A Conversation with Sehon Williams and Bill Thompson

Civic leader Bill Thompson invites longtime resident Sehon Williams to look back on growing up in Columbia during the era of segregation, and the legacy of the Sharp End district that was home to black-owned businesses in the central part of Columbia. Sharp End was destroyed with the urban renewal movement of the 1960s.

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About the Presenter

Sehon Williams

Born and raised in Columbia, Williams served in Italy during World War II with the 92nd “Buffalo” Division. In 1955, he began a 33-year career in management with the U.S. Postal Service.

Bill Thompson

Bill Thompson was one of the founding members of the J.W. “Blind” Boone Heritage Foundation and is a historian of Columbia’s African American community. Thompson is retired from the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department.