John Henry McCray Project Website

African American Civil Rights Network

The John Henry McCray Project is dedicated to helping commemorate the substantial contributions that newspaper publisher and political activist John Henry McCray made to the African American Civil Rights movement in South Carolina during the mid-20th century.

John Henry McCray (1910-1987) was an influential African American journalist, newspaper editor and publisher, politician, and civil rights activist in the state of South Carolina. His newspaper, the weekly Lighthouse and Informer, is considered to have been one of the most significant African American newspapers in the state during the mid-20th century. McCray also cofounded the Progressive Democratic Party of South Carolina, the first African American Democratic Party in the Southern United States.

The three-year John Henry McCray Project (2020-2023) was conducted by faculty and student researchers at Allen University in Columbia, SC. The project focused on developing educational programming and interpretive materials, collecting oral histories, and creating a website to raise awareness about the significant impact McCray's life and work had on the development of South Carolina's African American Civil Rights movement.

The research project received additional support through a National Park Service African American Civil Rights Grant.

The John Henry McCray Project website became part of the African American Civil Rights Network in 2023.

The African American Civil Rights Network recognizes the African American Civil Rights Movement in the United States and the sacrifices made by those who fought against discrimination and segregation. Created by the African American Civil Rights Act of 2017, and coordinated by the National Park Service, the Network tells the stories of the people, places, and events of the U.S. African American Civil Rights Movement through a collection of public and private resources to include properties, facilities, and programs.