Robert F. Williams: American Civil Rights Activist

Robert F. Williams was an American Civil Rights leader that was an advocate for the armed resistance of the racial oppression and violence that was occurring. He took leadership in his local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Williams grew up and experienced the wrath of the Ku Klux Klan, who are powerful and feared. He also had experienced the regular brutalization from the whites. He states that, “Sometimes violence must be met with violence.” Robert F. Williams is a man that addresses the white violence against the blacks with the use of being armed for self-defense. He is the forefather of the Black Power Movement and internationalizing the African American struggle.
Robert F. Williams was born on February 26, 1925 in Monroe, North Carolina. He was born from Emma Carter Williams and John Williams, the fourth out of five children born. Growing up in the south, he learned quickly about the dangers if being black. His grandmother was able to read and a proud woman that was born as a slave. Before …show more content…
The Ku Klux Klan almost disbanded the organization, but William was able to expand it from six members to over two hundred. In the late 1950s, the Southern officials were unwilling to address the issues of white violence against blacks and difficult for the NAACP to maintain the local chapters to stay committed with non-violence. During 1959, three men were acquitted in a court case after assaulting a black woman. William stated, “It is time for Negro men to stand up and be men and if it is necessary for us to die. If it is necessary for us to kill we must be willing to kill.” This had William expelled from the NAACP but he still continued and he filed for the National Rifle Association (NRA). He was able to form the Black Guard which armed groups committed to Monroe’s black