The “E” stands for “Excellence”, Walter E. (Edward) Williams would sometimes say about his middle initial, and, judging by his accomplishments, he was right.
Born in 1936 to a devoted and determined single mother, Walter overcame adversity to become a leading economist, scholar, political philosopher and defender of truth and reason. He passed away on December 2nd, 2020.
Walter achieved many things in his lifetime. He was a true champion of liberty, particularly of economic freedom, and was an outspoken and unapologetic critic of government policies harmful to minorities, and of false narratives blaming whites for the problems in minority communities.
I recently came across Walter’s “Proclamation of Amnesty and Pardon Granted to All Persons of European Descent.” A bit tongue-in-cheek, it is a classic evisceration of the racist “white guilt” mentality that pervades society today. Here is the text of the proclamation:
“Whereas, Europeans kept my forebears in bondage some three centuries toiling without pay, Whereas Europeans ignored the human rights pledges of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution, Whereas, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments meant little more than empty words, Therefore Americans of European ancestry are guilty of great crimes against my ancestors and their progeny.
“But, in the recognition Europeans themselves have been victims of various and sundry human rights violations to wit: the Norman Conquest, the Irish Potato Famine, Decline of the Hapsburg Dynasty, Napoleonic and Czarist adventurism, and gratuitous insults and speculations about the intelligence of Europeans of Polish descent
Therefore from this day forward Americans of European ancestry can stand straight and proud knowing they are without guilt and thus obliged not to act like damn fools in their relationships with Americans of African ancestry.
Walter E. Williams
“I, Walter E. Williams do declare full and general amnesty and pardon to all persons of European ancestry for both their own grievances and those of their forebears against my people. Therefore from this day forward Americans of European ancestry can stand straight and proud knowing they are without guilt and thus obliged not to act like damn fools in their relationships with Americans of African ancestry. Walter E. Williams, Gracious and Generous Grantor.”
Amen. Rest in Peace, Walter Excellence Williams, and may your liberty-loving legacy live on in the hearts and minds of those who have the privilege of learning from your lifetime of courageous scholarship.
For additional information about Walter E. Williams, I recommend:
Walter William’s personal web site
Wikipedia: Walter E. Williams
This video biography of Walter E. Williams: