President Joe Biden has signed a measure honoring one of Akron’s pioneering Black elected officials, naming the city’s main mail facility the Judge James R. Williams Post Office Building.
Former Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge James R. Williams died in 2020 at 88.
U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Akron, sponsored H.R. 9322 in memory of Williams, who died in 2020 at age 88.
“Judge Williams was a legal luminary, whose unwavering dedication to justice paved the way for future generations of leaders in Akron and across the country,” Sykes said in remarks on the House floor. “I was proud to lead the effort to rename the Wolf Ledges Post Office in Akron to honor his memory and to serve as a reminder of the ongoing impact of his legacy on our community.”
Williams was a University of Akron alumnus, a civil rights leader, a former Akron city councilman and the first African American to serve as a Summit County Court of Common Pleas judge. He was among the first African Americans to graduate from the University of Akron School of Law after it became affiliated with the university in 1959.
In March the Lawton Street Community Center was also renamed to honor Williams.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Biden signs bill renaming Akron post office after James R. Williams