President Williams Talks about Life on the Color Line

After moving to Cleveland recently with my husband, I was ecstatic to find out that UC President, Gregory H. Williams was planning to meet with UC alumni living in the Cleveland area.

On Thursday, Sept 8, President Williams met with a small group of alumni in downtown Cleveland. While attending the reception, my husband and I met so many fascinating UC alums. For the two hours we attended the event, we felt as if we were back in Cincinnati again. We had a chance to talk about the progress UC is making in a variety of ways. President Williams discussed his strategic plan for the University.

President Williams, me, Antione Drakeford,
UC Foundation President  Mike Carroll

UC alumni at Cleveland reception

On Friday, there was a separate event at The City Club of Cleveland. President Williams talked about his book, Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He was Black, and his perspective as an African American. In case you are not aware, President Williams is biracial and he grew up thinking he was white until he was ten. His life drastically changed once he found out his grandmother was black. His mother left his father during this time, and his family lost everything. As one can imagine, growing up as a biracial child during the Jim Crow era made his life extremely difficult.

Listening to President Williams talk about the troubles he has endured throughout his life was empowering. He discussed the current state of race relations in the United States today, and while the President of the United States is African American, he explained we still are striving towards Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream.

UC alumni with President Williams

"The dream still lives," President Williams said. "And in my view, it is up to each one of us to keep it alive and keep it real."

Watch President Williams' speech at The City Club of Cleveland by clicking on the YouTube video above. Have you read President Williams' book? What are your thoughts?

President Williams Speaks in Cleveland Next Month

Before being named President of the University of Cincinnati in 2009, many people first learned about Gregory H. Williams by reading his gripping memoir, Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black.  Because of his unique perspective and powerful life story, President Williams has been invited to the City Club of Cleveland to participate in a Friday Forum on Post-Racial America, which takes place Friday, September 9 at noon.

From the event website:  The election of President Obama in 2008 led many to ask if America had finally transcended its racial divisions. The term “post-racial” emerged – suggesting our nation had become color-blind. University of Cincinnati President Gregory H. Williams, the author of a best-selling and award-winning memoir, Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black, will examine these issues through the eyes of someone who has often found himself in the middle. President Williams grew up until the age of 10 believing he was white. After the revelation that his father was half black, he began a remarkable journey along the color line that opened his eyes to the reality of racism, poverty, repression and struggle in 1950s and ’60s America.

The event is open to the public and tickets can be purchased by clicking here or by calling 216-621-0085. For more information, visit the City Club of Cleveland’s website by following this link. The event is part of the 2011 KeyBank Diversity Thought Leadership Series.

Limited tickets are available, so make your reservations now and be there for a memorable discussion!

President Williams Brings UC to Florida

Thanks to everyone who joined President Williams’ celebration of UC in Florida February 17^th-20^th. His road trip included stops in Miami, Orlando, Naples and Sarasota!

If you weren’t lucky enough to make the trip, the Florida sun wasn’t all you missed. In addition to a visit and book-signing with President Williams, Jay Chatterjee took guests on a retrospective tour of the 20-year master plan that successfully resulted in UC’s beautiful, world-renowned campus.

And in Orlando and Naples, guests were blown away by the inspirational words of senior urban planning student and future guest-blogger, Victoria Fromme. Stay tuned for her appearance on “UC Where YOU Are” in early April, where she’ll share her full presentation and how UC landed her in Florida for a co-op job.

Were you with us in Florida? Check out the Florida photo gallery to find yourself, friends and colleagues and if we missed you, hear what President Williams had to say in this short video snippet.