On Friday, May 8, I stood on the Old Tomlinson High School athletic field in Kingstree, a place etched into both my personal memory and American history. Sixty years ago, I sat on my grandfather’s shoulders at this very site during Mother’s Day weekend and listened to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. deliver a speech that still echoes today: March on Ballot Boxes.

On that historic day in May 1966, more than 5,000 people gathered in Williamsburg County to hear Dr. King call African Americans — and all citizens of conscience — to register and vote. Among those present was a young James E. Clyburn, who would go on to represent South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District.

King’s message came at a pivotal time. On March 7, 1965, peaceful protesters were brutally attacked on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, during what became known as Bloody Sunday. That moment led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act, signed into law on Aug. 6, 1965, to protect voting rights.

As I returned to the field in 2026, I was struck by the contrast between past progress and present reality.

On the anniversary of Dr. King’s speech, the South Carolina General Assembly advanced H.5683, which seeks to redraw congressional districts, particularly the 6th Congressional District. This district was drawn as an African American-majority district in 1993. Critics argue the bill would weaken minority voting power.

Currently, this bill is moving through the legislative process, and despite its setback in the Senate, the debate is far from over.

The debate in South Carolina is shaped by the broader legal context created by U.S. Supreme Court decisions. In 2013, Shelby County v. Holder removed federal oversight of voting-law changes. In 2021, Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee made it harder to challenge voting restrictions. Together, these rulings weakened the Voting Rights Act. The court’s fresh ruling in Louisiana v. Callais fed the current redistricting push.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The South Carolina Stingrays’ season came to an end in Game 5 of the South Division Finals as they fell to the Florida Everblades, 3-1, on Sunday night at the North Charleston Coliseum in front of 3,666 fans.

Neither side could figure out the goaltenders in the first period. Seth Eisele, making his second straight start for South Carolina, and Cam Johnson for Florida, kept both offenses quiet in the first.

In the second period, the Everblades started the frame on a 5-on-3 power play, but could not capitalize with Eisele denying multiple chances.

The Stingrays spent a majority of the period in their own end with Florida pressuring, but Eisele continued to stand tall in net. The Everblades had 18 shots in the second period alone as the Lake Elmo, MN native turned aside every chance, keeping the game scoreless going to the third.

Florida eventually broke through in the third. Isaac Nurse punched in a loose puck in front to give the Everblades a 1-0 lead 7:11 into the frame. Kyle Betts then doubled the visitors’ advantage less than two minutes later on a rebound.

Trailing by two in the final minutes, the Stingrays pulled Eisele for the extra attacker and converted. Jalen Luypen scored with 2:38 remaining in regulation, cutting the deficit in half, 2-1.

The Stingrays again pulled Eisele for the extra attacker, but Carson Gicewicz scored an empty-net goal with 1:09 left to ice the 3-1 win for the Everblades and seal the series, beating South Carolina in five games, 4-1.