Cecil J. Williams Oral History
Object number2022.001.0038
Date05/23/2022
ClassificationsOral Histories
Oral history interview subject
Cecil J. Williams
Oral history interviewer
Stephen Fagin
ObjectOral history
Credit LineOral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
MediumBorn digital (.m4a file), Born digital (.mp4 file), Born digital (.vtt file)
DimensionsDuration: 60 Minutes
DescriptionVideotaped oral history interview with Cecil J. Williams. A self-taught photographer from Orangeburg, South Carolina, Williams became a correspondent for Jet Magazine in the 1950s. He photographed a number of significant events during the Civil Rights Movement, including South Carolina school desegregation efforts and the 1969 Charleston hospital workers’ strike. Williams met and photographed Senator John F. Kennedy in 1960 and captured images of several notable figures, including Thurgood Marshall and Coretta Scott King.
Interview conducted over Zoom on May 23, 2022 by Curator Stephen Fagin. The interview is one hour long.
Curatorial CommentaryAs discussed during this interview, Williams is the founder and curator of the Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum. The 3,500-square-foot museum at 1865 Lake Drive in Orangeburg, South Carolina, opened in 2019. More information, including a virtual tour, is available on the museum's website: https://www.cecilwilliams.com/.
Mr. William's 2011 oral history with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture may be accessed via the Library of Congress: Cecil J. Williams oral history interview conducted by Joseph Mosnier in Orangeburg, South Carolina, 2011 June 09. | Library of Congress (loc.gov). -- Stephen Fagin, Curator
