South Carolina mayor to speak at HREI banquet

A historic act of contrition will be the main theme of this year's Human Rights Banquet hosted by the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations.

Doug Echols, the mayor of Rock Hill, S.C., will be the keynote speaker at the April 13 banquet in Coeur d'Alene. Rock Hill is the city that made headlines in January when its court vacated the 1961 convictions of nine men arrested for conducting a peaceful sit-in at a segregated lunch counter.

"This year's human rights banquet is of historical significance as the banquet attendees will hear and witness Mayor Echols' account of what may be the first southern city and its municipal court to fully embrace racial reconciliation through reversing and vacating the 1961 wrongful court conviction ... that had been based on the historical Jim Crow laws of racial segregation," said task force spokesman Tony Stewart. "Mayor Echols will show a clip from the January 2015 court hearing during his keynote address."

The story began in February 1961 when eight black college students from Rock Hill Friendship Junior College joined Thomas Gaither from the Congress of Racial Equality for a peaceful sit-in that challenged the "whites only" segregation policy at the lunch counter of the local McCrory Variety Store. They were arrested, charged and convicted of trespassing and breach of peace.

The men became known as the "Friendship Nine."

What made the "Friendship Nine" different from other students who participated in sit-ins in other cities in the South was that they refused to pay the individual $100 fines into the city coffers but instead opted to serve their 30-day sentences at hard labor. Civil rights activists across the South adopted their slogan "Jail, Not Bail."

More than 50 years later, Kim Johnson, the author of "No Fear for Freedom: The Story of Friendship 9," convinced York and Union County Prosecutor Kevin Brackett to address the injustice. Rock Hill Municipal Court Judge John C. Hayes presided over the Jan. 28 municipal court hearing.

"We cannot rewrite history, but we can right history," Haynes stated, in his ruling.

In apologizing to the men and the court, Prosecutor Beckett said: "There was only one reason that these men were arrested. There was only one reason that they were charged and convicted of trespassing, and that is because they were black."

Echols' talk at the human rights banquet, in its 18th year, will be "Rock Hills' Civil Rights Journey From 1961 to 2015: The Story of the 'Friendship Nine.'"

Echols is in his fifth four-year term as mayor of Rock Hill. Prior to becoming mayor, he served two terms on the city council. He is the past president of the Municipal Association of South Carolina representing 270 cities and towns in South Carolina and in 2012 he served a term as the president of the Association of South Carolina Mayors.

He previously served on the board of directors of the National League of Cities and was chair of the National League of Cities' Leadership Training Council.

Echols and the Rock Hill City Council are partnering with regional businesses on a redevelopment project on 1,000 acres of land that represents a $600 million private investment. The project includes 250 acres for the construction of various public recreation and sports venues.

Among his many public service accomplishments, Echols initiated Rock Hills' Commission for Children and Youth and the Mayor's Task Force for Greenways, Trails and Sidewalks.

Echols had a long career as an educator and administrator in both the public schools as well as higher education. He is the past president of the NCAA Division II Commissioners' Association.

Echols holds a B.S. in biology and physical education from Mars Hill College, a Master's in education administration from Western Carolina University, and an Education Specialist Degree in administration from Winthrop University. He received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Winthrop University.

The April 13 banquet will be held at the Best Western Plus Coeur d'Alene Inn, with a reception at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6.

Echols' wife, a prominent South Carolina children's advocate, will conduct a workshop April 14 at 4 p.m. at the Human Rights Education Center, 414 W. Mullan Road, Coeur d'Alene. The workshop is free and open to the public.

Sylvia Fulbright Echols is a board member of the Institute for Child Success in South Carolina. During the workshop, she will share information about early childhood learning and discuss programs that address preschool children's health and safety in relation to literacy development.

Banquet tables may be purchased for $500 or $1,000 or individual tickets are $40. For ticket information, call (208) 292-2359 or (208) 765-3932 or by mail: P.O. Box 2725, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816.

All proceeds go to the Human Rights Education Institute for educational programs and North Idaho College Minority Student Scholarships.