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Das Williams
Presentation to the SB Council for Self-Esteem - 01/23/09
The Introduction
Bob Hodges
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Willie Shaw, Bob Hodges and Das Williams |
Our speaker, City Councilman Das Williams, is a native son of Santa Barbara. He graduated from UCSB majoring in Environmental Studies. He has worked with famous names and organizations including; Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson, County Supervisor Gail Marshall, Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress, the Community Environmental Council, the Environmental Defense Center, Vote the Coast P.A.C, Santa Barbara County Action Network and Living Wage Coalition.
In my view, the mission of Das Williams is to improve the quality of life in Santa Barbara and neighboring counties, specifically by securing clean water, good transportation and planning, and through the empowerment of neighborhoods.
This is not a minor set of objectives. Das is a leader and his track record indicates that he has what it will take to succeed.
Today he speaks on the subject of self-esteem and how it has been a part of his personal and professional growth. Please give a warm welcome to City Councilman, Das Williams.
Please, give a warm welcome to Supervisor Das Williams.
The Following wrap-up is by Betty Hatch
It was gray, drizzly, and even colder in the room, than outside. The Schott Center was empty when Stan, my husband, and I arrived. This was the beginning of the Santa Barbara Council for Self-Esteem’s 20th year featuring outstanding, successful speakers, who were willing to share how they reached their success—where their self-esteem came from, and if they had ever lost it, how they regained it. Our president and moderator, Willa Young, was in Florida attending her father’s funeral, our PR man always on time had not arrived. Due to the struggling economy of January 2009, our co-sponsor had been unable to put an ad in our local paper regarding our first event of the year.
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Betty Hatch, Founder SB Council for Self-Esteem |
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When Bob Hodges, our PR man walked in, relief flowed through me. Dennis Forester, another core member had arrived also, in time to add some heat to the large room filled with folding chairs that sat stiffly alone. Then the City College women entered to set up to sign-in the attendees, who at this point were all part of the self-esteem volunteers. Then a young attractive man, impeccably dressed, confidently strode into the room, smiling broadly. It was our presenter for the day, Das Williams, a member of the Santa Barbara City Council since 2003. I immediately apologized for the weather and for what it had done to our crowd.
Das said, “Not to worry, the committed are here.” He was right; we were and then many more arrived. The audience entering was a diverse group of students representing various countries and men and women of all ages and professions. Joyce Dudley, the SB Senior Deputy District Attorney, Willie Shaw, head of the SB Community Events and Festivals Committee, Lee Moldaver, a local activist who attends most of Santa Barbara’s community meetings, Ingrid Serrat of the Collaborative Communities Foundation, and Jill Dexter, a volunteer from the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation were among the group. It was an enthusiastic and interested audience who sat at attention while Councilman Das Williams told his personal journey to self-esteem.
At the start, Das told us who he is by describing what he does, a teacher, an internet technology technician, a public servant. He chose the latter as a profession, “even though it pays the worst.” He was reared by his mother, who struggled to take care of him and his little brother when he was a child. Das described them as very poor. Their clothing and toys were handed down from other members of the family and Das used public transportation to get to and from school beginning in the first grade.
Das was a small child but showed his inner strength as early as nine years old. When his step-father threw him against the wall for not rinsing the dishes properly, Das stood up to him and announced bravely he would be leaving the house and moving in with some relatives!
Though his home life was turbulent, he had a wonderful and close relationship with his grand parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. He praised his relationships with his grandparents describing them as “environmentalists before there was such a thing.” They had lived very hard lives during World War II and taught Das the lessons they had received through the hardships they had endured. His mother taught him the benefits of self-sacrifice. And his father who came back into his life inspired him to political activism.
Describing himself again, Das said as a child he was uncoordinated and book smart but not street smart. He was grateful his dad had guided him toward his sport of choice, surfing—a very difficult sport that took time, effort and determination to master. It was a learning opportunity he continues to use today.
His political bent began when, at 17, he helped Bill Wallace with his campaign for Supervisor. He learned to be a community organizer and was good at it. Das even found it easy and fun encouraging the Isla Vista community to vote. He once offered to stay and “stir the spaghetti” while one woman went to the polls! He told another story about leaving the campaign in the final hour of voting to be with his girl friend. He felt Bill was ahead and the final hour not really important. To this day he blames himself for Bill’s loss by eight votes and the subsequent two year “wave” of growth that began in Goleta with the change of administration.
A theme of the talk woven through the stories and beliefs shared by Das was the importance of knowing that we happen to life, that we create our own destiny—it is not life that happens to us. We choose the paths we take and chart our path by being aware of what works and working hard to “paddle in the right direction.” Das said, “We have the capability to be better, if we are willing to define our inner demons and take action to change them.
Das said a political organizer’s job is to make people realize they are powerful. It is the people who create the changes they desire from too much traffic, too much waste, global warming, even the energy loss caused by poor construction. Das feels his training in community organization enabled him to win the position of City Councilman at the age of 29. He got his political training doing what Barak Obama did that prepared him for his presidential campaign.
Das answered the groups questions openly and truthfully noting his self-esteem had come from an inner belief in himself, and was nourished through close ties with his family members, inspiration from his dad, being “book smart’ and having a relationship with the divine. He admitted temporarily loosing his self-esteem after running for County Supervisor and is regaining it through his faith and understanding that God creates us “for a purpose.”
The young Councilman charmed the audience and demonstrated his professionalism by showing up on time, dressing professionally, using his lap-top computer for his notes and sharing his personal journey in self-esteem openly and honestly with poise and humor. By the end of his presentation, the dreary day seemed somehow sunny and people lingered to speak and share because being in the presence with Das Williams is a warm and up-lifting event.
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