Loyola University Chicago

Center for Urban Research and Learning

Kale Williams Scholarship

Support the Fund

 

In honor of Kale Williams and his career as a social justice advocate and scholar-in-residence, CURL has established the Kale Williams Human Rights Scholarship Fund. Each year, the fund annually supports undergraduate students who will be working with research teams at CURL with a focus on promoting human rights in Chicago’s communities. This honors Kale Williams by strengthening the commitment of future generations to the human rights and equality that Kale fought for so effectively during his lifetime. The first Kale Williams Human Rights Scholarship was awarded to Kimberly Ocampo in the fall of 2017.

Your generous support contributes to a legacy of learning and research. ‌

Make a Gift 

Online
Click here to be directed to the Support the University Centers of Excellence form.

If you experience any difficulties with the donation website, clear your browsing history in your web browser.  If you experience any further difficulties in processing your donation, please call David Van Zytveld, CURL's Director at 773.508.8504 or email him at dvanzyt@luc.edu.  

By Mail:
Gift Processing
820 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL  60611-2196 

Make checks and money orders payable to Loyola University Chicago (direct the gift to "CURL - Kale Williams Scholarship Fund").

Other:
For questions about other giving options—including recurring gifts, planned giving, and employer gift matching— please contact the Office of Advancement at 1.800.424.1513 or by email at donorrelations@luc.edu.

 

About Kale Williams

Work and Ideals

After serving in the Navy during World War II, Kale Williams became a pacifist and a tenacious advocate for human rights and nonviolent social change. He joined the Chicago office of the American Friends Service Committee, where he challenged racial segregation and helped address injustice in Chicago’s low-income communities, the need for assistance to Native Americans in the Southwest, famine relief in the Nigeria-Biafra civil war, and opposition to the Vietnam War. 

In Chicago, he worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to secure fair-housing opportunities for all citizens regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or income. After the 1966 open housing marches, Williams co-founded the Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities, where he served as executive director for over 20 years. After service there, he was invited to Loyola University Chicago as a visiting professor of applied ethics and later was appointed the senior scholar in residence at Loyola’s Center for Urban Research and Learning (CURL). He served in that position for more than 10 years and inspired numerous students and faculty. In addition to teaching and writing, he coordinated the Chicago Freedom Movement 40-year anniversary events, which examined the movement’s legacy and unfulfilled dream of a fully just and inclusive city.

To learn more about Kale, view a video of his reflections on being involved in the Chicago Freedom School.