May 25Member-onlyThe Silencing of SaintsBy Hettie V. Williams This poem is dedicated to the Black victims of the Tops shooting incident in Buffalo New York. Here be a monster Who white raged into A supermarket, with an AR-15, And silenced Black saints. This is their poem. These men and women, Pillars of the community, …African American2 min read
Nov 25, 2021Member-onlyA Lynching in GeorgiaBy Hettie V. Williams I saw a lynching in Georgia. Those rednecks committed this crime With malice, in a malevolent euphoria, Using a gun this time. Rat-tit-tat-tat-tat, This lynching was on television And Ahmaud is not coming back to chat. Hoodless men hunted him down with precision. I saw a lynching in Georgia… Blast, bang, boom Blast…Ahmaudarbery1 min read
Jul 29, 2021Member-onlyStill, They Will Rise: Black Women Athletes and the Tokyo OlympicsStill, They Will Rise: Black Women Athletes and the Tokyo Olympics By Hettie V. Williams, PhD “You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies, you may trod me in the very dirt but still, like dust, I’ll Rise.” — May Angelou Simone Biles has critics who…Simone Biles6 min read
Jan 11, 2021Member-onlyA White King and Myth Eaters:The Capitol Siege in Historical Perspective by Hettie V. Williams, PhD A majority of white voters across every demographic including gender, age and class voted for Donald J. Trump in two presidential elections. He is their king. According to the Pew Research Center, an estimated 58 percent of all white voters selected Trump in 2016 (31…Capitol Siege5 min read
Nov 22, 2020Member-onlyWarrior Women: A PoemThis poem is for my Mom Gloria and her sister Ann who died hours apart in April, 2020. By Hettie V. Williams i want to say their names: Gloria and Ann while sorrow seeps from my veins and memories march into my brain on yet another sleepless night. cancer conquered…2 min read
Jun 3, 2020Member-onlyGet Your Knee Off My NeckA Poem for George Floyd By Hettie V. Williams This land is my land more than It is yours, my people been here Since the eighteenth century By way of the Middle Passage. Get your knee off my neck. You looted my ancestors from Africa. They toiled in the cotton…George Floyd2 min read
May 9, 2020Member-onlyMemories of Mommy in the Cruel April SnowBy Hettie V. Williams I have known unimaginable grief in the last few weeks having lost three family members in less than two months (including both parents and one of my Aunts); but, the death of my Mom Gloria, on April 8 of this year, is the greatest loss I…Mothers Day6 min read
Mar 28, 2020Member-onlyGrief in the Time of COVID-19By Hettie V. Williams My Dad Freddie G. Williams, Sr. died, of complications associated with cancer, on the morning of March 22, 2020 at his home in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey amid the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was my hero, and I loved him deeply, though our relationship…Covid 195 min read
Mar 21, 2020Member-onlyCOVID-19 and the Spanish Flu: A Comparative HistoryBy Hettie V. Williams Diseases have a history. Everything has a history. There are some historical parallels between the Spanish Flu of 1918 and the 2020 coronavirus (COVID-19). Though a word of caution is necessary here: these two pandemics are not the same thing; and, the public should be mindful…Covid 1911 min read
Mar 8, 2020Member-onlyBernie and the Black VoteBy Hettie V. Williams Bernie Sanders has a problem with black voters. This has been abundantly noticeable in his various attempts to seek the office of president of the United States (U.S.). Bernie lost black voters in 2016 and he lost them again on super Tuesday in 2020. His lack…African American5 min read