Lillian T. Williams

Lillian T. Williams is a native of Louisiana, a mother of four, a grandmother of twelve, and an advocate for juvenile justice reform. In 2005, Lillian and her family were displaced after Hurricane Katrina and taken to San Antonio, Texas. Two years later, her youngest son Chris was arrested and sentenced to life without parole at the age of 16. In 2009, Lillian connected with The Sentencing Project in response to a survey her son received regarding juvenile lifers. This sparked her passion for juvenile justice reform. Since then, Lillian has advocated with organizations in her hometown of New Orleans. On the national level, she has partnered with The Campaign for The Fair Sentencing of Youth in Washington, D.C. to attend annual convenings and meet with senators and stakeholders about abolishing life-without-parole sentencing for juveniles. In 2016, Lillian earned her B.A. in criminal justice with a minor in psychology from Ashford University. In 2021, she earned her Master of Public Administration, Public and Non-Profit Management from Liberty University. In 2017, she was a panelist at the Second Look legislation in Austin, Texas, which is where she met Deanna Luprete, founder, and executive director of Epicenter. Lillian and her husband Donald now reside in Georgetown, TX., to be closer to their son and increase public awareness about the need to stop extreme sentencing for juveniles. Lillian consistently prays for her son and all other Second Lookers to be reunited with their families. “God is the giver of life.” (Psalm 36:9)