Dr. Robin Williams raised her two sons to be healthy eaters in a household where the daily mantra was “no fast food,” “no soda,” and “not too much sugar, salt or fat.”
So when her eldest son Austin turned 16, learned to drive, and came home with fast food packaging strewn about the car, Williams was aghast.
“My eyes were huge,” she said. “I was totally floored, like I discovered he was on drugs or something.”
Four year later, she laughs about her over-reaction – but only a little. An outspoken advocate for healthy eating, Williams is using her passion for proper nutrition to help educate the African-American community in Dover, Delaware, including students at Delaware State University.
As the wife of the school’s president, Dr. Harry Williams, she’s the “first lady” of DSU, a historically black public university with nearly 4,000 students. She’s also a volunteer for Go Red For Women, an American Heart Association initiative designed to empower women to take charge of their heart health.
Raised in a farming family in North Carolina, the 48-year-old Williams grew up eating fresh fruits and vegetables every day. But her family also had a long history of heart disease. After her father died of a heart attack, she was inspired by Michelle Obama to encourage healthy eating among children.
Williams pushed Delaware State to offer healthier menu options and even set up her own section in a cafeteria where she served everything from grilled pesto chicken to sushi.