(March 1939 – July 12, 2021)

Dr. A.J. Williams-Myers was a prominent Professor Emeritus of Black Studies at the State University of New York at New Paltz. He achieved his Ph.D. in African History at UCLA. Dr. Williams-Myers was the former director of the New York African American Institute, a member of the New York State Freedom Trail Commission and historian for the African Burial Ground Interpretive Center in New York City.

His works are well published and include books, articles, essays, and surveys. His publications include:

Destructive Impulses: An Examination of an American Secret in Race Relations

Long Hammering: Essays on the Forging of an African American Presence in the Hudson Valley to the Early 20th Century

On the Morning Tide: African Americans, History, and Methodology in the Historical Ebb and Flow of Hudson River Society

Guide to the Survey of Historic Resources Associated with African Americans in New York State (1997)

New York City, African Americans and Selective Memory: An Historiographical Assessment of Black Presence Before 1877

Dr. Williams-Myers was most generous with his time, often serving as a keynote speaker and resource person at events in the Hudson Valley celebrating Black history, where he acted as a Fundi, one who passes on the traditions to the next generation.