The Claiming Williams evening keynote will feature an on-stage conversation with Ruth Simmons, author of this year’s Williams Reads selection, Up Home: One Girl’s Journey. Simmons is currently serving as a President’s Distinguished Fellow at Rice University and has previously served as President at Brown University, Smith College and Prairie View A&M University. Dr. Simmons will be in conversation with Leticia S. E. Haynes, Vice President for Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Williams College. This event is free and open to the public. It will also be recorded and posted on Williams YouTube for those unable to attend.