South Dakota civil rights leader Porter Williams dies

Sioux Falls businessman, activist and artist remembered as driving force in community conversations around equal rights

Porter Williams stands next to the Martin Luther King, Jr. sculpture he created during a dedication ceremony at Van Eps Park in Sioux Falls in January 2020. (Photo courtesy of the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation.)

The legacy of a renowned advocate for civil rights and black history and culture in South Dakota is being celebrated following his passing during the Memorial Day weekend.

Porter Williams died Sunday at the age of 82.

A man of many roles — contractor, activist, artist and community leader — Williams left a lasting mark on Sioux Falls and the state through decades of advocacy, protest and creative expression to advance causes of the black community. From suing the city of Sioux Falls over racial discrimination in the 1980s to sculpting one of its most iconic public artworks, his life traced the arc of America’s evolving civil rights movement.

Humble hero: Historian elevating unsung South Dakota war hero legacy