Williams was born on August 6, 1923, in Washington, D.C. She attended Dunbar High School, then Howard University where she received her Master of Arts degree in 1945.

[1] Williams began her teaching career in 1957 as member of Howard University's Social Sciences faculty.

[1] Williams multi-year chairmanship of the Department of History occurred during the years of student activism at Howard.

Williams worked to cultivate the good will of both the faculty and the students, recognizing the importance of each faction's opinions and contributions.

Williams successfully brought about an expansion of faculty, raised salaries, and consolidated the History Department into the 3rd floor of Frederick Douglass Memorial Hall.