Christopher Williams works daily to carry on the legacy of civil rights leader James Farmer.
The legacy is in his job descriptionâassistant director of the University of Mary Washingtonâs James Farmer Multicultural Center. It informs the work he does at the center along with Director Marion Sanfordâcoordinating social justice teach-ins, creating a social justice fall break trip, curating a human rights film series and talking daily with students and community members about Black history and anti-racism.
The legacy of James Farmerâwho founded the Committee on Racial Equality, led the first Freedom Rides and taught at UMW from 1984 to 1998âis also personal for Williams. He is a product of the James Farmer Scholars Program, which was created in 1987 to assist selected public school students in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Caroline and Westmoreland counties with preparing for and enrolling in higher education.