The North Carolina Government and Heritage Library will host the last event in their fall #EverythingNC: Author Series Saturday, Nov. 16 at 11 a.m. with a discussion and book signing with Dr. Lea E. Williams, author of “We Who Believe in Freedom: The Life and Times of Ella Baker.”
Dr. Williams will be introduced by Dr. Valerie Ann Johnson, chairwoman of the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission. Sheilah Barrett Carroll, Historic Publications editor and Dr. Williams’ editor for “We Who Believe in Freedom” will serve as the moderator for the discussion.
“We Who Believe in Freedom” is the second volume in the True Tales for Young Readers series published by the Historical Research Office of the N.C. Office of Archives and History. It tells the story of Ella Baker, who grew up in Littleton, N.C., and is best remembered for the role she played in facilitating the April 1960 organizational meeting of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee at Shaw University.
Books will be available for purchase during the event. For more information or questions, please contact 919-814-6790, GHL.info@ncdcr.gov or go to http://bit.ly/EverythingNCAuthor1116.
About the Author
Lea E. Williams, author, educator, and teacher, began her career teaching sixth grade in Milwaukee, then moved into higher education administration at the United Negro College Fund Headquarters in New York City. Relocating to Greensboro, North Carolina, as an administrator at Bennett College, Williams organized and directed the National African American Women’s Leadership Institute, a leadership program for women focused on community service. Currently, she teaches English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) at Guilford Technical Community College.
Williams is the author of three books and dozens of articles on education. “Servants of the People: The 1960s Legacy of African American Leadership” (1st & 2nd editions) profiles individuals who were prominent in the 1960s civil rights movement. Her newest book, “We Who Believe in Freedom: The Life and Times of Ella Baker,” is a juvenile biography for middle school and high school students. Competitively selected, “We Who Believe in Freedom” is the second in a series, True Tales for Young Readers, published by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. In 2019, the Baker biography received a Making Digital Progress award from the Library Journal.
In community service, Dr. Williams has served as president of the Friends of the Greensboro Public Library, and on the boards of numerous nonprofit organizations, including the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, Greensboro Community TV, and Greensboro History Museum.