MLK Celebration Speaker
Cecil J. Williams
Cecil J. Williams is an acclaimed photographer, author, inventor, and founder of the South Carolina Civil Rights Museum in Orangeburg, South Carolina. As a teenage photojournalist in the 1950s and 1960s, Williams courageously documented pivotal moments of the Civil Rights Movement, capturing images that revealed the struggle for equality across the American South. His photography has been featured in major national publications and preserved as part of the Smithsonian’s collection.
A visionary storyteller and innovator, Williams has dedicated his life to preserving the legacy of those who fought for justice. Through his museum—South Carolina’s first civil rights museum—he continues to educate, inspire, and ensure that the lessons of the movement endure for future generations.