Post by Bakari Copeland, BCST, MSCIS

A Life of Landmark Heights in Music and Entertainment [Soul Sound Ambassador] An On-Air Radio Interview Is Happening At This Writing - "World Cafe" - Public Radio Philadelphia DYANA WILLIAMS Dyana Williams has distinguished herself as the primary authority on the prominence and value of African American music in global culture. Williams has built a respected niche as a noted air personality and programmer who celebrated 50 years in radio in 2022, and has become one of the foremost women entrepreneurs in contemporary entertainment and media. A native of Harlem, New York, Williams began her radio career as a DJ at the City College of New York’s WCCR. Inspired by pioneering NYC radio host Vy Higginsen, Williams moved on to WHUR-FM in Washington, D.C., in 1973, honing her on-air style as “Ebony Moonbeams,” earning countless devotees to her sensuous vocal delivery and musical choices. In 1975, she was gratified when legendary New York programmer/DJ Frankie Crocker brought Williams to the top-rated WBLS-FM, the same station where she had first heard Higginsen. Williams’ innate love of Black music and Black culture has motivated her to become an advocate of America’s indigenous musical forms, including R&B, blues, hip-hop, soul, and jazz. In the 1990s, Williams founded the International Association of African American Music (IAAAM) to help educate, promote, celebrate, and preserve black music forms through discussion, performance, and other events. Williams was integral to establishing June as Black Music Month in the United States, having co-written House Concurrent Bill 509, which recognized African American music as an American cultural institution, thus earning the title “The Mother of Black Music Month.” As CEO of Influence Entertainment, one of the leading media and entertainment consulting companies in the U.S., Williams provides essential media education and coaching to top-charting recording artists, actors, performers, business executives, athletes, and celebrities from a variety of industries. Her extensive client roster has included Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Fantasia, ASAP Rocky, Spotify, Tidal, Motown, UNCF, The City of Philadelphia and more. Williams is a founding board member of the dynamic new National Museum of African-American Music in Nashville, where she co-chairs the museum’s Music Industry Relations Collective. A past president of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Recording Academy (the GRAMMYs), she is also a proud member of SAG-AFTRA. She currently sits on the board of her alma mater, Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication, where she graduated cum laude. #BlacMusicMonth #June2026 #AmericanMusic