They Call Me Little Willie

The Life Story of William L. Adams

Born months before the start of World War I, William L. Adams left the North Carolina cotton fields behind forever in 1929 and moved to Baltimore as part of the Great Migration. At the age of 15, he became a numbers runner to support himself. With a preternatural understanding of finance and business, he rapidly ascended, becoming the head of his own illegal gambling operation. His leadership of the racket led to an attempt on his life by the Mafia, repeated criminal prosecutions, testimony before a special investigative committee of the U.S. Senate, and a landmark Supreme Court case.

Unlike so many other kingpins, Adams emerged from the underworld and used his influence and resources for good, launching and financing scores of legal businesses, including the first Black-owned company to go public on Wall Street, and supporting numerous candidates for elected office, all with the goal of empowering Baltimore's Black community economically, politically, and socially.

©2016 mark cheshire (P)2023 Mark Cheshire