In 1971, Williams sent his magnum opus The Destruction of Black Civilization to Kendall Hunt, a white-owned publishing company, for publication and distribution. The following year, the book received an award from the Black Academy of Letters and Arts. Encouraged by the award, Williams worked for years to expand and revise the book before publishing a second edition. Feeling more comfortable with a Black-owned firm as his publisher, he sent the second version to Chicago's noted Third World Press.
When published in 1987, the second edition of the book received a wide wave of critical acclaim, including from such people as New Jersey poet laureate Amiri Baraka and noted professor John Henrik Clarke. Years of cultural change enabled people to see the value of Williams' work. The 21st Century Foundation honored Chancellor Williams, making him the first person to receive its Clarence L. Holte International Biennial Prize.
Preparing to release his most famous book, Williams did not wait for grants or fellowships to publish it. On his apparent hastiness, he commented: "I was out of step with tradition." He also said, "I rebelled against overspecialization. Even when I had the required courses for my majors, I would take other subjects in which I was equally interested. I was interested in pure science, for example, even though I was majoring in history. I was also interested in psychology. My transcripts from Howard, where I did most of my formal study, won't give you any idea of what my major really was."
Dr. Williams died of respiratory failure on December 7, 1992 at Providence Hospital. He had been a resident of the Washington Center for Aging Services for several years. He was survived by his wife of 65 years, Mattie Williams of Washington, and 14 children; 36 grandchildren; 38 great-grandchildren; and 10 great-great-grandchildren.
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