In 1961, a harrowing event took place that led to Williams and his wife fleeing the country. The Freedom Riders came to Monroe in a bid to prove that non-violent protests were more effective than armed self-defense. After the groups of Riders were beaten, they reportedly asked Williams for protection. During this fracas, Williams also sheltered a white family but was accused of kidnapping.
With the FBI in pursuit, Williams fled to Cuba with his wife but still remained an active and aggressive voice in civil rights. In 1962, using the Radio Free Dixie network, Williams urged Black soldiers during the Cuban Missile Crisis to spark an insurrection. It was also during this time that Williams wrote the manifesto, “Negroes With Guns,” which was said to have influenced Huey P. Newton of the Panthers.
In 1965, Williams and his wife resided in China and worked alongside the government there. He and his wife returned to the states in 1969 where he still faced the kidnapping charges, but they were eventually dropped in 1975.
Williams was given a Ford Foundation grant and worked at the University of Michigan Center for Chinese Studies. He was at work on an autobiography when he died in 1996.
Like BlackAmericaWeb.com on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
Little Known Black History Fact: Robert F. Williams was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
