ORANGEBURG, S.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday to rename the Orangeburg post office in honor of Julius Irving Washington. Community members in Orangeburg say Julius Irving Washington blazed a trail as a force in local and state politics.
“I grew up in Orangeburg knowing about Mr. Washington as being one of those persons who was really a mover and shaker," photographer Cecil Williams said. "Making things happen in city, county, and state politics." Williams.
Washington served on the Santee Cooper Board of Directors and the South Carolina State College Board of Trustees. The House cited him as the first African American to serve on the Orangeburg County Voter Registration Board.
Photographer Cecil Williams witnessed many of Washington's accomplishments firsthand through the lens of his camera. Some of the images captured are on display at his civil rights photography museum.
“I don’t think there could be a person who has achieved anything in South Carolina Black politics, especially in the Midlands and Orangeburg, who don’t stand on the shoulders of J.I. Washington," Williams said.
In one of the images, Washington is seen pictured alongside other prominent politicians including retired Senator John Matthews and Lieutenant Governor Nancy Stevens.
“He crossed, you might say, all lines. Black, white, everyone.”
Williams says the renaming of the post office will keep his memory alive.
“It’s a very good and contemporary way of bringing his name to the forefront," Williams said. "The post office would be a lasting and sustainable memory of him, and I think he so much deserved an honoring. This generation needs to know and remember and reflect on the life of JI Washington.”
The post office is located at 1550 Middleton Street.
The legislation will need to be approved by the U.S. Senate before it becomes law.