GROW

Craft Circle
2025-04-26 13:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
Craft Circle at GROW, 1–5pm. All are welcome to an afternoon of crafting and creating community.

Progressive Network meeting
2025-04-23 19:00 - 20:30 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
Every 4th Wednesday at 7pm, members and allies of the SC Progressive Network meet online and in-person at GROW to network and share news of upcoming events. All are welcome.
To join on Zoom, register HERE.

United Campus Workers meeting
2025-04-22 18:00 - 19:30, 2025-03-27 18:00 - 19:30, 2025-03-13 18:00 - 19:30 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
United Campus Workers meets every 2nd and 4th Tuesday at GROW. Join union organizers for a monthly meeting to talk shop and plan actions.

Jazz Workshop
2025-04-17 20:00 - 22:00, 2025-04-03 20:00 - 22:00, 2025-03-06 20:00 - 22:00 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
Join friends for a night of live music every 1st and 3rd Thursday at GROW, the HQ of the SC Progressive Network at 1340 Elmwood Ave. in Columbia. Folks with talent are invited to sit in with the Justus Band for a tune or two. During the 10-minute intermission, audience members can take advantage of the open mic to share a poem or short piece of writing. No cover charge.

Poetry for Palestine: Open Mic
2025-04-15 18:30 - 20:30 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202

Majority Rules screening and panel
2025-04-09 19:00 - 20:30 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
Ranked choice voting has been used by millions of Americans. Join allies to watch this documentary and hear about the positive results that this election reform has brought to Alaska and beyond. Then stay with us afterwards to discuss the state of the movement in South Carolina.

This event is organized by Better Ballot South Carolina.

United Campus Workers meeting
2025-04-08 18:00 - 19:30

Modjeska School Deep Dive 3: Fergus Bordewich, author of Klan War
2025-03-30 16:00 - 18:00 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
Deeper Dive with Fergus Bordewich, nationally acclaimed historian and author of Klan War, a 2023 publication detailing the 1877 use of the 14th Amendment’s Insurrection Clause and the arrest of hundreds of white terrorists in South Carolina. Bordewich captures the Klan violence that threatened to overwhelm the entire state. It was so bad that legislators were afraid to leave the capital to return to their homes. Mr. Bordewich will be in-person at GROW. To join on Zoom, register HERE.

SC Progressive Network monthly organizing meeting
2025-03-26 19:00 - 20:30 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
The SC Progressive Network meets every 4th Wednesday online and at GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave. in Columbia to network, talk shop, and share upcoming events. All are welcome. To join on Zoom, register HERE.

Afrikan History, Lecture 2
2025-03-23 18:00 - 20:30
This series is a special online presentation for the Modjeska Simkins School by Dr. Burnett Gallman, who serves on the National Board of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations and who has been teaching for 40 years.
The lectures are offered during the spring 2025 session on Sunday evenings 6:30-8pm on Zoom only. It is free and open to the public as a service of the Modjeska Simkins School to promote historical literacy in South Carolina.
To attend Lecture 2 on March 23, register HERE.
To receive notices of these lectures, email info@modjeskaschool.com.

Modjeska School Deep Dive 2: Dr. Justene Hill Edwards
2025-03-23 16:00 - 18:00 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
Deep Dive with UVA professor Dr. Justene Hill-Edwards, author of Origins of Capitalism in Colonial South Carolina and the recently released Savings and Trust: The rise and betrayal of the Freedman’s Bank. Hill-Edwards’ critically acclaimed work offers key context for understanding the economic plight of the formerly enslaved, racial capitalism, the racial wealth gap, and reparations. To join on Zoom, register HERE.

Jazz Workshop
2025-03-20 20:00 - 22:00

Film screening: Naila and the Uprising
2025-03-18 18:00 - 19:30 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
Join us for the free documentary screening of Naila and the Uprising at GROW (Grass Roots Organizing Workshop), 1340 Elmwood Ave, Columbia, SC 29201.

