In Memoriam: John Alfred Williams, 1925-2015

JohnWilliamsJohn Williams, longtime university educator and noted novelist, died on July 3 at a veteran’s home in Paramus, New Jersey. He was 89 years old.

Williams was perhaps best known for his 1967 novel The Man Who Cried I Am. He was also the author of The King God Didn’t Save: Reflections on the Life and Death of Martin Luther King Jr. (Coward-McCann, 1970). This controversial book, written only two years after King’s assassination, claimed that the civil rights leader was somewhat of a puppet of the White power structure.

Williams was a native of Jackson, Mississippi. After serving in the medical corps in the Pacific during World War II, he enrolled at Syracuse University in New York and earned a bachelor’s degree in English. He moved to New York and worked for Ebony, Jet, and Newsweek magazines before publishing his first novel.

Williams taught at Rutgers University from 1979 until his retirement in 1994.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

California State University Sacramento Launches Black Honors College

Officially launching for the fall 2024 semester, the Black Honors College will support students from all backgrounds who study Black history, life, and culture by providing them with a specialized curriculum and mentoring opportunities.

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

In Memoriam: Norman B. Anderson, 1955-2024

Dr. Anderson was the assistant vice president for research and academic affairs at Florida State University at the time of his death. He had an extensive career in clinical psychology, which led him to become the first African American chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association.

Georgia State University Launches Program to Support Black Women in Tech

While Black women account for roughly 29 percent of the Georgia State University undergradaute student body, they represent only 10 percent of the university's computer science majors and 18 percent of the computer information systems majors.

Featured Jobs