Carole Williams | YWCA Women of Excellence Honoree
What inspires you to get up and do the work?
I'm motivated to see people, especially youth, succeed and accomplish something. I want kids to be happy, I want kids to be exposed to more than their current circumstances and I want to help kids see the vast amount of potential that lies within them.
What have you learned about yourself through the challenges you have overcome?
I have learned that I am my biggest obstacle and if I just move myself out of the way sometimes, I can achieve whatever I desire. My challenges are normally a result of something I have done to myself, not what others have done to me.
How do you take care of yourself?
I don't take care of myself like I should. It's always been a challenge to take care of myself when I have been taught to take care of others. I'm a work in progress even at 58 years old.
What is the best advice you've ever been given? Or what advice do you have for others?
Whenever you see someone say hello because saying hello to someone acknowledges that they exist.
What is your vision for our community? Has it changed through the pandemic and racial justice reckoning of recent years?
I think Topeka has made some positive steps in building up the city in promoting small businesses, building up downtown, and bringing major businesses to the city which is part of the vision that I would have for the city but that vision would also include the revitalization of the mall. Regarding racial justice and changes made during the pandemic, I don't see much change in the way things were prior to the pandemic. People believe what they believe and despite the many racial incidents that have happened it's difficult to change the mindsets or values and believes that are ingrained in people's believe systems. I can only do what I can do to educate the people that I come in contact with and hope that they can take the message of racial justice and equality to those who they come in contact with.
The mission of YWCA is to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. What does YWCA's mission mean to you?
This mission statement of the YWCA is literally how I attempt to govern my life, by promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. I don't take freedom and justice for granted because those things were not given freely to certain groups of people, they were fought for and people sacrificed their lives just to be treated as equals and with dignity. As a black woman, I feel as it is my duty to empower our youth and others so that they will use their voices to ensure that justice, freedom and dignity remain available to all.
