James Edward Benson was born August 12, 1934 to Richmond and Janie Benson in Ridgeway, South Carolina. My parents were farmers in Fairfield County. My siblings are Janie, Lillie, Laura, Richmond, and Luscious. As children, my siblings and I would watch our parents work the farm but, at the time, we were too little to help.

Farming was primarily the only work for African Americans in my community. My parents understood that and experienced mild success on our farm. Our family was fortunate in that our parents had the resources to send my siblings and I to school. I count it as a blessing to have grown up with parents that valued family and relied on it. Growing up, I had the opportunity to watch and listen to my grandparents and my great grandparents. Often, we would sit and listen to our elders tell stories about their childhood. We found their stories interesting and insightful.

As I got older, I found that there wasn't much to do on the farm other than help my parents. My siblings and I would pass the time by playing with each other on the farm. There were no other children to play with for miles because we lived in a rural area; and my parents didn't want us walking that far. I didn't really view that as a community. It was just an area.

My family and I attended White Oak Baptist Church. It was the home church for my entire family. We walked about five miles down a dirt road to get there to worship every other Sunday.

As a boy I attended Thorn Tree Elementary School and finished there in 1950. Following elementary school, I attended Fairfield High School where I graduated in 1954. After high school, I went on to the Army for two years. Shortly after the Army, I earned a Criminal Justice degree from the University of South Carolina. My degree helped me land a job with the Richland County Sherriff's Department. I worked there for 25 years and retired in 1998.

While serving with Richland County Sheriff's Department, my sister introduced me to her co-worker Juanita. We grew to enjoy each other's company, so we got engaged and married in June of 1975. I also had the joy of raising my seven children-Renee, Rita, Lamont, Edwina, Denise, Vanessa, and Veronica over the years.

I have been a proud member of Saint John Baptist Church for 31 years. In my time here, I have had the pleasure of serving as a Trustee for the last 10 years and as the Chair of the Trustee Maintenance Committee for eight. I am grateful for my wife, my kids, and my grandchildren. Furthermore, I am grateful to God for allowing me to live more than 80 years on this earth.