walking tours of historically Black neighborhoods like Waverly and Arsenal Hill. This is the very basis of our work. Collecting and sharing stories lies in the existence of a place that serves as a tangible reminder of our past. This place matters. And reinstalling the marker in front of this historic building is really important. An historic marker provides access to information about a site to those who both may have a very deep interest in the property, but also those who may just be walking by and happen to learn from this marker. This access is really key to everyone understanding our history. But a marker cannot stand in for a brick and mortar embodiment of energy and experience. So we have to do the work that it takes to ensure that these buildings remain in tandem with these markers. We have to allow these buildings to retake their places among the vibrant community that we have been and that we will continue to be. And I just want to take the opportunity of this occasion to remind us as a community that we have to make a commitment to return Bethel as the grand and bustling and vibrant presence that it was and can be again. And as we rededicate this marker today, we've got to work to ensure that the marker does not become the only access point to this story. Thanks. Microphones are always a little high for me. Good morning. I'm Amy Moore. I'm the city planner for preservation. Mary asked me to speak for just a minute about historic markers. Can y'all hear me OK? So as Robin was saying, markers tell the stories of our cities and they tell the stories of our institutions, our buildings, and our people in a way that is accessible to literally the man and woman on the street. You're walking down a sidewalk and a building catches your eye and lo and behold, there's a marker there. And it tells you what style of architecture the building is, what the materials are, who constructed the building, what it was used for. Or another marker might tell you exactly who Pulaski Street is named for, why this gentleman was significant, what was happening in the city at that point, and you're instantly transported to that point in time. When you think about it, what a marvelous and effective way to engage anyone who is simply passing by. Layers of history, whole lifetimes, architectural styles. You name it, right in front of you. Information which might enchant, inform, or disturb, but which will always educate. So the South Carolina Historical Marker Program was authorized by an act of the South Carolina General Assembly in 1905. But the first marker didn't actually go up until 1936 in Troy, which is in Cormac County. Since that time, well over 1,500 historic markers have gone up across the counties and cities of South Carolina. Given that the research, writing, manufacturing, and installation of a historic marker is financed almost exclusively by private individuals and that these markers are not inexpensive, that's a whole lot of history that people cared enough about to make sure it's understood and out there. And it's important that everyone's history can be found on our streets. I'm delighted that today we are celebrating the history of an important congregation, of a man who is undoubtedly determined and talented, and a building that is still before us to tell its story rather than simply marking a place where it once stood. Congratulations to the Renaissance Foundation, which is working to ensure that it remains a very important cultural asset that it is. Thank you. We gather here one more time at this historic site. I'm Bobby Donaldson from the Columbia 63 Project and the University of South Carolina. Today we come to recognize the history of Bethel and this marker. And we're reminded that the marker is simply a narrow window into the history of this great church, this congregation, and this community. It is a snapshot of the long enduring history of this congregation. Now, if these walls could talk, what stories, what history, what testimony, they will tell. They will tell of free people in 1866 who created an edifice several blocks from here and of people in 1921 who gathered on this spot to build this soaring sanctuary. If these walls could talk, they would tell you about the meetings that took place here, calling for black economic development, for improved medical facilities, where graduation exercises were held, where soldiers from Camp Jackson gathered during World War II, and where the NAACP held numerous mass meetings in support of equalization of future salaries, in support of voting rights, and in support of the desegregation of downtown Columbia. If these walls could talk, they would tell us about luminaries like Mary MacLeod Bethune, Mary Church Terrell, and Thurgood Marshall, who spoke here. They would tell us about individuals like I.S. Levy, Nathaniel Frederick, John Wrighton, Frank Madison Reed Sr., E.A. Adams, and others who led civil rights work in this congregation. They would tell us about June of 1943, when Thurgood Marshall stood in the sanctuary here, asking for