COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Koger Center for the Arts will host SoulHAUS Sessions featuring Cecil J. Williams on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. Doors open at 5 p.m., with the conversation beginning at 6 p.m.
The event will feature an intimate, one-on-one artist talk with Cecil J. Williams, renowned photographer, publisher, author and Civil Rights activist, whose work has helped define photography as a vital historical record of the Civil Rights Movement.
Hosted by Preach Jacobs, this edition of SoulHAUS Sessions will explore Williams’ lifelong documentation of people, places and pivotal moments during the struggle for civil rights. A South Carolina native, Williams will reflect on the images he captured and discuss the role of photography in advancing social change and preserving collective memory.
In 2019, Williams, along with his wife Barbara and sister Brenda, founded South Carolina’s first and only civil rights museum. His work behind the lens began at an early age. Before turning 12, Williams photographed petitioners in Clarendon County during the early stages of the Briggs v. Elliott case. While in the 10th grade, he documented Thurgood Marshall’s visit to Charleston for the Briggs case, and one year later photographed Marshall speaking at Claflin University.
In 1955, Williams became the youngest photographer ever hired by JET Magazine. In 2023, he successfully petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to elevate Briggs v. Elliott as the proper lead case name rather than Brown v. Board of Education. Williams currently serves as Director of Historic Preservation at Claflin University.
Tickets for SoulHAUS Sessions with Cecil J. Williams are $10 and available through Eventbrite. For additional information, contact the Koger Center at (803) 777-7500.
