Who I am
Writer. Historian. Educator. Speaker.
I am a writer and American historian who studies African Americans’ fight for a just world. My work excavates the impacts of racist violence on African American families.
I am a historian by training but I use an interdisciplinary lens to research and teach African American and American history, with a special focus on Slavery and Emancipation, the Black South, Black social movements, the intersections of Black history and memory, and the impacts of racist violence.
Connect with me:
What I Do
Services
Research
My aim is to advocate for research, culture, and resources that educate people about U.S. and African American history. From research talks and commemorative lectures through keynote addresses, I share my research findings on a variety of topics from African Americans’ experiences of and responses to racist violence through the different ways we remember and forget U.S. history. I am an Organization of American Historians Distinguished Lecturer and a fellow of the Society of American Historians.
Consulting
I provide individualized consulting on interpreting historical records from American and African American history that gives you a wider sense of the social, political, cultural, and economic context, which enables you to communicate the past with precision and expertise. From brainstorming and project development to partial or full manuscript reads through source interpretation, we will push the boundaries of knowledge and forge new ideas into articles, books, podcasts, and documentaries.
Tailored seminars and workshops for success
Participate in interactive sessions crafted for your distinct goals. These engaging workshops are designed to cater to a variety of audiences, including educators, graduate students, and professionals seeking to enhance their skills. Participants have the opportunity to collaborate with peers, gain valuable insights, and refine their expertise. Each workshop is tailored to foster collaboration, boost essential skills, and elevate the quality of your knowledge and work to new heights.
Empowering coaching
Unlock your full potential through personalized coaching to achieve your personal and professional goals, including resources to embrace your inner writer and expand your audience. We focus on project planning and management, from ideation to execution and dissemination, skill development, and building strong connections with industry professionals.
Developmental editing
Working together, we will identify your passion and frame stories that publishers will want to buy and readers will want to read. We’ll unearth unique angles and compelling narratives that resonate with readers and refine your voice and style to create literary works that enlighten and inspire change.
The intersection of HIstory and Narrative
Researcher & Storyteller
My decades of experience equip me to help you elevate your work to achieve personal and professional success.
Scholarship
My book, I Saw Death Coming: A History of Terror and Survival in the War against Reconstruction, tells the story of what African American families gained at emancipation and then lost to white terror after the Civil War. My first book, They Left Great Marks on Me, explored Black people’s personal testimonies of violence and their role in mobilizing civil rights advocates to fight lynching and other forms of white supremacist oppression. I was one of the co-developers of #CharlestonSyllabus and am co-editor of Charleston Syllabus: Readings on Race, Racism, and Racial Violence, a collection of readings that provided historical context for understanding the 2015 massacre of nine African Americans at Charleston’s Emanuel A.M.E. Church.
Seizing Freedom
As a trained historian and award-winning teacher, I’m well-positioned to help people and institutions understand the complexity of interpreting history, methods, and historians’ tools and knowledge evolve. I used my knowledge of the archive and historiography to host, co-produce and co-write the Seizing Freedom a podcast docudrama (created by Kelly Hardcastle Jones) that covered the epic story of African Americans’ fight for freedom during the Civil War and beyond. Using evidence-based historical interpretations of the archives and stellar storytelling, the show helps audiences understand misinformation, outdated historical knowledge, and lies about the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow eras.
Other Contributions
My essays have appeared in DAME magazine, Slate, The American Historian, and the New York Times. I have appeared on NPR’s “Morning Edition” and “On Point,” “BackStory with the American History Guys,” and on WDET’s “Detroit Today.”
My interest in producing stories of African American history that reach academic and lay audiences has grown in recent years and been rewarded. I’ve had the great fortune of contributing to podcasts and to documentaries, both behind the scenes like on TLC’s “Who Do You Think You Are?”: Regina King and up front with Henry Louis Gates’ PBS’s Reconstruction: America after the Civil War. I’ve also helped with other projects, including forthcoming documentaries on the Wilmington Massacre and Coup and the NAACP antilynching crusader Walter F. White.
My Most Recent Work
I Saw Death Coming
The story of Reconstruction is often told from the perspective of the politicians, generals, and journalists whose accounts claim an outsized place in collective memory. But this pivotal era looked very different to African Americans in the South transitioning from bondage to freedom after 1865. They were besieged by a campaign of white supremacist violence that persisted through the 1880s and beyond. For too long, their lived experiences have been sidelined, impoverishing our understanding of the obstacles post-Civil War Black families faced, their inspiring determination to survive, and the physical and emotional scars they bore because of it.
Praise for ‘Seizing Freedom’ and ‘I Saw Death Coming’
A Paradigm Shifting, Must Listen
This is a beautifully done free offering of our nation’s history. I can’t recommend this to enough people.
I was immediately hooked as I started listening. For too long these stories have been put to the side and not talked about. We can never forget what happened. Thank you so much Dr. Kidada and team for sharing your knowledge with us all. Knowledge is power.
Apple Podcasts
Powerful and Deeply Moving
“Williams has given us an ugly widescreen view of the reign of terror that wracked the South — not during slavery or Jim Crow, but in the very thick of Reconstruction. “I Saw Death Coming” bears witness to a dark malignancy in American history, one we have never fully excised.” LA Times
Unflinching and Deeply Compassionate
“I Saw Death Coming is an unflinching and deeply compassionate account of what Black people accomplished, lost and fought for in resisting the war on freedom.” Washington Post
FAQs
How are the consulting and coaching sessions conducted?
Our sessions are conducted online via secure video conferencing platforms, ensuring convenience and accessibility for clients worldwide.
What does your academic coaching entail?
It is a tailored process that helps academics identify limiting beliefs, reshape negative thought patterns, and cultivate a growth-oriented mindset, enhancing both personal and professional growth. Some sessions are one-time strategy sessions while others are fixed or as needed.
What commitment is required?
A commitment to coaching requires attendance in sessions, openness to self-reflection and change, and a willingness to actively apply learned strategies in daily life for optimal results.
What results can I expect?
From research and consulting, you can expect to have a tailored talk, source interpretation, beta read, and recommendations to meet your and your organization’s needs. From coaching, you can expect enhanced clarity, improved decision-making, the ability to overcome limiting beliefs, and a proactive approach to challenges. This often leads to increased confidence, greater life satisfaction, and progress in personal and professional goals.
How much do the research talks, consulting, and coaching cost?
My consultation, coaching, developmental editing, and research talk rates are commensurate with my training and experience and vary based on the program and its duration. For detailed pricing and packages, please contact me directly for a tailored quote.
How do I start the process of working with you?
To start, simply reach out to me via my “Contact” page. We’ll schedule an initial consultation to discuss your goals, answer any questions, and determine the best plan tailored to your needs.
How do I know if the coaching is working?
You’ll recognize the effectiveness of mindset coaching through observable changes: increased clarity in decision-making, a shift in perception of challenges, heightened confidence, and progress toward your goals. Additionally, consistent reflection and feedback sessions with your coach will help assess and track your growth journey.
Who can benefit from this coaching?
Anyone seeking personal or professional growth can benefit from this coaching. Whether you’re facing challenges, aiming to elevate your performance, or simply wish to understand and reshape your mindset, our coaching is designed to empower individuals from all walks of life.
Consultation
Ready to transform your work and life?
Let’s meet to discuss how I can help you.
Kidada E. Williams 