In this exclusive interview, Mr. Albert Williams speaks of his civil rights activism, life in Prince William County, and amazing acting career

Albert Williams, 81 years old, is an actor, Playwright, Veteran, and an author and has a story to share. Growing up in Virginia, in the Prince William county area, he has seen many changes in the community and is sharing his story, hoping to change lives.

I sat down with Mr. Williams as he shared an array of stories from growing up locally and coming right back to the place he started, Virginia. His memoir is going to be more than a book. This will be a historical journey for us to experience as we learn through Albert about our history and this community of Prince William County, Virginia.

As we think about the late Dr. Martin Luther King, and many will reflect on the images on media of his brilliant speeches. Williams, however, shared his firsthand account of hearing him speak at the March on Washington in August 1963.

The March On Washington

“I’d heard about this big march that was going to be happening. I joined the NAACP and the man who was in charge, Mr. James Russell, helped me sign up for the March. The sign I made was black and white and said, Freedom Now Freedom Now. I remember it was over 100 degrees that day. It was so hot, in fact, that one young white girl had passed out because of the heat. Me, Mr. Russell and others held our hands up so that we could pass her over to the paramedics.”

Williams shared another highlight, which was when Mahalia Jackson sang, something that he said he will never forget. But the life-changing part of this event was listening to Dr. Martin Luther King speak.

Like many, the speech inspired young and old to do more for the Black community. Williams told us, “After the march, I said I need to do something with my life, so after that in November, I went into the military.”

After a few years of military service, Albert moved to New York and landed a job with the Federal Reserve Bank to which he worked for 33 years before retiring.

Acting Career

“If they ever give out an award for the person with the most credits in a movie or TV show, I’m guaranteed to take the award!” Williams told us.

Williams has appeared in over 100 television and/or movie appearances. He has had the honor of working with legends like George C. Scott, Redd Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Whoopi Goldberg, and others. He has an entire chapter in his upcoming memoir dedicated to his life in show business!

The Memoir

The memoir is about Albert Williams’s life growing up in Virginia. Dealing with racism, experiencing being called derogatory racial slurs, having to travel a long distance to go to school because the closest school was “whites only” school. Williams shared he didn’t have running water or even electricity. He would do his homework from the light of the wood-burning stove. Williams was just under 2 years old when his mother passed away, so he was raised primarily by his dad and his older sister, who dropped out of school to take care of them. He shares his memories of taking his clothes down to Neabsco creek (near Route 1) to wash his clothes.

The purpose of this memoir, he shares, is to let the community know that we can all get along. Williams tells us many stories about white people in the community that made it possible for his family to have the things they needed, including their home. He states that if it wasn’t for kind white people, he probably wouldn’t have had the education and the success that he got. Albert Williams says his story shows we can all get along, but not only that we can get along but that it is absolutely a must if we are going to get through the tough times that we all face now.

To see the full interview, check it out Here:

We can’t wait for the memoir to be released and we look forward to many more conversations with this local legend!