Rev. Charles Williams

“He had the kind of inimitable spirit that allowed him to do for others in spite of himself,” says Al Hobbs, a close friend of Williams. “He was always in the trenches trying to make Expo bigger … uplifting our community.”

As Indiana Black Expo’s president for 21 years, Williams was able to raise the national profile of our city, create economic opportunity for many and bring folks from all walks of life together in a positive way. “His passion was God’s permission,” says Jeffrey Johnson, pastor of Eastern Star Church. “Expo was the vehicle for him to be a blessing to others and our city.”

His consistency and passion to serve never wavered. When diagnosed with prostate cancer, the disease that ultimately took his life, Williams did not run away from public life and go off in seclusion like many of us do when faced with great personal tragedy. He flipped the script and became a spokesman for the disease, teaching us how to take better care of ourselves.

“He used cancer to fight cancer,” says the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was among the more than 1,700 mourners who streamed into the RCA Dome Monday to pay their respects to Williams. “He was an odds buster and a dream maker who showed us just what can happen when you work hard and cultivate your talents … he’s an example of the way God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.”

Public donations are being accepted for the Indiana Black Expo Charles Williams Prostrate Cancer Mobile Unit. Please call Expo offices at 317-925-2702 for more information.

1965-1968: U.S. Navy, receiving special Naval Commendation Certificate while serving in Vietnam

1973: Executive coordinator, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s national convention in Indianapolis

1976: Appointed special assistant to Indianapolis Mayor William Hudnut

1983: Became the first paid president of Indiana Black Expo. Rebuilt a struggling three-day community festival into a multimillion dollar organization that produces the nation’s largest showcase of black arts, culture and business.

1983: Co-founder Circle City Classic, an annual black collegiate football game that has raised nearly $1 million for college scholarships for area youth Honorary doctorate from Martin University Author of That Black Men Might Live, a frank biography about life with prostrate cancer Co-founder, Indiana Museum of African American History