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Frank Williams - Civil Rights Stories
Frank Williams grew up in Flint, Michigan and captained the defense for his high school football team. But when it was discovered he was dating a white girl, he was expelled. The two eventually married and moved to Chicago where Frank went on to a long and very successful career as a Realtor on the south side of Chicago during a time of redlining, white flight, block busting and heightened racial tensions. Many white home owners employed him to sell their houses, often to African-Americans, especially in Beverly and neighboring communities. His business was frequently the target of harassment and violence, including one incident where a bomb was set off outside his home. In 1979 Frank was ordered by the District Court of the Northern District of Illinois to produce five years of files, a request that amounted to a more sophisticated form of harassment. Despite this, Williams achieved considerable success, holding many leadership positions in the community and receiving numerous awards over a career that has spanned five decades.
Interview Links
Feature Excerpt
Harassing Phone Calls
Abstract
Interview Session 01 (Audio)
Growing up in Flint, MI, high school football and expulsion from school
Interview Session 02 (Audio)
Early career as a Realtor in changing Chicago neighborhoods
Interview Session 03 (Audio)
Career as Realtor in racially changing neighborhoods on south-side Chicago
Photos
Caption
Young Frank Williams with his mother, Ada L. Frye (Jones) in 1943 shortly after they moved to Flint, Michigan.
Where:
Flint, Michigan
When:
1943
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
A young Frank Williams in his home in Flint, Michigan, circa 1945-46.
Where:
Flint, Michigan
When:
Circa 1945-46
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Frank Williams’ photo in the 1955 Flint (Michigan) Northern High School yearbook.
Where:
Flint, Michigan
When:
1955
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain
Caption
Frank Williams was confronted by angry neighbors in September 1971 at his Beverly (southside Chicago) realtor office. He had recently opened up the office, and local residents were accusing him of blockbusting.
Where:
Chicago
When:
September 1971
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator
Caption
Frank works the phone in his realtor’s office in the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago. This was circa 1972-1973, during a time when the community was protesting and harassing the young realtor.
Where:
Chicago
When:
Circa 1972-1973
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Joanne Williams talks on the phone in their Beverly realtor office, circa 1972-73. She received hundreds of harassing phone calls during this time, when Frank was being accused of blockbusting, and tensions ran very high.
Where:
Chicago
When:
Circa 1972-73
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Frank’s realtor associates gathered for this photo in his realtor’s office in 1973. From left to right are Jane Collins, Mr. Walker, Frank’s wife Joanne, and in the back, Leon Pass, Tom Cox and Melvin Laws.
Where:
Chicago
When:
1973
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Frank Williams was among those testifying before a U.S. Senate committee hearing on fair housing chaired by Senator Adlai Stevenson, III in 1974. The hearing was held in Chicago and also included Roy Fair, Ernie Knecht and unknown.
Where:
Chicago
When:
1974
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator
Caption
Joanne and Frank at their home in Beverly in the mid-1970s. This was during the period when they experienced frequent harassment, including an incident when a Molotov cocktail was put in the mailbox.
Where:
Beverly, Illinois
When:
Mid-1970s
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Joanne and Frank, circa 1975-1976 in their home in the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago.
Where:
Beverly, Illinois
When:
Circa 1975-1976
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Joanne and Frank Williams celebrate in their Beverly home with their eldest son Michael following his graduation from high school in 1978.
Where:
Unknown
When:
1978
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Sam Pierce Secretary of HUD is with Frank in the early 1980s at an NAACP function in Chicago.
Where:
Chicago
When:
Early 1980s
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Frank and James Lucian presented Lena Horne with a bouquet of flowers during the annual Freedom Fund dinner, where she sang and was the guest speaker in 1983. Frank was President of the Southside Chicago chapter of the NAACP at the time.
Where:
Chicago
When:
1983
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Frank Williams met with Harold Washington in 1983 in the mayor’s office when Washington was first elected as Chicago’s mayor. Williams was President of the Southside chapter of the NAACP at the time.
Where:
Chicago
When:
1983
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
The annual Freedom Fund dinner in 1983-84 was held at the Chicago Hilton. Roland Burris is on the left with Harold Washington and Frank on the right.
