Faye Williams

Interview by Woody Blue in Gainesville, Florida, on May 9, 2018

Faye Williams was born in Porters Quarters, the historically Black district of Gainesville, Florida. From an early age, she loved to read, and she was driven by a strong commitment to social justice. She has worked for Black Liberation, feminism, peace, and LGBT activist organizations throughout her life.

A year after graduating from Gainesville High School and deciding that Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee was not for her, Faye moved north to work on prison reform and Black liberation issues. She returned to Tallahassee and sought like-minded activists, landing a job as librarian for the Feminist Women’s Health Center. There, she came out as a lesbian, and she began to really understand the feminist movement.

In 1982, Faye moved to Washington, D.C., a city that she describes as “heaven for me.” She felt at home with its majority Black population, and she soon became involved in Black Nationalism. She organized the Black Women’s Self-Help Collective there, an educational program attached to a clinic sponsored by St. Stephens Church. Through a serendipitous occasion in a therapy group, she won a full scholarship to George Washington University. There, Faye Williams earned a degree in American studies.

It was also in Washington D.C. that she fulfilled her biggest dream of owning a bookstore. Faye Williams started Sisterspace and Books as a clothing consignment store in 1989. Sisterspace quickly expanded to become not only a bookstore, but also a space for cultural activism for Black women. Sisterspace lasted for ten years, from 1994 to 2004, in a prime downtown location. Faye has some serious entrepreneurial skills that helped her to defy the odds against starting a bookselling business with few resources. Her bookstore closed after a financial disaster, and reopened for two years in a different location.

When she returned to Porters Quarters in 2006, Faye Williams dived back into activism, especially working to resist the University of Florida’s attempt to acquire Porters Quarters, which borders its campus. In 2017, Faye started a nonprofit preserving Black heritage, M.A.M.A’s Club, which stands for Music, Art, Movement, Action.

At seventy, Faye Williams continues to organize in support of her community and to actively resist racism, fascism, and other antidemocratic forces.

From the M.A.M.A’s Club website, her achievements include:

·        Founder, Alachua County Black History Task Force

·        Co-founder, Alachua County Peace Coalition

·        Founder, Porters Quarters Community Connection

·        Mayor’s Community Response Council Advisory Board

·        Porters Quarters Community Grandma

·        Leader, Porters Quarters Community Farm

·        Former Chair, Downtown Redevelopment Advisory Board

·        Board Member, State Housing Initiatives Partnership

·        Member, The Democratic Party

·        Member, American Association of University Women 

·        Member, Democratic Women’s Club of Alachua County

·        Member, Alachua County Branch, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

·        Founder, Sisterspace and Books (1994-2004)