Through the Doorway

THROUGH THE DOORWAY A PHOTO SERIES

Throughout this magazine you will find portraits that exhibit the faces of Sumter. In each you will find, despite distance and barriers, represented physically by the doorways of their homes, resiliency. Combined, they are the strength of a community. Taken throughout 2020 since March, these portraits demonstrate a cross-section of Sumter, showing a pandemic's impact across gender, race, generation, occupation and circumstance. PHOTOS BY MICAH GREEN

Sarah Jones

Sarah sits in a room in her Sumter home. The Sumter native is the creator, editor and creative director of Brindle+Black magazine, a curated, illustrated magazine that showcases Sumter in a positive light. With COVID-19 canceling events and many people's way of life, Brindle+Black's summer issue featured QR code Spotify playlists, crosswords, a book club list and pizza recipes to make at home.

Alex Moss

Alex plays basketball at Morris College, but with the college closing its campus and dorms in the spring, he needed a way to stay in town. He is seen here from a Broad Street hotel room window, where he temporarily called home.

Grainger and

Floride McKoy

Grainger McKoy is one of the bigger names to come out of Sumter. His art is internationally renowned, and his work sculpting birds in wood, bronze and silver has its roots in Sumter and Swan Lake. The McKoys are seen here just inside their front door.

Clay and Shasta Smith

A former Sumter School District Teacher of the Year, Shasta spent the spring coaching other teachers on how to use online learning software. On stricter lockdown from Shaw Air Force Base rules, Clay has honed his bread-making skills.

Jacob Bittinger

Crestwood High School's Class of 2020 valedictorian is bound for Clemson University and its engineering program after spending his last two high school years in USC Sumter's Early College program. The National Merit Scholarship Commended Student's role model is Elon Musk. He, as Jacob puts it, "gets things done."

Matthew and

Addie Morse

Quarantine hasn't been all dark spots. Matthew, the City of Sumter's marketing coordinator, is seen here with a giggly Addie. The 3-year-old has spent a lot of time painting and drawing, taking after her artistically inclined mom and dad and pushing the Talking Trees buttons at Swan Lake.

Justin McCoy

While studying in the Sumter Adult Education program, Justin has maintained a job at Waterworks Pool and Spa. Not being able to walk for graduation may have been a downer, but Justin will be able to tell the story to his daughter, Charlotte, of one of his defining moments of this unprecedented time.

The Sherberts

Thomas and Ali'i Sherbert are seen with their son, Noah. Ali'i received her high school diploma in June at the age of 24 after dropping out her senior year and falling into drug addiction. She's upset she couldn't attend a graduation ceremony because of the pandemic. It's something she looked forward to for years. She credits her family's support for getting her to this moment, and she wants to become a nurse.

Andrea Clark

In her four years in FBLA at Sumter High School, Andrea went from "being too scared to talk in a local meeting" to working on a national level. In May, she graduated atop her class of 478 Gamecocks. She is headed to the Ivy League for Brown University in the fall on her path to fulfill her goal of becoming a corporate lawyer.