SC S0861

South Carolina Senate resolution honors Phillis Wheatley, the first author of African descent in the American colonies to publish a book, and recognizes January 29, 2026, as the date the U.S. Postal Service will issue a commemorative stamp in her honor

The Midlands region has honored Wheatley since 1930 through a public library branch, originally sponsored by the Rosenwald Foundation, now operating as the Richland Library Wheatley branch at 931 Woodrow Street since 1993

The Lowcountry honored Wheatley through the Phillis Wheatley Literary and Social Club, founded in 1916 in Charleston, which promoted study of African American writers and supported organizations including the Jenkins Orphanage and NAACP

The Upstate honored Wheatley beginning in 1919 with the Phillis Wheatley Association in Greenville, which evolved into a community center serving youth, operating as the Black YWCA from 1930-1970, and now functions as the Phillis Wheatley Community Center

The resolution commemorates over a century of recognition for Wheatley in South Carolina, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States