Fay Williams Civil Rights Activist, Best Black Female Podcast Ep. 9 - Her interviewer, DeeDee Strum says, "We All Stand on the Shoulders of Fay H. Williams." She is a Family Law Attorney, a Civil Rights Activist, and a Feminist! At age 87 she is still going strong with 65+ years of activism to her credit. Fay provides a history lesson on the emancipation period and the birth of Juneteenth She tells about her experience hidden away from vicious racism as a young girl. Attorney Williams paved the way for women to enter political office as the chair, National League of Women Voters Women's Education Fund, traveling the country, starting in the late 1960s, to organize political campaigns, teach women how to friend-raise, comply with federal campaign finance laws and raise money from people they thought didn't have any! She collaborated with a young Hillary Rodham and mentored many others.
Top Takeaways:
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- Learning how to organize your life around the things that you care about to make a difference
- The importance of learning the art of boundary-crossing to create connections in your professional career
- How to have a policy and not just an idea you either like or don't like, but one you can say is possible, necessary, and useful
- How the bravery of one woman can change the lives of others in the community
Listen in to learn the history of the many women black women who fought for equality and change in their community.
" Have a policy, don't just have an idea. Don't say I like it or I don't like it. You have to be able to say this is why it's possible, necessary, and useful."
-Fay William
Best Black Female Podcast
Civil Rights Activitist Fay Williams has dedicated her life to the betterment of her fellow citizens through a commitment to fighting for the rights of women and minorities, as well as disenfranchised and mentally ill individuals.
She has also championed diversity and inclusion in Indianpolis and around Central Indiana. For the past half a century, Fay has served as a board member for several prominent nonprofit organizations including the American Red Cross Indiana Region Chapter, Children's Museum of Indianapolis and United Way of Central Indiana. At United Way, she co-launched the Minority Key Club, later renamed the Diversity Leadership Circle, a cornerstone organization with a commitment to diversity through talent acquisition in the community. Fay also went on to establish the Indianapolis Chapter of Coalition of 100 Black Women and served as a founding board-member of the Indianapolis Urban League and Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis. In 2020, Fay was recognized by Indiana University who held a Special Recognition Ceremony as an online event recognizing alumni and friends of IU McKinney, who, through their personal and professional efforts have broadened the reach of Indiana University around the state, nation, and world.
Learn the importance of fully understanding public policy and how it affects you.
Key Moments:
You will also learn the importance of fully understanding public policy and how it affects you.
Fay explains the emancipation period, the birth of Juneteenth, and her experience hidden away from vicious racism as a young girl [2:21]
She talks about how she rose from a kindergarten dimes fundraiser to a nationally recognized fundraiser especially in communities of color [6:13]
When and how civil rights activist Fay Williams jumped into activism in the 1960s with a teenage following [10:19]
How to organize and choose your priorities to make a difference in the world around you [15:40]
She talks about her longstanding friendship with late senator Richard Lugar [19:39]
Fay advises young black women to take 'a white man to lunch' and have an agenda to discuss [21:52]
The many encounters that Fay had with a younger Hillary Clinton in which they discussed women issues [26:12]
Why you need to understand public policy like the implications of some of the laws as a young woman today [28:08]
Why women in the political scene need to learn to answer the 'women questions' and understand where the real power is [37:24]
Fay talks about her understanding of Jessie McGuire's bravery in her pursuit for equality [39:47]
She describes her success story as being able to witness the beneficiaries of her activism work carry on her legacy with pride [44:03]
Fay describes her 37-year long relationship with the late congresswoman Julia Carson and the many political lessons she learned from her [45:40]
Resources:
Childrens Museum Honorary Trustees
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