FERGUSON, Mo.—Terrence Williams, 23, is a St. Louis native working hard to change the narrative that has inundated this city over the past several weeks.

While riots and looting have turned Ferguson into a catalyst for the race debate in the 21st century, Williams takes to the streets with a garbage bag in hand—helping to clean up and rebuild both the city and its relationships.

That’s exactly what Williams was doing when Huffington Post reporter Ryan J. Reilly snapped a photo of him that went viral a week ago.

The Daily Signal caught up with Williams to find out what fuels him—and discovered some surprising news in the process.