Ted Williams III

Dr. Ted Williams III is a passionate educator, actor, and author who is a graduate of Rutgers University, the University of Chicago, and Northern Seminary. He teaches Political Science and is the Chairman of the Social Sciences Department at Kennedy-King College. He has also served as an adjunct lecturer at Wheaton College and Chicago State University. He previously hosted WYCC-PBS television’s The Professors weekly talk show, has provided political commentary for a host of media outlets, and is a former candidate for the Chicago City Council. As an actor he has appeared in commercials for companies including Subway, Cheerios, and Empire Carpet, and on NBC's Chicago PD, Chicago Med, and Showtime's The Chi. He is the author of the book The Way Out: Christianity, Politics, and the Future of the African American Community, and the creator of the production 1619: The Journey of a People. 1619 was nominated for the 2020 August Wilson Award for Best Writing of a Musical by the Black Theater Alliance Awards. In September of 2026, he opened the Liberation Theater and Dance Studio in Hazel Crest, IL. He and his wife Roslyn are the proud parents of three children.