• Civil Rights icon James T. McCain Sr. honored with street dedication

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    For his many contributions to the Civil Rights Movement and in peacefully moving his hometown of Sumter forward, a section of West Bartlette Street was dedicated Monday morning in memory of the late James T. “Nooker” McCain Sr.

    Sumter County Council Chairman James T. McCain Jr. was joined with his sisters Arnetta Ellison and Joyce Doty along with many family members and friends as a new sign was unveiled to honor the late educator.

    “This is another historic moment in Sumter, South Carolina,” said Sen. Kevin Johnson.

    Johnson, who represents District 36, who brought forth a Resolution in the Legislature along with Sen. Thomas McElveen of District 35.

    County Council Chairman McCain, who was first elected in 2014, told the crowd gathered that the City of Sumter wanted to bestow the recognition while his father was alive.

    “But he said ‘Absolutely not,’” as his father thought that would require Bartlette Street to be renamed, McCain said.

    The Rev. James Blassingame read Psalm 1 then offered a prayer.

    “Eternal God our Father in whom we move, live and have our being, it’s again in your divine presence that you have blessed us to assemble here for this special occasion,” he said. “We thank you for life, health and strength and we thank you for the family of the late James T. McCain, that we have come now to dedicate this marker in his honor and his memory. We thank you God for his legacy, the commitment that he made to this community, to his family, to the church, and we want to thank you for family members who have come for his son who serves on council, the daughters and other family members and all of these distinguished guests who have come out to say to this family, that we support you in this effort. Thank you God for all those who made this possible.”

    Sumter Mayor Joe McElveen said he was glad to see plenty of young people in the audience who might not know about McCain Sr. or the late Chief Justice Ernest Finney.

    “These are the men who caused us and allowed us to have the sort of city and community that we have now,” McElveen said.

    Those men and others worked “to make justice a reality here,” he said, as he’s thankful for the progress made during their lives. McElveen said McCain Sr. was instrumental for getting him involved in politics and noted that Sumter made it through the Civil Rights Movement in a mostly peaceful manner because of people like McCain Sr.

    “Jimmy I know he would be proud of you,” McElveen said, as he noted that he’s showing similar qualities his father was known for – patience, hard work, commitment and fairness.

    Jim Felder, a Sumter native and Civil Rights activist who served in the Statehouse, said, “Mr. Nooker McCain was a mentor of mine. Because of him, I got involved in the Civil Rights Movement in college.”

    McCain Sr., he said, was a man “who was committed to the cause.”

    When the Freedom Riders came through Rock Hill in 1961, McCain Sr. dragged Ernest Finney from a social function in Sumter to travel to Rock Hill to get the students out of jail, Felder said.

    “That was Nooker McCain. So today we honor him,” he said, noting that the former Lincoln High School now has a museum that’s open to the public.

    “It’s a place where we honor those who’ve gone before us, those whose shoulders we stand on today,” he said.

    Third Circuit Solicitor Ernest “Chip” Finney III, whose father rose to become S.C. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, said he was honored to share the platform with the McCain family as he grew up on Oakland Avenue and was neighbors with the McCains.

    McCain Sr., he said, provided “a great lesson in how you can change the world, really, one step at a time, one day at a time, by holding true to what you believe.”

    McCain Sr. never changed, he said, but made “a real big difference in this world.”

    Sen. Johnson said he was glad this day had finally come, as it was the culmination of two years’ worth of work. Sen. McElveen had a prior commitment and was unable to attend, he said, but lauded his colleague for working hard on the resolution as well.

    Johnson also noted that Rep. Murrell Smith, District 67, was in court and unable to attend, and that Rep. David Weeks, District 51, was receiving medical care.

    Photos here: http://www.sumtercountysc.org/i_want_to/see/image_galleries.php