85R18952 CJM-D
By: Davis of Dallas H.R. No. 1166
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The city of Dallas lost a renowned civic leader with
the passing of Roy H. Williams on March 18, 2017, at the age of 74;
and
WHEREAS, A native of Longview, Roy Williams became involved
in the civil rights movement at an early age; as a teenager, he
protested segregated lunch counters and bus stations in East Texas,
and in 1959, he was named president of the Longview NAACP Youth
Council; and
WHEREAS, After graduating from high school, he attended
Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado, and he went on
to join the U.S. Army and serve his country in Germany; following
his return to civilian life, he moved to New York and then to
Dallas, where he began working with other activists to address
crucial issues facing local minority groups; he guided the Police
and Paramedic Complaints Committee as its treasurer and vice chair,
and he took a stand against apartheid by helping to sever the city's
ties with South Africa; he also gave back to the community as the
founder of Rainbow Bridge, a nonprofit youth organization; and
WHEREAS, Although his long career in civil rights advocacy
was filled with many accomplishments, Mr. Williams is perhaps best
known for his role in rectifying the lack of minority
representation on the Dallas City Council; he and fellow activist
Marvin Crenshaw were plaintiffs in a landmark 1988 federal lawsuit
that eventually led to the establishment of the city's 14-1 plan,
under which council members are chosen in district rather than
citywide elections; the new boundaries went into effect for the
November 1991 election, resulting in a marked increase in the
number of minority candidates voted into office; and
WHEREAS, An inspiration to all who knew him, Roy Williams
devoted his life to advancing the mission of the civil rights
movement, and his contributions to the cause of social justice will
long resonate in Dallas, the Lone Star State, and beyond; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Roy H. Williams and
extend sincere sympathy to all those who mourn his passing; and, be
it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Roy
Williams.