Community Awareness Series (CAS) Founder Daoud-David Williams Honored with Miller Library Branch Auditorium Naming

The Jersey City Council has voted in favor of an ordinance to name the auditorium in our Miller Library Branch after Daoud-David Williams, a long time community activist and founder of the Spirit of Life Ensemble and Community Awareness Series (CAS).

CAS was founded in 1977 as a collaboration between the Jersey City Free Public Library (JCFPL) Miller Branch and the Spirit of Life Ensemble. CAS serves as an ambassador in the arts for the community by organizing and conducting live performances, workshops, educational forums, multicultural presentations, children’s programs and institutional outreach Jersey City, Hudson County, and beyond.

Based at Miller Library Branch, CAS operates throughout the Library system and throughout the city. The Live Performance Series’ mainstay is jazz, but CAS also hosts world beat, folk, blues, gospel, rock, and classical music. Another component of the live performance is dance and spoken word. The Workshop/Forum Series puts a spotlight on social development, creative endeavors, information sharing, and resource distribution in an informal setting. The Children’s Series focuses on live edutainment. CAS Outreach Series initiated many joint projects with various social, educational, cultural, religious, and government institutions; along with Jersey City’s public in the hopes of fostering unity and providing a visual platform for our multicultural communities.

The Daoud-David Williams Auditorium will serve as a tribute to a cultural icon in Jersey City. However, the auditorium urgently needs renovation to honor his legacy properly. Your support will transform this space into a vibrant hub for artistic expression and community engagement, reflecting the diversity and pride of Jersey City. Join us in preserving Williams’s legacy and shaping the future of our cultural heritage.