Synopsis: When a nation-wide uprising breaks out in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, a young woman in Gaza must make a choice between love, family, and freedom. 2017. Running time 1 hour 16 min. Followed by Iftar, the breaking of the Muslim fast during Ramadan. Doors open 5:45PM.

Free and open to the public.

GROW nights hosted by the Carolina Peace Resource Center take place the 3rd Tuesday each month.

Modjeska School Deep Dive 1: SC Native history
2025-03-09 16:00 - 18:00 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
During its spring session, the Modjeska Simkins School offers Sunday afternoon programs that are a deeper exploration of current and historical topics. The 4-6pm sessions are optional for our students and open to the public, who may join on Zoom or in-person at GROW.
Our first Deep Dive is with Chris Judge and T. Lilly Little Water on SC Native history and the Yemassee War. To join on Zoom, register HERE.

Modjeska Simkins School Classes
2025-03-03 18:30 - 20:30 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
The Modjeska Simkins School meets Mondays 6:30-8:30pm at GROW and on Zoom across the state and at satellite sites in Sumter, Orangeburg, and Penn Center. Classes run from March 3 through June 23, with graduation on June 28.

Modjeska Simkins School orientation
2025-03-01 13:00 - 16:00 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
The spring session of the 2025 Modjeska Simkins School kicks off with an orientation session at GROW. Students will share a meal, review class protocols, and get to know each other before embarking on their shared journey.

United Campus Workers meeting
2025-02-27 18:00 - 20:00 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
United Campus Workers meets every 2nd and 4th Thursday 6-8pm at GROW. Join union organizers for a monthly meeting to talk shop and plan actions.

Network monthly organizing meeting
2025-02-26 19:00 - 20:30 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
Members and allies of the SC Progressive Network meet the 4th Wednesday of each month at 7pm to talk about current and ongoing projects, events, and matters of shared concern. All are welcome to join the meeting, either on Zoom or in-person at GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave. in Columbia.
To join on Zoom, register HERE.

UFO at GROW
2025-02-22 19:00 - 23:00 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
Live, local music series. This month, UFO at GROW features Nightsweat, KTG, and crwnroyal. Doors open at 7; music starts at 8pm. $10 at the door.

GROW jazz workshop
2025-02-20 20:00 - 22:00, 2025-02-06 20:00 - 22:00 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
Join friends for a night of live music every 1st and 3rd Thursday at the GROW, the HQ of the SC Progressive Network at 1340 Elmwood Ave. in Columbia. Folks with talent are invited to sit in with the Justus Band for a tune or two. During the 10-minute intermission, audience members can take advantage of the open mic to share a poem or short piece of writing. No cover charge.

Teach-in on Palestine
2025-02-18 18:00 - 19:00 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
Join Carolina Peace for an evening with Kafia Haile, a strategist who uses visual storytelling and education to try and change U.S. foreign policy. She began her career as a tribes and culture analyst at the Pentagon. In 2008, she was based in Iraq as an expert on reconciliation by integrating former insurgents into the political process. Upon returning to the U.S., Kafia incorporated the arts into her work to broaden her impact. She will lead a discussion on Palestine from an African-American perspective.
To join on Zoom, click HERE

United Campus Workers monthly meeting
2025-02-13 18:00 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202

Adopt-A-Street Cleanup
2025-02-08 10:00 - 23:00 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
Looking for a few volunteers! The Modjeka Simkins School participates in the City of Columbia’s Adopt-A-Street program by conducting a quarterly sweep of our neighborhood. We need help picking up trash on Marion Street between Elmwood and Taylor. We provide trash bags, gloves, pickers, and beverages. The sweep lasts about an hour. To volunteer, please email gabbi@scpronet.com.

