Hosea Williams Biography

Hosea Williams was an American civil rights leader, politician and philanthropist who played a major role in the struggle against segregation. Born to blind African-American parents in Georgia, Williams was raised by his grandparents following the death of his mother. After leaving home at the age of 14, Williams worked odd jobs for several years before joining the United States Army during the Second World War. Upon returning, he finished his high school and earned his graduate as well as post-graduate degree in chemistry. Thereafter, he began working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Georgia and also joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). This marked the beginning of his association with the Civil Rights movement and he became known for his speeches against segregation. Later, Williams joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and was recruited to the staff of Martin Luther King, Jr. Williams was an active member in the Freedom Summer voting registration campaign and later also led the Selma to Montgomery protest march that was attacked by mounted police, an event that became known as ‘Bloody Sunday’. After King’s assassination, Williams became the executive director of SCLC and later gravitated towards politics. In 1987, he led the largest civil rights march in Georgia history into all-white Forsyth County which resulted in a violent confrontation. He was a dedicated activist who continued to serve the deprived until his death due to cancer