Years before the landmark decision of the Brown Supreme Court against the Board of Education, which ruled that segregation in public schools included the clause for equal protection of the 14th in the people. Months before the Montgomery Bus boycott of 1955, our state had the Orangeburg Freedom Movement.
In this and other ways, South Carolina has been at the forefront of the modern civil rights movement in that country, and that is the main thesis that became clear to visitors to the Cecil Williams Civil Rights Museum, our state’s first and only institution devoted to storytelling this important story.
The museum covers the crucial years from 1950 to 1970 and primarily serves as a repository for the work of master photographer Cecil Williams, whose camera captured the people and events of this crucial period in our nation’s history. The 22 galleries are housed in an impressive Modernist building designed by Williams himself and feature over a thousand labeled images.
On a recent visit to the museum, we were fortunate to have Williams himself commenting on the museum’s highlights: his own iconic photographs. For example, he was there when Harvey Gantt enrolled at Clemson University in 1963 and shot a breathtaking picture of the civil rights activist surrounded by reporters. Williams also eyed the Charleston hospital workers’ strike in 1969 and froze a picture of Coretta Scott King at the front of a major protest march in time.
There are so many important moments that Cecil Williams captured on film. I particularly like his photo of John F. Kennedy getting off a plane during a 1960 election freeze in South Carolina; Williams had been given special access to the candidate. There is also a photo of Sam Cooke performing in the then separate Township Auditorium in Columbia that same year; Williams believes that such experiences at Jim Crow prompted South Cooke to write the hugely popular civil rights anthem “A Change is Gonna Come”.
The museum is also full of significant artifacts pointing to our state’s early role in the modern civil rights movement. The Briggs family Bible is on display. The Briggs, the lead plaintiffs in the landmark Clarendon County lawsuit, have suffered significant community backlash because of their courageous demeanor. Both lost their jobs and their mentor’s church, Reverend Joseph DeLaine, was burned down. Also in the center of one of the galleries are cartridge cases that Williams picked up the morning after the infamous Orangeburg massacre in 1968, in which South Carolina freeway officers shot a crowd on the SC State campus and killed two college students Student at a local high school.
A highlight of any visit is the opportunity to spend some time with Williams, who has had an exceptional career as a photographer and architect. His career as a historian began in 1946 with the gift of an old-fashioned Kodak Brownie camera. This first camera, which can be seen in the museum, led to the purchase of modern photographic equipment; and Williams soon became known locally for his burgeoning talent, enhanced by hours spent in the Wilkinson High School darkroom. In 1955 he became the youngest photographer for JET magazine, which was printed weekly from 1951 to 2014. His remarkable career began.
The museum is located on 1865 Lake Drive in Orangeburg and is open by appointment only; Tours can be arranged by calling 803-531-1662. Admission is free, but donations for the institution’s important educational mission are welcome. Due to the open exhibits, children under 6 years of age are not admitted.
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