Marjorie Amos-Frazier papers

Marjorie Rhodes Amos-Frazier (1926-2010) was born in Manning, South Carolina. She attended Manning Training School (high school) and graduated in 1941. She worked at the American Tobacco Company plant for more than 20 years, resigning in January 1971. Amos-Frazier continued her education through taking correspondence courses through the American Schools in Chicago, Illinois (1971). Amos married Harmon Frazier and had five children.

During her tenure at American Tobacco Company, Amos-Frazier developed political savvy becoming active in the plant union to assist others. She served as shop steward negotiating more than five contracts and enlisting new union members.

In 1947, she convinced Black Charlestonians to register to vote, taking them to the polls. As financial secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Amos-Frazier worked with others for 110 days straight, planning ways to integrate the Charleston restaurants, theaters and other public places.

"Politics”, she said, was a key to improve the lives of people. You had to find a way to get on the inside to know what was available to help people."

During the 1950s-1960s, Amos-Frazier held various secretarial positions within the Charleston Branch of the NAACP (membership, financial and secretary of the branch.) Worked the Community Relations Committee, a group formed to ease racial tensions resulting from the 1968 Hospital Workers Strike.

Working with Bill Ackerman in the 1960s, Amos-Frazier assisted in organizing the Alliance of Concerned Citizens for Better Government, a bi-racial initiative, in which she was elected director. The Alliance was designed to improve the lives of Black Charlestonians. During her tenure she was awarded the first contract by HUD for 237 Housing Counseling Program. She was the Alliance director from 1972-1976.

Amos-Frazier was also the first woman elected to serve on the Charleston County Council (1974). Serving as a Chairperson of the Human Services Committee and spearheading the negotiations between Charleston County and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) for indigent health care. She was also instrumental in establishing the county Senior Citizens' Center, in keeping the public defender's office funding and providing county substance abuse programs at McClennan Banks Hospital. She served for six years.

In June 1980, the South Carolina General Assembly elected Amos-Frazier to the South Carolina State Public Service Commission. As an elected commissioner she experienced a number of groundbreaking firsts as a non-legislator, African-American and woman. In July 1988, Amos-Frazier became the Vice Chairman of the Commission and in July 1990, she became the Chairman. Governor Richard W. Riley appointed her to the Governor's Tasks Force on Critical Human Needs. Amos-Frazier retired from this Commission in 1993 after serving 13 years.

Additional accomplishments include serving as co-chairperson of State Steering Committee to elect Jimmy Carter, President of the United States (1977-1981) and serving on the Dispute Resolution Committee for the United States Justice Department. Amos-Frazier was invited to the White House twice for President Briefings during Jimmy Carter's administration.

Amos-Frazier was a member of Morris Brown AME Church, the National Council of Negro Women, the Charleston Branch of the NAACP, among other organizations.

Among her numerous honors and accolades, Amos-Frazier has received the Distinguished Service Award from South Carolina State University (1994); the naming of a portion of Interstate Highway 26; South Carolina Service Certificate Award from Governor Carroll Campbell (1993); inductee into the Charleston Federation of Women Club's Hall of Fame (1991)-the first African-American to receive this honor; and a Honorary Doctorate from Allen University (1994).

Amos-Frazier passed away in 2010.