A North Carolina A&T State University senior administrator has recently authored and published a book on the lives of eight popular African American leaders who risked their lives for the cause of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.

Dr. Lea E. Williams, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, institutional planning, assessment and research, will release the second edition of Servants of the People: The 1960s Legacy of African American Leadership, later this month.

Williams book examines the repressive climate of racial hatred in America that spawned the 1960s civil rights movement but also galvanized a generation of bold, persuasive, driven leaders who embodied the qualities of servant leadership. These passionate and committed African Americans emerged to lead a generation from the cruelties of segregation to the revolution of civil rights reform.

Beginning with the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case, the book follows the lives of figures such as A. Philip Randolph, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer, and Ella Baker. This revised edition also reflects on the dramatic changes in the African American political landscape since its initial publication, and expands its scope to include more of the women whose efforts were crucial to the success of the civil rights movement.

Williams is the former executive director of the National African-American Women’s Leadership Institute, Inc. (NAAWLI), a leadership program for women committed to community service. After completing her doctorate in higher education administration, Williams began her career in higher education at the United Negro College Fund headquarters in New York City. She concluded her 11-year tenure as the vice president of educational services. She taught sixth grade in Milwaukee, Wis., and continued teaching as an adjunct instructor of English at the College of New Rochelle’s School of New Resources-South Bronx campus and the City College of New York. She has taught women’s studies courses at Bennett College and UNCG.

Her volunteer involvement reflects her commitment to service. Currently, she serves on the board of the Greensboro Historical Museum and the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro. Previously, she served on the board of the YWCA of Greensboro. She is the recipient of several awards and honors including the Woman of Achievement Award in Education of the Greensboro Commission on the Status of Women, the Hilda A. Davis Award for Educational Leadership of the National Association for Women in Education, the Paducah Black Historian Achievement Award in Education, and the Kentucky State University Distinguished Service Award.

Williams has degrees from Columbia University (M.S., Ed.D.), the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (M.A.) and Kentucky State University (B.A.). She has participated in programs at the Gallup Leadership Institute and the Center for Creative Leadership. For more information visit www.leaewilliams.com.