Darryl Williams (advocate) facts for kids

Williams in 1985

Darryl K. Williams (born January 28, 1964 – died March 28, 2010) was an amazing person from Roxbury, Boston and Milton, Massachusetts. He believed strongly in social justice, kindness, and forgiveness. He also worked hard to make places easier for people with disabilities to access.

When Darryl was 15, he was a talented African-American teenager living in Roxbury. On September 28, 1979, he was playing in a high school football game in Charlestown, Boston, when he was shot. Darryl survived, but the shooting left him paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life. This event caused many protests and school walkouts, making racial tensions in Boston even worse.

Despite this huge challenge, Darryl didn't give up. He earned his high school diploma and a college degree. He spoke to thousands of high school students in Boston about gun violence and fairness in sports. Darryl received scholarships for college and many awards for his important work. Over the years, he helped countless students and adults in Boston learn to accept people of all backgrounds.

Darryl's Early Life

Darryl Williams was born in Boston on January 28, 1964. He lived with his mother and sister his whole life. Growing up in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, he attended services at Eliot Congregational Church, which was close to his home.

As a teenager in the late 1970s, Darryl went to Jamaica Plain High School. This wasn't his first choice, but he was assigned there because of court-ordered school busing in Boston at the time. In his second year, he played on the school's varsity football team. Darryl loved playing guitar and dreamed of becoming a college and professional football player someday.

The School Shooting

Before the Game

On Friday, September 28, 1979, Darryl Williams was playing his first game as a wide receiver for Jamaica Plain High School's (JP) football team. The JP team traveled to Charlestown, Boston, to play against Charlestown High School.

In Boston, court-ordered school busing since the mid-1970s had made racial tensions worse. The Charlestown neighborhood was known to be unwelcoming to African American teenagers like Darryl. Charlestown High School mostly had students of Irish and other European backgrounds. Jamaica Plain High School was more diverse, with many African American and European American students. The football teams reflected these differences. Despite the tensions, the teams began to play.

What Happened

Late in the second quarter, Darryl caught his first-ever pass in a high school varsity football game. His catch led to a score for Jamaica Plain High School. The second quarter ended soon after, and it was halftime. The team decided to stay outside during halftime instead of going to the locker room. Darryl and his teammates gathered near the end zone, celebrating his catch and their 6–0 lead. The football coach started giving a pep talk.

Meanwhile, about 300 yards away, three Irish American teenage boys were on the roof of an empty apartment building. One of them had found a loaded pistol and wanted to try it out. He fired the gun once towards the football field. The shooter later said he was aiming at pigeons, but another boy disagreed.

The sound of the shot echoed loudly. The bullet went between Darryl's shoulder pads and helmet, getting stuck in the back of his neck. Darryl fell to the ground, unconscious, in front of his teammates. His teammates, fearing more shots, also dropped to the ground. One teammate noticed Darryl was unconscious and called for help.

The Impact

Emergency workers arrived quickly and put Darryl into an ambulance. The ambulance took him to Boston City Hospital. When Darryl woke up in the hospital, he couldn't feel anything below his neck. Darryl was paralyzed from the neck down and would use a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Darryl's Adult Life

A Message of Forgiveness

Even though he had every reason to be angry, Darryl and his family chose not to use strong, angry words that could cause more violence. Instead, he spoke about forgiveness and worked for peace and understanding between different races. About the shooting, Darryl said, “White people did not shoot me. Three white people shot me.”

A friend, Richard Lapchick, who also knew Nelson Mandela, called Darryl "'America's lesser-known Nelson Mandela.'" Like Mandela, Darryl had reasons to hate, but instead, he showed love to everyone.

Education and Work

Darryl attended the Massachusetts Hospital School (now Pappas Rehabilitation School) and earned his high school diploma from Boston Public Schools. With a special scholarship, he then earned a bachelor's degree from Northeastern University in Boston. He was given a computer that responded to his voice, allowing him to write. A state official, Joe Malone, gave Darryl a job at the Massachusetts State Lottery. There, Darryl worked for many years as an operations manager and then a computer programmer.

Working for Rights

Richard E. Lapchick, a former professor and longtime friend of Darryl Williams, wrote that Darryl was a champion for social justice, kindness, and forgiveness. This was especially important in a city that faced racial tensions throughout Darryl's life. Lapchick understood Darryl's experience because both he and his father had been victims of hate crimes related to sports.

In 1984, Lapchick hired Darryl as a motivational speaker. Darryl spoke to thousands of high school students. He taught them about compassion, understanding, and forgiveness, especially when facing violence in schools and racial tensions in Boston.

Darryl also often spoke up for making public places accessible for people using wheelchairs. He became friends with newspaper writers like Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe and Joe Fitzgerald of the Boston Herald. He also befriended sports legends like boxer Muhammad Ali. Ali even called Darryl the "Second Greatest" after visiting him in 1991.

His Final Years

Darryl Williams passed away in his sleep at his home in Milton on March 28, 2010. Since then, many articles have been written about his life and achievements. Richard Lapchick started a memorial fund to help Darryl's family. In 2012, when Darryl's mother and sister faced losing their home, Lapchick reopened the fund. People in Boston contributed enough money to pay off a quarter of their home loan.

His Writings

Darryl Williams wrote two books that were about his own life, but they were not published:

• "An Inadvertent Hero", which was officially registered.
• "Triumphant", which was a memoir he didn't finish.