Diversity speaker pieces together 'The Dream'

Williams, an African-American and director of intercultural affairs at Buena Vista University in Iowa, gave his perspective of what he believes Dr. Martin Luther King would say about whether his message in his speech “I Had A Dream” has been fulfilled some 40 years later. Williams’ speech entitled, “Shattered Dreams,” was a combination of King’s speech, Ghandi’s influence, his own perspective.

Williams effectively emulated King as he spoke.

Williams wasn’t speaking as the product of a pampered lifestyle or elite education. He grew up in, what he called the “real ghetto,” and not the slang term people use today. He said there were prostitutes, drug dealers and drive-bys, and all could be seen just on the way to school. When he came home it to a family he loves but taught who him to hate whites.

Williams graduated from an inner-city high school eleventh in a class of 400, but with about a 2.9 grade point average and an 11 on his ACT. He is currently working on his doctorate. He said it took him some time to choose education and to release his own racial hatred. He now he speaks to audiences all over America about the positive impact of racial diversity.

“How do you make that change in your life? You have to want a little something different,” he said.

“Cleanse yourself of bias and misconceptions,” he said in discussing how to begin a change in thinking. “I always am reminded of the blood shed for you and I...I hear the echoes of cries when street protests became riots,” is a part of his speech where he reminds people of how hard it has been to fight for equality in America. He tells audiences that ethnic food, music and the youth of today are bringing people together to where it should be and that we cannot forget what people had to go through to get us here.

He also said college students are generally more racial tolerant than any other age group.

“I ask myself who would I be if it weren’t for King?” Williams said. The opportunities and compassion he has for diversity are because of people like King, he added.

The speaker said he moved to Iowa almost four years ago because the community had little diversity, and he hoped to promote it and create an awareness about it, “We need to spread ourselves around to educate,” he said. He said Buena Vista College’s multiculturalism has improved since he arrived, but the progress hasn’t come without drawbacks in his personal life because his 6-year-old daughter has been subject to numerous racist remarks.

“I have to ask how do kids that young get taught racism?”

Williams said if people want to promote diversity in their own communities they can’t rely solely on administrators or civic leaders to solve the problem, but they must take part in the change. He said to make changes in education “teachers need to become learners again,” advising them to search out resources, create syllabuses that include diversity and recognize classroom etiquette and appropriateness for different cultures.