Claiming Williams

Welcome!

Thank you to all who participated in Claiming Williams this year! You can find photos and videos of the day below.

Check back here for updates on Claiming Williams 2027.

Claiming Williams 2026: Transforming Futures Through Dialogue

February 5, 2026

Our future is a conversation. But who gets to speak?

This Claiming Williams, we explore how we engage in dialogue, when we withdraw, and why it matters. It is a call to speak with courage and listen with intent, especially when the discussion is difficult.

We ask: Whose stories are told on this campus? Who is given a seat “on the log”? When is our dialogue a performance, and when does it catalyze real change? How do legacies of power silence conversations before they can start? How do we move from dialogue to action?

Our future is shaped by the conversations we have now. Join us.

A Brief History

Claiming Williams was born after a series of racist and sexist incidents in January 2008 sparked a grassroots student movement that was joined by staff and faculty, and became known as Stand with Us. The hope was that the community would work proactively to prevent hurtful, hateful incidents, rather than just responding afterward.

The College celebrated the first Claiming Williams Day on February 5, 2009. Read more on the Mission & History and Archive pages.

Claiming Williams Day

Claiming Williams Day occurs on the first Thursday of the Spring semester. Classes are suspended and the campus engages in events and discussions about building and sustaining a more inclusive community. Claiming Williams Day takes shape around proposals generated by students, staff, and faculty.

We urge you to get involved – by serving on the Claiming Williams Committee, by proposing an event, or by participating in the events of the day. The Claiming Williams Steering Committee is eager to assist members of the community who want to propose an event or discussion: please contact us if you have an idea.

Mission Statement

Claiming Williams invites the community to acknowledge and understand the uncomfortable reality that not all students, staff, and faculty can equally “claim” Williams. By challenging the effects of the College’s history of inequality that are based on privileges of class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and religion, we will provoke individual, institutional, and cultural change.

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