Columbia Salutes Black History - Jean Sanders Hopkins

Columbia Housing is proud to celebrate Black History month by highlighting notable figures that impacted our organization and community.

Jean Sanders Hopkins

1931 - present

Jean Sanders Hopkins was born in Lykesland, S.C. on April 19, 1931, and grew up in the Waverly and Saxon Homes communities of Columbia. From her youth to her devoted career in nursing, she has always been a high achiever and a firm believer in excellence and accomplishment. Hopkins has more than 30 years of professional nursing experience. She was one of the first black nurses hired by Columbia's Dorn Veterans Administration Hospital retired from her position as Assistant Chief of Nursing at in 1993, after working at several other hospitals and healthcare facilities in South Carolina and Georgia.

Hopkins has received a number of awards for her work as a community health advocate including the Woman of Achievement Award from the SC Governors Commission on Women, the YWCA Twin Diamond Award, the Chi Eta Phi Sorority Inc. Helen S. Miler Award, and the SC Conference of the NAACP Woman of the Year Award.

Columbia Housing celebrates its 90th Anniversary in 2024. We currently serve over 16,000 individuals and families in the City of Columbia, Richland County, and the City of Cayce.