Anna Catherine “AC” Parham came to law school because she wants to someday practice family law in South Carolina.

“I want to be a fierce and unyielding advocate for women throughout my legal career, and anticipate many of my future clients to be victims of domestic violence,” says Parham. “I feel like I am in a unique position to understand what victims of domestic violence are going through without making unwanted assumptions about their personal experiences or situations.”

In fact, even before law school, Parham has been helping women and children in dangerous situations. As an Obama Foundation Leadership Corps member, she worked with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault through creative expression workshops to help create a safe space for discussion, artistic expression, and gradual healing.

But Parham also founded an organization called Suffering to Suffrage, which focuses on voter registration and education for those who may not know their voting rights or precincts. 

For her work in these areas, Parham received one of the inaugural “Fresh Voices in the Humanities” awards from the South Carolina Humanities Council on October 25.  The new award recognizes individuals who are working in unique and innovative ways to use culture and history to bring people together, but whose efforts have gone relatively unnoticed beyond their own community.

“To be chosen to win this award means the world to me,” says Parham. “This award shows that my work truly is making a difference in the lives of my fellow Sandlappers, and that is award enough in and of itself.”