| Essie Mae's Story |
Darci talks with
Essie Mae Part 1 Darci talks with Essie Mae Part 2 Watch the news conference "I feel as if a tremendous weight has been lifted," said Essie Mae Washington-Williams during a news conference Wednesday in Columbia. The 78-year-old biracial California woman publicly came forward to say she is the daughter of the late Senator Strom Thurmond. "At last I feel completely free," said Washington-Williams. Washington-Williams told reporters in Columbia on Wednesday that she is not bitter or angry. Thurmond was 22 and Carrie Butler was 16 when Washington-Williams was born. Washington-Williams says she never liked that Thurmond was a segregationist, but their was nothing she could do about it. She says she didn't come forward earlier because she didn't want to jeopardize Thurmond's political career or family. Washington-Williams first local television interview occurred Wednesday. News19 was the only television station in the state to be granted an interview with Washington-Williams directly following her news conference. She never spoke up before, says Washington-Williams, because it wouldn't have helped her or her father. "It wasn't to my advantage to talk about anything that [Thurmond] had done. It certainly wasn't to the advantage of either one of us. He of course, didn't want it to be known. Neither did I. We didn't have any agreement about not talking about it, we just didn't talk about it,". Washington-Williams also said the late senator cared for her financially and emotionally. "I think he cared about me, otherwise I don't think he would have done the things that he did if he didn't care about me," she says. He was her father, she says, and they had visits, but he was different than a traditional parent. "I liked him very much. I was not around him, remember. I only saw him about once a year, so I didn't feel that close relationship that you normally would with a parent". Thurmond's family says they will not contest Washington-Williams claim that she's Thurmond's daughter. Thurmond's son, Strom Thurmond, Jr. told The State newspaper he has no reason to believe Essie Mae Washington-Williams was not telling the truth. Thurmond, Jr. says he would like to meet the 78-year-old retired Los Angeles schoolteacher and establish a relationship, but would prefer to do it in private. Williams broke a decades-long silence Saturday to claim she was the daughter of Strom Thurmond and a 16-year-old black maid working in his father's home. A statement released Monday by the Thurmond family said the following: "As J. Strom Thurmond has passed away and cannot speak for himself, the Thurmond family acknowledges Ms. Essie Mae Washington-Williams' claim to her heritage. We hope this acknowledgment will bring closure for Ms. Williams." Thurmond died in June at age 100. With help from the Associated Press, The Washington Post and CBS News. |