Willie B. Kennedy

Willie B. Kennedy
Kennedy in 1987
Member of the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors for the 7th district
In office
August 9, 1996 – January 31, 2003
Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for the at-large district
In office
March 6, 1981 – May 31, 1996
Preceded byElla Hill Hutch
Succeeded byLeslie Rachel Katz
Personal details
Born(1923-11-05)November 5, 1923
Terrell, Texas, U.S.
DiedJune 28, 2013(2013-06-28) (aged 89)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Alma mater

Willie B. Kennedy (November 5, 1923 – June 28, 2013) was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.[1]

Early life and education

Kennedy was born and raised in Terrell, Texas and attended high school in Dallas, Texas, graduating in 1941. She moved to San Francisco where she graduated from City College and San Francisco State University.[1]

Political career

Mayor Dianne Feinstein nominated Kennedy to the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and to the Redevelopment Agency Commission. When Supervisor Ella Hill Hutch died in office in 1981, Feinstein appointed Kennedy to fill the vacant seat on the Board of Supervisors.[1] She was subsequently re-elected to three four-year terms.[2] During her 15 years on the board, Kennedy was a "powerful advocate for women and minority-owned businesses."[3] She co-authored legislation that banned the city from doing business with South Africa, which was then governed by the apartheid National Party.[1] She also worked to see the development of Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood improvements.[4] She left the Board of Supervisors in May 1996.[2]

After leaving the board of supervisors, Kennedy was appointed to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) board of directors, eventually becoming president of the board.[4]

Personal life

Kennedy was twice married. She married her first husband, Paul L. Hooey, in 1941. They had one daughter. After their divorce, she moved to San Francisco with her daughter. There she met and married (in 1955) her second husband, the civil rights activist, Joseph G. Kennedy. They remained married until his death in 1979.[4]

Kennedy was a member of the Gamma Phi Delta, a service organization for African-American women. She was co-founder of the Gamma Phi Delta Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the sorority, that provides scholarships for youth and funded after-school programs.[5]

Kennedy died on June 28, 2013, age 89, from a heart attack.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Coté, John (July 9, 2013). "Willie B. Kennedy - longtime S.F. supervisor - dies". SFGATE.
  2. ^ a b "Former Supervisors". Board of Supervisors.
  3. ^ "Mayor Lee's Statement on Passing of Former Supervisor Willie B. Kennedy". SF.gov. June 28, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d Chakraborty, Sudeepto (July 3, 2020). "WILLIE B. KENNEDY – Changemakers". University of San Francisco.
  5. ^ "Our Founder". Gamma Phi Delta Foundation Inc. November 5, 1923.

Further reading

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