BROOKINGS – The Brookings Human Rights Commission announces Kas Williams as the recipient of the 22nd annual Dorothy and Eugene T. Butler Human Rights Award. 

Williams is being recognized for the positive impact she has on advancing human rights in the Brook-ings community.

The Butler Human Rights Award will be presented by Mayor Ope Niemeyer during the Mayor’s Holiday Celebration and Awards recognition event on Thursday.

“Miss Kas,” as she is affectionately known, came to Brookings in 2014 to lead African American programming at South Dakota State University. She was promoted to the director of the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Access in 2018. She also simultaneously served as director of SDSU’s Multicultural Affairs Center. She expanded affinity groups at SDSU to help employees feel supported and valued while discussing shared experiences and creating community.

Williams was tapped to do diversity training for the City of Brookings and proved her “relatability” to all in connecting with the people who serve the community in so many ways. She was a panelist for the first two Juneteenth events. She worked with others and emceed a “Voices of Color” poetry reading during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was a board member of Brookings Parents, Family & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG) and of Brookings Area Transit Authority (BATA).

Williams is sought out for her approach to teaching others about difficult topics in a way that helps them feel good about where they are and teaches them new things without forcing her viewpoints. She is sought out by groups across the state and nation for her expertise in training and development on diversity topics. Some of these are: Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, first responder groups in Sioux Falls, and Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.

Williams’ speaking style builds a strong rapport with an audience, which makes it easy for people to hear and relate to her, even (at times) across deep divides of race and color. Her sense of humor and humility helps greatly.

Williams is concerned about poverty and hunger relief and was actively involved in establishing Jack’s Cupboard – a free food pantry for students on campus.

Williams was born and grew in Patterson, Louisiana, and went to school at Southeastern Louisiana University and SDSU.

The Dorothy and Eugene T. Butler Human Rights Award is named after the Butlers in recognition of their lifelong advocacy in human rights issues on the local, regional, national and international levels.  The annual award recognizes significant volunteer efforts on behalf of human rights.  

Previous honorees, in addition to Dorothy and Eugene T. Butler, Jr. are: Philip and Winnie Baker, First United Methodist Church, the Rev. Carl Kline, the Rev. Scott Miller and Lisa Wolff, Margaret Denton, Steve Marquardt, Lawrence Novotny, Charles Woodard, Geoffrey Grant, Timothy Nichols, Scott Nagy, Ann Marie Bahr, Phyllis Cole-Dai, Harriet Swedlund, MaryJo and Richard Lee, Ruth Harper, Doris Giago, Allen Branum, Aki and Tomoko Ichinomiya, and Dianne Nagy.