In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

99 SIX WILLIAM JULIUS WILSON (1935– ) INTRODUCTION A product of extremely humble beginnings, William Julius Wilson has risen to the apex of the academic establishment. Many consider Wilson, a sociologist, one of the preeminent scholars of the last quarter of the twentieth century. His most significant works focus on race, class, and specifically the underclass or the truly disadvantaged (those persons remaining in the depths of poverty within the inner cities). Increasingly , however, his work has become more criminologically oriented. This is probably a result of the increasing national concern about crime in the inner cities where Wilson specializes. Only recently, however, have criminologists begun to take notice of Wilson’s two recent tomes, The Truly Disadvantaged (1987) and When Work Disappears (1996). Bernard (1990), for example, has presented a criminological theory incorporating Wilson’s research on the truly disadvantaged. And recent research has found substantial support for Wilson’s work as it pertains to crime (see, for examples, Krivo & Peterson, 1996; Parker & McCall, 1999). Other recent publications by Wilson, in collaboration with influential criminologists (Elliott, Wilson, Huizinga, Sampson, Elliott & Rankin, 1996; Sampson & Wilson, 1995), have landed him squarely in the center of discussions on crime in urban areas. In fact, over the past few years, Wilson has consistently been called upon to offer his opinions and suggestions on issues related to the urban poor. He has willingly served in this role, which, at times, has brought him invitations to the White House (Remnick, 1996). Thus, while Wilson’s work is not as widely discussed as it likely deserves to be in criminal justice and criminology circles, his influence in affecting policies that relate to inner-city problems such as crime cannot be overstated. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION The first of six children born to Esco Wilson and Pauline Bracey Wilson, William Julius Wilson was born 20 December 1935 in the rural community of Derry Township located about forty miles East of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Billingsley, 1989; Williams, 1993). His family lived in a two-bedroom home, where he and his five siblings shared one room. Wilson’s father worked in the coalmines and steel mills of 100 Contemporary Scholars Pittsburgh until his untimely death at the age of thirty-nine from lung disease (Flowers, 1989). Because of his sudden death, Wilson’s family had to go onto public assistance for a brief period. Discussing this difficult period, Wilson commented: We used to go hungry a lot. It was real poverty . . . We were struggling all the time. We lived on an inadequate diet. For a family of seven, we had one quart of milk a week. Thank God, we had a garden and could grow string beans, carrots, corn, tomatoes, squash, and can them all for winter. (Wilson as quoted in Remnick, 1996, p. 99) Wilson’s mother eventually found part-time work in town as a domestic, which helped the family through these difficult times. Wilson recalls his family being one of only a few African American families in town. As could be expected in this era, this caused Wilson, on occasion, to be called a “nigger.” Additionally, Wilson acknowledged that he engaged in some fights instigated by racial slurs directed at him (Remnick, 1996, p. 99). He also remembers discrimination occurring in some stores in his hometown. Wilson specifically recalls an incident where a restaurant refused to serve his family. Even with these impediments, Wilson never considered his situation abject poverty. That is, he never felt that he was destined to a life of poverty. As he put it: We were poor, but we didn’t feel trapped in poverty . . . Even though my parents didn’t go past the ninth and tenth grades, it never occurred to me that I wasn’t going to college—that I wouldn’t have a bright future. There was never that feeling of hopelessness, of despair. (Wilson as quoted in Remnick, 1996, p. 99) In fact, despite their situation, all of Wilson’s siblings were expected to go to college. According to Wilson, they all did (Remnick, 1996, p. 99). Two early influences in Wilson’s life were his teachers and his aunt Janice Wardlaw. Wilson recalls that his teachers never gave up on him or his siblings. One teacher recognized his potential (he had a high I.Q.) and told him to live up to it (Remnick 1996, p. 99). Janice Wardlaw, Wilson’s father’s sister, had a profound impact on him. Wardlaw was the...

Share