Eighty years ago, some of the nation’s most influential civil rights thinkers, labor organizers, and young activists gathered in Columbia, South Carolina, to challenge racial injustice and envision a more equitable American democracy. Among them were legendary activist Modjeska Monteith Simkins and internationally renowned scholar W.E.B. Du Bois. Yet despite its historical significance, the movement that brought them together remains unfamiliar to most Americans.
On Thursday, October 22, 2026, from 6 to 7:30 Allen University’s Boeing Institute on Civility will revisit this overlooked chapter of history through a special public program titled “Civility Suffers When History Is Erased.”
Presented by the Modjeska Simkins School for Human Rights, the discussion will feature Dr. Robert Greene II and Dr. Erik Gellman, historians whose scholarship and teaching explore African American political activism, civil rights organizing, and the struggle for racial equality.
The event will examine the Southern Negro Youth Congress (SNYC), an influential organization that mobilized young people, workers, educators, and community leaders across the South during the 1930s and 1940s.
The program will revisit the movement’s accomplishments, explore the forces that brought about its demise, and consider the consequences of excluding important historical experiences from public memory.
History, Civility, and the Responsibility to Remember
The discussion connects directly with the Boeing Institute on Civility’s broader mission of encouraging informed dialogue, historical understanding, and meaningful engagement across differences.
The program will address three central questions:
What was the Southern Negro Youth Congress, and why did it matter?
What did the movement accomplish, and why was it ultimately dismantled?
What responsibilities do educational institutions and communities have to preserve historical memory?
Speakers
Dr. Robert Greene II is a historian and lead instructor with the Modjeska Simkins School for Human Rights. His work explores African American history, political thought, and the continuing significance of historical memory in public life. He teaches at Claflin University in Orangeburg.
Dr. Erik Gellman is a historian and author of Death Blow to Jim Crow: The National Negro Congress and the Rise of Militant Civil Rights. His scholarship documents the overlooked networks of organizing, labor activism, and political resistance that helped lay the groundwork for the modern civil rights movement. He teaches at UNC.
Event Information
Event: Civility Suffers When History Is Erased
Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026
Time: 6:00–7:30 p.m. Eastern
Location: Allen University, Columbia, South Carolina
Featuring: Dr. Robert Greene II and Dr. Erik Gellman
Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/live/fhXUiQT3D70?si=IgsktDodTioG8Dtn
Reception to follow the public program
For details:
Modjeska Simkins School for Human Rights
Email: info@modjeskaschool.com
Phone: 803-808-3384