Dr. Henrie Monteith Treadwell, the woman who led the legal battle to desegregate the University of South Carolina, will return to her hometown on Friday, October 24, 2025, to discuss her new memoir, Come Along with Me: An African American Woman’s Journey for Justice. Hosted by the Center for Civil Rights History and Research and All Good Books, the event will take place from 6 \textrm { – } 8 \mathrm { p. m } . at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church, 2229 Hampton Street in Columbia.
Dr. Treadwell will be joined in conversation by veteran journalist Beryl Dakers, one of South Carolina’s first African American on-air broadcasters. Together, they will reflect on Dr. Treadwell’s historic role in desegregating the University of South Carolina and her distinguished career in public health and education.
Born in Columbia in 1946, Dr. Treadwell grew up in a family deeply involved in the civil rights movement, including her aunt, activist Modjeska Monteith Simkins. In 1962, with legal support from attorney Matthew Perry, she filed the federal lawsuit that led to the university’s desegregation. On September 11, 1963, she enrolled alongside James Solomon and Robert Anderson, becoming one of the first African American students to integrate the University of South Carolina since Reconstruction. In 1965, she became the university’s first Black woman graduate.
Dr. Treadwell went on to earn advanced degrees from Boston University, Atlanta University, and Harvard University, and built a nationally recognized career in public health, including leadership roles at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Morris Brown
College, and the Morehouse School of Medicine.
A Q&A session, book signing, and photo opportunities will follow the conversation. Books will be available for purchase on-site at the event, provided by All Good Books, a Columbia-based independent bookstore.
This event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 5:30 PM.
Members of the press who wish to cover the event or schedule an interview with Dr. Treadwell should contact Center Communications Manager Courtney Thompson, thomp825@mailbox.sc.edu, for details
