COASTAL OBSERVER

Hip replacement surgery couldn’t stop Lorna Rainey from paying tribute to her great-grandfather, Joseph Hayne Rainey, in his hometown that he loved dearly.

She was delighted with the turnout at a plaque unveiling ceremony in Georgetown on June 21, the 192nd anniversary of his birth. Lorna said “potential, determination and legacy” are words that can attempt to sum up the impact Rainey left.

The event and the plaque itself sparked protests from Black groups and the county Democratic Party, who claimed they were driven by partisan goals. Speakers at the event said Rainey, a Republican, transcended party.

When Lorna Rainey is going through difficult times, she  said she thinks of the verbal and physical abuse Rainey went through as the only Black man in the U.S. House of Representatives. She sees him as an inspiration in her career.

“He’s in my DNA,” she said. “I built one of the most successful talent management businesses in the industry, which started with my last $50 and supplies from an Office Depot.”

For the past 10 years, her mission has been to spread Joseph Rainey’s legacy. She announced that she secured funding and distribution to create the docu-drama entitled “Slave in the House.”

She’s planning a premier screening in Georgetown.

“Because of all of you, his legacy lives on,” Lorna Rainey said.

Joseph Hayne Rainey, the son of enslaved parents, was the first African-American elected to Congress and took his seat in 1870. 

Steve Williams, a local historian and speaker at the event, shared details of Rainey’s life with the crowd of about 100.

After his father purchased his family’s freedom, Rainey was a free Black man with an education and a high-paying job. He was forced to fight with the confederates, which went against his core beliefs, Williams said.

Rainey knew his freedom was in jeopardy if the South prevailed, so he escaped to Bermuda with his wife. He made the decision to come back, and helped write the S.C. Constitution in 1868. His furthered his impact by fighting for Native Americans, Asian Americans and Black Americans.

“Rainey was forced to live in a universe of adversity, where his common dignity was routinely denied,” Williams said. “But somehow, he kept his integrity.”

Republican officials called the ceremony nonpartisan. It was hosted by the Georgetown County Republican Party along with the city of Georgetown.

The committee that came up with the idea for the plaque and the ceremony consisted of county chairwoman Karol Anderson, vice chair Kelley Johnson, state executive committeeman Bill Chaplin and treasurer Kevin Glynn.

Marilyn Hemingway, founder of the Gullah-Geechee Chamber of Commerce and chair of the Georgetown County Democratic Party, had concerns the event was partisan because her organizations were not consulted for any attempt to collaborate.

Hemingway, members of the Democratic Party and NAACP representative Ernestine Giddens held a peaceful counter rally after the plaque dedication. They held up signs that read, “true history matters.”

Hemingway released a statement before the ceremony, noting the Gullah-Geechee community was misled when Republicans labeled it nonpartisan.

“We are here to remind this county, state and nation that before Joseph Hayne Rainey was a U.S. representative and Radical Republican, he was an enslaved child purchased out of freedom by his father,” Hemingway said.

She demanded an apology be made to the Gullah-Geechee community, as well as a change to the wording on the plaque from  “born to slave parents” to “born to enslaved parents.” 

Sen. Ronnie Sabb, a Democrat who’s served District 32 since 2014, said the plaque was long overdue regardless of who hosted the event – which can easily get politicized.

“Look to the man and not to the label,” Sabb said. “He stood for truth and justice and fairness for all, and that is not a partisan issue.”

“His legacy should transcend political games,” Hemingway said.

Williams was there when Rainey Park was dedicated in March 1993 by the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. He said he’s always happy to speak about Rainey’s legacy.

“He, in my opinion, is the greatest person to have come through Georgetown, and he’s worthy of a lot,” Williams said.

Williams wasn’t concerned with the GOP’s role prior to the ceremony. He addressed partisan issues and “cheap political tricks” during his speech.

During Jim Crow,  no political party was there to help, Republicans or Democrats, he said.

“The only thing that helped us was God almighty,” Williams said.

Anderson said Republicans starting talking about a plaque a year ago after assessing Rainey Park’s popularity and lack of awareness of who he was.

“We realized there was nothing on this park that informed the public who Congressman Rainey was and why this park was named after him,” she said.

U.S. Rep. Russell Fry said he is reminded of Rainey’s tenacity and persistence while representing the 7th District.

“I think it’s an incredibly momentous occasion that somebody with such a rich history – the adversity that he faced – was able to go from slavery to the U.S. Congress in one lifetime,” Fry said.