Frederick Boyd Williams (23 April 1939 – 4 April 2006) was a religious leader of national importance in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. As

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

of the Church of the Intercession in

Harlem, New York Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

from 1971 to 2005, he led an influential congregation, the first in the nation to establish a programmatic response to

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

. A patron of the arts, he provided the first home for the

Boys Choir of Harlem The Boys Choir of Harlem (also known as the Harlem Boys Choir) was a choir located in Harlem, New York City, United States. Its final performance was in 2007 and the group folded shortly thereafter due to several controversies, including a lar ...

. He was a co-founder of the Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement (HCCI), which coordinated 90 congregations to develop 2000 units of housing and retail space."Celebrating the Life of Canon Frederick B. Williams"
''Congressional Record'', 10 May 2006, accessed 1 Jan 2008 While earning a doctorate from

Colgate Rochester Divinity School Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School is a Baptist seminary in Rochester, New York It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. History 1820s-1960: Early history Four Baptist institutions merged over the course of the 19th and 20t ...

, he led a congregation that worked for civil rights and social justice, both in the United States and

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Early life and education

Born 23 April 1939 in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

, Williams grew up in the South. He earned a bachelor's degree at

Morehouse College , mottoeng = And there was light (literal translation of Latin itself translated from Hebrew: "And light was made") , type = Private historically black men's liberal arts college , academic_affiliations ...

, a

historically black college Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. Mo ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. He earned a second bachelor's degree at

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating Seminary in the Anglican Communi ...

in New York. Later he earned a doctorate from

Career

Williams was one of a generation of activist ministers who were important in New York. He started as a parish priest in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

and

Inkster, Michigan Inkster is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2010 census, the city population was 25,369. History The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans. It was settled by non-indigenous people in 1825. A post offi ...

. From 1971–2005, Williams led as Vicar and Rector at the Church of the Intercession, an Episcopal church in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

at the border of Washington Heights. His leadership brought the church to deal with new issues of the AIDS crisis, as well as longstanding issues in community development, social justice and international actions in Africa. In 1985 Williams invited 50 black ministers to a conference about AIDS; only 15 came, showing people's reluctance then to deal with the disease. After that he led the church as the first in creating programs of outreach and pastoral care. He supported

Pernessa C. Seele Pernessa C. Seele (born October 15, 1954) is an American immunologist and interfaith public health activist. Seele is the CEO and founder of Balm in Gilead, Inc., a religious-based organization that provides support to people with AIDS and their ...

in 1989 as she launched the Harlem Week of Prayer with 50 churches,

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

s and

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s to support people with AIDS and their families. Williams became the chair of the National Clergy Advisory Committee of the Harlem Week of Prayer (the Balm in Gilead, Inc.) and served for 10 years. He served for 10 years. The Week of Prayer was developed around reaching out to people with AIDS and their families and friends. Dr. Williams also led efforts for affordable housing and community development. In 1986 together with Dr.

Preston Washington Preston Robert Washington (August 26, 1948 – June 25, 2003) was a prominent minister of Memorial Baptist Church in Harlem, New York. He was a co-founder of the Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement and held leadership positions f ...

of Memorial Baptist Church, Williams co-founded and chaired the Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc. (HCCI). It grew to be a consortium of 90 congregations that developed nearly 2000 units of housing and 40 commercial spaces, including one of Harlem's first large supermarkets. In addition to putting together financing and development packages, the consortium established training for people in construction crafts and design. Williams encouraged local arts groups, helping the Boys Choir of Harlem by allowing them to use the Church of the Intercession as their first performance space and base of operations. Williams led a variety of efforts for social justice; he was active in supporting African liberation and anti-apartheid efforts. In 1988 with Rev. Dr.

Wyatt Tee Walker Wyatt Tee Walker (August 16, 1928 – January 23, 2018) was an African-American pastor, national civil rights leader, theologian, and cultural historian. He was a chief of staff for Martin Luther King Jr., and in 1958 became an early board membe ...

of Canaan Baptist Church in Harlem, Williams co-founded the Religious Action Network (RAN) of the

American Committee on Africa American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

(ACOA) (since 2001 called Africa Action.) This was during the height of the anti-apartheid struggle in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. Through his work, Williams became a friend of Bishop

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

, who sometimes officiated at the Church of the Intercession on his visits to the United States. RAN is a network of over 300 congregations throughout the U.S. that continues to provide prophetic witness to issues in Africa and to influence US policies toward nations there.

Death

On 4 April 2006 Williams suffered a fatal heart attack. He was survived by a godson and several cousins.

Legacy and honors

* Williams was named honorary canon of the cathedral in

Gaborone Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census. Gaboron ...

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

, for his support of African liberation movements. *2003 – The

Episcopal Divinity School The Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) is a theological school in New York City that trains students for service with the Episcopal Church. It is affiliated with the Union Theological Seminary. Students who enroll in the EDS at Union Anglican st ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

established a prize in his name in pastoral theology.Episcopal Divinity School
, accessed Jan 2008 *2006 – Cong.

Charles B. Rangel Charles Bernard Rangel (, ; born June 11, 1930) is an American politician who was a U.S. representative for districts in New York from 1971 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the second-longest serving incumbent member of the ...

of New York read an appreciation of the life of Canon Williams into ''The Congressional Record''.

References

External links

Church of the Intercession official websiteHarlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc. official websiteBoys Choir of Harlem official website

Religious Action Network
Africa Action {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Frederick B. African-American Christian clergy American Christian clergy Morehouse College alumni African-American Episcopalians People from Chattanooga, Tennessee 1939 births 2006 deaths Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School alumni 20th-century American clergy 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people