Black History in the Upstate - February 2005

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* Information for this page obtained from Leroy Chapman Jr., Associate Editorial Page Editor for Greenville News Do you know of someone in the Upstate that you would like to nominate as a part of our local Black History list? If so please email us their name and contact information.

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February 3, 2005
Rev. Santee Cleveland Cureton: Holding us to a higher standard

The Rev. S.C. Cureton is the pastor of Reedy River Missionary Baptist Church, one of the county's oldest and most prominent churches. But Cureton is also past president of the million-member National Baptist Convention USA Inc, the nation's largest confederation of African American churches. Cureton also once headed the 450,000-member Baptist Education and Missionary Convention of South Carolina. Rev. Cureton has been a living definition of Christian leadership.

Otherwise unassuming, Cureton is a leader with national and statewide stature who was born here in Greenville in 1931. He rose to those lofty heights, friends and colleagues say, through his faith and his earnest determination to help people.

For more than 50 years -- nearly 40 years at Reedy River -- Cureton has been a minister who pushed his congregation to serve the community. Cureton made his decision to enter the ministry at age 17 and was 35 when he came to Reedy River. Cureton worked as both as a math teacher and minister until 1982, when he retired after 26 years in the education field. Both occupations taught him two things: first, the importance of education and, secondly, the need for strong families to ensure children have the widest opportunities possible within their grasp. Among his proudest affiliations is his association with Save Our Sons, a nonprofit founded in 1993. Cureton is chairman of SOS, which mentors teens to keep them out of the criminal justice system and push them toward college.

Cureton has also been a vocal proponent for a paid holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Greenville County. It's a little known fact, but during the 1960s, as president of the local chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Rev. Cureton helped bring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to town.

Rev. Cureton has worked diligently to build bridges between the races in Greenville. The Greenville News named Rev. Cureton as one of the county's Top 25 community leaders. The nation may know Cureton mostly from his days heading the National Baptist Convention and his work in succeeding Henry Lyons as president of the NBC in 1999. Lyons' involvement in a financial scandal rocked the core of the organization. Cureton was pressed into the role of caretaker, and he proved capable of helping to restore faith in one of Black America's most important organizations. Rev. Cureton, by virtue of his leadership, belongs to all of Black America. But his heart has always remained dedicated to Greenville, evident in his work in this community. WJMZ salutes Rev. S.C. Cureton for his lifelong work in encouraging folks to get involved in their community and pushing the Upstate to live up to its potential.

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Listen weekdays during February at 7:45AM in the Tom Joyner Morning Show, and again at 12:50PM during the K. J. in the Midday Show, for McDonald's Black History Moments featuring interesting historical facts about African American history in the Upstate. McDonald's celebrates Black history 365 days a year by communicating the pride, achievement, heritage, and contributions of African Americans to American history. McDonald's, "I'm loving it."

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Read about Orlando Jones

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