more support for the equalization of teacher salaries. They would tell us about 1949, when the Reverend James Tenton stood in this sanctuary and said, there is going to be a new day in South Carolina, because God is God and right is right. They would tell us about October of 1955, when J. Arthur Holmes said, we are totally for first class citizenship, and we hold and maintain that there could be no first class citizenship in a segregated South Carolina. And we're reminded the words of students who gathered here in September of 1963, and they said to the old folk, don't march, we will. We're reminded of all of these stories as we unveil this marker yet again. But we're also reminded of our own work and our own time to dig a little deeper, to tell, to preserve, and to share these important stories so they will not be lost to future generations. And I, like others, look forward to working with the Renaissance Foundation to fulfilling the dream of people like Elise Martin and Theodora Thomas, who were here when this marker was unveiled many years ago, and it is now a long time for those dreams to come in reality. Thank you. On behalf of Congressman Clyburn, who would be here is in Washington, as you know. And being the great historian he is, he's very proud and want to commend the foundation for the tremendous work they've been doing through the years. And we want to congratulate them for what they will continue to do in the future. Congressman Clyburn has led the fight to preserve many historical spots not only in South Carolina but across the world. And we thank him for his continued leadership. And I say to all of you, congratulations, and let's continue to make these markers significant so generations that come behind us will understand what shoulders they stand on. Congratulations, and God bless. I cannot begin to tell you what an absolute genuine pleasure it is for me to bring remarks on behalf of Richard and County Council and my colleagues on County Council and all the citizens that we represent. You know, I can remember many years ago of being at the same spot, dedicating this marker. But again, I want you to know it is just as exciting to rededicate it. Unfortunately, it was stolen, but again, I'm excited to be here again. And you know for me, a marker is a tremendous reminder. It's informative. It reminds us of what happened significantly at a particular place. But you know, I'm more concerned about, and I think my colleagues on County Council is also, and that is the next steps. You know, we want this to be a museum to display those wonderful things that we talk about that occurred. Those things are very authentic. What really happened is what we're concerned about for future generations. You know, as Dr. Donaldson said, Dr. Donaldson, we want those artifacts and things in this museum to make those walls tall. And that's how you make those walls tall by developing this wonderful museum. So again, we'll have Richard County Council. We'll delight it. We'll commit it to what is happening now and what's going to happen here in the future. And for the Renaissance Foundation, we want to thank you for your commitment to our community, Mayor Skinner-Jones. I want to thank you for your unwavering commitment and perseverance. You know, I'll continue to look for that call from you every other week or so. I know you will and continue to. Let me also, I see one of my colleagues here, a strong supporter of the foundation, Mr. Jim Manning. Thank you, welcome. I don't see him in my other colleagues, but again, there's a commitment. Thank you so much for coming and we need your continued support also. How good it is for us to be here today, to celebrate again this monument and of course, this sacred place. Somewhere I've read and of course, because our mayor is now a national mayor, he's not here today. And of course, he sends all of his love and support to this project. How I got over, my soul looks back and wonder how I made it over. Truth crushed to the soil will rise again. Someone in their unresolved relentlessness to take down this vestige of dignity and power, removed it, but truth always rises to the top. We've come to this place today, recognizing and realizing that it's not a sign that gives us dignity, but it's the power that resonates on the inside. The sign is back up, but what takes place after the reinstallation of that sign? It's time now under God to say thank you, because if there were not a sign in this place, this sign only represents who we are and particularly whose we are. We are part of God's redemptive creation and because of that, we gather on this sacred stump. So Mary, in regard to all that you've done for this foundation and continue to do to our board chair, Angela, thank you all. Thank you all for being here today in the midst of impending rain. Thank you for being here. Thank you for allowing us to not reinstall, but just let this be a reminder of whose we are. Thank you. To this extraordinary assemblage of dream facilitators, each and everyone working as