August 7, 1951 — August 8, 2025
Rev. Joseph Darby, a Columbia native and revered pastor and influential civil rights leader, has died at the age of 74. His passing, announced by family on Friday, August 9, marks the end of an era for the city’s social justice movement and faith community.
Reverend Joseph A. Darby, Jr., was born on August 7, 1951, in Columbia, South Carolina, to Eloise and Joseph A. Darby, Sr. Darby was raised in the Wheeler Hill community of Columbia, South Carolina. An excellent student, Darby attended Booker T. Washington High School where he was in the honor society and was elected class president; he graduated in 1969 and enrolled in South Carolina State University. Darby transferred to the University of South Carolina and received his B.A. degree in sociology in 1973.
Darby was called to the ministry and prepared himself by attending the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary; he was a fourth-generation minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church…