In once-segregated state, Black college flag to fly atop South Carolina State House

Alexa Jurado, The State on Jan 14, 2026

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — From dawn until dusk, South Carolina State University will capture the attention of the capital city as its flag is hoisted atop the State House on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

It is the first time a historically Black college or university will be honored in this fashion.

The Bulldogs played against Prairie View A&M University in the Cricket Celebration Bowl in December. In a “four-overtime thriller,” S.C. State overcame a 21-point deficit and won 40-38, bringing the Orangeburg school an HBCU national championship after losing the 2024 bowl game to Jackson State University. It is the second championship victory for S.C. State.

“To think about the moment that flag flying on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the same place that the Confederate flag used to be .... it’s a full-circle moment,” said Rep. Hamilton Grant, D-Richland.

Grant, along with fellow state representatives Jerry Govan, D-Orangeburg, and Deon Tedder, D-Charleston, all of whom attended S.C. State, submitted letters to Gov. Henry McMaster’s office soon after the school’s championship win.

McMaster obliged.

“It will be my honor,” he wrote.

“The fact that you have the South Carolina States flag atop the dome with the state and Americas flag, to me, is not about past, it’s about the future,” Govan said. “It should be a symbol of hope.”

Raising a flag at the State House is a kind of tradition in South Carolina. The University of South Carolina, Clemson University and Coastal Carolina have seen their flags unfurled before. But there is a process, and a request has to be made.

S.C. State also won the Celebration Bowl in 2021, but no one had requested it.

“We didn’t get the flag up the first time,” Grant said. “Alums felt slighted, and rightfully so.”

S.C. State will host a ceremony at the State House grounds at 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 19 to honor and acknowledge the historic moment. The flag will then be presented to the team on Jan. 21 following its championship parade and celebration.

“It’s South Carolina state’s flag, but it represents all of the HBCUs across our great state,” Grant said. “While it’s symbolic, we still have work we have to do to make sure that all of our HBCUs, public and private have what they need to succeed.”

The homage at the State House comes during a time of renewal at S.C. State. After years of budget deficits and declining enrollment, students have flocked to its campus. The 2025 bowl win, the third bowl appearance in five years, is sure to bring the school more attention.

“It really, really has been a very positive thing,” Govan said. “We’re very proud.”

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