Modjeska Monteith Simkins was a force of good for many South Carolinians. For seven decades, she fought for others. Her work during the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina garnered national attention. But she is also known for advancing health equity for Black people in the state. 

Today, you can learn about Simkins* and the Civil Rights Movement through Historic Columbia’s exhibit in her home. The house in downtown Columbia* served as a key location for civil rights and social justice activities from 1932 to 1992. She was the lone woman in leadership of the South Carolina State Conference of Branches of the NAACP.

“In this space, we want to not just honor Modjeska Simkins but amplify her work as an activist. She was a human rights activist for most of her adult life. We want to honor that legacy by teaching young adults about what she did during that time,” says Katharine Allen, Historic Columbia’s director of outreach and engagement. 

In 2006, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina’s support enabled the Historic Columbia Foundation to take over stewardship of her home from the Collaborative for Community Trust, which saved the site from demolition. 

“The preservation and subsequent rehabilitation of the home of Modjeska Simkins was made possible by the support of BlueCross, guided by the philanthropic vision of then-CEO Ed Sellers,” says Robin Waites, executive director of Historic Columbia. “While the home had been secured and protected following Mrs. Simkins death, by 2007 it was in foreclosure. BlueCross purchased the property and then donated it to the City of Columbia with the condition that Historic Columbia take over as stewards of the property. The subsequent preservation and rehabilitation of the home was made possible by the support of BlueCross.”

At the site, you can learn about her work* as the Director of Negro Work for the South Carolina Tuberculosis Association in the 1920s and 1930s. She became the state’s only full-time statewide Black public health worker. 

At the time, tuberculosis and other illnesses led to an increase in mortality rates among Black people. This work made her an authority on discrimination Black people faced in South Carolina due to restricted access to health care, education, economic opportunities and the ballot. 

Later, she worked to raise money to establish a first-rate hospital in Columbia for Black residents. The Good Samaritan Waverly Hospital opened in 1952. 

Simkins’ work made a significant impact on the health of Black South Carolinians.

“We want to remind people of the state about the reality for Black people in South Carolina at the time that Simkins was born and for most of her life,” Allen says. 

The self-guided exhibit returns the house to a place that is central to engagement and action for the community. It invites visitors to see history through a modern and timely lens. 

“This shows how long the Civil Rights Movement was. It is not just a period of time in the 1950s and 60s. A lot of the issues that we’re dealing with today are directly informed by events that have happened in the past,” Allen says. “By coming here, you can learn about those past events, and it will help contextualize what we are navigating today.” 

Throughout the space, Simkins’ own words narrate the important work she did to advance equality in South Carolina. 

“She wasn’t the only leader of this effort in the state, but this does make sure that her voice is still heard,” Allen says. “Historic preservation provides a physical reminder of people and events in the past that may not be remembered otherwise. Women’s role in the Civil Rights Movement and human activism is often not shared or remembered as much. It is especially important to have her voice exhibited in this way.” 

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