Toni Yuille Williams is Brooklyn Savvy

Fern Gillespie
Brooklyn Savvy defines Toni Yuille Williams. It’s not only the name of her popular TV talk show on NYClife channel 25, Brooklyn Savvy is how the veteran public affairs executive is also known throughout Brooklyn as a hands-on public affairs executive and community leader on major nonprofit boards. She has served as chair of the FPWA Board aka Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, chair of the Brooklyn Arts Council, and chair of The Billie Holiday Theater.

In addition, she’s served on the boards of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, and BRIC Arts Media Brooklyn. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, she holds a BA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a master’s from Michigan University. Recently, after 34 years, she retired as Director of Regional & Community Affairs for Con Edison in Brooklyn. Our Time Press recently spoke with her.

Brooklyn Savvy is celebrating 15 years on air with 300 shows exploring women-related topics. As the host and executive producer, what do think has been the impact of this talk show?
I believe that Brooklyn Savvy is a program that explores the culture. We critique the culture, and we interrogate the culture on all kinds of levels. We ignite conversations based on that. We have the kind of conversations that you would have around a dinner table or at a restaurant with a girlfriend. You know, where you’re really digging deeper into the issues. I think that there has been an impact. Two of my Jewish friends came on Brooklyn Savvy, because we wanted to talk about building bridges between Jewish people and Black people. So, they got that the Brooklyn Savvy is about building bridges. It’s about truth telling.

We can unearth some of these biases. I feel that right now, with this political race, we’ve got going with Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, you are seeing ordinary Americans who feel the same way. You know there’s a number of us who want to be able to connect. Who want to be able to see past this myth that’s called race. And by this myth, I mean the color of your skin has nothing to do with the content of your character. Who you are as a person.

What was one of your most memorable Brooklyn Savvy shows?
I really love the genealogy show with my twin sister Rev. Thomasina Yuille, a military chaplain who earned her master’s in divinity from Yale University. We talked about our biological White Confederate great, great-grandfather and how she was able to get the genetic material. She wrote an article that was published in a University of South Carolina press.

You are a board member of several Brooklyn nonprofits. Also, you are the chair of three of the most influential nonprofits located in Brooklyn– Brooklyn Arts Council, Billie Holiday Theatre, and Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies. What are your goals as a chairperson of these important nonprofits?
In 2021, I was part of a very small delegation where the Billie Holiday Theatre received the National Medal of Arts at the White House. We were in the company of people like Bruce Springsteen, Gladys Knight, and Johnnetta Cole. I mean, these were the upper echelon of those who had made a deep contribution to the arts and culture in America. That was a moment! When it comes to the Brooklyn Arts Council, I reshaped that organization with a new leader. His name is Rasu Jilani.

We are really working to make this organization very relevant to artists. The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA) is an advocacy organization around social justice issues led by Jennifer Jones Austin. It’s a very prominent force both locally and nationally when it comes to issues that are important to everyday New Yorkers. Its work resonates with me. Whether it’s the cost of living, immigrant affairs, or voting. Whatever the socio-political, economic issues that impact underserved people. That is also what my show Brooklyn Savvy is about. So, FPWA is a great partner in elevating these kinds of issues.

You were an executive at Con Edison for over 30 years heading its Brooklyn public affairs division. What was your mission in working in Brooklyn representing Con Edison?
I was the chief relationship officer. I managed relationships with my staff, community boards, elected officials, nonprofit organizations, and stakeholders. Because I sat in a position at Con Edison, I became very savvy on how I spoke to the public about these issues, and as a result, I think that I’ve been able to create a cross-cultural and cross-sectional audience. I felt that I did that pretty masterfully because I really enjoy people.

It was a job that rested right on my natural skill set. I didn’t have to think about how I was going to relate, it came naturally. I’ve always been discerning and had a strong intuition, and this job just bolstered that. I had the opportunity to do so much good in the borough. It also helped me appreciate the different communities that made the fabric of Brooklyn.

In recent years, Black women have been heading major organizations in Brooklyn. What do you think of these successes?
Brooklyn Savvy was also my way of addressing corporate America. Now, a good 15-20 years later, there are Black women who have opportunities that were not available to me in the same way. I saw the biggest changes with George Floyd. Corporate America began to respond, see, address, and deal with these inequities.

George Floyd was the single moment when folks decided, ‘this is horrible. This can’t be. We’re better than this, right.’ We’ve seen it kind of turn it back a bit, but maybe not. If Kamala gets in, its not going to turn back.

Why do you think it’s important that Kamala Harris is running for president?
First of all, she’s right for the job. She’s going to continue to build our equity and our brand as Black women.

Toni Yuille Williams is the Founder and Executive Producer for The Women’s Collective for Social Justice , which produces Brooklyn Savvy, and the radio show Art Movez, on 91.5 FM, which discusses art at the intersection of social justice.