Celebration of life for GLIDE Co-founder Rev. Cecil Williams
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SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Hundreds of people attended a celebration of life for Rev. Cecil Williams. He died last month at the age of 94.
Williams co-founded GLIDE with his late wife and devoted his life to activism.
Eight hundred people packed into the sanctuary at GLIDE Memorial Church in San Francisco on Sunday to honor the life of Rev. Cecil Williams.
“Look around at all the people here, the overflow of people in the sanctuary. This is Cecil’s legacy: the people,” said GLIDE staff member Brittnay Tobyn.
He passed away on April 22nd in his home. His daughter Kimberly Williams shared what he was like in his final hours.
“I want everyone to know he was radiant and full of light that day,” Kimberly said.
For more than 60 years, the reverend fought for civil rights and championed the LGTBQ+ community.
The reverend touched the lives of people from all walks of life — whether that be people living on the street or notable politicians like congresswoman Barbara Lee, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, Vice President Kamala Harris and political activist professor Angela Davis.
“I sat right over there, the third row every Sunday. Reverend Williams helped me through some very challenging times,” Lee said.
“Cecil was always there for those who were under attack whether we are referring to the LGBTQ community, political activists like myself,” Davis said.
Williams first came to San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood in 1963 to help run GLIDE church and GLIDE Foundation.
Quickly after he made the brave decision to make the church inclusive to all, Williams and his late wife Janice Mirikitani expanded GLIDE to become what it is today — a safe haven providing food and services to thousands of people a year.
“When he stood up for people in the LGBTQ community to get rid of the stigma and open the doors, there were people in this city that did not embrace this community,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed said.
“In the crack epidemic, he was right on the streets engaging with the public — sex work, HIV, he never shied away,” said HIV/Hep C & Harm Reduction Programs Manager Paul Harkin. “There was no issue he was not going to tackle.”
The celebration of life for Rev. Williams was filled with music, love, laughter and tears. Classy Martin says Williams was like a father to her after being abandoned by her own parents.
“He put people on my path to show me the way,” Martin said. “That I didn’t have to be out there on the streets. That I wasn’t a product of my environment and he played the dad role seriously.”
Breed recalled growing up in the city and being able to lean on the reverend.
“It was a privilege to grow up in the city and see him and look up to him as this giant of a person with such courage,” Breed said. “Such fight, such strength.”
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Singer Michael Franti tributed Williams by singing his new song. Franti described a time 30 years ago when he was in line for food at GLIDE with his baby son.
“I felt like man this is where I belong,” Franti said. “This is a place where anyone can come and belong.”
Franti had the entire sanctuary singing along. Williams’ daughter wants all to know her father’s legacy will live on.
“He remains a living manifestation and a symbol of unconditional love, acceptable, forgiveness, peace, recovery, revolution against injustice and oppression,” the daughter said.
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