Mother of the Movement: See the portrait unveiling of civil rights advocate and educator Septima P. Clark

Lowcountry artist Dorothy Wright (right) and Housing Commissioner Viola Smalls unveil Wright’s portrait of Septima P. Clark during the dedication ceremony for the day care center named in her honor on May 19, 1978.     A collaborative effort between the City of Charleston Housing Authority and the Charleston County Department of Social Services, the center was designed to “accommodate 100 children in a healthy, creative environment,” acting as a model for future facilities. The event’s program included remarks from then-mayor Joe Riley Jr., as well as Clark herself, a longtime local educator and passionate civil rights advocate whom Martin Luther King Jr. called the “Mother of the Movement.” See the painting on display in the council chambers at City Hall.