Meet Queen Aftan Williams | Orator Royale, EntrepreneuHER, Radio Personality, Television Host, Administrative Manager, Pageant Queen & Overall Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Queen Aftan Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Queen Aftan, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
“Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore, get wisdom and in all thy getting, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7 NKJV), is my very favorite scripture because it speaks to foundation. It is possibly a philosophy used for each aspect of my life. How can we truly move in excellence if we have not acquired the information about the thing and taken time to absorb what it means? This goes back to the basics. When you have a full understanding, you will operate accordingly and produce well. It grants you sure footing and stability. Understanding is a calming space that allows both parties to come to a mutual existence even if they agree to disagree. Understanding pushes the lightbulb moment forward when you are in the dark. Understanding helps you get found when you are lost in it. Understanding opens portals to creativity making the unknown live in reality. Understanding is the core and the key to elevation. I love to understand (and “overstand” if possible)!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Ok! Whew! This is the first year I am stepping from behind the scenes to really do the action of my calling professionally. In a series of very big events, I realize that something like “moving masses” is not presented to us in the available jobs we could do or who we could grow up to become. I am a host, an emcee, a personality, who is unafraid of people. I am commissioned to move masses and I know how to do it innately! Right now, many may know me in the administrative/managerial light. Some people even think I’m a publicist (Fun Fact: While I do have a bachelors degree in Mass Comm: PR, from the illustrious Clark Atlanta University, I’ve never proclaimed to be a PR rep! People just assume it!) I hope now however, that I shine in the area of being your on stage navigation system or guest speaker and even panelist. There may also be some acting involved! Let’s rewind though. Since 1994, My mom was the international director of events and planning for the Full Gospel Baptist Church fellowship, a title I had never heard before because it didn’t exist. She resigned when she was about 15 years into it but before then I was the little girl attached to her coattail. The founder of this movement, Bishop Paul S Morton Sr, was also my pastor. Under his leadership, the church motto stuck with me and I use it every day: “Striving for Excellence”. It’s sprinkled into the thoughts and actions of my every day pushes. Because of my mother’s status within the fellowship, I was allowed access to closed-door meetings, penthouse suite conversations, backstage shenanigans, private rebukes, public praise, celebrity encounters and introduced to the art of precision timing. She was the orchestrator of the machine who had to unravel that vision of the visionary to make each part come to life and seek God to ensure it had spiritual weight. I was able to see genius at work from many sides and spectrums. This shaped me. How was she doing this to this height, while caring for me and keeping me dressed well? I knew I was a part of her legacy and she groomed me in that vein. She had me to pass out the papers in the meetings with the big wigs, pour the waters for the special guests, deliver messages to great individuals who were about to get on stage, organize documents (as an 11 year old) and still participate in the youth events. I think she made me a little bit fearless. When people begin to look at me as a good worker and wanted to use me, she demanded that they put me on payroll. I was working paid internships and summer jobs at thirteen! My first big giant project was being the office manager for the Word Network show Gospel Dream with Elvin Ross at 16 years old. So much organization was involved and administration was in my blood. This is why it was easy to me! As I matriculated in the industry, my job part was easy but being a woman in it was a bit difficult. I remember being on the road with Chrisette Michele in 2014 as her road manager And one of my responsibilities was to collect the settlement before she would go on stage. In this city, I was to collect $20,000. Now usually this amount would come in the form of a check and perhaps some cash but because I was a woman they thought it would be great to give me the lump sum in one dollar bills. But MaryAnn and Clarence didn’t raise no fool! So I let them know that we were going to count all of this money together. Me first, then them and however long that took was how long we would be delaying the show. The next day, I had to pray and walk to the bank with $20,000 in one dollar bills in a backpack to make the drop. From then on, I learned to be authentically me because people are going to do what they want to do anyway! I begin to embrace my uniqueness and call it Royal! “Queen Aftan” came to be because I call of the young men and ladies in my nonprofit kings and queens before their first name. Plus, I am a pageant winner 12 times over! It has become more than a nickname, but the embodiment of exactly who I am! I use it professionally because I am also a brand. All things I do and create have a royal name like My live social media podcast, “Queen, You’ve Got MALE”, my non profit org “Crown Up International”, my funny tips/hints “Reign Drops” and even my administrative business, “Royalist Management”. I wear crown pins every day on the same size of my heart and pink shoes on my feet!
I have learned to be uniquely me, no matter how many people, brands, events or ideas look a little bit like who I am. No one can be you, no one can be me. Royalty is eminent. Eminence is excellence. Excellence leads to elevation. Elevation breeds high expectation. High expectation is directly Associated with high royalty. And the beautiful cycle continues!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Alright friend! Welcome to Atlanta! Here is our itinerary: Monday
Lunch Capital Grille
Dinner at 9 Mile Station
Drinks at Slush

