Ted Williams III

Ted Williams III is a performing artist and educator who lives to inspire. He has taught Political Science at Wright College, Chicago State University, and currently is the Chairman of the Social Sciences Department at Kennedy-King College. He holds degrees in Public Policy Studies from the University of Chicago and Rutgers University, and is the former host of WYCC-PBS Television's The Professors weekly talk show. He has provided political commentary for BET-TV, WGN-TV, NBC-TV, Upfront with Jesse Jackson, PRI's Smiley and West, WVON radio, and a host of additional media outlets. He has also appeared in commercials and training videos for companies including McDonald's, Empire Carpet, Six Flags, Federal Express, Cheerios, and Subway. Moreover, he is the creator of the productions 1619: The Journey of a People, TORN the Musical, and of the book The Way Out: Christianity, Politics, and the Future of the African American Community. 1619 was funded by the Illinois Arts Council and was nominated for the 2020 August Wilson Award for the Best Writing of a Musical by the Black Theater Alliance Awards. He is also a contributor to the Third World Press text, Not Our President and was featured in the film Human Zoos. Williams is a former candidate for the Chicago City Council and an Illinois Humanities Road Scholar. He considers his most important work his role as a mentor to young people and as a husband and father.