 "Photo: Dustin Glendinning/The Daily Gamecock")
Freedom. This word spoken by a famous South Carolina photographer is the key message in his documentation of the Civil Rights Movement. Cecil J. Williams, an Orangeburg native, said at the early age of nine he was able to document this revolutionary movement in history.
"I received my first hand-me-down camera at the age of nine," Williams said. "At first I started out taking photographs of the family. Then I moved on to taking pictures at the Edisto Memorial Gardens for $1."
Williams first documented the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina at 11 years old when he took a picture of Thurgood Marshall arriving in Charleston for the Briggs case. He said it was his first time using flash photography.
"I also photographed when Harvey Gantt first attended Clemson University," Williams said. "I stood up on a car because I thought a photo of the journalists and photographers surrounding Gantt was more interesting."
Williams also documented the Orangeburg Massacre as well as Martin Luther King, Jr.'s wife Coretta Scott King in 1969 at the Charleston Hospital Workers' Strike. His powerful experiences as a witness to history continue to impact his life today, he said.
"I have been an observer of human nature, personalities, failures and success," he said. "I have witnessed what we all can achieve in life. We need to appreciate the freedom that we have."
With his passion for photographing Civil Rights history, Williams decided to incorporate his work into books. He said he feels that in the many books dedicated to Civil Rights, South Carolina was forgotten and needs to be recognized.
His first book, called "Freedom and Justice," features his favorite photography.
"I just love the photography of the boy holding the hand of his mother," Williams said. "To me that just epitomizes the whole Civil Rights Movement. I love when you can tell a story without a caption."
Williams said his photography books have increased the knowledge of the often-unacknowledged persons involved in achieving civil liberties.
"The purpose of my books is to share the stories behind the important events of history," he said. "It was a revolution and it needs to be documented. My books and photography are a way for me to share this information."
With his dedication towards featuring one of the most influential time periods in history, Williams said he continues to stress that the Civil Rights Movement involved more than just the well-known leaders such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr.
He said it was also made possible by the not-so-well-known people who influenced these well-known Civil Rights leaders in their own way.
"I have seen and witnessed a lot of events," Williams said. "We have come a long way, but we still have ways to go."
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