WOMEN SHAPING HISTORY 2017
Cheryl Wills: NY1 News Reporter, & Host of “In Focus”
Cheryl Wills: NY1 News Reporter, & Host of “In Focus”
What has inspired your current career path?
My love for the written word and reporting has inspired my current career path. As a child, I exhibited an early appreciation for writing compelling stories and I am very thankful that I remained faithful to my heart’s passion.
As an anchor and an author, I exercise my skill-set with enthusiasm. I also appreciate the opportunity to visit schools and encourage students to dream big and identify their innate talents and gifts.
What are some of the greatest challenges you’ve faced?
My greatest challenge was overcoming the untimely death of my father. Clarence Wills, a New York City firefighter and married father of five, was killed in a fiery motorcycle crash in 1980. I was only 13 years old. I was traumatized by this event and it had the ability to cripple me emotionally. I had to fight back and face my grief and all of the lingering fears associated with it - so I could walk confidently in the direction of my dreams. It wasn’t easy but step by step I did it. My other challenge was breaking into the broadcasting industry. It wasn’t easy to get that first job and it was even more challenging to get on air as a reporter. But I persisted. It took 25 years, but I was just named the host of a talk show, “In Focus with Cheryl Wills”. It’s a dream come true but it took a lot of hard work to get to this point.
What are some of the accomplishments you are most proud of?
I am most proud of locating my ancestors who were enslaved during the antebellum and Civil War era. Sandy Wills (1840 - 1889) and his wife Emma Wills (1850 - 1901) are my great-great-great grandparents. Their amazing story from slavery to freedom during the Civil War era was lost to my family for more than a century. Thanks to my painstaking research, I discovered that Grandpa Sandy was a soldier who fought in President Lincoln’s army from 1863 to 1865. I’m also the first in my family to learn the origin of our surname: Wills. It was due to slave trader Edmond Wills of Tennessee. He purchased my ten year old Grandpa Sandy at auction. This is the greatest accomplishment of my life - to have uncovered a lost legacy that is so full of lessons for children today.
And to have written numerous children’s book about their heroic legacy is deeply gratifying and humbling.
Who have been the most influential mentors in your life?
My mom, Ruth Wills, is the most influential mentor in my life. When my father died, my mother became both a mother and father. My mother was a lioness who refused to allow the cruel winds of fate to destroy her children - even though they were fatherless. My grandma Opal is also a mentor - she taught me how to be strong and brave in the face of tragedy.
What would you describe as a turning point in your life?
The turning point in my life came in 2009, when I discovered the long lost legacy of Grandpa Sandy and Grandma Emma.
They are the wind beneath my wings and their heroic stories whisper to me from the grave.
Once I discovered their story, I realized just how lucky I was to be a free woman and the incredible price that was paid for the freedom and opportunities that I now enjoy.
What are your goals for the future?
My immediate goal is to build a school in Tennessee where my grandparents were enslaved and legally prohibited from attending school. I just located their unmarked graves and plan to restore them.
I also plan to establish the Sandy & Emma Wills Foundation which will provide scholarships for children who have been traumatized.#
Cheryl Wills has been a part of New York 1 News for 25 years. She is now the host of “In Focus with Cheryl Wills” and was recently honored with the Dr. Martin Luther King Award by the Israeli Consulate. Her website is diefreethebook.com
