“The consummate activist,” according to Congressman Jim Clyburn, Isaac W. “Ike” Williams (1945-2008) dedicated his life to community service and the advancement of civil rights. Most notably, he served as Field Director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in South Carolina from 1969 to 1983. Numerous awards from the NAACP and other civic organizations recognized this lifetime of service.
The Reverend Isaiah DeQuincey Newman was Williams' mentor and an inspiration for his civil rights activism. The Newman papers have been digitized and contain records relating to Williams, including:
Letters to and from Williams are available in civil rights activist Modjeska Simkins' digitized collection: