Elder Scholars

Chancellor Williams

Chancellor Williams (1902–1996), the grandson of slaves, was born in Bennetsville, South Carolina. He earned his master's degree from Howard University and doctoral degree from American University. He was an astute educator and prolific writer. His early questions were social and historical interrogations derived from his observations of the social relations in his community. He frequently questioned the disparity in opportunity between blacks and whites. This became his most constant compass in the intellectual work that he was to do during his lifetime. Williams believed that it was impossible for whites to dominate African people for so long and with such ferocity unless there was something in whites or in blacks that made these cruelties possible. He wanted to search for the answer to what that something was.

In his search for the truth about the black race, Williams conducted field studies in African history in Ghana, West Africa, with the main objective of determining the independent achievements of the African race and the nature of black civilization before either Asian or European influence penetrated the continent. His study spanned over 10 years, during which time he surveyed 26 countries and centered on 105 traditional African culture language groups.

Chancellor Williams succeeded Leo William Hansberry, his former professor and mentor at Howard University, and became the History Department's specialist in African History. He held the position until his retirement in 1972. In recognition of his work as a historian, and for his contributions to African education and black history during the critical transitional era when colonies became independent nations, Howard University's History Club changed its name to the Chancellor Williams Historical Society.

The empirical research for Williams's doctoral dissertation, an unusual portrayal of the life of black storefront churches as viewed from inside, was published as his first novel, Have You Been to the River? He authored the essay “And If I Were White” and eight books, among them The Rebirth of African Civilization, The Raven, The Second Agreement with Hell, and The Destruction of Black Civilization: Great Issues of a Race From 4500 B.C. to 2000 A.D. The Destruction of Black Civilization, which challenged Eurocentric views of African history, offered theories on black American empowerment based on African models, and proposed a master plan for black unification and development. [Page 227]The work spans 6,000 years of African history, revealing common social patterns within the continent's cultures. The Destruction of Black Civilization continues to be a top seller in the black community.

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