Hyman announces run for Congress

Mal Hyman officially announced his candidacy March 20 at Coker College. Photo by Samantha Lyles
By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net
Joined by a diverse group of supporters, Coker College professor Mal Hyman formally declared his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in South Carolina’s 7th Congressional District last Tuesday during a press conference held at Coker.
Discussing his platform, Hyman focused on plans to create economic opportunities, improve access to health care, enhancing education for children, and protecting the environment.
“Congress now has the wealthiest one-percent, putting 97 percent of the funding into elections, and they rig Congress to pass bills like this last tax bill that benefit the wealthy rather than the working class. They’ll invest in the wealthy, who got 80 percent of the benefits of that tax bill, but they won’t invest in early childhood education. They didn’t invest in sustainable energy. They didn’t invest in affordable health care. They didn’t invest in making college affordable,” said Hyman. “They made their choices. That’s why in running for office, I won’t take a dime of corporate or banking money. No man can serve two masters.”
Hyman described health care as “a human right,” and voiced his belief that the American system can be improved by taking elements of more efficient and affordable models employed in other countries and putting those concepts to work for our nation’s benefit.
He also emphasized the need to invest in rebuilding public schools, public buildings, public housing, the electrical grid, and railroads while interest rates are low, noting that such an infrastructure improvement program would create millions of good jobs.
Hyman argued that government needs to take the lead in researching, developing, and producing sustainable energy technologies, which would bring back many good-paying manufacturing jobs and create a positive “buy American” association with clean energy products such as solar panels and windmills.
“To honor freedom is to honor Mother Earth,” said Hyman.
As a teacher for more than four decades, including five years of teaching men who were incarcerated in medium-security prison, Hyman said his perspective on the “school to prison pipeline” is unique, and he noted that “quality education must again become a national priority and college must again become affordable” in order to break the cycle of high school dropouts, unemployment, and imprisonment.
Hyman has taught Sociology and Political Science at Coker since 1986, and has researched and published works on topics ranging from the JFK assassination to Middle East political turmoil. As a human rights advocate, Hyman has served as an elections monitor during periods of upheaval in Nicaragua (1990) and Mexico (1994). Hyman has been named a Coker Master Professor three times, and is the recipient of the Governor’s Distinguished Professor Award and the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Service Award.
At this press event, Hyman was joined by several local officials, including City of Darlington Mayor Gloria Hines, Darlington City Council member Sheila Baccus, Chesterfield School Board chair James Sweeney, and a number of other supporters.
Hyman lives in Hartsville with his wife, Carole Holloway, an attorney with the Department of Social Services. They are the parents of two daughters, Geneva and Nicole. Geneva, a nurse, is married to Dr. Luke Baxley, formerly of Hartsville. The Baxley’s have one son, Davis and a daughter, Kate. The Hyman’s younger daughter, Nicole, is a senior in college with a double major in political science and sociology.
The South Carolina Democratic Primary will take place June 12. To learn more about Mal Hyman’s campaign for the SC 7th Congressional District, visit www.MalHyman.com.