Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2020/Summer II/Section 06/Liza Williams

Overview

Liza “Ma” Williams or “Ma” Stevens was born in the 1830s in Georgia. She was known for being the root doctor in Savannah in 1939 at the age of 103.

Biography

Early Life

Prior to her root doctoring job, she used to be a laundress in different Georgia hotels. However, as she got older and weaker, she left her laundress job and had to be financially supported by her children. Her husband died of old age, and then her children all died from illnesses similar to colds. She claimed she had powers to see when her family was going to die. Williams was left by herself in her home at 640 Lavinia Street in Savannah, Georgia. Her root doctoring skills made others in the town fear her for her powers. She was able to create cures for good and conjures for evil.

Williams' Later Years

“Ma” Williams was extremely well known in her town and everyone around her wanted to avoid her at all costs unless she was treating them. She was feared but for the most part, respected. Although, neighbors near her complained to law enforcement, and she was forced into court. However, she was able to leave once she showed that her root doctoring concoctions were used solely for healing and curing people. After that, she had been extremely weary of what medicines she created and what spells or conjures she casted for others. While her exact age and death date are unknown, Williams lived to be at least 103 years old.

Historical & Cultural Context

Root Doctoring & Voodoo

Root doctoring was like the infamous voodoo. Voodoo is a folk religion that originated in Haiti. Many of the traditions can be found in the United States and other Afro-Caribbean countries. Followers of voodoo believed in multiple spirits or loa who had the ability to possess the bodies of voodoo followers. Soul possession by the loa was highly praised in the voodoo religion, unlike many others. They were responsible for different aspects of life, such as love or agriculture.

African Americans & The Great Depression

Post-civil war, African Americans had limited access to proper healthcare due to lack of Black doctors, lack of trust in white doctors, and lack of money. During and after the Great Depression in the 1920s and early 1930s, many African Americans faced extreme unemployment rates, making their job experiences worse than before. African Americans in general were the first workers to be fired due to the poor economy. Collectively, black Americans’ unemployment rates were around 2 to 3 times worse than white Americans, leaving them in a worse economic condition compared to whites.

Medical Inequality in the 1930s

Racial inequality in the medical profession was not uncommon at the time either. US Jim Crow Laws hindered African Americans from good healthcare. The lack of proper medical facilities and doctors in Black areas in was also part of the issues in Black Americans receiving little to no traditional healthcare in the same way white Americans received it. Therefore, African Americans relied heavily on root doctors, majority of them African American, to cure them of their illnesses and more. Their jobs were imperative in African American culture. Even though many Black people were trusting of root doctors, it was taboo to speak about any work they’ve gotten done by the doctors. Patients believed that if anyone found out about their root doctor work, they would be ridiculed by others.