Mayor’s MLK Breakfast Offers Challenge, Honors Trailblazer the Late Rev. J.C. Williams

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

The Anderson Civic Center was packed for Anderson Mayor Terence Roberts’ 18th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast Friday, where residents gathered for a morning focused on education, unity, and Dr. King’s legacy of justice and service.

The annual breakfast, now a staple of Anderson’s civic calendar, is designed as a community-wide observance of Dr. King’s life and message, bringing together neighbors, civic leaders, churches, and local organizations. Mayor Roberts said hosting the event is “a profound honor and responsibility” as the city reflects on King’s enduring influence on issues of equity and opportunity.

Roberts emphasized that this year’s program will especially highlight education as a vehicle for empowerment and social change.

“As we gather to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we are reminded of his unwavering belief in the power of education as a tool for social change and empowerment,” said Roberts, adding the breakfast is intended not only as a commemoration, but as a call to action for Anderson residents to invest in young people.

“In the spirit of Dr. King’s vision, we gather for this breakfast not just to remember, but to commit ourselves to the education of our young people, inspiring them to dream, to question, and to rise as leaders of tomorrow,” Roberts said.

His hopes are the breakfast “serves as a vital platform to inspire our community to invest in the future of our children, ensuring that they have the knowledge and tools to create a more just and equitable society” which carries the conversations at the Civic Center will carry into classrooms, churches, and homes across Anderson throughout the year.

Trailblazer Award

A key moment of the morning will be the presentation of the annual Trailblazer Award, which this year honored the late Rev. J.C. Willams of Royal Baptist Church as the individual whose leadership and community spirit exemplify King’s values. The award is intended to spotlight those working quietly but consistently to expand opportunity, build bridges, and strengthen Anderson’s civic life.

In a memorial, Williams’ daughter Angela F. Williams rote:

“My dad’s life was an extraordinary gift—to me, to our family, and to countless others. Reverend J.C. Williams was a light even in the darkest times, and I am heartbroken to share that he has passed away.

Growing up, my father served as the pastor of Royal Baptist Church in Anderson, South Carolina. Through his example, I learned the true meaning of servant leadership. He showed me what it meant to give—of one’s time, talent, and treasure—and he grounded my upbringing in faith, hope, love, and charity.

My dad’s work as head of the South Carolina NAACP during the Civil Rights movement taught me not only about courage but also about grace. In 1957, he sent a letter to pastors across South Carolina. In it, he wrote: “The cowards die many times, but the brave only taste of death but once.” He went on to say, “The NAACP is looking for brave men and women, boys, and girls… We can’t afford to go backward, but must move forward… Remember this is not the other men’s fight, but our fight.

I carry his words with me every day.

He walked in his faith and lived by biblical principles. For 30 years, he served his country as the U.S. Navy’s fifth Black Chaplain. I witnessed his love for and service to a country that, at times, did not love him back—one that denied him the right to vote and educate his children equally. Yet his patriotism was rooted in a deep belief in America’s promise and the dignity of all people.

The values he instilled in me shaped my personal and professional mission to serve the greater good. He inspired my decision to serve as an attorney in the U.S. Air Force, to answer my own calling as an ordained minister, and ultimately, to dedicate myself to the nonprofit sector.”

Roberts said the gathering offers Anderson an annual opportunity to “come together in unity, reflect on how far we have come, and renew our commitment to the work that still lies ahead.” He said he hopes the breakfast will send attendees back into the community with renewed determination to live out King’s principles in daily life.