Lindsey Graham’s HBCU legacy is more complicated than his politics — and South Carolina’s historically Black institutions are making sure that legacy gets told accurately.
Graham, the longtime U.S. Senator from South Carolina, died Saturday night, July 11, 2026, at his home in Washington, D.C. He was 71. His family announced his death the following day. While Graham built his national reputation on military, judicial, and foreign policy matters, his relationship with South Carolina State University, Benedict College, and other HBCUs in his home state ran deeper than many outside the state realized. Moreover, the institutions he supported most directly did not hesitate to honor him publicly — even as tributes from across the political spectrum reflected the complicated nature of his career.
South Carolina State University Recalls a Personal and Institutional Bond
South Carolina State was among the first institutions to release a formal statement. President Alexander Conyers and Board of Trustees Chairman Douglas D. Gantt issued a joint response honoring the senator and acknowledging a bond that went beyond appropriations.
“Sen. Graham understood that higher education is an investment in South Carolina’s future, creating opportunities, strengthening the workforce and preparing the next generation of leaders,” the statement read.
That bond carried a personal dimension as well. Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, earned a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from South Carolina State in 2009. Furthermore, she has since been appointed to temporarily fill her brother’s Senate seat — connecting the Graham family to SCSU in a way that extends beyond his death.
During his Senate career, Graham helped secure federal funding for South Carolina State on multiple occasions. Those investments supported STEM research, health initiatives, scientific equipment, and a significant project documenting the history of the Montford Point Marines — the nation’s first Black Marines. Additionally, he applauded a federal climate-smart agriculture initiative that included South Carolina State, and the university awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during his tenure.
Benedict College and Morris College Also Recognized His Support
Benedict College joined South Carolina State in honoring Graham’s memory. His ties to the Columbia campus were not as extensive, but they were meaningful nonetheless.
Graham’s office announced federal funding for community development initiatives benefiting both Benedict and Morris College during his Senate career. Furthermore, he requested congressionally directed spending for a learning hub at Benedict. In 2019, Graham visited the Benedict campus alongside then-President Donald Trump for a criminal justice reform forum — an event that drew national attention and placed the HBCU squarely in a major political conversation.
A Record of Appropriations That Mattered
Graham was not widely viewed as Congress’ most vocal HBCU champion. However, his appropriations record consistently included investments in South Carolina’s historically Black institutions over more than two decades in the Senate.
In 2005, he announced more than $7 million in federal grants for scientific and technical programs at six HBCUs. He also supported Senate recognition of National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week. Later, he voted for legislation establishing permanent federal funding for HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions — a structural investment that extended well beyond any single appropriation.
That pattern of support did not make Graham a consistent ally on every issue the HBCU community cared about. Rather, it made him a senator who showed up when federal dollars were on the table and whose home-state relationships with Black institutions were genuine, even if complicated by the broader arc of his political career.
Why the Statements From SCSU and Benedict Matter
The tributes from South Carolina State and Benedict College carry a specific weight. Both institutions chose to focus on shared history and documented investment rather than on Graham’s political profile. That choice reflects something important about how HBCUs engage with power — they recognize allies where they find them, hold those relationships with appropriate complexity, and focus on what was actually built.
For South Carolina’s HBCUs, Graham’s legacy includes STEM research funding, community development investments, campus visits, and a personal family connection to South Carolina State that will now continue through his sister’s appointment to his seat. Consequently, his death leaves a gap in a set of relationships that took decades to build.
South Carolina State University lost an honorary alumnus. Benedict College lost a senator who showed up on campus. The HBCU community in South Carolina lost a complicated but documented source of federal investment.
As the state mourns, its historically Black institutions are doing what they have always done — finding the good in a complicated story and making sure it is part of the record.
