North Texas

Dallas Civil Rights Leader Roy Williams Dies at 74

Dallas civil rights leader Roy Williams has died at age 74.

Williams passed away Saturday at the Dallas VA Medical Center after a long illness.

He was one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit that changed Dallas. After the suit, Dallas adopted the current 14 single-member district form of government. The previous system featured 10 council members with eight being elected from single-member districts. Two others and the mayor were elected at-large. Since 1991, only the mayor has been elected at-large.

Williams was a frequent voice on civil rights issues in North Texas throughout much of his life.

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