After graduation, Williams attempted to get a job at the Champaign-Urbana Courier where he'd worked part time during his education but the paper's owner refused to hire African Americans.

[4][5] Williams instead worked for the Memphis Star-Times and the Atlanta Daily World, both Black newspapers.

[1] Williams served as the President of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies from 1972 to 2004.

[8] Williams also helped with the creation of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation.

[9] He also founded Focus Magazine[10] as a way to develop a space for black officials, activists, academics etc.