Sharon Nyree Williams (She/Her)
By Leiney Gamache (She/Her)
“When we bring our true selves to the table, we can transform the world”. This statement, shared by Sharon Nyree Williams in her Emmy winning voice over for the Seattle Kraken hockey team in 2021 reflects how Williams’ own authenticity and commitment to justice has changed our world. While Williams gained public notoriety from her voiceover work with the Kraken, the work of the Seattle-based artist, teacher, and activist expands far beyond sports and into the fight for social justice. Through her work, William’s has used art to elevate the stories of marginalized people, in the Pacific Northwest, playing an integral part in changing whose stories are heard and calling attention to the systemic discrimination that harms us all.
Williams first got involved in storytelling as a child. Growing up, her elders modeled the importance of storytelling by sharing family stories at gatherings. Her family also supported her in developing her skill for speaking, by encouraging her to speak at church. As an adult, Williams turned her love for storytelling into a career, studying at Delaware State University where she received her BA and MBA before moving to Seattle in 2000 and earning her BFA from Seattle University in 2009.
Since moving to Seattle, Williams has fought to ensure that more voices like hers are included in the art world. As a founder of the Mahogany Project, where she worked from 2006-2014, Williams carved out space for Black women who are story tellers. In her work with the Mahogany project, Williams and her team partnered with institutions across King County to create opportunities for Black women to tell stories and highlight societal inequity. Williams continued this work as Executive Director of the Central District Forum, a role she served in from 2013-2023. In this role she fought to expand the space Black women held in the arts community, working on projects that highlighted the excellence of Black women and non-binary people.
Williams’ work has also taken shape outside the art world. In 2017, Williams spoke at the Womxn’s March, demonstrating how art can be used to fight for a better world. In her reading at the march, Williams inspired all those listening to have hope beyond the current moment and continue fighting for a brighter future. Williams political involvement continued beyond the march. Most recently, in 2024, Williams worked to advocate for presidential candidate Kamala Harris. While Williams was vocal about her criticisms of Harris, in her work with Brothas 4 Kamala, Williams aimed to use her voice to demonstrate why Harris was the best candidate for minoritized Seattleites.
Williams should serve as a role model for everyone in making their voices heard. Her ability to combine her talent with advocacy for a better world is truly admirable and shows that everyone has a role to play in making a change.
