‘One man had a camera’: Almost $1 million provided to help preserve history

Orangeburg photographer Cecil Williams captured thousands of images of African Americans fighting for equal rights over the decades. Now he’s continuing to document their efforts through his South Carolina Civil Rights Museum.

His work is being helped with $250,000 secured for the museum by the Orangeburg County Legislative Delegation.

Another $700,000 in U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development funding has been awarded to the City of Orangeburg for the renovation of the old State Theater, where the city has proposed relocating Williams’ museum as part of the redevelopment of the Railroad Corner corridor.

Both announcements were made during a ceremony held Monday morning at the Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum, located at 1865 Lake Drive in Orangeburg.

“This is one of the proudest days of my entire life. I appreciate each and every one of you. This is a great moment, and so much is appreciated. It’s been a long time trying to bring this project to fruition, and we’re still kicking the can down the road, so to speak, but we’re getting there,” said Williams, who opened his museum in 2019.

“We have approximately 20,000 documents, artifacts and photographs. This is, in fact, the largest collection anywhere of South Carolina civil rights movement history – that includes museums anywhere. We have the largest,” he said.

State Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, presented Williams with the $250,000 on behalf of the Orangeburg County Legislative Delegation.

“A lot of this Cecil just did this on his own. He is to be commended for that, but it’s time for the rest of the community, and the private sector and the public sector, to step up and recognize what he’s done and recognize they need support,” Hutto said.

Jannie Harriot, executive director of programs and development with the museum, said, “With the $250,000, we have funding for operations to hire a historian to help us with the history and develop the stories, and to also pay for the use of this facility and to buy equipment that we’re going to need to continue.”

Hutto said, “We are all here because we know Orangeburg is really the epicenter of the civil rights movement in South Carolina.

“I’m not saying things didn’t happen other places, but many, many of the big things happened right here, and they’re documented on these walls because one man had a camera.”

Sixth District Congressman James Clyburn was among the many lawmakers on hand at the ceremony, along with Dr. Saundra Glover, state director for USDA Rural Development in South Carolina.

Williams’ photographs have helped preserve the African American experience of the second half of the 20th century, Clyburn said.

He noted that Williams’ pictures captured images of the civil rights movement during a time when it was largely ignored by other media.

Clyburn referenced the late U.S Rep. John Lewis of Georgia and the first time he was attacked during his fight for civil rights.

“The first time he was ever physically attacked was in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Not reported on and, therefore, to a lot of people it never happened. … By that time, I had graduated high school, had gone to South Carolina State. We started the stuff in the ‘60s. I get reacquainted with Cecil, who’s now taking pictures all over Orangeburg. It’s there in the 1960s when we had the first sit-in,” Clyburn said.

“South Carolina has an intersection with these stories, and the only place where you can find much of it is on these walls because Cecil took all the pictures, and most people were not writing about it,” Clyburn said.

Orangeburg Mayor Michael Butler said the grants are appreciated.

“I want to thank everyone for being here with us today, especially Congressman Clyburn and members of our county delegation and other elected officials. … Today marks a special day for our city as the City of Orangeburg has received grant funding which will be used to enhance the Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum,” the mayor said.

“Through these efforts, the museum will be able to expand its exhibits and displays and attract residents from all over the state to view and remember the historic moments that have occurred here,” he said.

“Special attention will be placed on Orangeburg and the Orangeburg Massacre and other significant events that have occurred in Orangeburg. … Although there are moments in our past that are hurtful to many, we must remember our history and share it with the generations to come. This will provide us with an opportunity to do that. We are so grateful.”

Orangeburg City Grants Administrator Angela Kelly said, “We may have to be creative in terms of what we use it for because that building probably is not going to be big enough to house all of this when we transfer it. So it’ll be an extension of that, that those funds could be used for. Some of it will be used for curation and all that.”

“All of that is still being worked out. The planning, architecture, environmental reviews and all that has to be done, and that could impact what we really can do,” she said.

Williams said, “Those funds are really needed because, again, we can’t do this alone. This is a terrific and a tremendous task in front of us to try to bring this history, to keep it alive, keep it independent and to continue down on the journey that we have made.”

James Felder, chairman of the museum’s board of directors, is also a former state representative and director of the S.C. Voter Education Project. He first met Cecil Williams through the late E.C. Jones Jr., who Williams has credited as one of his early mentors.

“He was a photographer, a World War II veteran, and he covered most of the Black schools’ yearbooks. I worked for him and developed film for him, and that’s when I met Cecil,” Felder said.

He continued, “So when Cecil asked me to serve on his board, of course I said yes because of E.C. Jones, who captured the Civil Rights Movement back in the ‘40s, and then Cecil picked up from where he left off. Cecil still has that majestic studio case that E.C. Jones carried his cameras around in.”

Felder said the Williams’ museum, which Williams runs with the help of staff members, will need help from the community to continue its mission to preserve the state’s role in the history of the civil rights movement.

“There are other civil rights museums around the country. So now we are one of them. As a result of that, we are welcoming partnerships from the public sector. Cecil has done this on his own thus far. So welcome and thank you for whatever comes forward from these announcements here this morning,” Felder said.

“So much of what we witness in this space today has been the work of Mr. Williams as a kind of solo operation, a tremendous investment of his own time and his own resources. Today we gather to talk about the future of Mr. Williams’ work and the continued investment in his work,” he said.

University of South Carolina history professor Dr. Bobby Donaldson, executive director of the Center for Civil Rights History and Research, said “One of the most important civic engagement projects that I’ve enjoyed for the last several years is working closely with Cecil Williams and the Cecil Williams Museum.”

“In the beginning, God created a vision for Cecil Williams. … He believes that what he’s doing today is a calling by God. We’re fortunate this morning that he heard the call.”

Williams presented Clyburn with a framed copy of a poster honoring the visionary women of the state’s civil rights movement, including Clyburn’s late wife, Emily England Clyburn.

He also presented Hutto with a framed copy of his picture of future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall at Claflin University in November 1955, shortly after the Brown vs. Board of Education case was decided.