It’s only been three years since Erica Williams graduated from NC, but she has taken great strides in helping make a difference in the community.
The Founder and CEO of Erica’s Embrace Support Services was invited by her alma mater to connect with students as a featured speaker for NC’s Ask an Alumni Anything virtual event series. The event was held via Instagram Live on April 20.
Williams, who graduated from the Social Service Worker program in 2018, has made social justice for oppressed and racialized people her mission. In addition to working for Bethlehem Housing and Support Services, which provides affordable housing and services to individuals and families, she is the Founder and CEO of Erica Embrace Support Services. The non-profit organization offers support for individuals in Niagara who identify as Caribbean, Black or African descent, by providing advocacy and by donating hair and beauty products for Black women staying in shelters in Ontario.
The St. Catharines resident is also a passionate activist and member of the city’s Anti-Racism Advisory Committee, a group of volunteers working to improve access and inclusion for diverse cultural communities in the city and surrounding area.
Originally from Kitchener, Williams has been living in Niagara for the past eight years. She was inspired to enroll in the College’s Social Service Worker program and pursue the field of social work for many different reasons. In addition to being a young mother and not having the support she felt she needed, she also had negative experiences trying to access services. Continuously seeing the staff that did not look like her, she said, at times made it very difficult for her to connect, trust and build rapport. She also had a passion to support women fleeing domestic violence and to educate and bring awareness to domestic violence, specifically in the Caribbean.
In 2018, the same year she graduated from NC, Williams launched Erica Embrace Support Services. She was motivated by the experiences of Black women she met while she was working in shelters that support women and children fleeing domestic violence.
“We received many donations of hair and beauty care products but these products were never specific to Black women,” she said. “It was disappointing to witness the frustration of the Black women in the shelter when they were looking through donations they couldn’t use.”
Advocacy is an important aspect of Erica Embrace Support Services. The advocacy is voluntary and intended for families that are involved with Family and Children Services or the District School Board of Niagara.
“Many Black community members experience racism and discrimination and micro-aggressions while at work, school, or trying to access services,” she said. “It’s important to have support during these situations to ensure the best possible outcome.”
Williams pointed out that the Executive Director of Erica’s Support Services, Mutsa Charamba, is also an alumna of NC.
“You see the relationships you build at NC can really blossom into long-standing positive friendships and partnerships,” she said.
While she is making strides in the field of social work, Williams continues her postsecondary journey. She attends Ryerson University part-time, as she works on her bachelor’s degree in Social Work and plans to pursue her master’s degree.
Williams was excited about the opportunity to speak to NC students. She recalled how, when she was a student, she felt that it was helpful to hear from others who shared their experience with her class and how she hoped that she would be in the position to do the same someday.
“I believe it is important to give back to the community and share experiences,” she said. “There is always a possibility that your experiences can help others.”
Williams wanted to speak to students about the benefit of having a support circle they can trust and rely on.
“Even if it’s just one other person. It makes all the difference if you have someone you can relate to and reach out to for support,’ she said.
As an older student with children, Williams recalled that she found it difficult to relate to her classmates at times, but she hopes to encourage students to “think outside the box.”
“If you identify a need, speak up about it and find others who share your passion,” she said.
Presented by NC Alumni Relations with support from the NC Student Administrative Council, Ask an Alumni Anything launched in November 2020 to give students an opportunity to pose questions to successful NC alumni via Instagram Live.
“It’s a unique opportunity not only for students to learn from a fairly recent graduate who has some pretty rich life experience to offer, but they can learn about ways in which our alumni initiate change for very important causes that are important to them,” said Jana Boniferro, Alumni Engagement Officer. “Erica is a prime example of an alumna leading the way not only in her field of social services but also bringing awareness and support to the Black community in the Niagara region.”
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