RIT/NTID Diversity Spotlight
[ID: The background image is black, green, yellow, and red. A smiling black man has short, dark hair, a goatee, and wears a black shirt. The Diversity & Inclusion logo is in the top left corner. Text in white reads: Black Heritage Month Spotlight. Brandon L. “BL” Williams.]
Brandon L. “BL” Williams
Coordinator, Student Life Programming
NTID
BL is the Coordinator for Student Life Programming at NTID.
What or who has been your biggest cultural influence?
My biggest cultural influence has undoubtedly been my father. His name was Grady Williams Jr. He was a Black Deaf man who grew up right in the thick of the 1960s and beyond. A lot of my insight into Black culture, and the Black experience started with him and how he had to navigate his life. He also instilled in me a strong sense of identity as a Black Deaf person to the point that if I ever did waiver on that, I had his affirmations to fall back on. The greatest gift he gave me was that he believed in me. For any young Black person, that sort of belief can instill a hope and internal flame that will never dissipate.
What would you like people to know about your culture?
I would like for the community to not group Black people, (or BIPOC in general) together. We are not all the same, nor are our experiences. Each person and community have their own uniqueness as culture and how racism, and other forms of oppression, shapes our lives. Recognize these unique components, and create an environment that addresses their specific struggles while expanding and spotlighting vast beauty of what it means to be Black.
From your lens, how can the larger community better support POC, like yourself?
When I give presentations on Social Justice, I typically tell people 3 important things they can do to contribute to their engagement in practicing Social Justice: - Read: Read everything that you can get your hands on. These can be books, articles, videos, among other things. - Resources: Utilize resources that are out there that allow you to contribute to causes that uplift BIPOC people. - Relationship: Develop real, organic, and nurturing relationships with BIPOC people. This is, in my opinion the most important component. If this is done in a real and humane way, the rest will take care of itself.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I was born in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in Arkansas. I grew up on barbeque: Chopped beef sandwiches, ribs, and the like. However, I am now happily a vegan and have been for almost 2 years now.