81-year-old South Carolina photog opens civil rights museum

Source: Cecil Williams Museum Website

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina photographer has single-handedly opened a civil rights history museum, putting some of his work on display and offering first-hand accounts of the events he witnessed years ago.

81-year-old Cecil Williams opened the self-titled museum in his old Orangeburg studio using about 350 photos, some taken by him.

Williams says he’s waited a couple decades for the community to build a civil rights museum, but decided to finally open one on his own.

The museum follows events in South Carolina that Williams says changed America, including the Orangeburg Massacre in 1986 that left three African American college students dead. Williams documented the events as a photographer.