DANVILLE, Va. (WDBJ) – Also known as Danville’s Diva, Camilla Williams was the first African American to become a famous opera singer.
Before becoming an opera icon, Camilla Williams grew up near West End Avenue in Danville in the 1920s, where a historical marker in her name now sits.
“Camilla Williams is our hometown opera diva,” said Karice Luck-Brimmer, local historian.
She attended Calvary Baptist Church and grew up in a household full of singers. It wasn’t until an elementary school talent show that they realized she had a special gift.
“When she sang in that role, that’s when everyone realized that she could sing,” said Esther Mortimer, Camilla Williams’ great niece. “From then on, the church took a major part in enabling her to sing.”
Williams went on to graduate as valedictorian from John M. Langston High School in Danville. From there, she attended Virginia State University where she began training her voice for opera.
After graduating, she returned to Danville to become a school teacher, but always kept faith in her singing dreams – one of the many lessons she taught her great niece, Esther Mortimer.
“She let me know that she accomplished what she did through faith. That was the main thing that got her through a lot of the obstacles that she faced,” added Mortimer.
She saw many of those challenges as her career took flight after landing the role of Madame Butterfly with the New York City Opera in 1946 – a role previously only played by white women.
“They didn’t want her to sing in that role because she was Black, but her voice was so phenomenal that they couldn’t deny it,” said Mortimer.
While her voice allowed her to break through the color barrier on stage, off-stage she still experienced racism, was forced to sleep on train cars instead of hotels, and couldn’t attend some of the dinners and receptions after her own performances.
But despite the oppression, her voice carried her all over the world. She went on to sing for multiple presidents and sang the National Anthem before Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech at the March on Washington.
“I think she was gutsy in what it took for her to get where she was, especially during the time of civil unrest. We were knee-deep in segregation. So, I imagine that it was quite difficult, but she had a supportive community behind her,” explained Luck-Brimmer.
Williams gained another set of wings in 2012 after a battle with breast cancer.
But the diva’s legacy will carry on through her family members like Mortimer, and the permanent Camilla Williams exhibit with her many elegant outfits at the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History.
“She was beautiful. If you went to her house at an odd hour, she had on a fabulous outfit. No matter what time you went, her hair was always done. She was a diva,” said Mortimer.
If you’d like to hear recordings of her beautiful voice and learn more about her life and accomplishments, you can visit her exhibit at the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History.
You can also visit Camilla Williams Park on Memorial Drive.
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