February is Black History Month and is a time to honor leaders whose courage and conviction changed the trajectory of their communities. Few embody that spirit more powerfully than the late Joseph H. Neal, a minister, civil rights advocate, and long-serving member of the South Carolina House of Representatives.
Born in Hopkins, South Carolina in 1950, Joseph Neal was raised in a household shaped by faith and service. His father was a minister, and that grounding would define his life. Before he ever stepped onto the House floor, Neal spent three decades as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Chester, South Carolina. Parishioners remember not only his sermons, but the way he built ministries around them, launching youth programs, expanding outreach efforts, and establishing a food bank for families in need. For Joseph H. Neal, faith was never abstract. It was lived in community.
Today, his legacy lives on through the Joseph H. Neal Health Collaborative (JHN) in Columbia, South Carolina: a clinic carrying forward his lifelong commitment to justice, equity, and dignity in public life. And we’re proud to share that Alchemy is partnering with JHN to launch their in-house pharmacy.
The Man Behind the Mission
Reverend Joseph H. Neal was more than a legislator. He was a moral force in South Carolina politics for nearly three decades.
His legacy includes:
- Playing a significant role in the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House grounds
- Passing South Carolina’s first anti-racial profiling law
- Advocating for marginalized communities across the state
- Serving as a pastor and community leader grounded in faith and public service
Joseph H. Neal believed that public institutions should work for those most often left out. His career reflected a deep conviction that equity is not theoretical and it must be built into systems
One of the defining moments of his legislative career came during the 2015 debate over removing the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House grounds. While some framed the debate around “heritage,” Joseph H. Neal brought it back to history and humanity. He reminded his colleagues that enslaved Black Americans had no choice in the Confederacy’s cause and that the flag represented a painful legacy for many South Carolinians. His speech was not angry. It was measured, grounded in truth, and rooted in dignity. Colleagues later described him as a “gentle giant” and someone who carried moral weight without theatrics.
When he passed away unexpectedly in 2017, lawmakers from both parties mourned him. His desk in the House chamber was draped in black, a rare and visible tribute to a man whose presence transcended party lines.
That same belief is embedded in the DNA of the clinic that bears his name.
Carrying the Legacy Forward: The Joseph H. Neal Health Collaborative
The Joseph H. Neal Health Collaborative is a one-location nonprofit free clinic in Columbia, SC But “one location” vastly understates its reach. JHN holds a rare statewide grant that allows them to serve patients across South Carolina, not just within county lines. Their work includes:
- Statewide HIV, STI, and Hepatitis C testing and treatment
- Correctional health partnerships, including the 1,120-bed Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center
- Participation in South Carolina’s Hepatitis C elimination efforts
- Community outreach campaigns like “Make Sex Safe Again”
- Targeted outreach in more than 20 counties with high HIV burden
A Living Legacy
Black History Month reminds us that legacy is not just about speeches or monuments It is about institutions that endure Reverend Joseph H. Neal fought for structural change in South Carolina from the State House floor to the pulpit. The Joseph H. Neal Health Collaborative continues that fight in exam rooms, testing sites, detention centers, and community outreach campaigns. And soon, through their own in-house pharmacy.
This Black History Month, we honor Joseph H. Neal not only for what he accomplished but for the infrastructure of equity that continues in his name. The work continues, and we are extremely honored to be a part of it.
The greatest legacy that we can leave is a perpetual and pertinent package of powerful principles which we have ourselves proclaimed and practiced.
Rev. Joseph H. Neal
South Carolina House of Representatives
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