Steven Williams

Meet Steve Williams, President of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, the chief advocates and subject matter experts of the National Juneteenth Independence Day legislation. Board member of Project 1619, Chairman of the National Miss Juneteenth Scholarship Program, Past President of Internet Society of Washington DC, Father, Technology Engineer Director of IT Services at NetSecurity Corporation, Principal Consultant at Micro Information Services—and wait for it, trumpeter leader of the Funkativity the Wave of Freedom Band.

Born in Los Angeles, California, Williams grew up in a Navy family traveling all over the United States and abroad. His Grandfather, a WWII Coast Guard veteran, first exposed him to Juneteenth with the "No work and no slave food" in the historic black town of Rentisville, Oklahoma. Later Williams marched with Denver, Colorado legend Daddy Bruce Randolph for King Day and performed at Daddy Bruce’s Juneteenth celebrations.

After working around the country in technology Williams moved to Leesburg, Virginia with his family in 2000, where he launched SkyNet Access, one of the first Wireless Internet Service Providers in the world. His introduction as a technical advisor for the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee was fortuitous for understanding Capitol Hill. He then became the Senior Engineer for an IT company supporting DC nonprofits and Capitol Hill. In 2002 Williams met the late Rev. Ronald V Myers Sr M.D. and joined the mission to make Juneteenth a National Holiday in the words of U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer “….and Steve Williams, who has been so fabulous and relentless, in making sure that this (Juneteenth) happens.”