[11] In 1976, after hearing Williams sing in class one day,[12] Bernice Johnson Reagon, asked Yasmeen to audition for Sweet Honey in the Rock and she was accepted into the group.

[21] The recipients of numerous awards, including a Grammy for their work on Folkways: A Vision Shared – A Tribute to Woody Guthrie & Leadbelly.

[28][29] Mike Joyce, a columnist for The Washington Post who covered Williams and the D.C. music scene[38][39][40] wrote, "Opening was Yasmeen, the local singer best known for her work with Sweet Honey In The Rock.

Her rich alto voice produced some sumptuous chest tones and silvery highs as she moved from a gospel tune to songs composed by Billie Holiday and Bob Dylan.

"[41] Richard Harrington from The Washington Post said this of Williams' contributions to Sweet Honey: “The readings of the church standards are excellent, but the most memorable moments come in Sweet Honey’s introduction of two stunning West African songs ‘When I Die Tomorrow,’ uncovered at a Baptist church in Liberia and re-arranged by Yasmeen Williams-Johnson, is a compulsive swirl of polyrhythms and congregational communion.”[42] Yasmeen is the mother of Summer Williams and has six grandchildren.