Born on the East Side of Buffalo, New York, Dr. Anita Ozella Williams, the daughter of a confused and troubled mother, lived in a home tyrannized by her brutal and abusive stepfa- ther.
Calling him a fiend would be a compliment as he made Anita and her family’s life so miserable, that it ultimately led her to try to take her own life.
Growing up in a tumultuous and volcanic environment, Anita broke free from the bondage of her past and became a born-again Christian when she was in her twenties. Since then, she has dedicated her life to the Lord and relentlessly serves Him.
Anita is a retired registered nurse and active pastor, and though she is no longer “working,” she has always found a way to serve her Lord and Savior. She was honored with a Doctor of Divinity, conferred through the National School of Theology by Dean Orlando Short, PhD.
Anita is a strong leader in her community and has been honored with many awards over the years for her tireless ministry work. She is also the creator and founder of the original Taking it to the Streets, a highly anticipated annual event, now in its 35th year, and held in the M.L.K. Park in Buffalo, New York.
Born on the East Side of Buffalo, New York, Dr. Anita Ozella Williams, the daughter of a confused and troubled mother, lived in a home tyrannized by her brutal and abusive stepfa- ther.
Calling him a fiend would be a compliment as he made Anita and her family’s life so miserable, that it ultimately led her to try to take her own life. Growing up in a tumultuous and volcanic environment, Anita broke free from the bondage of her past and became a born-again Christian when she was in her twenties.
Since then, she has dedicated her life to the Lord and relentlessly serves Him.
Anita is a retired registered nurse and active pastor, and though she is no longer “working,” she has always found a way to serve her Lord and Savior. She was honored with a Doctor of Divinity, conferred through the National School of Theology by Dean Orlando Short, PhD.
Anita is a strong leader in her community and has been honored with many awards over the years for her tireless ministry work. She is also the creator and founder of the original Taking it to the Streets, a highly anticipated annual event, now in its 35th year, and held in the M.L.K. Park in Buffalo, New York.
Anita Williams earned her Doctor of Divinity from the National School of Theology in 2009 and is the founder and director of God’s Ministry of Deliverance.
Additionally, licensed in the State of New York, Dr. Williams has served as a registered nurse in the Kaleida Health System’s Medical Intensive Care Unit where she retired in good standing after 40 years of service. Her professional pedigree includes training from Buffalo General Hospital (Kaleida Health System) and academic study with SUNY at Buffalo.
She is the wife of Dillard Williams Jr., with whom Anita joy- fully shares her life and dreams as they serve God together. She also thoroughly enjoys her role as a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Dr. Williams has served as the pastor of God’s Ministry of Deliverance Church since 1981 where she tends a lumi- nous flock that is filled with the Holy Ghost and the love of God.
In addition to her pastoral duties, Dr. Williams continues to conduct revivals, conferences, and seminars both locally and nationally, which she has done for many years in obedience to God’s call on her life. Moreover, through spearheading count- less community outreaches, Anita has developed long-standing collaborative partnerships with community leaders, faith leaders, political leaders, businesses, and more.
Multi-talented and extremely well organized, Anita uses her versatility to serve as an event planner and work as a voiceover specialist, along with numerous other pursuits which her passion to glorify God has led her to follow. The most prominent of these include God‘s Ministry of Deliverance Prison Ministry, which was launched in 1988 through the leading of the Holy Spirit; Well Done Media, founded in 2001; and Suffering Women in Ministry (SWIM), created in 2003.
These Ministries are geared toward helping people, connect- ing them to community resources, and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a prophetess. Since 1986, Anita has hosted “The Prophetic Word” radio broadcast, heard Sunday mornings at 9:30 on WUFO 1080 AM. Affectionately known as “The Praiser,” Anita has maintained her connection with the WUFO signal, now known as Power 96.5/1080 WUFO where her most recently acquired mic/ radio personality name is “Razor Sharp.” Anita’s start in radio as a Gospel D.J. began in 1995 when the doors of the still existing “Totally Gospel Radio Network” opened for her. There she was trained, acquired an appetite for the mic, and was known at that time as A.J. the Gospel D.J. In addition to all these amazing doors of radio ministry that the Lord has opened and blessed, in 2019 Anita was appointed the position of Pastoral Consultant for WDAP online radio network.
In 1988 Anita was moved by the Lord to launch what has grown to be a highly anticipated and greatly celebrated event known as the “Taking it to the Streets International Crusade Rally & Festival.” Held each summer, “Taking it to the Streets” has grown into an annual experience with the Lord that He has been pleased to bless and use. An amazingly complex event, the festival requires a great deal of planning, organization, preparation, community collabo- ration, media, volunteers, open doors, and more… However, from this event many unexpected opportunities have arisen enabling Anita to touch numerous communities. For example, she has been able to reach out to musical artists all across the United States and engage the gifts and callings of both local and national talents to help spread the Word through their own giftings and creativity as they are led by the Lord.
Throughout the years, Dr. Williams has been the recipient of numerous awards and acknowledgments for the lives she’s touched through her work in the community. Always a deeply humbling experience, some of these honors include: The Community Service Award from the Minority Bar Foundation in 2019; a nomination for Radio Announcer of the year during the 2017 Rhythm of Gospel Awards; the 43rd Annual Black Achievers Award sponsored by WUFO Radio in 2015; the Women of Distinction Award, and the National Federation of Just Families Community Service Award which were conferred upon her in 2013; in 2010 she was honored with the Women of Influence Award from Business First, and the Daniel R. Acker Award from the NAACP; she also received the Iney Wallens Good Neighbors Award from Niagara Falls, New York in 2009; while 2008 found her accepting the gratitude of the City of Buffalo through its Executive Chamber Proclamation (Honorable Mayor Byron Brown); in 2007 Anita was pleased to accept the Kathy Bowman Ministries Empowerment Clinic/ Retreat Stellar Award, the Saint Phillips Awards, and the Author S. Hopkins Who’s Who Award. Finally, in 2001 she received the Challenger Newspaper Millennium Award. It doesn’t end there, however, in addition to these poignant and affecting honors, Dr. Williams has received multiple mentions, acknowledgments, and awards from members of the New York State Senate as well as City Comptrollers. Other awards include the 2013 Woman of the Year award, the Dr. Doyle “Rose” award, and induction as a new member of the Gospel Artist Music Associations, “GAMA,” as a radio and ministry panelist.