In 2019, with his wife Barbara, his sister Brenda, Cecil created South Carolina's first and only civil rights museum. Before 12 years of age, Cecil Williams’ camera had captured the petitioners in Clarendon County as they lit the torch of freedom. In 10th grade, he photographed Thurgood Marshall coming to Charleston for the Briggs case, and again one year later, speaking at Claflin. In 1955, he became the youngest-ever JET Magazine photographer. 

Cecil is Director of Historic Preservation at Claflin University. In this task, he also oversees one of the largest digital film transformation projects in the southeast.

In May 2023, Cecil received Doctor of Humane Letters Honorary Degree from Paul Quinn College in Dallas Texas.

In South Carolina, Dr. Bobby Donaldson is "Mr. South Carolina Civil Rights" for the fantastic body of work he has undertaken bringing back the untold stories. Donaldson is an Associate Professor of History, and the Director of the Center for Civil Rights History and Research, at the University of South Carolina-Columbia. In addition to teaching and publishing articles and essays on African American education, religion, and civil rights, Donaldson has served as a curator and consultant for numerous museum exhibitions, historic preservation projects, oral histories, documentary films and archival collections.

Dr. Vernon Burton is a professor of history at Clemson University, the Director of its Clemson CyberInstitute, and author. He formerly served as Director of the Institute for Computing in Humanities, Arts, and Social Science (CHASS) and professor of History and Sociology at th University of Illinois. Burton has authored more than a hundred articles and wrote or edited fourteen books. His books include In My Father's House Are Many Mansions: Family and Community in Edgefield, South Carolina that was the subject of sessions at the Southern Historical Association and the Social Science History Association’s annual meetings. It was also submitted for a Pulitzer. He also wrote The Age of Lincoln, winner of the 2007Ch imago Tribune Heartland Prize.

Darlene Clark Hine is a pioneering scholar in the field of African American women’s history. She has written three award-winning books on African American women’s history, and edited a two-volume encyclopedia, Black Women in America, the first major encyclopedia on the subject. Hine is considered to be a leading expert on the subject of race, class, and gender in American society.

Retired today, she and her husband, Dr. William Hine, a noted historian now retired from SC State College, generously support the activities of the museum.

As the John A. Hannah Professor of History at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Hine helped to establish a new doctoral field in comparative African American history, one of the first of its kind. 

James Felder,

Board Chairman

Major Gifts Consultant

James L. Felder, is a native South Carolinian. Following the completion of his undergraduate studies at Clark College in Atlanta, GA, he spent two years in the United States Army serving with the Honor Guard Ceremonial Unit in the Nation's capital. Felder is a former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives (1970-72) and one of three blacks who served in the General Assembly since Reconstruction. Felder is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.  He has been a member for 60 years and has served in various leadership roles.  Felder has written three books.     

Nathaniel Briggs currently lives in New Jersey but frequently returns to his native Clarendon County, South Carolina home where his parents, Harry Briggs Sr. launched the Briggs v. Elliott lawsuit. 

During 2021, Nathaniel and his sister Katherine were responsible for curating the Briggs family bible to the South Carolina Civil Rights Museum.

Nathaniel spends much time creating media that depicts his family's role in the Briggs petition, the famed Briggs v. Elliott case.

In 2023, Nathaniel and Cecil Williams created Briggs Before and Beyond Brown, a non-profit focusing on the Briggs v. Elliot petition.

Katherine Briggs Springs is the daughter of Harry and Eliza Briggs, namesake of the historic Briggs v. Elliot petitioners in Clarendon County, SC. Katherine remembers as a child being interviewed by famed psychologist Kenneth B. Clark and his doll study which was crucial the desegregation of public schools.

During 2021, Katherine and her brother Nathaniel were responsible for curating the Briggs family bible to the South Carolina Civil Rights Museum.

Now retired, Katherine lives in New York.

J.A. Delaine is the son of Rev. J.A. Delaine, Sr, as a Methodist minister and civil rights leader from Clarendon County, South Carolina. DeLaine worked with Modjeska Simkins and the South Carolina NAACP on the case Briggs v. Elliott, which challenged segregation in Summerton, South Carolina.  Rev. DeLaine and three other plaintiffs in the Briggs v. Elliott case were posthumously awarded Congressional gold medals in 2004 for their courage and persistence despite repeated acts of domestic violence against them.

Jerry Fryer, a graduate of SC State University, is a retired photographer and business entrepreneur living in Spartanburg. While a student at SC State, he worked with Cecil Williams.

Fryer was a student during the 1968 Orangeburg Massacre era. He captured behind the scenes images that appear in Out of the Box in Dixie and other publications.

In 2023, Jerry donated to the museum original films and photographic equipment that he used during the years of the civil rights movement.

With over four decades abroad Toni Williams-Sanchez, PhD, holds life memberships in the NAACP; PDK, (Phi Delta Kappa); AFCEA, (Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association); SAMAAP (Sociedad de Amigos del Museo Afro-Antillano de Panama/Society of Friends of the Afro Antillean Museum in Panama); and the Daughters of the King.

Rev. Geoffery Henderson is a Native of Orangeburg, SC. and is in his 32nd year as a professional photographer/videographer.  he served as office manager and lead photographer for Mitchell’s Photography of Orangeburg. For the last 10 years he's been serving as corporate video-photo technician for Cecil Williams Photography, LLC. Geoff is also a licensed and ordained minister of the gospel with Revelation Ministries, Inc. of Fairfax and Orangeburg, South Carolina.  

Dr. James Sulton, son of civil rights pioneer James Sulton, was born into a wonderful family focused on hard work, small business and meaningful education, Jim Sulton has always strived to fulfill the ideals of his forbears. 
Jim now leads The Sulton Center where he combines scholarship, activism and lifelong involvement in the movement for civil rights.

