James T. McLawhorn Jr.

James T. McLawhorn Jr. has spent his career working for civil rights, community relations, and social justice. McLawhorn has been president and CEO of the Columbia Urban League since 1979. The Columbia Urban League’s programs are varied and include Saving Our Children, designed to help children break the cycle of juvenile justice involvement; Project Ready, which works to enhance academic success and social skills development for students; and the College Internship Program, which provides college students with the opportunity to gain work experience. McLawhorn was a chief organizer of the King Day at the Dome march and rally held on Jan. 17, 2000, one of the largest civil rights demonstrations in state history, which was held to protest the flying of the Confederate flag atop the South Carolina State House. A recipient of South Carolina’s Order of the Palmetto, McLawhorn founded the National Black Family Summit in 1985. He also received the Whitney M. Young Jr. Race Relations Award from the National Urban League. He also has served on the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission. McLawhorn helped to launch “The State of Black South Carolina: An Action Agenda for the Future,” a periodic report on the most pressing issues affecting African Americans in the Palmetto State.