Affordable Apartment Complex in S.F. Honors Legacy of a Tireless Civil Rights Advocate
In honor of Black History Month, we are highlighting African-American heroes for whom an affordable housing project that received a grant from the FHLBank San Francisco’s Affordable Housing Program (AHP) are named. While some of these people featured are not as well-known as they might be, each has been an inspiration to nonprofit housing and service providers - many with roots in the civil rights movement - that now offer low-income families and individuals a stable, healthy, and affordable place to call home.
Willie B. Kennedy was born on November 5, 1923, in Terrell, Texas. She and her family lived in a rustic farmhouse, complete with a water well and a wood-burning stove. Kennedy’s humble upbringing fostered her interest in pursuing a career in advocacy. She attended high school in Dallas and became an exceptional student.?
She eventually settled in San Francisco, graduating from City College of San Francisco and later San Francisco State University. Kennedy married civil rights attorney Joseph G. Kennedy, who would later serve as a Superior Court judge, in 1955. They were both passionate figures in the political and social scene of San Francisco’s Western Addition neighborhood.
During this time in San Francisco’s history, there was a lack of willingness to rent to African-Americans in certain neighborhoods. This forced a majority of the Black community into the Western Addition.??
Kennedy was appointed to the City’s Human Rights Commission and the Redevelopment Agency Commission. Alongside other pillars of the Fillmore community, she fought hard to ensure that urban renewal would bring about positive change for communities of color and for the City as a whole.?
In 1981, Kennedy was elected to the San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors as the third African-American woman ever elected to the Board. During her 15 year tenure, she co-wrote a law that allocated certain City contracts for minority- and women-owned businesses. Kennedy also helped pass legislation that barred San Francisco from conducting business with South Africa during the apartheid era.?
After resigning from the board in 1996, she was appointed to BART's board of directors. She became vice president in 2000 and president in 2001. One of her greatest initiatives during this time was the introduction of flash passes for community organizations used to get to and from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parades.??
Kennedy left BART's board in 2003, but that didn't end her advocacy work. She served on several other boards before the end of her life, including Bayview-Hunters Point Multipurpose Senior Services, Inc. She tried fervently to actualize the dream of the late Dr. George Davis, the organization's original executive director, to build a new senior citizen center in the Fillmore. Towards the end of her life, she was also president of the Southeast Community Facility Commission, which continues to offer assistance with employment opportunities, tax preparation, and voter registration to the community.
Willie B. Kennedy’s final gesture would also be steeped in advocacy. Two days before her death, Kennedy, together with many community members, helped break ground on the Hunters Point shipyard redevelopment project, which is presided over by her company, W.B. Kennedy and Associates Consulting Co..?
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The Willie B. Kennedy Apartments were completed in August 2016, after Willie passed away, at the age of 89, on June 28, 2013, from a heart attack. The complex is located at 1239 Turk St. in San Francisco. Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corp. partnered with FHLBank San Francisco member financial institution Silicon Valley Bank to apply for AHP funding and received a $970,000 AHP grant.
Willie B. Kennedy’s legacy extends far beyond her tireless dedication to important work— caring so deeply for her community, Kennedy fought for change until her last days.
Information in this article is derived from a number of sources, including: