Cecil Williams is a well-known photographer of the South Carolina Civil Rights movement. His photos have been featured in books, magazines, newspapers, and movies.
Born November 26, 1937, Cecil Williams was the third child of Ethel and Cecil L. Willams. At the age of 9 Williams got his first Kodak Baby Brownie camera. He started taking pictures of people in the Edisto Garden, located in Orangeburg, earning a dollar or two for each picture. At the age of 11 he was getting booked for weddings and family parties.
He studied at Claflin University earning a bachelor's degree in Art.
In his earlier career, Cecil Williams became a correspondent for Jet magazine. His work appeared on the cover of Jet Magazine of Coretta Scott King speaking at the protest. His most notable pictures are of the activity during the Biggs Vs Elliott case.
In 2015, Williams invented the Film toaster Camera.
In the summer of 2019, he opened the Cecil Williams Civil Rights Museum in his hometown Orangeburg South Carolina.
To learn more about Cecil Williams, watch the documentary, The World of Cecil.
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