Christopher "YUNG Citizen" Williams is full of motivation and positive reinforcement for us all to join forces as a community to end systemic racism. It was inspiring for me to hear how Christopher has made such an impact on the youth of Charlotte. My initial thought was to ask him, "how are you?"
“I don’t know, man. I just take it one day at a time. Just with everything that has happened in the community and the United States, it’s a gray area for me. I always think, “will there ever be a change?” I just don’t understand why these things continue to happen. I haven’t seen more involvement from the community in a very long time until now. I feel like people are finding what their niche is and how they can contribute and help in their way. I’m not on the frontlines, we have people that do that — I’m on the backend trying to help the community. You don’t need to be out there on the frontlines, you don’t need to feel bad to not be out there, you can contribute and do your part to be involved in the community and help systematic racism.”
This response to me was powerful and I was curious how he makes a difference in Charlotte.
“For years, I have been doing work at West Charlotte High School. My cousin is the athletic director there and me and my homie Canaan Grier got involved with the football team. We started mentoring those kids every Thursday and then we are on the field with them every Friday night for the games. We’ve been doing this for about four years. We got involved with their lives and seeing where they come from. That’s what I’m passionate about. Mentoring these kids to make them understand there is a better life outside of where you lived. These kids came from very rough areas so we are there letting them know there is a way out. Football might not be the option for you but there are so many other ways to succeed. I still talk to some of these kids and a few have gotten scholarships.”
I asked if COVID-19 has made an impact on this work and if he had any takeaways personal or professional.
“Yeah, these kids aren’t in school so a lot of this stuff is virtual. Some of these kids are reaching out to see how I’m doing and vice versa. This football season looks like it will start in 2021. I’ve been introduced to the new coach which is great, my cousin has me heavily involved still.”
“With me being a hip-hop artist and a producer, COVID-19 has given me the time to just sit down and figure out what’s next for me as an artist. I have a studio at my house now so I don’t need to go to anyone's studio to work. Since COVID I’m staying at home and getting a tone of work done. I’m putting out more music and videos next month. Unfortunately, this has all happened but it gave me the time to do what I need to do.”
With the recent protests, I asked if he has seen a change in a more positive light?
“I have seen more diversity. There are more white folks that have woken up and are understanding that there is true racism going on. More white people are involved, I hate to say it like that but it’s the truth. Seeing that lets me know that change is happening and people are truly understanding. There are so many people asking, “What can I do?” and that makes me see the education. It’s all about education. Educate yourself to see where this all stems from. Understand the history and understand why there is poverty and how school systems work. We need to give the resources for these kids to have a successful future. We have to continue the work and continue the education.”
I asked if any personal goals have sparked since the start of this year and how the community can help get involved.
“As far as community, which I'm very passionate about, I just want more understanding and I want kids to have the resources they need and for them to have a successful future, they are the future, we need to set them up for success for we need them to believe in what’s going on. If anyone ever wants to help, we do this every week, come with me and talk to these kids. You have to be consistent, these kids trust you and you have to earn that trust. They would love to hear from different people and hear their own stories.”
