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Stephen Atkins Swails is a forgotten American hero. A free Black in the North before the Civil War began, Swails exhibited such exemplary service in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry that he became the first African American commissioned as a combat officer in the United States military. After the war, Swails remained in South Carolina, where he held important positions in the Freedmen’s Bureau, helped draft a progressive state constitution, served in the state senate, and secured legislation benefiting newly liberated Black citizens. Swails remained active in South Carolina politics after Reconstruction until violent Redeemers drove him from the state.Gordon C. Rhea tells Swails' story in his new biography, Stephen A. Swails: Black Freedom Fighter in the Civil War and Reconstruction (2021, LSU Press. Rhea talks with Walter Edgar about the saga of this indomitable human being who confronted deep-seated racial prejudice in various institutions but nevertheless reached significant milestones in the fight for racial equality.

In his book, The Slow Undoing: The Federal Courts and the Long Struggle for Civil Rights in South Carolina, Dr. Stephen H. Lowe argues for a reconsideration of the role of the federal courts in the civil rights movement. It places the courts as a central battleground at the intersections of struggles over race, law, and civil rights. During the long civil rights movement, Black and White South Carolinians used the courts as a venue to contest the meanings of the constitution, justice, equality, and citizenship.Lowe joins Walter Edgar to discuss how African Americans used courts and direct action in tandem to bring down legal segregation throughout the long civil rights era.

“A” is for Allan, Sarah Campbell (1861-1954). Physician.

“C” is for Can-Am Days. Can-Am Days is the abbreviated name for the annual Canadian-American Days festival in the Myrtle Beach area.

“B” is for Barnwell, John (ca.1671-1724). Soldier.

A listener shares a story about using NatureScene to teach his children about the natural world.

The Bradford pear was introduced as a desireable tree for yard and landscape. Now it has become invasive.

At the Medical University of South Carolina the grounds crew strives to make the campus a stress relieving space not only for persons coming for appointments but also urban dwellers who are welcome to stroll the grounds. A good place to start is the Urban Farm.

When COVID shut down many activities centered in the urban garden area, the staff started making flower arrangements and putting them out for medical professionals to pick up on their way to their workspaces. Eventually, as part of the goal of horticultural therapy, the grounds crew began collecting flowers, greenery, and grasses and letting people gather safely outdoors to make arrangements.

One sector of the stock market that has done particularly well over the past 12 months is the energy sector, driven mostly by significantly higher oil and gas prices. Is this segment due for a breather? Mike Switzer interviews Peter Nielsen, a chartered financial analyst and adjunct professor of finance at Anderson University in Anderson, SC. He joins us by phone today from his office at Independent Solutions Wealth Management in Greer, SC where he is a portfolio manager. He is also a member of the South Carolina chapter of the CFA Society.