By One Vote, the Only Black Member on the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees Retains Her Seat

Leah Moody, the only African-American member of the board of trustees of the University of South Carolina, has retained her seat after an intense fight in the state legislature. After the votes were counted, Moody had one more vote than was necessary to retain her seat. Moody actually lost the vote in the House but her victory margin in the state Senate was large enough to overcome the shortfall in the House.

The issue of retaining the board’s lone black member became highly controversial in recent weeks after African-American legislators called on black football recruits at the University of South Carolina to choose another school rather than enroll at a university where there were no blacks on the governing board.