Author: Sonja D. Williams

Affirmative Action & Higher Ed – An Aural Case Study

Sonja D. Williams Chicago culture, Documentary, Education, History, Journalism, Nonfiction, NPR

About 25 years ago, in March 1998 to be exact, NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday aired a documentary I produced that explored how affirmative action policies in higher education admissions and hiring practices affected students, faculty and staff at a specific university from the 1960s through the 1990s.

The piece, Affirmative Action and Higher Education: An Aural History, actually was an aural case study in which I captured the opinions and experiences of various members of the University of Chicago community – including prominent faculty like historian John Hope Franklin and sociologist William Julius Wilson, the university’s vice president for research (and former Morehouse College president) Walter Massey, and former students Christopher Kang and novelist A.J. Verdelle.

The insights of those interviewees along with many others at this elite university, continue to resonate in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s current ruling against the affirmative action policies of Harvard University and the University of North Carolina – and its broader implications for higher ed.

To hear my piece, please click on the following link: Affirmative Action and Higher Education

A Fascinating Examination of a Trailblazing Athlete & Her Times

Sonja D. Williams Biography, Books, Nonfiction, Nonfiction Writing, Podcast, Podcasting

Althea Gibson.

She was a one-of-a-kind tennis star and golf professional.

Back in 1957 and 1958, Gibson became the first African American ever to win the coveted championship titles in Wimbledon and in what is now the U.S. Open. By the time her tennis career ended, she had walked away with about 58 national and international singles and doubles titles.

Then in 1964, Gibson became the first Black American woman to join the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), where she broke course records in several  tournaments.

But there was much more to Gibson than her sporting conquests. She was a talented singer, an aspiring actress, a businesswoman and a New Jersey state athletic commissioner.

And there’s more.

So if you’re interested in finding out more about this dynamic woman who inspired scores of younger athletes – including Venus and Serena Williams – you should check out my interview with Ashley Brown, assistant professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Brown’s biography of Gibson was published in February of this year, and it’s a fascinating account of Gibson’s life and times.

Click here to listen to my intervew with Professor Ashley Brown (via the Biographers International Organization podcast series), and enjoy!

Honoring the Memory of Extraordinary Artist & Activist Harry Belafonte

Sonja D. Williams Acting, Drama, Film, History, Nonfiction, Podcast, Podcasting, Politics, Radio, Theater

On April 25, 2023, the world lost a gifted artist and committed activist – a man who was never shy about speaking (or singing) truth to power.

With his passing, Harlem born Harry Belafonte joined his long time friend and fellow artist Sidney Poitier among the ancestors. Both men will be sorely missed.

During the early 2000s in the Howard University Department of Media, Journalism and Film in Washington DC, we had the pleasure  of honoring Belafonte with an award named for one of the men who inspired him – singer, actor and activist Paul Robeson.

After our awards ceremony, Belafonte conducted a master class in which he shared information about his life, his career and his commitment to civil and human rights.

To hear the radio program we produced based on this master class – a study in wisdom, courage and artistic integrity  – click here.

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