About Living Free
A movement rooted in the history of people who chose freedom when it was never given.
From Victimhood to Victor-hood
Living Free is a personal-development and community-strengthening initiative designed to help individuals shift from a mindset of victimhood to a mindset of victor-hood. The program empowers participants to reclaim agency, build resilience, and embrace the values that lead to long-term stability, dignity, and freedom.
Many individuals today feel trapped by circumstances, by past experiences, or by narratives that diminish their sense of possibility. Living Free challenges these limiting beliefs by teaching that every person has the capacity to rise, overcome, and lead.
The heart of Living Free is simple: You are not a victim of life. You are a victor in the making.
What We Stand For
Personal Responsibility
Owning your choices, your growth, and your future.
Purpose-Driven Living
Every person has a calling worth pursuing with discipline and direction.
Resilience & Self-Discipline
The ability to weather setbacks and keep building.
Civic Engagement
Victors don't just build for themselves. They contribute to and uplift their community.
The Story of the Maroons
Long before emancipation was a word on anyone's lips, enslaved people in the Lowcountry made a choice. They fled into the Great Dismal Swamp, Four Hole Swamp, and the Beach Hill area, places no militia would willingly follow.
They built communities in the wilderness. They traded with those still held in bondage. When patrols came looking, they went deeper. They chose freedom on their own terms, at their own risk, with their own hands.
They came out as free Americans. Not because someone handed them their freedom, but because they seized it.
This is the DNA of Living Free. We don't wait for permission to change. We don't accept helplessness as a permanent condition. The spirit of the Maroons lives in this community today.
Great Dismal Swamp
Virginia-North Carolina border. Thousands escaped here over two centuries.
Four Hole Swamp
SC Lowcountry. A network of freedom camps hidden deep in the wetlands.
Beach Hill Area
Local Lowcountry refuge where Maroon communities thrived in secret.
Kenneth E. Battle
Kenneth E. Battle is a retired U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sergeant whose 33-year military career was defined by leadership, service, and excellence. Following retirement, he continued serving his community as Board Chair of the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs, appointed by Governor Nikki Haley and reappointed by Governor Henry McMaster. As CEO of ConnectPath Consulting, LLC and founder of Living Free, Ken remains dedicated to developing leaders, strengthening communities, and creating pathways for success.
“Leading through service, empowering through action.”
Living Free operates through People in Partnership and is mentored by Kendall Qualls of Take Charge Minnesota, whose model of community uplift Ken is replicating and adapting for the Charleston region.
Ken's vision blends deep cultural history with practical programming, connecting residents to career certificate programs, trades programs, marriage seminars, and youth mentorship through a framework that puts agency, identity, and purpose at the center.
Board of Advisors
Arthur L. “Art” Williams
Arthur L. “Art” Williams is a distinguished Lowcountry leader whose lifelong commitment to public service, education, and community development has made a lasting impact across South Carolina. A 1974 graduate of Walterboro High School and a United States Marine Corps veteran, Williams earned degrees from Beaufort Technical College, South Carolina State University, and The Citadel. Over a career spanning more than 35 years, he has held numerous leadership positions in both the public and private sectors, including County Administrator, County Engineer, Public Works Director, educator, and business executive. He currently serves as President and CEO of Resourceful Consulting and Management, LLC.
Art is married to Leila, and they have a son, Dr. A. Maurice (Tina), and a daughter, Sylvia Joy (Romeo). They have five grandchildren: Noah, Julia, Clara, and twins Yvonne and Chevron.