Graham Williams '24 Recruiting Profile

I know that can preserve through anything because I have been through more than most kids could ever imagine.

Growing up with a parent as a political figure is not as nice as it sounds. Some may say that’s a privileged opinion to have, and maybe it is, but I know the reality. For most of my life, my father has held political office – first as President of the New Orleans City Council, and now as the District Attorney of New Orleans. Coming from a Black background in an extremely conservative state, people automatically look at my family in a negative connotation.  Growing up in New Orleans made things slightly easier for us in that sense as it is an urban and more progressive part of Louisiana, but every public servant gets criticized no matter where they are.  

When I was younger, I would not really hear anything from my peers because children are obviously less politically aware. Occasionally, one of my friends or classmates would say, “Hey, I saw your dad on the news!” Now, as a child, hearing that was pretty cool. It would make me happy whenever someone mentioned my father because he was my best friend and I was proud of his accomplishments. As I got older, though, things began to change. Instead of hearing, “I saw your dad on the news,” I would hear, “My parents don't like your dad.”  Much later I realized that there was little I could do about that.  I knew it didn't have anything to do with myself as a person; but regardless, when someone would say that, it would upset me because it was about my father.

When I was a freshman in high school, my father launched a campaign for District Attorney of New Orleans with a promise to reform the southern criminal justice system.  That bold pledge created a lot of political enemies.  Then, going into my freshman year summer, he was charged with federal income tax fraud. I didn't know much about tax fraud, but I did know that it was extremely bad and something my dad could not have done. When I first heard the news, it felt like my brain and body was swarmed and coated with anxiousness. Negative thoughts flooded my mind constantly. It would be hard to find a moment where my mind wasn't riddled with anxiety. I would think about the things people would say when school started; I would think about my little brother, Xavier; I would think, “What if my dad went to jail?” 

During this period of my life, I struggled to do anything, I never wanted to leave the house and I would just want to play video games in my room all day. COVID was also rampant around this time, so my freshman year was half online and half in person. While most kids hated this, I never wanted it to end at the time. It gave me every reason to stay home and not have to worry about other people. 

Later that year, with the cloud of a federal trial looming, my father overwhelmingly won the election, only the second Black person to hold his office. He had campaigned to bring more fairness to the criminal justice system, and he had a lot of supporters who were fed up with the way things were done in New Orleans. I was really proud of him. However, the anxiousness of his upcoming trial still carried a heavy weight on me. Also around this time we began to go to school full time, and this was when my anxiety hit its peak. In class I could barely stand for a presentation, I would shake so much. I would push through it until the end of the year. 

Over that summer I made some good friends and became more active socially, and sophomore year was a big improvement. I spent more time with friends, though my anxiety persisted. But my father’s trial was scheduled for the summer, and the summer was nearing 

The same week of the trial, I was invited to go to the Envision National Youth Leadership Forum engineering camp at Rice University in Houston. My dad thought it would distract me from the trial. The weekend before his trial we drove to Houston, and before he dropped me off, we went to this stark but beautiful church, that I now know to be the Rothko Chapel. The architecture of the building was very interesting. The structure itself was a work of art and a place of worship. We went in, said a prayer, then went to drop me off at Rice. The camp was very nice, and I found my days filled with learning, projects, and having fun with new friends. But every night when I was back in my room, I would look up the result of that day of trial, hoping it would be over and my dad would walk out the courtroom free. One day I saw a headline that made my heart sink. “Online death threats made against D. A. Jason Williams.” I called my dad right away to make sure everything was okay. I could not sleep that night. 

When camp ended, it didn't take long to snap back into the reality of things.  The trial was still going on. I landed in New Orleans and went to my mom’s house. When I got there, she told me that she had to testify. I already knew how stressful that was for her. I could see the pain in her eyes while she was telling me. All I could think about is this trial and what the result would be. 

On the last day of the trial, I and one of my closest friends at the time were sitting in my mom’s backyard. Scrolling on his phone, my friend read out “New Orleans DA Jason Williams acquitted on all counts.” When I heard those words come from my friend’s mouth I didn’t even know what to think. I began to flood with emotions of excitement, relief, and feelings I still don't know how to describe. I called my sister to tell her, but when she picked up the phone I could tell she already knew. 

When I calmed down, I imagined how my father felt. I began to think about how proud I was of my dad for pushing through this while still serving our city and calling for change. I began to think about how I had to push through a situation that most people would never imagine or ever have to deal with. I am proud to say that I persevered while going through some of the most important years of my life.