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Bouie, South Carolina civil rights leader, dies.Bouie, South Carolina civil rights leader, dies COLUMBIA, S.C.(WCIV) — Rev.Bouie, a pioneering South Carolina civil rights activist whose challenge to segregation led to a landmark U.S.Supreme Court decision, and who later devoted decades to ministry, education and community service, has died.Bouie was a revered figure in Columbia's civil rights movement and a lifelong advocate for justice and human dignity.Born and raised in Columbia, Bouie emerged as a leader in the fight against racial segregation while a student at Booker T.Washington High School and later at Allen University.In March 1960, he and fellow student activists participated in a sit-in at an Eckerd’s Drugstore lunch counter in downtown Columbia, challenging discriminatory policies that barred Black customers from service.They were arrested, and their case eventually reached the U.S.Supreme Court.In Bouie v.City of Columbia (1964), the court overturned their convictions, ruling that the state had violated constitutional due process protections.The decision became a significant milestone in the civil rights era and helped strengthen legal protections against arbitrary prosecution.While history would prove Bouie and his friends were right, it wasn't until 2024 that the criminal records of Bouie and his friends would be expunged.Although his name became associated with one of the movement’s important legal victories, Bouie spent his life focused on faith, service and community leadership.Ordained as a minister, he served congregations in South Carolina, New York and Philadelphia, earning respect as a pastor, mentor and advocate for social justice.In recent years, Bouie became a valued partner of "Columbia SC 63: Our Story Matters and the Center for Civil Rights History and Research." He contributed personal recollections, historical insight and guidance that helped preserve the history of Columbia’s civil rights movement and document the experiences of those who challenged segregation.Bouie helped change the course of our city’s history,” the Center for Civil Rights History and Research said in a statement announcing his death.“He devoted his life to ensuring that the values of justice, equality and human dignity were never forgotten.” Bouie’s legacy endures through the legal precedent established in his Supreme Court case, the congregations he served, the institutions he strengthened and the countless lives he influenced.