Eugene Williams, Jr. is a former child actor who was featured in one of the earliest Jell-O Pudding commercials with Bill Cosby.  He received a B.A in English from Emory University and a M.Ed. in Education Leadership from The University of Mary Washington.  He has served as a public school educator and administrator for 15 years and taught in urban, rural, and suburban settings.  His books and opinions on education and race relations have been featured in The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Miami Herald, and The Detroit Free Press.  He also been a guest of talk show hosts such as Tavis Smiley,Joe Madison,Cathy Hughes,Armstrong Williams, Tony Brown, Julian Bond, Rolonda Watts, and Maureen O'Boyle.  As a former student at predominantly white private insititutions, Eugene has spent a great deal of his adult life trying to create strategies to narrow the "achievement gap" between African-American and white students.  He has also been invited to speak at conferences, colleges, schools, and churches throughout the nation. His major influences are his parents, who are both retired educators.  He has also been greatly influenced by a diverse group of educators and personalities such as Bill Cosby, Cornel West, Michael Eric Dyson, and Carter G. Woodson.