Alma Stone Williams
Alma Stone Williams | |
---|---|
Born | Alma Stone April 26, 1921 Athens, GA |
Died | November 5, 2013 Savannah, GA | (aged 92)
Alma mater | University of Maryland |
Occupation(s) | Professor, Musician, Music teacher |
Known for | First African-American student to attend the Black Mountain College, 1944 |
Alma Stone Williams (April 26, 1921 - November 5, 2013)
Education
Alma Stone Williams was highly educated. She attended
In 1944, Williams became the first black student
“Pioneering did not frighten me. I was accustomed to studying and living with white teachers at Spelman and to reaching for high standards in all areas.”
In 1945, after attending Black Mountain College, Williams received a second Julius Rosenwald Fellowship to attend Juilliard in New York City.
Career & retirement
At
In retirement, Williams was co-founder of SONATA (Sponsors of New and Talented Artists), an organization that provides funds for children of Savannah to study music with former members of the Savannah Symphony Orchestra and other music professionals.[10][11]
Legacy
Williams is featured in “Fully Awake,” a documentary about Black Mountain College released in 2008. As of 2013, there were two other films in process about Williams.[9]
Williams' account of her time at Black Mountain College is included in the publication Black Mountain College: Sprouted Seeds: an Anthology of Personal Accounts.[12]
Letters and ephemera relating to Alma Stone Williams' life and her integration of Black Mountain College are held in the collections of the State Archives of North Carolina's western regional branch, the Asheville Art Museum archives, and the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center.[13][14][15]
See also
- Desegregation
External links
- Black Mountain College - Alma Stone Williams Collection
- Black Mountain College Digital Collection and State Library of North Carolina
References
- ^ Times and Democrat obituary (Nov. 10, 2013). http://thetandd.com/news/local/obituaries/alma-stone-williams----savannah-ga/article_0a1f626a-49bd-11e3-ae00-001a4bcf887a.html
- ^ a b c d e Carolina, State Archives of North. "Finding Aid of the Black Mountain College Project CollectionPC.7008". ead.archives.ncdcr.gov.
- ^ "Alma Stone Williams: 'A Choice to Change the World'". My Father's Posts. 15 May 2011.
- ^ "Opening Doors: Alma Stone Williams' 1944 Integration of Black Mountain College". The Urban News. 7 February 2008.
- ^ Wilkins, Micah (2014). Social Justice at BMC Before the Civil Rights Age: Desegregation, Racial Inclusion, and Racial Equality at BMC [1].
- JSTOR 25073557.
- ISBN 9780977413812.
- ^ "Alma Stone Williams Archives - The Center for the Study of the American South". The Center for the Study of the American South.
- ^ a b c "Alma Stone Williams -- Savannah, Ga". The Times and Democrat.
- ^ "SONATA Annual Scholarship Luncheon Held | The Savannah Tribune". The Savannah Tribune. 16 July 2014.
- JSTOR 45124317.
- )
- ^ "Alma Stone Williams Collection". Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. 2019-11-01. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
- ^ "Finding Aid of the Black Mountain College Miscellaneous Collection, 1943-1945; 1975-2007, PC.1580". axaem.archives.ncdcr.gov. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
- ^ Woodward, Garret K. "'Connecting Legacies': New art exhibit shines light on Black Mountain College". smokymountainnews.com. Retrieved 2022-01-15.