Michael Paul Williams (born 1958) is an American journalist and a regular columnist at the ''

Richmond Times-Dispatch The ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' (''RTD'' or ''TD'' for short) is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond, Virginia, and the primary newspaper of record for the state of Virginia. Circulation The ''Times-Dispatch'' has the second-highest circul ...

.'' Williams joined the ''Times-Dispatch'' in 1982 and became a columnist for the paper in 1992, becoming the first African American to hold this position. In 2021, Williams was awarded the

Pulitzer Prize for Commentary The Pulitzer Prize for Commentary is an award administered by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism "for distinguished commentary, using any available journalistic tool". It is one of the fourteen American Pulitzer Prizes that are ...

for his writing about the protest movements in Richmond in the wake of the murder of

George Floyd George Perry Floyd Jr. (October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020) was an African-American man who was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest made after a store clerk suspected Floyd had used a counterfeit tw ...

leading to the removal of many Confederate monuments. Williams is a graduate of

Virginia Union University Virginia Union University is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Richmond, Virginia. History The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Rich ...

in Richmond. He earned a graduate degree from the Medill School of Journalism at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

. While at Northwestern, Williams contemplated a career in sports journalism, but ultimately pursued hard news. He worked for 10 years as a news reporter at the ''Times-Dispatch'' but stated in an interview that he "did not really find my true sense of mission until I started writing opinion."Field Studio, "Michael Paul Williams on finding his voice," excerpt from 2021 documentary film, "How the Monuments Came Down," filmed July 22, 2020 in Richmond, Virginia. https://vimeo.com/fieldstudiofilms/review/744582251/4ada37345d From 1999 to 2000, he was Neiman Fellow at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. He has won several Virginia Press Association awards for his journalism. Williams spent his early years in the

Byrd Park Byrd Park, also known as William Byrd Park, is a public park located in Richmond, Virginia, United States, north of the James River and adjacent to Maymont. The park includes a mile-long trail with exercise stops, monuments, an amphitheatre, and ...

area of Richmond and attended Hermitage High School. He lives in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

References

External links

* Living people American male journalists Journalists from Virginia Pulitzer Prize for Commentary winners 1958 births Writers from Virginia Writers from Richmond, Virginia {{US-journalist-1950s-stub