The life and legacy of Barbara Williams of the Community Awareness Series of the Jersey City Free Public Library will be honored at a tribute on Saturday, Aug. 10, at the VFW Gethers Post 7470 in Bayonne.
The tribute will include performances by the Spirit of Life Ensemble, Spectrum Afrikan Dancers, poet Rashad Wright and guest artists.
Williams was born and raised in Bayonne, where she was one of 12 siblings with 11 sisters and one brother.
In 1980, she met her future husband, Daoud-David Williams, one of the founders of the CAS and the Spirit of Life Ensemble. She was a co-producer on many of the band’s songs. They had 3 children, son Samora Williams and two stepdaughters, Kim and Nikki.
“I am very grateful and blessed in having a 44-year relationship with my soulmate, wife, mother of our dearest son and my best friend,” said Daoud-David Williams. “Barbara contributed so much to the cultural and educational endeavors of the African American and the global human community. That’s 44 years of community activism and advocacy. She was a selfless, giving, and modest person.”
Williams had an extensive career working for the Guardian Newspaper, operating a daycare, serving as an administrator at Jersey City’s historic Bergen School, enrollment services at St. Peter’s College, and finally as a teacher with the Jersey City Public School system. She taught for about 18 years and was a teacher at the Martin Luther King Jr. School (PS 11). She was also an auxiliary member of the VFW Flournoy-Gethers Post 7470 in Bayonne.
She was also a dynamic force for the Community Awareness Series and the Cultural Department of the Jersey City Free Public Library for over four decades.
“In short, she did the work,” says Daoud. “One thing I always appreciated about Barbara was her sense of history, music and willing to tell it like it is. She was very straightforward, and it was just one of the many things I loved about her. You knew where you stood. I will miss her dearly.”
She was known for her organizing ability in regard to Women’s History Month, Women in the Arts, Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Tribute, Annual African Cultural Arts Juneteenth Family Festival, numerous workshops, classes and many other programs. She was awarded the 2023 Friends of Liberty State Park Award
Williams attended Bayonne High School and and earned an associates degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology, a bachelors degree from Saint Pater’s College (now University), and a masters degree in Education.
She took part in many civil and human rights causes including the fight against racism, environmental justice, voting rights, equal rights, anti-violence movement, women’s rights, anti-apartheid movement and the free Nelson Mandela movement.
She enjoyed traveling and experiencing different cultures from around the world and had visited Canada, France, Monaco, Finland, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, and various states in the US, among other places. Her most recent trip was to Senegal in West Africa in the summer of 2023.
One of the workshop rooms at the Miller Branch Library next to the CAS office may be designated “The Barbara J. Williams Unity Center.” It’s the location where she hosted a number of workshops and classes.
