Young Journalists In Training Honors Williams For Achievements

Students from St. Francis College were witness to a very honest and emotional talk on depression from noted public relations expert and author Terrie Williams on Tuesday, December 7 at the College.

Williams, who recently wrote Black Pain, It just Looks Like We're Not Hurting, spoke candidly about the protective masks she wore on the outside, when inside she was in terrible psychological pain. Williams said that she would have trouble getting out of bed in the morning but would then channel her depression into her work; pushing herself to exhaustion.

The Andrew W. Cooper Young Journalists In Training Program (YJIT) had invited Williams to St. Francis to honor her with 2010 Speak Truth to Power Award for her work not only in public relations at her own Terrie Williams Agency but also in giving back to the community through organizations like The Stay Strong Foundation, a national non-profit designed to educate and encourage American youth.

Itas only after being diagnosed with clinical depression and regularly attending sessions with a psychologist that Williams said she was able to work through her problems and get to the core of why she was feeling the way she did.

Williams encouraged people in the audience to also get in touch with their inner demons as the best way to heal and become a better and happier person.

Williams is a clinical social worker whose achievements have been featured as case studies in PR seminars, college texts, industry newsletters, and novels. Her triumphs have been chronicled in numerous publications such as Adweek, Jet Magazine, Washington Post, Crain’s New York Business and People Magazine. She has also received countless honors and awards, including: The New York Women in Communications Matrix Award in Public Relations (she was the first woman of color to receive this award in its 70-year history); the PRSA New York Chapter’s Phillip Dorf Mentoring Award; and The Citizen’s Committee for New York Marietta Tree Award for Public Service. In 1998 she donated her papers to the Howard University Moorland-Springarn Research Center Archives. She has written three other books besides Black Pain.

The Young Journalists In Training Program, which is dedicated to Andrew W. Cooper, the Founder and Publisher of “The City Sun” Newspaper, provides St. Francis students with an opportunity to explore the world of journalism and consider it as a career. The program offers firsthand exposure to the craft through lectures presented by experts in media as well as internships in New York City. In the past, St. Francis College students have interned at places like WABC-TV, WCBS-TV, CBS Radio and The Daily News.

St. Francis College, founded in 1859 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, is located in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. Since its founding, the College has pursued its Franciscan mission to provide an affordable, high-quality education to students from New York City’s five boroughs and beyond.
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St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201
www.sfc.edu