There’s a saying in Carla Williams’ family that goes back to the civil rights era of the 1960s.
“Put yourself in a position where you can’t be denied,” her grandparents would tell their 19 children and 34 grandchildren in LaGrange, Ga.
The sheer conviction of that statement provided Williams with all the direction she’d ever need, whether she was a middle schooler playing basketball against high schoolers or she was pursuing her Ph.D…