About the Author

Sonja D. Williams is a professor in the Howard University Department of Media, Journalism and Film in Washington, DC. She has worked as a broadcast journalist and media trainer in the Caribbean, Africa and throughout the United States, receiving numerous

Word Warrior

Called “marvelously written and completely captivating,” this 2016 Phillis Wheatley Book Awards finalist documents the life of gifted broadcast dramatist, journalist and activist, Richard Durham. Artists like Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison, Oscar Brown, Jr. and Studs Terkel – along with boxing champion

My Work

Several of Sonja D. Williams’ broadcast productions have been award winning, including a 2009 Gracie Award for her work as a Co-Executive Producer of Uncrowned Queens: Voices of African American Women, a 13-part radio series about extraordinary black women community leaders living in Buffalo and Western New York.

  • Frederick Douglass’s Grandchildren, the 4th of July, and Musical Optimism
    by Sonja D. Williams
    In 2020, NPR asked five decendants of the great orator and abolitionist Frederick Douglass to read excerpts from their grandfather’s powerful July 5, 1852 speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July.” Please click on the link below…
  • HAPPY JUNETEENTH
    by Sonja D. Williams
    Enjoy the day – and Cherish the history in this Black Music Month!
  • Jazz and April
    by Sonja D. Williams
    Despite the anxiety-provoking month that April has been thus far – politically, economically and environmentally – April also is a time to celebrate. It’s Jazz Appreciation Month, as established by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Musuem of American History (NMAH) in…
  • Celebrating Black History: On Earth and Among the Stars
    by Sonja D. Williams
    Happy Black History Month! You might recognize the faces of the many African American actors pictured here who brought the fictional stories of Space (and Deep Space) travel to life in the long standing Star Trek franchise. May you boldly…
  • Happy New Year and an Upcoming Concert Invitation!
    by Sonja D. Williams
    Greetings! Between politics and the weather, I hope that you’re finding space to be as positive as possible in this crazy world we live in. And if you have the interest – and live in my hometown of NYC –…
  • Singing for Love and Hope – Saturday, November 15, 2025
    by Sonja D. Williams
    Happy Fall! If you live in the DMV and love choral music, you might want to check out the upcoming concert of the Prince Georges County Choral Society (PGCCS). The PGCCS will offer Songs of Hope for a Better World  on…