Tuesday
Breakfast at Belle and Lilly’s
Games at the Painted Duck
Lunch at The Pearl
Dinner at the Garden Room

Wednesday
Brunch at Gocha’s
Visit to the Trap Museum
Dinner at Tribeca Buckhead

Thursday
Putt Shack
Dinner at Atrium in Ponce City Market
Dance at Nouveau

Friday
Brunch at Toast on Lenox
Finder’s Keepers Consignment (both locations)
Dinner at Tiny Lou’s
Drinks at Bar Vegan

Saturday
Breakfast at Barneys
Atlantic Station
Phipps Plaza
Turkey Necks and Shrimp from Skitor’s Boiling Pots Pop Up
Dinner at Milk and Honey
Drinks at Jo Jo’s Beloved

Sunday
Church at Changing A Generation FGBC
Gospel Brunch at the Garden’s Executive Club
Snowballs and sweets from Everythang NOLA
Dinner at The Select
Drinks at Little Trouble

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I must dedicate this Shoutout to the following: My mommy, Pastor MaryAnn Williams, is the beginning support system and businesswoman model! She is my biggest cheerleader and she will change her pom-poms according to what it is I’m participating in next! She constantly thinks I should be paid more for every aspect of what I do even when I raise my rates! Lol She has even hired me herself for several endeavors !
My family in general are big bowls of love so I must credit them with ensuring that even in this industry where you need to be tough-skinned, heart can still be incorporated.
Tina Fears, Chiquita Lockley, Elvin Ross and April Love took a risk and paid me to be on their teams or a part of what they had going on with other clients early on in my career starting at just 15 years old with MAJOR entities! Each of them has had a hand in ensuring that excellence was at the forefront of what I produced. They still trust me with projects even when they aren’t a part of it to this day! They are icons and titans in my book!
Newcomers ( Of the past 10 years and more recent) Keon the Connect, Producer Princess, Chrisette Michele, Waleed Shamsid-Deen, Adeidra Washington, Kerenha Puch, Ebony OH (and I really hope I’m not forgetting anyone) keep me working and BELIEVE IN ME! They are all beautiful souls who are moguls in their own right. I’m extremely fortunate.
I need to shoutout EVERYONE who EVER shared my social media posts, watched my live interviews, tuned in to my podcast, listened to all of the radio stations I was on, granted me a sponsorship for my nonprofit, served with me on my board, came to my events, hired me, laughed with me while I emceed, followed me, spoke to me in public because you recognized me, selected me to be a pageant queen, prayed with me, clapped for me, cheered me on, invested in me, prophesied over me, asked about my pink shoes, agreed with me in debate, let me in on trade secrets, gave me VIP all access status at their function, told me you saw me on tv, worshiped with me in dance, wanted to buy the crown pins off of my chest, sent your child to attend a “CrownUp” occurrence, bought me a keychain from your trip, fed me, made me an ambassador to your brand, bartered with me, said YES to me, included me, talked to me for hours, genuinely loved on me and never lied to me. I LOVE YALL!
And lastly to my Dad, Dr. Clarence W. Williams Jr who is starting to understand what it means to birth a creative and support this nuance. It’s cool to see him evolve! I love you Dad!

Website: UGMRadio.com

Instagram: @QueenAftan

Image Credits
ADJ ANTOINNE DUANE JONES