Envisioned by a group of artists, activists, and philanthropists, the Finney Center established 501(c)3 non-profit status on August 11, 2021. The 1940's building that straddles the Robert Mills and Waverly Historic Districts began life as a tobacco warehouse within a stone's throw of the railroad tracks in the heart of Columbia's African American community. In the 1960's the building became a well-known lighting business and now as the Finney Center, a multidisciplinary space for visual, performing and literary arts, culinary experiences, and artists-in-residence. A few of our neighbors at 1510 Laurens Street are the historically Black colleges of Benedict and Allen. HBCU's like these have for generations produced influential African American leaders like Chief Justice Ernest A. Finney, Jr., whose life and work grace our name. A tireless advocate for justice and equality in South Carolina, his career began as a Civil Rights attorney in 1955 and he served the state with distinction until he retired from the South Carolina Supreme Court in 2000. The Finney Center honors his legacy as a passionate believer in the indelible but often untapped power and influence of the Black community. Chief Justice Finney, an avid Jazz listener, was known as the "Black Fox" for his uncanny ability to bring people together from all walks of life. He passed these values of work, reflection, and honoring community, on to his daughter, Nikky Finney, our Founding Executive Director. Like so many talented young Black artists born in South Carolina, Nikky Finney felt she had to leave the state in order to find meaningful access to opportunities in order to develop her life as a creative human being. In the spirit of her illustrious father and equally inspiring mother, she returned to help create a place where Black art and culture might thrive. The Finney Center, a wellspring for Black energetic ideas and creativity, is the embodiment of that commitment.