South Carolina ETV honors Burnette with Women Vision award

COLUMBIA, SC – Burnette Shutt & McDaniel co-founder M. Malissa Burnette is among 11 leaders selected for the 2020 South Carolina ETV Women Vision SC awards.

The women represent a range of professions, including education, the law, government, business, healthcare, and the media.

Burnette, a South Carolina Supreme Court certified specialist in employment and labor law since 1993, has long fought for social justice and equal rights. Her fight began when she was a teenage waitress who decided to serve a black customer a meal at a North Carolina truck stop, drawing the ire of the Ku Klux Klan.

She’s gone on to litigate landmark civil rights cases. Her work includes a U.S. Supreme Court case that paved the way for women to attend state-supported military schools and a South Carolina Supreme Court case that let girls play contact sports in the state’s public schools.

She and firm co-founder Nekki Shutt, also an employment law specialist, were lead counsel in the case that brought marriage equality to South Carolina. She, along with Burnette Shutt & McDaniel co-founder Kathleen McDaniel, are currently representing Planned Parenthood in a lawsuit that seeks to block the state from withholding the organization’s funding for medical treatment and family-planning services.

Numerous professional and civic organizations have honored Burnette for her legal work as well as for her accomplishments in advancing equality.

About Women Vision

The 11 Women Vision SC honorees will be profiled in an hour-long special, “Women Vision SC: Finding Our Voice.” The program is scheduled to air statewide at 8:30 p.m. July 2. This year’s broadcast also focuses on the 100-year anniversary of women earning the right to vote.

In its second year, the Women Vision SC initiative focuses on issues affecting women in South Carolina and across the country. The program also recognizes trailblazing South Carolina women who have made an impact on the lives of others.

The selection process begins with viewer nominations. South Carolina ETV received 90 this year. Next, a panel of community leaders narrows the field to a final 11 honorees.