Claflin University guard Jailen Williams stands out on the court at his HBCU for two reasons – his play and his vitiligo.
The senior from Salisbury, NC is one of an estimated .5 percent to one percent of people in the world who have the autoimmune skin disorder. He recently opened up about living with the disorder on the athletic department’s Twitter account.
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions. I feel like people with this disorder feel more uncomfortable with people just staring at them rather than being open and asking questions,” Williams said. “It’s nothing painful. It’s not detrimental to our lives or nothing like that. From my experience, most people would be happy to share the history behind it.”
Williams, a business administration major, led Claflin in scoring last year averaging just under 12 points per game. He’s currently averaging just under eight points per game for Claflin, which sits atop the CIAA South standings with one game to go before the CIAA Tournament.
Discourse about vitiligo can be rare, especially in the African-American community in general or in the HBCU community in particular.
“It’s a step in the right direction for sure. I’ve never had nothing like this happen to me before – to shine a light on a disease like this because like you said, most people don’t know about it, Williams continued. “I understand why people might stare from time to time because its different but I appreciate Claflin for shining a light on it.”