Hettie Williams, a historian at Monmouth University in New Jersey, has been selected as the new director of the William Monroe Trotter Institute for the Study of Black Culture at UMass Boston.
Provost Joseph Berger announced the choice of Williams, a professor of African American history, to the campus community July 25. She is scheduled to take up her new position at the start of the academic year in September.
Williams’ research has focused on African American intellectual history, Black women’s history and race/ethnic studies. Currently the president of the African American Intellectual History Society, Williams is the author or editor of six books and numerous essays, articles and book chapters.
Williams has been active in producing digital humanities projects and has extensive experience engaging with local communities, while making her scholarly contributions more widely accessible through the innovative use of social media and podcasts.
She earned her Ph.D. in history and culture from Drew University, a master’s degree in history from Monmouth and a bachelor’s degree, also in history, from Rowan University. All those schools are in New Jersey.
Williams becomes the Institute’s first permanent director since Quito Swan departed for Indiana University two years ago. Michael Johnson, a professor of public policy, has been interim director since then.
The Trotter Institute was founded in 1984 and takes its name from activist and publisher William Monroe Trotter, who was known for his staunch political advocacy and journalism in the Boston Guardian newspaper.
The Institute’s mission is to address the concerns of Black communities in Boston and Massachusetts through critical research, public advocacy and community engagement. Throughout the years, the Institute has advanced this mission through a research nexus of social advocacy, digital humanities and community engagement. It publishes the longstanding Trotter Review, a journal that addresses current Black studies, race and race relations in the United States and abroad.