though commissioned by God to do what only God's commission demands for tomorrow for all of his people. That means that in my eyesight, I believe in God's eyesight, everybody here today is very, very, very special. The second time we come again, we're the comeback folks who stood here on May 31st and we stood here with the same kind of dedication as we put the first Kamalka here. And that dedication was that we're gonna make it happen again for the children and their children. We're gonna make this a very, very special place and the dream that was in the hearts and minds of the people of the first battle will be enacted in ways that we had not even dreamed of ourselves. So I salute everybody, that first thing I wanna do is salute everybody who's here today and pray that everything that you're seeking to do that it will be done. Now my part here today is simply to have somebody here who was part of the first battle by the grace of God. I happened to be a person who was born the next year after this church was built. It was built in 21 and I was born in 22. And I'm able to say that I just very well may be here on this 23rd day of May of 2018. I may be seeing you here, I think I am. So you can count it back to April 7th, 1900 and 22. So I'm going to do what I did the last time I was here and that was to simply say a word or two from somebody who was here in some of the stuff that we talked about so fondly here at this wonderful institution called Bethel A.M.E. Church. I joined this church in May of 1941. I became a member on the 4th Sunday when the invitation was given. And I joined the junior choir a few Sundays later. I also in 1941. Some of the experiences that I had with this church in its first leg when it was active right here. I married my wife, Theressa, married by the Bethel pastor, the Reverend Dr. Charles Leander Hill on December the 30th, 1944. So I've learned, I've had a few years to learn how to say yes, ma'am. I was ordained an A.M.E. elder by Bishop Frank Madison Reed at Bethel in October, 1947. Attended countless NAACP civil rights community progress meetings at Bethel and the 40s, the 50s, the 60s, the 70s. If it was a meeting held, I was among those who were here dreaming and working and doing what I could do to further the cause. I served as presiding bishop of this church for eight years from 1984 to 1992 by the grace again of God and the people of the A.M.E. church. My third and fifth grade teachers is Daisy Clifton and Birdie Pompey, who are members of this Bethel and its days of activity. My mother, Rosalie James, was a member of the Senior Choir and an assistant organist at Bethel. She also belonged to Sturice Board Number Two here at Bethel and when she left this earth in February, 1984 at the age of 83, it was in this Bethel edifice that Pastor J. Arthur Holmes presided. They should bring Madison Reed the second and Dr. Roy Miller spoke and Dr. Roy Miller eulogized her right here at this place. I said goodbye to my mother from this place. So for me, this place will always not only be sacred, but it will be a part of the blessing that God deserved from me on this earth before I got to heaven. It will always be precious. One of my mother's favorite hymns was precious memories, unseen angels, how they linger, how they ever flood my soul. Stillness of a midnight, precious, sacred scenes unfold and God is allowing me to be able to say that here today on the second shot that this man knowing not what he was doing, a woman or whoever it was that stole that first marker, but they've made history here for us and for this new order who's doing such precious work for the future. It does not yet appear what they will do. So God bless you, God bless us, God bless the mission, God bless the forces that he will bring together in the way that he will do it. And whether we're here, whether we're not here to realize that it will be done according to the will of God, we can lift every voice and sing till earth and heaven ring, ring with the harmonies of liberty. We can let our rejoicing rise, high as the listening skies and let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us, facing the rise, song full of the faith that the dark past has told us. Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, let us march on till victory is won. Amen. Let me say first of all that I am not a bishop, but I am a member of the Bishop's cabinet presiding out of Rosalind Coleman. And I bring you greetings on behalf of Bishop Samuel Lawrence Green Sr., the presiding bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, state of South Carolina. And he has asked me to share in this special historic moment on his behalf. 