Catherine Fleming Bruce | |
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Born | Fort Campbell, Kentucky, U.S. | December 3, 1961
Education | Agnes Scott College (BA) University of South Carolina (MA) |
Political party | Democratic |
Catherine Fleming Bruce (born December 3, 1961) is an American author, preservationist, and activist from South Carolina. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Catherine Fleming Bruce was born in Kentucky and later moved to Columbia, South Carolina, where she was raised. [1] Bruce received her bachelor's degree from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia and her master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Bruce is the daughter of Emma Fleming and the late Louis Fleming, who served as Chairman of Sumter (SC) County Council. [2] [3]
Bruce has advocated in coalition with other local and state chapters of national advocacy groups [4] [5] and community based groups. She has been active in the preservation of Richland County (SC) historic sites in connected to local leaders active during the Civil Rights Movement, particularly Black women. [6] In 1995, Bruce founded the Collaborative for Community Trust, which by 2000 was a "small group made up of mostly educators who are committed to social change." The group bought the home of activist Modjeska Simkins in downtown Columbia so that it could be used as a human rights center and the group's offices after restoration. [1] Scholars noted in 2021 that Richland County has more monuments to Black women than any other county in the United States. [7] [8] [9] [10]
In the aftermath of the 2014 deadly Christmas Eve EF3 tornado [11] in Columbia, Mississippi and the 1000 year flood that struck Columbia, South Carolina the year afterward. [12] [13] Bruce highlighted historic ties between the two cities and participated in joint relief efforts that connected them as sister cities. [14] [15] [16] [17]
On January 17, 2022, Martin Luther King Day, Bruce announced her campaign to run in the 2022 election for South Carolina's Class 3 seat in the United States Senate against Republican incumbent Tim Scott. [18] [19] [20] [21] Bruce received the highest number of votes in the June 14 Democratic Primary against two opponents. [22] [23] Because South Carolina State law requires a more than 50% margin of victory, a June 28 runoff was held. [24] [25] [26] The eventual Democratic nominee was defeated by the incumbent. [27] [28] Bruce has served as Director of Operations for the Richland County (SC) Democratic Party. [29]
Her writings focus on culture and social justice. Published scholarship includes The Globalization-friendly global public sphere: contrasting paths to moral legitimacy and accountability, a chapter that appeared in the 2011 book, Public Sphere Reconsidered: Theories and Practices. [30]
Bruce's 1992 documentary, A Perfect Equality: Conflicts And Achievements of Historic Black Columbia, was broadcast on South Carolina Educational Television. [1] [31] The 90-minute documentary is divided into four parts, each covering an era of Black history between 1786 until 1990, and contains narration, archival photographs, and interviews. The State staff writer Pat Berman wrote that in the documentary, "Bruce focuses on what [black people] have achieved in Columbia and what strategies have been devised to deal with the racism that not only impedes progress but also denies the humanity of others". [31] She also produced a guide to places in Richland County important to Black history [1] that was described by The State in 1995 as a "ground-breaking guide to Columbia's black history". [32]
In 2014, Bruce organized a celebration of the filming of the Emmy-nominated television miniseries Chiefs, based on the New York Times best-selling Chiefs (novel) by Stuart Woods. in collaboration with local organizations. The Chester newspaper reprinted coverage of Woods' participation on the occasion of his death in 2022. [33]
Bruce is the author of The Sustainers: Being, Building and Doing Good through Activism in the Sacred Spaces of Civil Rights, Human Rights and Social Movements. [34] She became the first African American to win the University of Mary Washington Center for Historic Preservation Book Prize in 2017. [35] [36] The book received significant attention in the field, and has amplified national scholarly and professional discussion on social justice, inclusion, diversity and anti-racism in the practice of preservation, by such groups as Urban Heritage, Sustainability, and Social Inclusion project of the Columbia Climate School Center for Sustainable Urban Development, as well as connections between preservation, activism and social justice. [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46]
In 2021, an article by Bruce, "A Lion Tells Her Own Story: Civil Rights Buildings in South Carolina”, was published in C20: The Magazine of the Twentieth Century Society, a United Kingdom - based publication. [47] [48]
Richland County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 416,147, making it the second-most populous county in South Carolina, behind only Greenville County. The county seat and largest community is Columbia, the state capital. The county was established on March 12, 1785. Richland County is part of the Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2020, the center of population of South Carolina was located in Richland County, in the city of Columbia. The county is also the location of the geographic center of South Carolina, southeast of Columbia.
Lexington County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 293,991. Its county seat and largest community is Lexington. The county was chartered in 1785 and was named in commemoration of Lexington, Massachusetts, the site of the Battle of Lexington in the American Revolutionary War. Lexington County is the sixth-most populous county in South Carolina by population and is part of the Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in the Midlands region of South Carolina.
Modjeska Monteith Simkins was an important leader of African-American public health reform, social reform and the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina.
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The Supreme Court of South Carolina is the highest court in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The court is composed of a chief justice and four associate justices.
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John L. Scott Jr. was an American politician who served as a member of the South Carolina Legislature from 1991 until his death.
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The 2014 United States Senate special election in South Carolina took place on November 4, 2014, concurrently with the regular election for the other South Carolina Senate seat. The special-election Senate seat was formerly held by Republican Jim DeMint, who resigned on January 2, 2013, to become president of The Heritage Foundation.
Mia S. McLeod is an independent American politician who served as a member of the South Carolina Senate from the 22nd district from 2017 until 2024. On June 3, 2021, McLeod announced her candidacy for the 2022 South Carolina gubernatorial election, becoming the first Black woman to run for Governor of South Carolina, generating national and international headlines.
The 1980 United States presidential election in South Carolina took place on November 4, 1980. All 50 states and The District of Columbia were part of the 1980 United States presidential election. South Carolina voters chose eight electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
The 1976 United States presidential election in South Carolina took place on November 2, 1976. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1976 United States presidential election. South Carolina voters chose eight electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. Despite fluctuating polls, Carter would carry South Carolina by a margin of 13.04 points over Ford.
The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina were held on November 3, 2020, to elect the seven U.S. representatives from the state of South Carolina, one from each of the state's seven congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
Richard A. "Dick" Harpootlian is an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the South Carolina Senate from the 20th district from 2018 to 2024. He served as the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party from 1998 to 2003 and again from 2011 to 2013. He also previously served as solicitor for the Fifth Judicial Circuit of South Carolina from 1991 until 1995.
The 2022 United States Senate election in South Carolina was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of South Carolina. Incumbent Republican Senator Tim Scott won reelection to a second full term, defeating state representative Krystle Matthews. This was the third consecutive election for this seat where both major party nominees were black.
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A ground-breaking guide to Columbia's black history was researched and compiled by Hopkins resident Catherine Fleming Bruce.