Danny Williams diaries

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
160 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Brenda Gunn
Phone: (434) 924-1037
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

Access restrictions apply.

Summary

Extent:
.2 Cubic Feet One letter-size file box, half-width
Creator:
Williams, Danny
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains four diaries written by Danny Williams, a gay African American man and theater student from Robbins, Illinois, and Chicago. The diaries are bound volumes, the smallest measuring about 6 inches and the largest measuring 11 inches, including a total of 637 manuscript pages, with entries written in pencil and various colored inks. Williams kept the diaries from 1975 to 1979, while a student at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, and his time immediately after graduating. The diaries provide a look at the experience and struggles of being a Black and gay man in late twentieth-century Chicago. Williams' diaries chronicle his struggles with his multiple identities, racial, sexual, and personal, as he made his way in theater school and life. Williams sought a way to accept and love himself for who he was, but struggled with shame and guilt because of his sexual orientation. He was only out in the African American gay community, not in school, and not with his mother and siblings. These struggles resulted in bouts of depression, panic attacks, and substance abuse. Williams describes his efforts to overcome these issues, improve his craft as an actor, and find roles in the Chicago theater world.

Acquisition information:
This collection was purchased from Michael Brown Rare Books by the Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia on 15 July 2025.
Physical description:
Good
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard