Michael Givens was born in Anderson, South Carolina, March 19th 1958. He grew up in the rolling hills of Pickens South Carolina and the gulf coast town of Pascagoula, Mississippi . He attended collage at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee and Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, California. Michael graduated with a BA in professional photography and cinematography.

He joined the Sons of Confederate Veterans in 1994 after seeing a billboard in Arkansas. He then re-chartered the General Richard H. Anderson, Camp 47 in Beaufort with Commander Brian Canaday. (The Camp still meets in the historic Arsenal, where the original Camp was chartered in 1897.)

Highlights of Michael's SCV achievements:

•  Commander, Camp 47, Beaufort, South Carolina-three years.

•  Commander, 5th Brigade, South Carolina Division-four years.

•  Lt. Commander, South Carolina Division-two years.

•  Commander, South Carolina Division-two years.

•  Commander, Army of Northern Virginia-two years.

•  Director, International Development-two years.

•  National Committees : Constitutional Review-four years, Recruitment-two years, International Development-four years.

•  Awards : Commander-in-Chief's Award, Meritorious Service (awarded multiple times), Distinguished Service (awarded multiple times), Stonewall Jackson Award, Dixie Club.

•  Achievements :

•  Built the SC Division to over 3,200 members and 69 Camps and increased the coffers to over $100,000.00.

•  Created the Media Action Committee (MAC) which enables fast and effective response to heritage violations.

•  Persuaded the State of SC to grant proceeds from a special license plate which nets the SCV more than $18,000.00 per year.

•  Faced down the US Congress when liberal groups attempted to build a National Park dedicated to Reconstruction.

•  Produced two fund raising documentaries for the SCV: The Hunley Experience and Southern Heritage Celebration 2000 .

•  Created a Speakers List for the SC Division over sixty pages long.

•  Edited a journal of Southern History entitled: The Richard H. Anderson Review.

•  Helped organize the historic flag rally in Columbia , South Carolina in January of 2000.

•  Held speaking engagements all over America (including the Steven D. lee Institute), spreading the word of Southern heritage.

Michael Givens is the Great-Great Grandson of Private Peter Harrison Givens, Co. H. Carter's 1st Tennessee Cavalry. Michael has lived in Pickens, South Carolina; Pascagoula, Mississippi; Johnson City, Tennessee; and Los Angeles, California. He now resides in Beaufort, South Carolina with his wife Nicole and his two children, Chandler and Olivia. Chandler, just like his father is a life member of the SCV.

Michael is a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Beaufort and makes his living as a director of feature films and international commercials. His recent work includes the comedy, Opposite Day, due to be released this summer. He is also the Director of Photography for Southern Partisan magazine.