On a Mission: Damon L. Williams Jr., Takes on the World

Damon L. Williams, Jr.In 1986, when Damon L. Williams, Jr., was seven years old, he and his family received an invitation to attend his friend’s birthday party at a local golfing country club. He had been very excited to attend, until the week of the event.

“We got uninvited, because Blacks weren’t allowed in the country club,” says Williams.

Williams says he wasn’t hurt when he read the country club’s by-laws and regulations—rather, he was confused.

“I didn’t understand why everybody didn’t have access. And I was determined to have access,” says Williams.

Williams’s parents had met during their time at Southern and A&M College, a historically Black college and university (HBCU) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They shared their convictions with their two sons, including the importance of education and social service. Williams was raised Catholic and attended private institutions—he was often the only Black student in his class, or one of the few.

That experience with the country club helped open Williams’s eyes. He began to see exclusion everywhere, not just for himself, but for others who had been marginalized. He became what he calls “a student for everybody.”

“I made sure everyone had access, especially my Black classmates and friends,” says Williams.