“C” is for Carroll, Richard (1860-1929)

“C” is for Carroll, Richard (1860-1929). Clergyman. Born in Barnwell District, Carroll rose from being enslaved to be one of the most influential African Americans in South Carolina in the early twentieth century. He attended Benedict Institute and Shaw University. On entering the ministry, he pastored churches throughout the state. Throughout Carroll’s public career, his sharp intellect and stirring oratory commanded large audiences. In 1907 he organized the first of a series on annual conferences on race relations that attracted African American leaders from across the country and prominent White Carolinians. Modelling his work on Booker T. Washington’s Tuskegee, Carroll promoted the precepts of self-help, economic development, and moral uplift. While highly critical of blatant acts of White racism, Richard Carroll devised a conservative and pragmatic posture on issues concerning race relations, segregation, and White supremacy.