(Editor’s note: Columns may contain opinion and those belong to their author)
Black history isn’t a long-forgotten chapter in a book that we revisit once a year. It’s active, local and unfolding in real time through the people in our neighborhoods who are building businesses, nurturing families and creating opportunity in a landscape that hasn’t always been welcoming to them. In the Central Savannah River Area, significant history is being made through stories that deserve more than a passing mention.
One noteworthy entrepreneur is KaSonya T. Wilcox, whose journey reflects perseverance, creativity and a decision to keep building even when people don’t see or support her vision.
Wilcox is the owner of A Fairytale Moment Photography. Despite her company’s name, she recalls that her path to entrepreneurship was not magical. Instead, it’s a story that mixes talent, sacrifice and a steady commitment to her craft. Passionate about photography since her teenage years, Wilcox credits her husband for encouraging her to turn that passion into a paying profession. She said she took that leap in 2017 and launched her photography business, where she now specializes in weddings, events, outdoor photography, and so much more.
She made it quite clear that she also invests in the educational side of her work, because talent is one thing and sustaining a business is altogether different. As her workload expanded, Wilcox noted that her opportunities did too. She recounted that in 2018, she photographed Lisa Nicole Cloud from the reality series “Married to Medicine” at the Empowering Women event in Augusta. Wilcox described Cloud as a featured speaker alongside the late singer Angie Stone. She added that the event was hosted by Kimberly Blount-Green and brought together women of influence, inspiration and purpose.
Wilcox reported that her portfolio has also been recognized in print and media, with her work featured in 2019 in Tamarindo Weddings, Southern Noir Wedding Blog and Everything Weddings. She mentioned being published in Augusta’s Photographers Magazine in 2021. Most recently, she shared that Fox 54 News featured her in 2025, highlighting her business and community impact.
Travel is part of the job, Wilcox told me. She described one wedding in Destin, Florida, as especially memorable. The beach ceremony, she recalled, was beautiful but challenging. The light changed quickly, and the coastal wind made timing and precision essential.
Wilcox reflected on an assignment she considered both a privilege and a significant responsibility. She recounted her role as the lead photographer for a private viewing and subsequent memorial service for the late musical icon Angie Stone, a proud native of Columbia, South Carolina. Hired through Myers Mortuary for the occasion, Wilcox noted the presence of distinguished guests, including Shirley Caesar and Anthony Hamilton. She also mentioned that several of her photographs from the event were later featured in prominent magazines.
For Wilcox, photography is more than taking pictures. “Photography is memory management,” she told me. “It’s legacy work.” She also acknowledged a reality many creatives know well, especially Black women in business. The work people do not see is often the work they undervalue. Planning, travel, editing, equipment, experience, and long hours rarely show up in the final image. Wilcox explained that they are what make the image possible.
“As a Black woman entrepreneur, I’ve faced instances of being overlooked and underestimated, which can be both painful and discouraging,” Wilcox said. “However, I choose faith, resilience, and determination over fear. Every challenge I’ve encountered has strengthened my resolve, allowing me to build not just businesses, but confidence, healing, and a legacy I can be proud of.”
Legacy is a word people use casually. Wilcox talks about it as something built on purpose. She described it as something protected through consistency and choices, even when there is no applause.
That same creative drive carries into her second venture, A Special T Apparel. Wilcox explained that she and her husband co-launched the business three years ago. She focuses on unique hat designs, while her husband handles clothing design. Their goal, she explained, is to create custom pieces that feel individual and not mass-produced.
Like most small business owners, Wilcox noted that true downtime is rare. The work cycle is constant. It includes creating, marketing, responding to customers, solving problems, and fulfilling orders. Then it starts again the next day. Add home life to that, and balance becomes a discipline, not a slogan. Wilcox shared that her personal life has significantly shaped her entrepreneurial journey, and she credits her husband as her greatest support and inspiration. Balance, she emphasized, does not happen by accident. It takes intention.
KaSonya T. Wilcox represents the enduring spirit of Black entrepreneurship. Her story is a living legacy still unfolding. It reflects the hopes and aspirations of the community she serves. Her story is Black history.
Nick Lovett is an independent journalist with over 20 years of experience in news media and marketing. A former writer for Aiken Standard and Fort Gordon’s Signal newspaper, she focuses on human interest stories that highlight resilience, community and positive change.
