INDIANAPOLIS — Rev. Charles Williams left a significant impact on Indiana Black Expo as its first paid president. His legacy is now on permanent display in front of the Indiana Convention Center.
The section of Capitol Avenue between Maryland Street and South Street now has the honorary title of Rev. Charles R. Williams Memorial Way. Indianapolis dedicated the street on Friday with new signs and a ceremony paying tribute to his life.
"His vision for Indiana and the world beyond is one in which Black people are visible," said Indianapolis City Council president Vop Osili during the ceremony. "Not just visible, but celebrated."
Williams took over Indiana Black Expo in 1983 after serving as an assistant to then-Indianapolis mayor William Hudnut.
He established IBE traditions such as the Circle City Classic, an annual football game between two historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and the accompanying Circle City Classic Scholarship Fund, which IBE said has awarded more than $5 million in scholarships to Indiana students.
Williams died in 2004 at age 56 after a two-year battle with prostate cancer. His memorial was held at the RCA Dome, which stood right where the now-Rev. Charles Williams Memorial Way now runs.
"To me, he's the Martin Luther King of Indianapolis," said Indiana Black Expo Indianapolis chapter president Michael Ricketts. "He helped us grow. He got us there. We're continuing on that legacy to make it grow into the next century."
Ricketts hopes the street's new name inspires both Hoosiers and convention center visitors to research Wiliams' life and legacy.
"That sign is going to make you think, 'Why is this sign here? What has this man done? Why did they honor him?'" Ricketts said. "Search the Reverend Charles Williams and you won't be disappointed."
Indianapolis previously dedicated a park along Fall Creek in Williams' memory. Rev. Charles R. Williams Park opened on Sutherland Avenue near E. 32nd Street this past September after a decade of planning.
