1/9/2024 0 Comments Paul r williams![]() Williams Scholarship & Education Fund is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives, a registered tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN# 94-3255070.In 1923, Paul Revere Williams was inducted to the American Institute of Architects as their first black member west of the Mississippi. This extraordinary feat encapsulated the efforts of an incredible young man able to overcome overwhelming odds and served as a launch pad into an illustrious future. Paul Williams was born to Chester and Lila Williams, a young couple recently relocated from Memphis, Tennessee with his older brother Chester Jr. At the age of two, Williams’ father passed away from tuberculosis, and two years later, his mother died of the same ailment. The two young boys were placed in separate foster homes but Paul was placed in the home of an encouraging family friend who “ told him he was so bright he could do anything he wanted.” According to his granddaughter and biographer, Williams desired to design homes for families likely because he lost his own home and family as a child.Īs one of the 3,100 African Americans in Los Angeles in the early 20 th century, Williams claimed to have felt very little prejudice throughout his childhood. Not until he revealed to teachers at Polytechnic High School (historically located in downtown Los Angeles) that he desired to become an architect did he first experience discouragement due to his race. One particular teacher asserted that he would struggle to find white clients due to his race and that black Angelenos were not well-off enough to afford hiring an architect. Specifically he was warned, “Your own people can’t afford you, and white clients won’t hire you.” Still, Williams worked to become an architect. In a 1963 article for Ebony magazine, Williams penned a candid recollection of this exchange with his teacher and cited it as a turning point in his life. He asserted, “It prompted to make an important decision: If I allow the fact that I am a Negro to checkmate my will to do now, I will inevitably form the habit of being defeated…And if prejudice is ever to be overcome it must be through the efforts of individual Negroes to rise above the average cultural level of their kind. Please join us to volunteer or to receive program updates and other news. ![]() We will be updating Scholarship information in January 2024. Hudson, Executive Director of The Paul R. This effort is more than a tribute to my grandfather and other trailblazers in the field - it is a call to action,” said Karen E. As caretakers of our grandfather’s estate, we have always tried to make decisions that he would make. One hundred years after my grandfather became the first Black member of the AIA, he would be heartbroken by this fact. " I’m often asked, 'Why now?' Today, only 2% of licensed architects are Black. ![]() Williams completed a major renovation beginning in the late 1940s, including the iconic signage and design elements of enduring appeal. The inaugural fundraising gala for the Fund took place on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, in partnership with the landmark Beverly Hills Hotel, for which Mr. The Fund will also provide financial support and mentoring to students of color on their journey to professional licensing, with scholarships for fourth and fifth-year architecture students attending one of the seven Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) offering an accredited architecture program, as well as a program at the University of Southern California, Mr. Williams and other trailblazers in the field, the Fund will introduce K-12 students to career paths in architecture. ![]() To inspire future generations through the legacy of Mr. Williams Scholarship & Education Fund was created in 2023 to inspire, support, and celebrate young people pursuing careers in architecture. ![]()
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