Bernie L. Wright, current Interim Director of the Penn Center is an experienced political leader known throughout South Carolina and the Southeast. Now, semi-retired, he enjoys all the benefits of "doing whatever he wants to do."

C0-Founder, Barbara Johnson Williams, received her B.S. in elementary education, M.Ed. Sheis a member of Mount Pisgah Baptist Church, where she serves as president of the Usher Ministry, correspondent secretary of the Senior Missionary Ministry and member of the Stewardship Ministry and Women’s Guild. She and her husband, Cecil, live in Orangeburg.

Dr. Roy I. Jones is a lifelong educator who has served in South Carolina institutions for nearly 40 years. Jones is the Executive Director of the Call Me MiSTER program and Provost Distinguished Professor in Clemson University’s College of Education. MiSTER works to increase the number of teachers from diverse backgrounds, particularly among the nation’s lowest performing schools.

Jones is a fierce advocate for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as early pioneers in producing black educators. Under Jones’ leadership, the Call Me MiSTER program has generated millions of dollars in revenue, much of which supports students attending HBCUs.

As President of M², André sets the investment strategy and oversees the growth and operations of M². He founded the firm in 1999.

André began his career in 1978 as an Auditor at Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. (now KPMG). He worked in securities sales for the Private Client Group at Goldman Sachs & Co. Immediately prior to founding RGL, André was a Senior Project Manager in the Mergers and Acquisitions Department at Kraft, Inc.

André received a BS in Accounting, with honors, from South Carolina State University and MBA from the University of Chicago.

Dr. Akiva Ford is founder and CEO of Legacy Family Based Consulting Firm, LLC. Dr. Dr. Ford is the great-granddaughter of the late civil rights pioneer, Mr. Levi Pearson Sr.  The Pearson family Legacy is a significant part of American History.

Dr. Ford is married to her college sweetheart and soul mate and together they have 8 wonderful children. In taking with her great grandfather’s favorite song, “When the Lord Gets Ready, You Got to Move”, Dr. Ford is driven by her faith and knows it’s time to move in an ecumenical, economical, and ecological way to ensure progressive growth through generations.

Herbert (Larry) Mitchell is a long-standing resident and business owner in Orangeburg, SC. 

After retiring from Mitchell’s Photography, Larry accompanied his wife of 44 years Lynda, to Grand Cayman Island where he has worked for the Cayman Islands Government in various capacities for over 10 years. Larry published his first book titled “Sunsets – Cayman Style."

For over 38 years Rev. Rivers worked at every level of the NAACP, including President, North Charleston, SC Branch; Executive Director, South Carolina State Conference; Director, Southeast Region; Chief Operating Officer, twice as Chief of Field Operations, and Vice President of Stakeholder Relations from 2008 until May 2014. Rev. Rivers led the NAACP’s successful efforts to significantly increase the Association’s support from various key stakeholders including the Black church, faith groups, civic groups, fraternities, sororities and civil rights and progressive organizations.

Rev. Rivers is co-president of the Charleston Area Justice Ministry (CAJM) and was founding member of the organization in 2011. CAJM is an inter-faith, inter-religious group of 25 congregations in the Charleston, SC area committed to congregational work for justice to address the root causes of poverty and injustice, through the empowerment of marginalized people.

Dr. Bobby Donaldson is an Associate Professor of History, and the Director of the Center for Civil Rights History and Research, at the University of South Carolina-Columbia.

Dr. Donaldson and his students received the Helen Kohn Hennig Prize awarded by the Historic Columbia Foundation for their documentary project on the Ward One community in downtown Columbia. In 2010, he received a Michael J. Mungo Undergraduate Teaching Award. Presently, Dr. Donaldson is a member of Wesleyan University’s Board of Trustees and the NAACP.

Dr. Nancy Wilson-Young is a native of Orangeburg, South Carolina where during the 1960s, she participated in the civil rights movement. Now retired, Young is the former distinguished Professor of Reading at Miami-Dade. A graduate of Claflin University, she has traveled almost every Continent world-wide. Formerly she served on the Board of Trustees at Claflin University. She is a life member of the NAACP and the Claflin University International Alumni Association.

Before 12 years of age, Cecil Williams’ camera had captured the petitioners in Clarendon County as they lit the torch of freedom. In 10th grade, he photographed Thurgood Marshall coming to Charleston for the Briggs case, and again one year later, speaking at Claflin. In 1955, he became the youngest-ever JET Magazine photographer. In 1960, upon being thrown out of a New York press conference, he became JFK’s favorite lensman.

Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 operating with strict guidelines adhering to the mission of non-profits. 

Cecil is Director of Historic Preservation at Claflin University. In this task, he also oversees one of the largest digital film transformation projects in the southeast.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS & DEVELOPMENT

Jannie Harriot, lends her guiding spirit towards the overall development stage of the South Carolina Civil Rights Museum. She graduated from Butler High School in Hartsville and attended Talladega College in Alabama. She went on to receive a B.S. from Fayetteville State University in N.C. Harriot then continued her studies at the University of South Carolina and Montclair State College in New Jersey.

She is a 2009 Purpose Prize Fellow, and in 2010, was selected as one of S.C.’s Top 100 Black Women of Influence. In 2014, the SCAAHC awarded her the Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. Trailblazer Award for her dedication to the preservation of African American history and culture in S.C. In 2018, the S.C. Conference of NAACP awarded her the Presidential Citation in Education and Advocacy and was awarded the state's high civilian honor "The Order of the Palmetto" by Governor Henry McMaster.