Modjeska Simkins School spring session registration
2025-01-28 08:00 - 2025-02-17 17:00 | GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave., Columbia, 29202
This year marks the Modjeska Simkins School’s 10th year of teaching civics, organizing skills, and a people’s history of South Carolina. The school is open to students of all ages, backgrounds, experience, and interests. We welcome everyone, but please know that the course is challenging. It is a four-month commitment to exploring difficult topics and hard truths.
The 2025 spring session will run from March 3 through the end of June, with classes meeting Monday evenings on Zoom and in-person at GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave. in Columbia SC.
Registration for the spring session closes Feb. 17. The course includes 16 evening classes, online and printed study guides, and special Sunday programs. Tuition is not accepted until after your interview, which will include discussion of payment options.
Tuition is based on a sliding scale.
• For those who are able, tuition is $500, which may be made in four installments of $125.
• For those making less than $800 a week, tuition is $320 — or four payments $80.
• For those making less than $600 a week, tuition is $240 — or four payments of $60.
Limited full scholarships are available. We encourage students show their organizing aptitude by raising their own tuition by gathering tax-deductible donations to the Modjeska Simkins School from family, friends, and organizations.
Please select your preferred payment option on the application form.

Modjeska Simkins School celebrates 10 years of teaching truth
2025-01-25 18:30 - 21:00 | The Big Apple, 1000 Hampton St., Columbia, SC, United States
On Saturday, Jan. 25, friends, allies, and alumni of the Modjeska Simkins School will gather at the historic Big Apple in the heart of Columbia to celebrate 10 years of teaching truth in South Carolina. We hope you will join us!
The SC Progressive Network started the school in 2015 to teach civics, organizing skills and strategies, and a true people’s history of the Palmetto State. Since then, some 400 students of all ages, backgrounds, and experience have graduated from the intensive four-month program. Hundreds more have attended the school’s free public programs, deeper dives with experts on topics of current and historical significance.
The school also offers online courses, including Dr. Burnett Gallman’s Afrikan history series and untold stories of South Carolina’s First Nations, with USC Native American Studies Center Director Chris Judge. Plans are in the works to increase public programs and create material for younger students.
The gala will be a chance to celebrate the school and the people who have made it a first-class, graduate-level experience that is unlike anything else in South Carolina. In fact, other states are looking to the school as a model to help address the education crisis in this country.
Network Executive Director Brett Bursey said, “Of all the work we’ve done, the school is the most rewarding and necessary. It is exceeding our expectations, and we are gratified by the buy-in we are getting from those who understand the value of education and speaking truth to power.” (You can watch him doing the latter in this clip from a 2022 education subcommittee hearing on Critical Race Theory.)
“The Modjeska Simkins School has worked hard for 10 years to teach the true history of our state,” said Dr. Robert Greene II, who has served as lead instructor of the Modjeska Simkins School since 2019. “Our upcoming gala will showcase the best of our state, through our students and guest faculty. South Carolina’s history provides a template to fight against oppression and for freedom. Let’s continue this great work together!”
The gala will feature renowned poet Nikky Finney, a longtime supporter of the school and the Network. She spoke at the rally the Network organized in 2017, and she addressed the Modjeska School graduates in 2021. She is a powerful speaker and writer.
The evening will include live jazz and a dance demonstration by Richard Durlach, who owns the Big Apple where the dance craze was born in 1937. We encourage attendees to wear 1930s-era dance attire.
We are very proud of the school, and are excited about our longterm plans. This event will help boost our visibility ahead of the spring session, which runs March 1 through June 28 online and in-person at GROW in Columbia.
Proceeds will help us continue to teach South Carolina’s real history in a time of book bans and shrinking history programs across the state.
To support the school beyond the gala, you can make a tax-deductible donation HERE. Every dollar is appreciated, and allows us to offer student scholarships and to cover travel costs of our esteemed guests speakers.
Find out more about the Big Apple in this 2019 piece in Oxford American by Dr. Robert Greene II
See our photo album HERE
Questions? Call 803-808-3384 or email network@scpronet.com
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Reserve tickets here
