Cecil Williams, San Francisco pastor and noted LGBT advocate, dies at 94
Cecil Williams, the pastor of an influential San Francisco-based church who was known for his decades-long support for the LGBT movement, has died. He was 94.
GLIDE Memorial Church, where Williams served as pastor for nearly six decades, posted an announcement on Facebook Monday, confirming that Williams had died earlier that day.
“With Reverend Cecil William’s passing, we have lost an incomparable champion of social justice, civil and human rights, and liberation theology,” stated GLIDE.
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“As minister, author, social activist, lecturer, community leader and ceaseless champion for the poor and marginalized, Reverend Cecil Williams was long respected and recognized as a national leader on the forefront of change and in the struggle for civil and human rights. Today, he joins his beloved late wife and Co-Founder, Janice Mirikitani, in eternal peace.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, who formerly served as district attorney of San Francisco, released a statement giving her condolences and calling Williams “a dear friend.”
“In all he did, Reverend Williams was guided by his faith. He fought for the rights and dignity of all people,” stated Harris. “He led re-entry programs for those leaving prison, provided clothing and housing for people in need, and helped thousands of people access healthcare.”
“Under his leadership, San Francisco’s GLIDE Memorial Church became one of the first churches to welcome members of the LGBTQ+ community. Reverend Williams made GLIDE what it is today: a sanctuary of hope and healing, where all people are made to feel like family.”
Harris said she had “many fond memories over the years of attending GLIDE’s morning sermon on Thanksgiving — and then, joining Rev. and Jan downstairs to serve meals to members of the community.”
“Our country is more just, more compassionate, and stronger for the leadership of Reverend Cecil Williams. Doug and I send our prayers to the entire Williams family,” the vice president added.
Williams was born in San Angelo, Texas, in 1929, which was also the same year construction began on Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco.
Williams joined Glide in 1963. At the time it was “a small, white, affluent congregation,” many of whom “didn't share Williams' vision of inclusiveness,” according to a profile by the PBS program “This Far by Faith.”
“He opened the church to jazz music, gays, hippies, addicts, the poor, poets, and anyone else who wanted to come. He hosted political rallies and services, including a Hooker Convention, speeches by Angela Davis, and the Black Panthers,” noted PBS.
“Today, his church is San Francisco's largest social service provider. Glide feeds 3,500 people a day. It sponsors computer training for adults, runs programs for HIV and domestic violence, and treats substance abusers. More than 17,000 people volunteer in its programs.”
Williams appeared as himself in multiple films, most notably the 2006 Will Smith movie “The Pursuit of Happyness,” which centered on the life of black stock broker Chris Gardner.
While officially retiring as pastor in 2000, Williams continued to serve as Minister of Liberation and CEO of the GLIDE Foundation until he stepped down from these roles last year.
“The essence of GLIDE begins and ends with love,” wrote Williams in a pastoral letter, as quoted by The Associated Press. “It is time for me to evolve, it is time for GLIDE to continue to evolve. We have gone through so much and come out strong, ready to keep building.”
