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About
From Detroit's toughest streets to 61 countries and counting.
You know what it feels like to be told your dreams are over. Maybe a diagnosis, a closed door, or a system that was never built for you. You have watched others from your neighborhood fall to the same traps: drugs, gangs, despair. You have wondered if faith and hard work are really enough to break through when the odds are stacked against you. You have asked yourself, "Why me?"
In Why Me? Why Not!: Just a Country Boy From Detroit!, Gregory L. Williams shares a memoir that answers that question with defiance and grace. Diagnosed with sickle cell trait at 15, his sports dreams shattered overnight. Growing up in one of Detroit's most dangerous neighborhoods during the 1967 riots, surrounded by every temptation that could derail a young Black man, Gregory leaned on family, faith, and an unwavering commitment to education. Michigan State University became the carrot that changed everything, launching him into an engineering career in a field where Black professionals still represent less than one half of one percent. From meeting President Nixon to witnessing the Space Shuttle tragedies, from fighting discrimination as a general contractor to attending Barack Obama's historic 2008 nomination, Gregory's journey is anything but ordinary.
Inside these pages, you will discover:
• How a tight-knit Southern family rooted in South Carolina shaped resilience across generations in Detroit, Denver, and beyond
• What it takes to build a successful engineering career while navigating systemic racism and personal health challenges
• Why choosing faith, brotherhood, and education over bitterness can turn "Why me?" into "Why not!"
All net proceeds from sales will be processed under a non-profit 501[c.] [3] minority engineering scholarship fund under Ether Williams
You know what it feels like to be told your dreams are over. Maybe a diagnosis, a closed door, or a system that was never built for you. You have watched others from your neighborhood fall to the same traps: drugs, gangs, despair. You have wondered if faith and hard work are really enough to break through when the odds are stacked against you. You have asked yourself, "Why me?"
In Why Me? Why Not!: Just a Country Boy From Detroit!, Gregory L. Williams shares a memoir that answers that question with defiance and grace. Diagnosed with sickle cell trait at 15, his sports dreams shattered overnight. Growing up in one of Detroit's most dangerous neighborhoods during the 1967 riots, surrounded by every temptation that could derail a young Black man, Gregory leaned on family, faith, and an unwavering commitment to education. Michigan State University became the carrot that changed everything, launching him into an engineering career in a field where Black professionals still represent less than one half of one percent. From meeting President Nixon to witnessing the Space Shuttle tragedies, from fighting discrimination as a general contractor to attending Barack Obama's historic 2008 nomination, Gregory's journey is anything but ordinary.
Inside these pages, you will discover:
• How a tight-knit Southern family rooted in South Carolina shaped resilience across generations in Detroit, Denver, and beyond
• What it takes to build a successful engineering career while navigating systemic racism and personal health challenges
• Why choosing faith, brotherhood, and education over bitterness can turn "Why me?" into "Why not!"
All net proceeds from sales will be processed under a non-profit 501[c.] [3] minority engineering scholarship fund under Ether Williams