About
R. Seth Williams served as the District Attorney of Philadelphia, the first African American to hold that office in the city and in Pennsylvania.
Following his own journey through the criminal justice system, he has worked on reentry and vocational training, and joined the White Collar Conference to speak about second chances.
Elsewhere on this story
- Seth Williams on Nightmare Success Nightmare Success episode: Seth Williams, From Philly DA to Prison to Advocate
At the White Collar Conference
Seth Williams described going from Philadelphia district attorney to 152 days in solitary confinement, and how talking with other people through a vent and in the rec cage began to pull him out of isolation. He said the Residential Drug Abuse Program and Chuck Colson's book Born Again showed him that the feelings underneath everyone's experience were universal.
“Once I understood that the underlying feelings that we all had were universal, then I was able to come out of my own isolation and start to understand how we're all connected.”
Watch at 17:49
“When God was all I had, I learned that God was all I needed.”
Watch at 18:22
“We are not unique.”
Watch at 35:22
Chapters
- 0:00 Bill Baroni opens the panel
- 2:03 Erika Cheung on blowing the whistle and the isolation that followed
- 5:56 Erika Cheung on asking for help
- 11:03 Seth Williams on going from elected office to solitary confinement
- 17:07 Seth Williams on RDAP and learning from other inmates
- 20:53 Elizabeth Kelley on isolation, mental health and her clients
- 28:31 Erika Cheung on making tomorrow a little better
- 32:32 Seth Williams on Chuck Colson's "Born Again"
- 34:20 A few words for someone who feels isolated
- 36:29 Elizabeth Kelley's closing advice
With Bill Baroni (moderator), Erika Cheung and Elizabeth Kelley
Join us in fall 2027.
The fourth annual White Collar Conference is planned for fall 2027, virtual on Zoom and open to all.