Rewind: Lessons from Fifty Years of Activism

An accomplished African American activist’s valuable stories and insights on navigating crises, building networks, and maintaining a commitment to community—from the foment of the 1960s to today

“I was there in north Minneapolis when the national protests of the ‘long, hot summer’ swept through my new home town too, mostly along Plymouth Avenue. And I was part of the solution cobbled together to develop and begin to implement some Minneapolis-centered answers to some of that national discontent.” —T Williams

Theartrice (“T”) Williams and his family moved to Minneapolis in 1965. Shaped by his Mississippi boyhood, his military service, and his master’s degree in social work, Williams quickly became a leader in the Minneapolis Black community. Within months, he became executive director of the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center. After the violence on Plymouth Avenue in 1967, he helped form the Minneapolis Urban Coalition, a remarkable collaboration among community, corporate, and political leaders to address issues of race and poverty. A year after the 1971 rebellion at Attica prison, Minnesota’s governor appointed him to be the first corrections ombudsman in the country. In his first year, Williams created the office, mediated the release of a hostage at Stillwater prison, and demonstrated the value of and need for the program.

In this stirring and instructive memoir, Williams reflects on his life in the era of George Floyd, drawing on his long experience as a public servant, teacher, consultant, and school board member. Rewind is the capstone of a remarkable fifty years of activism. 

T Williams is an independent consultant specializing in questions of social and distributive justice, with particular emphasis on issues affecting minority populations. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

David Lawrence Grant has written drama for the stage, film, and television, as well as fiction and memoir. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.