This week the Race and Slavery in the Atlantic World (RSAW) working group will focus on the work of Connor Williams. Ever since a family friend gave him a book of pictures and poems about the Presidents at age 4, Connor Williams has been interested in American History. Over the years that interest took many forms, and after completing his undergraduate studies at Middlebury College in 2009 Connor made it into a career, teaching US history, government, and literature to accelerated and AP students for five years in Indiana and Vermont. He continues to have a deep interest and commitment to publicly oriented history, and has assisted museums with programming and presentations while also searching various archives for teachable documents on race and slavery in the Atlantic world.
Connor came to Yale in 2015 after finishing a M.A. in Globalization Studies at Dartmouth College, where he wrote a thesis on diasporic and international influences upon Frederick Douglass’ political vision and thought towards the end of his life. A joint member of the History and African American Studies departments, he studies 19th century America with a particular focus on theories and practices of racial identity and identity formation in the fifty years following emancipation. He is also pleased to work as a writing partner at the Yale College Writing Center and as a researcher for the Manuscripts and Archives division of Sterling Memorial Library. Off the clock he can generally be found on the ice, whether playing hockey or skiing the tricky conditions of the east.
You can find out more information about the working group at http://rswg.yale.edu/ and more about Connor’s work at http://history.yale.edu/people/connor-williams