Bobby Donaldson has spent nearly 30 years uncovering stories, preserving voices and ensuring South Carolina’s history is told in full. So when he received the Order of the Palmetto inside the South Carolina Civil Rights Museum in Orangeburg this March, surrounded by the very leaders whose lives and sacrifices shaped that history, the moment carried weight.
Donaldson was honored with South Carolina’s highest civilian honor for a career dedicated to preserving the state’s history. For nearly three decades at the University of South Carolina he and his students have documented firsthand accounts from student activists, community leaders and everyday citizens.
This work led to the creation of USC’s Center for Civil Rights History and Research in 2016, where Donaldson serves as executive director. Over the past decade, the center has transformed how South Carolina’s role in the Civil Rights Movement is understood, building archives and expanding public access to these critical histories.
“Our job is to lift those events and those moments from the footnotes to become headlines,” Donaldson has said.
Donaldson’s research explores education, religion and print culture of Southern history and African American life. As a James E. and Emily E. Clyburn Endowed Chair of Public Service and Civic Engagement and associate professor of history at USC, his work extends beyond academia to museum exhibitions, documentary films and preservation efforts across the state, alongside a deep commitment to mentoring students.
The Order of the Palmetto, established in 1971, recognizes outstanding service to South Carolina.
“To accept this honor at the hands of men and women who have shaped history — individuals who challenged injustice, opened doors and expanded the possibilities of democracy in our state — made the moment especially meaningful,” Donaldson said in his acceptance address. “Their lives and sacrifices stand as a powerful reminder that the assignment of history is not simply to remember, but to carry the lessons of the past forward.”
Donaldson first received the award from presenters Cecil J. Williams, famed civil rights photographer and founder of the SC Civil Rights Museum, and Retired Chief Justice Jean H. Toal, USC law school alumna and the first woman to serve as chief justice of the SC Supreme Court.
“There was a South Carolina history before Dr. Donaldson, and then there is one after he has come here,” said Williams. “He has really put our history on the map, so to speak.”
Retired Chief Justice Jean H. Toal added, “I join everyone in saying Dr. Donaldson is the keeper of the flame. So much of what we are now uncovering about our shared history is because of him. You could have taken that doctorate and gone any place, to the stars, and you stayed here at the University of South Carolina. Thank you.”
At a second ceremony two weeks later, U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn also presented Donaldson with the Order of the Palmetto, underscoring the breadth of his contributions across the state.
“I could not be more proud to see Dr. Bobby Donaldson awarded the Order of the Palmetto," said Congressman Clyburn. “Dr. Donaldson is one of the most extraordinary historians of our time. His work has allowed us to recognize the contributions of African Americans, civil rights leaders and the continued struggle for equality and justice in our pursuit of a more perfect union. Dr. Donaldson is a drum major for justice, and his scholarship continues to preserve and protect the Constitution and experiences of African Americans in our state and our nation.”