Juneteenth Sioux Falls honors late local artist and civil rights activist

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – June 19 is recognized as the national holiday Juneteenth, a day celebrating the end of slavery in the United States. The 2025 Juneteenth Sioux Falls celebration drew a crowd downtown Saturday despite the heat.

The celebration, also known as “Jubilee Day,” took on a new theme this year. Organizers called it a family reunion.

“This year, with some of the things that are happening, the chaos that’s around us, we wanted to get back to us, the core of the community, and be able to focus on what community means,” said Juneteenth Sioux Falls President Julian Beaudion. “This is a bonding moment for black folks in our community.”

And what would a family reunion be without passing down stories about the loved ones no longer with us?

In his final year as President of the Sioux Falls Juneteenth celebration, Julian Beaudion dedicated time to remember a beloved member of the community who passed away last month: Porter Williams.

“It’s not just the legacy that he left on the museum and black folks,” Beaudion explained. “You can go all around this city to see the legacy that Porter has left for all of us to see. He was a sculptor, but he was more than that. He educated through his art.”

The local artist and civil rights activist inspired those around him, including this year’s Juneteenth Grand Marshal Carl Teer.

Teer was selected for the honor for his work mentoring youth through sports with his nonprofit, the Christian Youth Activity League (CYAL).

Growing up in Flandreau and currently living in Harrisburg, Teer is the first Juneteenth Grand Marshal to be a born and raised South Dakotan.

“We were the only black family [in Flandreau],” said Teer. “The other contact with black people I had in the state were here in Sioux Falls. I’m proud of the legacy, the story that I knew, and it’s guys like Porter Williams that really- I knew some history. I love history, but Porter was the one who encouraged me to really pursue history and shared a lot of information.”

The special title is not lost on him. The first-ever Juneteenth Grand Marshal in Sioux Falls was Porter Williams, who was his mentor.

“He brought the community closer in a more diverse manner, and he was a person that refused to take no for an answer. That’s what I learned from him,” Teer recalled.

Williams’ legacy will continue through his artwork seen around Sioux Falls, including the sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr. at Van Epps Park, as well as through the fulfillment of his vision for the South Dakota African American History Museum, which he founded.

“He was a great artist, a good human, but an even better activist, so I just honor him for the inspiration that he provided not just to myself, but for our community,” Teer said.

“It’s not about Porter passing the torch, it’s about him lighting the torch of the next generation, so what I want to see out of the next generation is exactly that,” Beaudion explained. “Carry the torch lit by Porter Williams and continue to light the torch for the generations to come.”

Organizers said they hope to work with the city of Sioux Falls to continue honoring Williams. One date they have in mind as a possible day to honor Williams is July 21, which is his birthday.