William Julius Wilson, Wiener Professor of Social Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is known for his work in sociology and activism.

He says that he and his five siblings themselves "defied sociological laws" because all six kids earned B.A. degrees despite growing up in poverty.

Wilson's childhood was spent in "a small coal-mining town" in Pennsylvania, where his father worked as a miner to support a family of six children until his death at age 39.

Wilson attributes his motivation to attend college to his mother and aunt.

"My mother always kept the idea alive that I could go on to college," he says.

"My aunt Janice took me to libraries and museums," he continues. "She made me believe I was smart."

In 1995, when Wilson accepted a joint appointment in the Kennedy School and the Afro-American Studies department, critics said the latter department focused too much on culture and history, and not enough on policy. Wilson was brought in to change that perception.

Today, between working on several large-scale projects, ranging from books, to conferences, to research, Wilson is so busy that he doesn't have time to pursue his three favorite hobbies: fishing, golf and the movies.

"I'm doing something wrong; things have got to change," he says jokingly of the situation.

This is the lighter side of Wilson. But the issue to which he has dedicated his career are far more grave.

AT the moment, he is working on two books. One addresses the issue of bridging the racial divide in America, examining ways to bring different ethnic groups together.

"We loose sight of the fact that we have more things in common than we do different," Wilson says.

Wilson is also co-authoring another book about race and social organizations in neighborhoods of the working and lower middle classes.

"It's a comparative analysis of the way neighborhoods address the issue of race," he says.

He is also beginning a major research project with colleges at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Chicago that will examine the effects of welfare reform on the working poor in three cities in the country.