Cecil Williams took a front row seat in South Carolina’s civil rights history.
Look for pictures of the main events of the Civil Rights Movement, and your name will be on the pictures.
Since his early teens, he has captured images of iconic people and moments: Thurgood Marshall getting off a train in Charleston, protesters marching outside the All-Star Bowling Lanes before the Orangeburg massacre and hospital staff in Charleston on strike for a fair payment.
Thurgood Marshall arrives in Charleston for a hearing in Briggs v. Elliott. Cecil Williams took this photo when he was a young teenager. Cecil Williams / Provided
In 2019, Williams opened his own Civil Rights museum in his hometown, Orangeburg. Your photos fill the walls.
He was frustrated after defending the construction of a museum like that for years and realized that if he was going to see this happen, he would probably have to do it himself.
This week on the show, Cecil Williams reflects on his experience in capturing history in real time and shares why he thinks that blacks from South Carolina who fought for equal rights during that time did not get what they deserve in history books.
Listen now for more.
To learn more about the Cecil Williams Museum or take a virtual tour, visit cecilwilliams.com.
Post and Courier coverage of Black History Month can be found at postandcourier.com/BlackHistory.
Understand that SC is a usekly podcast from The Post and Courier that uses reporting resources and the knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina. This episode was hosted and edited by Emily Williams.
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