South Carolina Unveils New Monument To Honor First Black Man To Enter US Naval Academy

A new monument in South Carolina was dedicated Monday to the first Black student to attend the U.S. Naval Academy.

The dedication was held in Charleston to honor James Henry Conyers for admission in 1872 by U.S. Representative from South Carolina, Robert B. Elliott.

Conyers was sworn into the Naval Academy by Elliot at the age of 16.

Conyers, a Charleston native, was sworn in as a cadet-midshipman on Sept. 24, 1872, but left in September of 1873 due to unthinkable acts of abuse and was permanently isolated from classmates, according to NBC affiliate station WCBD.

He later returned to Charleston, where he lived until he died in 1935.

WCBD reports that 14 years later is when the first Black cadet graduated from the Naval Academy.

The monument, recognized in Conyers’ honor, is located at the Humane and Friendly Society Cemetery on Pershing Street.

It was made possible due to the Naval Academy’s alumni, who donated money for the monument.

Conyers had been buried with his wife in an unmarked grave, according to CBS affiliate station WCSC.

But on Monday, he was honored as a trailblazer who broke the color barrier in the U.S. Naval Academy over 150 years ago.

The Naval Academy Superintendent VADM Sean Buck, Naval Academy Alumni Association, and Foundation CEO Jeff Webb were all in attendance as the cadet-midshipman was honored by fellow South Carolina natives.

That included former astronaut and NASA administrator Charles Bolden, who reportedly delivered the keynote address.

Officials say that Conyers was a leader who paved the way for others behind him, including Wesley Brown, the first African American to graduate from the academy in 1949.

“He single-handedly broke down barriers,” U.S. Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Sean Buck said during the event. “Not immediately, not all at once, but in a country that had just survived the ravages of a Civil War, he began to lead the way by example.”

Conyers’ great-granddaughter, Carol Grant-Rogers added, “We are a small family. You enabled us to come together on this occasion from near and far, and we appreciate it. We feel the love and support.”