1954 was a great year, not only because it was the year of my birth, but also because there was a gentleman by the name of George James, who wrote a very controversial book entitled Stolen Legacy. And in this book, James claims that the ancient Greeks were not the original authors of Greek philosophy. He argued that Greek philosophy was mainly based on ideas and concepts that were borrowed without acknowledgement from the ancient Egyptians. In other words, they were stolen. And I thought about that book title as I was preparing to share in this new historic moment. And I thought they tried to steal the markings or the public recording of our legacy, but they can never steal our legacy. But reclaiming this marker is truly an historic event. Markers record our legacy and our truths and speaks inaudibly to preserve our storytelling. It is of the utmost importance that we maintain the visibility of our history and make sure that our history is accurate. This marker is significant in that it identifies this sacred place in our history for generations to come. It tells our story. It tells the story of a strong and courageous people. It tells the story of Christianity. It tells the story of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. It tells the story of our struggle. It tells the story of the South. It tells the story of the city of Columbia. At its best, it is the wisdom and work of the people. And at its worst, it is the weight and the witness of the people. They might have tried to steal the marking of our legacy, but thank God, our lips will continue to lift our stories so that the legacy lives on. Today, during this rededication, this marker gets a second chance to tell a story. Let us all do our part to make sure that the story is heard. God bless you and thank you. I think the story has been told. I see Councilman Davis. Would you like to give some remarks? We just thank you for coming. He was here at first. This is a very touching moment for me. And I wasn't sure that I could get up and speak. And I wanna say to Councilman Livingston, Ms. Martin continues to call me and I continue to call you. But this is touching for me because when I think back about nine, 10 years ago, when Ms. Martin and Ms. Thomas stood here and they unveiled the marker. And I think about John Hearst Adams. And I think about Judge Ernest A. Finney and the last words they said to me. When Bishop Adams came to Columbia at USC for the dedication of his papers, I sat beside him and he said, "'Baby, how is it coming with my church?' And I said, Bishop Adams is just too hard." And he said, "'If it was easy, God wouldn't have given it to you." So keep on going. And my last conversation with Judge Finney, I said to Judge Finney, "'I'm tired, it's been too long.'" He said to me, "'You tired?' I said, "'Yes, sir.'" He said, "'I was tired and scared.'" He said, "'So you don't have a right to be tired.'" So I wanna say, y'all have seen me around for a long time working on this project. It's not about me, it's about future generation. And I could thank so many people that have been involved from the beginning. And here's a young man. If you don't believe me, this project is important. He's from USC and he called me. He said, "'I'm looking at projects from around the city, historical projects. And I wanna come to Bethel Church, we wanna film it.' They wore me out because they were down here every week. And they asked me one question. They said, "'Mrs. Jones, why are you sticking with this project? You just kind of put something in your words.'" And I said, "'I could feel the spirit of a people.'" And I said, "'I'm here crying out to me and look back about what they have done.'" The person that we have chosen to do the unveiling today is Brother Jackson and Brother Moses Wilson. They were here. They had the vision to put this church up to get a historical marker. And they had the vision to put it on the national registry. So I think everybody here, I may miss some names, but I know Robin has been with me from the beginning, Dr. Donaldson, and I could go on and on. And my brother, from home I remember when he was a little boy, Dr. Singleton, his father was a fighter. So we gotta put that fighting spirit in us and not only just talk about it, we gotta put some money into it also. So I have a display here for you to look at and it's the pictures of when the first marker was installed. And Miss Thomas, who has passed, we were talking about raising money. And she said, "'You know, Mary, when we were raising money to build this church, we had a penny club.'" She said, "'I know you need a hundred dollars, but I don't have that and I could give you 20.'" And it was like a light went off. She said, "'If you get enough 20s, you can make it happen.'" So we created the 1921 program in honor of Judge Finney where you could give increments and the dollar amount of $19 and 21 cents. So you talk a good talk, so now I want you to walk a good walk and be a participant in this project. And if you give today, we give you a post if you give over $50. So we just want to thank you for coming and we will be really kicking off this program in the 1921 program in the next two weeks. So thank you so much for coming. And after Reverend Richburg, we'll have the unveiling. Well, we please stand that we may receive the blessings and benediction. It is God's peace, love, joy and hope. Be with us now and always. Amen.