All posts by Mark Anthony Williams Jr.

Dear Cheslie, Just last month, I attempted to reach you, but was unsuccessful. It just doesn’t seem real. We’re now left to exist in a…

Shout out to Vivian Strong. At 14-years of age, you dreamed of appearing on Omaha’s version of American Bandstand. Then your life was taken on…

Shout out to the victims of the Wilmington Massacre of 1898. After a coup d’état on November 10, 1898—where a white mob of over 2,000…

Shout out to Kizzmekia Corbett, PhD—viral immunologist. Your groundbreaking labor led the charge for the creation of the Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. You assisted with…

Shout out to Ella Baker—transcendent leader and civil rights activist. Before Stacey Abrams, it was you who presciently understood the power of grassroots organizing. You…

Shout out to Crispus Attucks—first person killed in the American Revolution. On March 5, 1770, during an angry protest by American colonists over unfair tax…

Shout out to Clara Luper (1923-2011)—educator and pioneering civil rights activist. On August 19, 1958, you led a group of children representing the Oklahoma City…

Shout out to Malcolm X—leader and civil rights activist. Your insightful oratory articulation consistently demonstrated your cogent and coherent advocacy of Black excellence. Previously a…

Shout out to Sidney Poitier—actor and cultural icon. Before Billy Dee Williams, Morgan Freeman and Samuel L. Jackson, you represented the Hollywood genre of the…

Shout out to Alexander Miles—barber, real estate developer and inventor. Prior to your innovative design and patent, elevator doors could only be opened and closed…