Where:
Chicago
When:
1983-84
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Frank whispers in the ear of Congressman Charlie Hayes during a workshop in Chicago when Frank served as President of the NAACP in 1984.
Where:
Chicago
When:
1984
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Williams was President of the Southside Chicago chapter of the NAACP in the mid-1980s. The group, including James Lucien on the far right, are celebrating paying off the mortgage on the NAACP’s building in the background, Penn Central.
Where:
Chicago
When:
mid-1980s
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator
Caption
Frank Williams met with former Mayor Hatcher of Gary, Indiana met in the 1980s at a meeting in Chicago when Williams served as President of the Southside chapter of the NAACP.
Where:
Chicago
When:
1980s
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Howard Builta, Pres. of the Chicago Board of Realtors, met with Harold Washington and Frank in the mayor’s office on the day before Washington passed away on November 25, 1987.
Where:
Chicago
When:
November 25, 1987
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Mayor Eugene Sawyer and Williams were attending an event for the Board of Realtors in 1988 in Chicago.
Where:
Chicago
When:
1988
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Frank met with Atlanta, Georgia’s former Mayor Maynard Jackson in 1989. They met at a national level conference while Frank served as the president of the Chicago Assn of Realtors.
Where:
Chicago
When:
1989
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Frank and Joanne with their daughter Rene when she graduated in the late 1980s from Daley College in Chicago.
Where:
Chicago
When:
Late 1980s
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Joanne and Frank with their son Craig, in the middle, and his son Jason in 1990 at the family home.
Where:
Chicago
When:
1990
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Frank with Richard M. Daley in 1990 at one of Frank’s functions in Chicago.
Where:
Chicago
When:
1990
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
In 1990 Williams met with the Mayor of Flint, Michigan, Woodrow Stanley when Williams was visiting family in his home town.
Where:
Flint, Michigan
When:
1990s
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Henry Cisneros (HUD secretary) met with Frank during his Chicago Board of Realtors presidency circa 1991. They met at a national convention.
Where:
Chicago
When:
Circa 1991
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Frank celebrated with Mayor Richard M. Daley and Marion Valle at the Chicago Hilton in 1991 when Valle was being installed as the President of the Chicago Board of Realtors.
Where:
Chicago
When:
1991
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator
Caption
Frank Williams and Marion Valle with Congressman Jack Kemp, a Republican from New York who favored economic zones in America’s inner cities. Kemp was HUD Secretary at the time, circa 1991.
Where:
Chicago
When:
Circa 1991.
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Diana Ditka, coach Mike Ditka’s wife, unexpectantly jumped into Frank Williams’ arms when he visited Soldier Field in the early 1990s to say hello.
Where:
Chicago
When:
1990s
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Frank presented a bouquet of flowers to Carol Mosely Braun shortly after she was elected Senator in November 1992.
Where:
Chicago
When:
November 1992
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Frank spoke in 1993 at a Fair Housing Conference function sponsored by National Association of Realtors. The event was also attended by Senator Carol Mosely Braun.
Where:
Chicago
When:
1993
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Frank with Senator Dick Durbin circa 1993 at a meeting of the Illinois Board of Realtors in Washington, D.C.
Where:
Washington, D.C.
When:
Circa 1993
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Frank with Richard M. Daley during Christmas at the Mayor’s annual holiday party at the Art Institute? Circa 1990
Where:
Chicago
When:
Circa 1990
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain
Caption
Frank Williams in 1999. The photo was taken while he served as president of Chicago Board of Realtors.
Where:
Chicago
When:
1999
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
Luis Gutierrez, Congressman from the 4th District of Illinois, and Frank Williams while Williams was attending a meeting in Washington D.C. in the early 2000s.
Where:
Washington, D.C.
When:
Early 2000s
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Luis Gutierrez, Congressman from the 4th District of Illinois, and Frank Williams while Williams was attending a meeting in Washington D.C. in the early 2000s.
Where:
Washington, D.C.
When:
Early 2000s
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Frank received the Gale Cincotta Community Visionary Award from the Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago in 2017. Christen Howe, on the left, presented Frank the award.
Where:
Chicago
When:
2017
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator