Injustice in Focus

"Injustice in Focus is the combination of an extraordinary photographer and outstanding journalist producing an important historical account of the civil rights struggle in South Carolina."—W. Lewis Burke, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of South Carolina School of Law

"With brilliance and great perception, Injustice in Focus illuminates the life of SC photographer Cecil Williams, a national treasure. Because the curious and ambitious Williams found himself amid a state-wide transformation, the book is much more than a biography of this remarkable man. It delivers a masterful and essential account of the SC civil rights movement and illustrates how important South Carolina was to the national movement. Williams and Brinson weave a rich tapestry of heroes: Clarendon County's Black parents, sharecroppers, farmers, teachers, ministers, and others who became the plaintiffs in Briggs v. Elliott; the student activists in the Orangeburg Freedom Movement and the Orangeburg Massacre; Matthew Perry and Harvey Gantt's integration of Clemson University, and so many more. This powerful examination of SC events demolishes the fallacy of anything dignified about the white reaction to equal rights. Williams is a visual storyteller, record-maker, and historian. Injustice exudes authenticity: Williams was there; he took the pictures. With vivid details that many in the national civil rights community do not know, this book is an extraordinary contribution to historical understanding."—Orville Vernon Burton, the Judge Matthew J. Perry Distinguished Professor of History, Clemson University; Emeritus University Distinguished Teacher/Scholar, University of Illinois; coauthor of Justice Deferred: Race and the Supreme Court

"The book gives the reader intimate insights into the daring heroics displayed by Cecil Williams while documenting South Carolina's fight for freedom and justice during the 1940s through the 1960s. Williams's personal narrative and photos combined with a synthesis of extraordinary historical research are highly effective in lifting up courageous civil rights leaders and simultaneously illuminating South Carolina's record of discrimination, violence, and persecution during this period."—Henry N. Tisdale, President Emeritus, Claflin University

"A believer that "history must be written when new truths are uncovered," Cecil Williams has compelled us to study and remember the Civil Rights Movement in dramatically new ways. As this publication powerfully illustrates, Williams' work prompts deep reflection, stirs memories, and fills vital voids and omissions in the historical record."—Dr. Bobby Donaldson, history professor, Clyburn Professor of Public Service and Civic Engagement, and executive director of the Center for Civil Rights History and Research, University of South Carolina

"No one has done more to preserve the legacy of the courageous men and women who led the crusade for civil rights in South Carolina than Cecil Williams. Now Cecil Williams and Claudia Smith Brinson have combined to tell the fascinating story of the man, his camera, and the remarkable people whose history he so carefully recorded."—William Hine, professor emeritus of history, South Carolina State University, and author of South Carolina State University: A Black Land-Grant College in Jim Crow America

"Injustice in Focus is a treasure for anyone interested and committed to a broader understanding of the American civil rights narrative. Williams and Brinson combine their exemplary journalistic talents to brilliantly interweave the lives involved in this extraordinary account of South Carolina history that provided context and laid the foundation for advancing citizenship rights to Black people so long denied in the South."—Roy I. Jones, Ed.D., Professor & Executive Director, Call Me MiSTER Program, College of Education, Clemson University

"To balance individual, local, and national narratives is challenging, but Injustice in Focus manages this with ease, assisted by Williams's dynamic images. In so doing, it not only creates a portrait of an important artist and activist but also raises deeper questions about how we tell the story of the Civil Rights Movement."—Emily Brady, The Journal of Historical Association