Obituary of Dr. Daniel E. Williams
DANIEL E. WILLIAMS, PH.D.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT NOMINATION FOR HEAVEN
DATE OF DEATH: SUNDAY, MAY 4TH, 2025, 7:16 PM
BY HIS DAUGHTERS: DENISE WILLIAMS JOHNSON, MICHELE WILLIAMS, MELANIE WILLIAMS BAGBY
Dear JESUS:
This letter serves as our Nomination of our father, Dr. Daniel E. Williams, for heaven, because he is a Hero, Champion, and Pioneer in the advancement of emotional health, well-being, and equity, for people of African descent and for others who are marginalized and disenfranchised.
The Pioneer – “The one who is first or among the earliest in any field of inquiry or enterprise… thus opening it up for occupation or development by others.”
Our father was born in Alabama in 1933 and was raised in the Bronx, NY. He lived during the period of legally sanctioned segregation against Black people, when one of the nicest words used to refer to Black people was “Negro.” He came from humble beginnings. But the love and toughness of our grandmother and the Catholic Church taught him a belief in God and a belief in the power of hard work.
Our father married our mother, who had her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, in 1957. Our mother believed in our father and encouraged him to believe that he could be anything he wanted to be, despite the times. Around this time, there was a White woman at our father’s Catholic church who encouraged him to begin taking undergraduate classes at Seton Hall. Our father worked a full-time job and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology in 1962. After our father graduated from college, he was the only African American in his graduate school classes, and the first African American to earn his Ph.D. in Psychology from St. John’s University in 1968. Over the years, we heard our father tell stories about the White graduate students and professors who helped and guided him along the way. Our father’s life is a testament to the goodness of both Black and White people, who helped our father dare to dream, despite the color of his skin, and despite the blocks and limits set forth by society.
The Champion – “A person who fights for or defends any person or cause.”
During our father's time, the field of psychology produced research, tests, and popular press that claimed that Black people were genetically inferior and culturally deficient in comparison to White people. Black Psychologists became increasingly dissatisfied with the American Psychological Association (APA) regarding: the extremely limited number of Black students admitted to and completing degrees in Psychology; the failure of the APA to address the issues that face the Black community, like racism and poverty; and the lack of adequate representation of Black Psychologists in the APA’s organizational structure. Because of these concerns, in September 1968, during an APA convention, 200 Black Psychologists formed the Association of Black Psychologists in San Francisco, California. The Association of Black Psychologists is dedicated to: advancing theories of Black/African mental health; influencing positive social change; helping solve the problems in the Black community and other ethnic communities; and providing a support system for Black mental health professionals.
The mission of the Association of Black Psychologists is our father’s heart and soul, and his life has been spent as the champion for those without a voice, for those who have been subjected to racism and other forms of discrimination, and for the underdog. In 1975, our father served as Secretary, and in 1995 as Treasurer, for the National Association of Black Psychologists. In 1980, he was the president of the National Association of Black Psychologists. During that year, the President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, invited our father to the White House for the signing of the Mental Health Act of 1980. That Act provided grants to community mental health centers. Our father was the founding president of the New Jersey Chapter of the Association of Black Psychologists in 1973. He was also president of the New Jersey Chapter in 1981, 1983, 1986, 1997, and 1998.
In 1968, our father joined the faculty of Montclair State College in the Psychology Department as an Assistant Professor. He enjoyed teaching and the opportunity to challenge students to think differently about the impact of race and culture. Our father was tenured in 1971. In 1973, our father was denied promotion by his department because he had not done any research. However, many White colleagues had been promoted despite not publishing. The president of the college exercised his presidential right and promoted our father to Associate Professor. In 1972, in addition to his psychology duties, our father was the first director of the Office of Affirmative Action, and also served on many Personnel Action Committees. Through these appointments, our father became the advocate for numerous People of Color and women, who had issues related to tenure, promotion, and discrimination.
Although our father enjoyed teaching, his greatest love was working with individuals and organizations through his private practice. Our father had the ability to: engage “difficult” clients; translate clinical concepts into terms that Black clients can identify with and understand; teach clients about the role of race and culture in their current issues; help clients develop racial and cultural pride; coach clients regarding managing discriminatory systems; and advocate for clients at a systemic level. Our father’s work also included conducting evaluations for child protective service cases, where he educated judges, attorneys, and child protection workers about a Black mental health perspective, and worked to preserve the Black family. When our father worked for Franklin Township doing their police evaluations, there was an increase in the hiring of ethnic and female officers.
The Hero – “A person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character… or has special achievements, abilities, or personal qualities, and is regarded as a role model.”
Our father is indeed a hero, not only to us but to the thousands of individuals and colleagues of all races, ethnicities, and genders who have had the privilege of being protected, defended, encouraged, and valued by him. When it looked like the odds were against us, our father showered us with his strength, wisdom, his famous wit, and his smile. Anyone who knows our father also knows that he is “old school”, meaning that he will unapologetically “call out” racism and other forms of discrimination. He often takes the brunt of the push-back from his outspokenness upon himself, so that those of us in his charge can grow and thrive. We have watched him do this hundreds of times over the years, often at his own expense, because his commitment to the group is larger than his concerns for himself. He is the embodiment of the African Proverb… “I am because we are: we are because I am.”
It is for these reasons that we humbly nominate our father, Dr. Daniel E. Williams, for A Lifetime Achievement Award in Heaven. Daddy, we thank you, we love you, and we will miss you. But you live on in the lives of your wife, children, grandchildren, and the others who have been fortunate enough to be impacted by you.
