Gun Violence, Structural Racism, and Healing
October 11 @ 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
$25.00 – $60.00
Join us for an inspiring keynote address by Dr. Brian Williams, a renowned advocate for change, as he delves into the urgent and timely topics of gun violence, systemic racism, and inequity. Driven by his personal experiences and professional expertise, Dr. Williams will shed light on the disproportionate impact of gun violence on marginalized communities, while sharing his remarkable journey and the transformative influence of his time in the Air Force.
Dr. Brian Williams is an Air Force Veteran, trauma surgeon, and gun safety advocate. After graduating from the United States Air Force Academy (Class of ‘91), he served six years on active duty as an aeronautical engineer. Inspired to continue his service through medicine, he earned his medical degree from the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. He completed his surgical residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and two fellowships, in trauma surgery and surgical critical care, at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. In 2010, Dr. Williams joined the faculty at UT Southwestern Medical School and served on the staff at Parkland Hospital, a safety-net hospital where he committed to serve the underserved. He has also served as a professor of trauma and acute care surgery at the University of Chicago.
On July 7, 2016, Dr. Williams was the trauma surgeon on call when seven police officers, wounded by a sniper targeting policemen at a peaceful protest in downtown Dallas, were transferred to Parkland Hospital. Dr. Williams led the team who cared for those officers, and the deaths of three critically wounded who died on his watch led Dr. Williams to seek service outside of the hospital. He served as the Chair of the Dallas Citizens Police Review Board, working to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the community. He later served as the Dallas County Special Advisor for Health Equity during the pandemic. And in 2022, while serving as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation health policy fellow at the National Academy of Medicine, he worked with Democratic leaders to help craft and pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant gun safety legislation in nearly three decades.
Dr. Williams lives in East Dallas with his wife of seventeen years and their twelve-year-old daughter. His memoir, The Bodies Keep Coming: Dispatches from a Black Trauma Surgeon on Racism, Violence, and How We Heal, will be released September 26, 2023.
The program will begin with a Reception at 6pm, Dinner at 6:30, and Program at 7:30. Each participant will receive a free copy of Dr. Williams’ new book, which is due for release on September 25th. Dr. Williams will stay after the program for a book signing and to answer any questions.
The dinner program will be $60; program only will be $25. Complimentary valet
