Vanessa Williams
Written by Shala Hainer
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As a young adult, Williams founded Positive Choices and the Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Council, both developed to promote community awareness, social justice and to prepare young African-Americans for college. Over 500 students have participated in these programs, all of whom are now college graduates and working professionals.
Williams has two children -- daughter Taylor and son Luke – and is married to Daryl Williams.
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Womenetics: You've been organizing groups to help other people since age 15, when you started the Dr. Martin Luther King Youth Committee. What has been and continues to be your motivation and driving force?
Vanessa Williams: My faith, family and a relentless desire to serve. I never wanted to be a statistic. I believed what my parents told me, that I could do all things through Christ Jesus. At that time in Las Vegas, many of my peers were dying from the senselessness of gang violence; many youth that I went to school with or that I knew when we were young kids lost their lives during the height of gang violence in our community. I decided that I would live and that I would not die senselessly. I had a resolve as a youth that my life would count, and the images that were being depicted about my race and community would be shattered by my success. I asked my friends to join me, and we formed the Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Council. The council focused on King's life principles of non-violence. I believed that our lives could and would make a difference and neither my race, age nor gender were a factor. These were my strengths.
Womenetics: How did the success of your Positive Choices for Academic Success youth program help you understand how you could make positive changes in people's lives?
Williams: The success of Positive Choices for Academic Success proved to me that you can make a difference at any age. Many of the students that were in the program were only a few years younger than myself. To know that you assisted more than 500 students, a majority of which were first-generation college graduates, is a blessing that I cannot describe. Positive Choices taught me that opportunity and exposure are critical to one's success.
Positive Choices was birthed out of a negative circumstance. My father passed away from a massive heart attack my sophomore year in college. Stuck with the decision of do I stay or do I return home from school, I researched the statistics of college graduates in my home state of Nevada. I learned that out of all of the high school graduates in the state of Nevada, only 7 percent continued on to higher education. Of that 7 percent, less than 1 percent were African American. While attending Cal Berkeley and reflecting on the words of my father, I remembered a statement he would always say, "You must make positive choices in life if you want a positive end. Life is all about the decisions the choices we make."
To see young women and men that believe that college is not obtainable and that their greatest accomplishments would be those that they achieved in high school was not acceptable for me. Positive Choices is now the largest after-school tutorial program in Nevada servicing more than 5,600 kids a day. I never wanted to become an educator. I saw a void and tried to fill it. Now my community owns it.
Womenetics: You had a vision of an international community of local leaders. How did you turn that vision into reality through the NCBM?
Williams: The statement "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main" is true. In business we learn that it is important to be flexible and always look for the opportunity in any given situation. Five years ago NCBM, like many small businesses, faced the crisis of the severe economic downturn that impacted every American from Wall Street to Main Street. Many of the foundations and corporations that supported our work disappeared over night. Like every small business, we had to ask the question of ourselves: Do we fold or do we fight? We chose to fight.
Our fighting back entailed an evaluation of our strengths and asking the question of what do we do well. We choose to focus on our strengths. NCBM has a 40-year legacy of developing and shaping our nation's greatest leaders -- why not challenge ourselves and see if we could offer the same expertise to a larger market? As leaders, we must learn to see the vision and allow it the space to grow so that others may also see it and own it. All politics are local, even when you are dealing with foreign relations. Through the vehicle of NCBM, we have been able to successfully organize and twin now more than 22,000 mayors representing Africa, South America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. Who would have known that there were more than 22,000 mayors of African descent in the world? I did not. The desire to provide your family with a decent quality of life is a desire that we all share as human beings, and it was this common thread that turned a vision into a reality.
Womenetics: How do you overcome gender and race discrimination internationally as you work with NCBM and the World Conference of Mayors?
Williams: I have fought against it the same way we as women overcome the issues of gender and race in the United States: hard work and perseverance. It is imperative that I stay professional at all times and not only know my craft, but own it. I have an understanding of every aspect of my profession -- understanding that the day will come where I will be tested on what I know. I must stay focused and know that I am uniquely designed and called for a specific purpose. I have chosen to see my gender and race as my greatest assets.
Womenetics: What has been the most surprising thing you've learned as you've built international collaborations and why?
Williams: We are often left to believe that our nation is not well-received by other nations, specifically those located in Africa or the Middle East. To have the opportunity to sit with heads of states and leaders of nations and learn of their appreciation of the good that the United States has done in their countries, to witness their willingness to be transparent and to show their areas of need at times left me speechless yet appreciative of the moment and space that I am in. I have been overwhelmed by the level of support that has been demonstrated by each nation we have partnered with and their genuine desire to see women empowered.
Womenetics: How do your developmental programs with NCBM and WCM help teach women how to run political campaigns, and why is this important?
Williams: Our developmental programs educate women about areas where their voices are silent. Often participants will express their belief that they are not political. We find ourselves educating women on the fact that they are political even if they choose not to participate in the process. Decisions are made every day that directly impact their lives. Politics determine the school bus route, neighborhood resources or where a library or a fire station is located.
Teaching women to embrace the beauty of our voices as mothers, daughters and sisters is crucial to ensuring that the next generation of leaders is not silent. Women's involvement in the political process is a necessity. Our training of women in grassroot and community organizing teaches women how to make sure that their voices are heard and there is strength in numbers. It was said that "it is only a woman that walks into a room and takes her whole race with her." Women must be empowered. Often women struggle with the decision of running for office or running a household. We stress to our participants that women can be strong leaders at home, on their job and in the community. We do not have to choose between the three.
Womenetics: What is the next step for you with NCBM and WCM to help empower local leaders worldwide?
Williams: Through the establishment of key partnerships and programs, it is my desire to assist NCBM and WCM-member mayors in establishing key relationships that will both enhance and empower the communities in which they serve. Through the signing of Memorandum of Understandings with partnering countries, NCBM now includes as a part of our international delegations: educators, university and college presidents, business women and men, and professional service providers that wish to expand their business through the global opportunities. It is my aspiration to see an International School of Good Governance and Excellence established as part of the organization's legacy.
Learn more about our other 2012 POW! Award winners:
First a teacher, then an entrepreneur and now the chief talent officer at Edelman -- the world's largest public relations firm. Claudia Patton's career has been as versatile as it is successful.
As chief information officer at McKesson, Lisa McVey has been able to marry her interest in healthcare and technology, all the while working to promote the advancement of women.
Not only has Monique Honaman of ISHR Group beat the odds by successfully growing her business for 13 years, she's also an expert in "taking the high road" when it comes to relationships.
Based near Atlanta, Shala Hainer has been writing and copyediting since 1995. Beginning her career at newspapers such as the Marietta Daily Journal and the Atlanta Business Chronicle, she most recently wrote and edited articles for several nonprofit organizations before purchasing a flower shop in 2006. She earned a bachelor’s in communications from Jacksonville State University.
