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The Palmetto Education Association (PEA), formerly known as the South Carolina State Teachers Association, has a long history that extends as far back as 1900. While there were several attempts to organize an association prior to this year, the association was officially established in 1900 at Benedict College under the leadership of the Superintendent of Schools of Richland County, John J. McMahan, and educational leaders across the state. The purpose of the association was to free black educators from “the domination of the white power structure and organize an association of their own.” In 1919, under the leadership of J.L. Cain, the association took on the name Palmetto State Teachers Association. The association changed its name to the Palmetto Education Association (PEA) in 1954. In 1966, the PEA merged with the South Carolina Education Association (SCEA), the all-white counter organization.

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Palmetto History

History of the Palmetto Education Association

By John F. Potts, Sr.

Published 1978 by the National Education Association

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Organization Name

  • South Carolina State Teachers Association (1900-1918)
  • Palmetto State Teachers Association (1919-1954)
  • Palmetto Education Association (1954-1967)

Publications

  • PSTA Bulletin (1920-1946)
  • Education News (1946-1951)
  • Journal of the Palmetto State Teachers Association (1951-1954)
  • Palmetto Education Association Journal (1954-1967)

Headquarters

1719 Taylor St, Columbia SC 29201

Presidents

  • Dr. Thomas Miller (1904-1906)
  • Attorney Nathaniel J. Frederick (1906-1908)
  • Dr. Robert Shaw Wilkinson (1908-1914)
  • J. L. Cain (1914-1922)
  • Dr. R. W. Mance, Sr. (1922-1924)
  • Reverend A.A. Sims (1928-1930)
  • Gerard A. Anderson (1938-1940)
  • J. T. W. Mims (1942-1944)
  • B. W. Gallman (1944-1946)
  • J. T. McCain (1946-1948)
  • John F. Potts (1948-1950)
  • J. C. Parler (1950-1952)
  • John R. Bowen (1952-1954)
  • Dr. Madge Perry Harper (1954-1956)
  • Dr. Leila A. Bradby (1956-1958)
  • Allen Williams (1958-1960)
  • Mrs. Alberta T. Grimes (1960-1962)
  • Hudson L. Barksdale (1962-1964)
  • Clarence E. Watkins (1964-1966)
  • Mrs. Ellen C. Watson (1966-1967)

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