Richland County judge expunges records of Columbia civil rights leaders after 64 years

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — In 1960, seven young black men in Columbia were arrested for a peaceful protest. Students at Allen University and Benedict College staged sit-ins at white-only businesses, taking over from those in Greensboro, North Carolina.

More than 60 years later, their records are being erased.

A little more than 64 years ago, Reverend Simon Bouie was one of seven black Columbia students arrested for a sit-in at a whites-only business on Taylor Street.

While the cases were contested all the way to the US Supreme Court, the records of the seven students still showed one arrest as of this week.

On Friday afternoon, a judge expunged the case of Rev. Bouie, Charles Barr and five others from the Richland County Judicial Center.

Barr remembers being determined to make a change, but confessed to being scared during the sit-in.

The families of the five Civil Rights leaders who died before their files could be released have appeared in court.

Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson handled the documents, and many hope they will shed light on part of Columbia’s past.