Most people know Michael K. Williams from “The Greatest Show Ever,” aka The Wire. During the show’s five-season run, Williams stole the show as Omar Little, Baltimore’s Robin Hood stick-up man known for robbing street-level drug dealers while adhering to a strict moral code and altogether badass demeanor. He’s also recognized for another equally badass role as Chalky White on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, playing a racketeer who became leader of the African-American community in Prohibition-era Atlantic City.

It’s fitting that Williams is often case as strong-willed tough guys who go against the grain. From Omar Little’s own form of justice to Chalky White’s rise, Williams simulates his onscreen characters and their beliefs in his own life. With the nation’s eyes turning towards Baltimore—a city where the corrupt day-to-day life was exposed and popularized on The Wire, and following a year where police brutality issues are finally coming to light—Williams has consistently voiced his opinion and made it clear: his main focus is giving back to the community that raised him. For instance, Williams is an ACLU Ambassador for Ending Mass Incarceration, in addition to running his own non-profit, Making Kids Win, which develops kids’ community centers for stimulating creative growth.

Studio One Eighty Nine’s Abrima Erwiah and Rosario Dawson (Williams’ co-star in Erykah Badu’s Western They Die by Dawn) caught up with the actor to discuss paying it forward and keeping hope alive during a time when the country needs it most.

ROSARIO DAWSON: We know that there are people in our lives who helped us change our course, people who maybe saw something that we didn’t see in ourselves, and people we allowed to help us. Who is that someone who helped you on your path to success?

MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS: For me, a person that I allowed to help me was Lou Gossett Jr. Lou came into my life through a job and we immediately connected on several levels as father-and-son, as friends, and as my big brother. I had hit a snag on a personal level, and he was very equipped to help me deal with it. It took our friendship to another level and I’m totally grateful for having him in my life, to be able to call him my big brother.

ABRIMA ERWIAH: That’s dope. At a recent conference Studio One Eighty Nine was part of, a woman said to me, “When you have a mentor, they share their experiences with you. Even though you haven’t gone through those experiences yourself, you take them with you as if they were your own.” When someone shares and is open like that with you, it’s such a powerful thing. Has anyone allowed you to help them?

MKW: That’s what life is all about, you know? In my church, my pastor always says, “You can’t tell somebody ow to get through something if you haven’t gone through it yourself.” A lot of the heartaches people go through are basically just called life. If you process. If you process it properly and learn from it, it can then be used as a tool to help somebody else, whether it’s a family member or the next generation. You can take your life experiences that you were able to overcome and use that to help someone else. To me, that is the core of life and the human race.

The first person that comes to mind would be my little sister, Felicia “Snoop” Pearson from The Wire. She was someone that came to me during a vulnerable spot in both of our lives and she trusted me. She didn’t know me from a can of paint when we met, and I approached her with some off-the-wall proposal. She trusted me and allowed me to help her. Something beautiful came out of that. I consider her my little sister and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her and vice-versa.

RD: What is the social cause that you support?

MKW: I’m a huge advocate for youth. I started a non-profit organization called MKW, which stands for “Making Kids Win,” and my goal is to build community centers and pack them with all sorts of goodies for the kids to cultivate their talents, whether it be in the arts or academics—doesn’t matter. I want to find [these kids] a safe haven to breathe, be themselves, and take off whatever image they have in the street, whether it be a gang color or whatever it is you wear on the street. I believe that’s my purpose in life.

It keeps them out of trouble and it also keeps them out of the hands of law enforcement. I’m ambassador to the ACLU, [the non-profit for ending] mass incarceration. I don’t understand: it costs more money to send people to prison than it does to cut the problem at the head, which is when they’re children. We’re breeding inmates at a younger rate in these urban communities. Not only is it costing more money as an end result, it’s just kids’ genocide and we’re paying for it. It’s not even a race thing, but I’m tired of seeing youth murdered in the streets and at the hands of the police. If it keeps up like this, we’re not going to have another generation. It’s not white or Black, we have to save all our kids—no matter what race, gender, or sexual orientation. We’ve got to give them an alternative to what’s out there right now. It’s not brain surgery—all of the cities have a different version of the same bullshit and there’s nothing for these kids to do. It works when you keep arts in the school system; we have proof, it’s not about becoming an entertainer, it’s about massaging the brain.

RD: I love what you said about arts and crafts. The reality of having the assets of creative things is empowering because it’s what we’re doing with Studio One Eighty Nine. We’re recognizing that through fashion, people can rise.

MKW: I am, by far, not saying everyone is going to be a movie start actress like Rosario Dawson or a TV start like Michael K. Williams; there’s slim to fucking none. But I do know that it stimulates your mind, where you can begin to dream and find your own way in life.

RD: The resources are there. Having art and using it for things in our lives makes us human. It’s how we express ourselves and how we share. It’s part of our history and culture as a human race.

MKW: I work very closely with my boricua sister Rosie at the Urban Arts Partner Foundation, which is basically our sole purpose to keep arts in NYC charter schools. I’ve seen the proof with my own two eyes: I’ve seen the schools we’re in, their grades going up, and the impact the program has had.

RD: We’re human beings, not robots. We have to stimulate our hearts, minds, and bodies—dance, movement. Through Studio One Eighty Nine, we discovered how delighted people were creating something and being valued for what they’re creating. It’s really powerful. You can’t empower someone, because people have to empower themselves.

MKW: All human beings want to be successful and want to feel good about themselves. That is a core human emotion. Everyone wants to strive for good. You give a motherfucker a chance and they will rise to the occasion.

RD: What are your current views on the state of the fashion industry today? Are you joyful there can be more change and acceptance?

MKW: The fashion world is ever-evolving. I think it reflects what’s happening with people and society. Who would have thought a simple black tee with the words “I Can’t Breathe” would be a fashion statement? I think fashion reflects what’s going on in society. Look at the impact that hip hop has had on the fashion world, where a girl from the Lower East Side can grow up and become a fashion designer and have a message behind her clothing line. Hip hop helped with that. You can’t give up. If you give up hope on fashion, then you’re giving up hope on life—because fashion reflects the tone of the people.