Reverend Staci Current officiated as Mayor Edwin Lee, Supervisor London Breed, Supervisor Malia Cohen, California Attorney General Kamala Harris, former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown, California State Senator Mark Leno, San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr, other elected officials, family and friends shared their condolences and observations of a great lady. Current encapsulated the emotional tenure of the ceremonies with 2 Kings 2 that describes the prophet Elijah being caught up to heaven in a blaze of glory with chariots of fire as his mentee Elisha, who had asked for a double anointing of Elijah's power looked on. "As Elijah dropped his mantle ascending into heaven and Elisha picked it up, supervisor, community leader, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, loving friend and faithful church member, Willie B. Kennedy has dropped her mantle and it's for all of us to pick it up," said Reverend Current.

Willie B. Kennedy (r) stands with former Board of Supervisor colleague  Doris Ward in a mentoring moment with TV host Janice Edwards at a San Francisco Labor Council Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Labor Breakfast. Mentoring in the moment or for a lifetime Willie B. Kennedy gave her best to serve others.

Friday, observing from the balcony in a packed Jones Memorial Church, barely able to see all of the ceremony due to the crowd in front of me, I was able to feel the love and sense of loss to the family and community as photographers ran up and down the stairs to capture the best shots and as I witnessed reporters like Lee Hubbard of the Post furiously scribing.

The thought came on Saturday at least this great lady who was so beautifully described in the poem by her great-grandson, "What a Wonderful Woman," didn't have to bear the burden of hearing the "not guilty" verdict for George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case.   "Martin," wonder if the verdict would have jolted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as George Zimmerman is now "Scott Free!" "Scott Free".... "Scottsboro Boys"... The verdict also brings to mind Oscar Grant, Sean Bell, Emmett Till and so many others including the nameless "Strange Fruit" that Billy Holiday sang about.   They are nameless to most, but their family knew them and they carry the pain of loss.   Those who perpetrated or witnessed the tragedies carry unspoken guilt that moves in waves with the pain of those who suffered loss in an ongoing undercurrent of our society

The need for more people to see Jacqueline Olive's film "Always in Season" screened at Calvary Hill

Always in Season Trailer

Community Church during the 2012 San Francisco Black Film Festival has increased. "Always in Season" deals with healing the scars of racism as manifested in Lynchings.

http://www.alwaysinseasonisland.com/

The recent performances of Flipsyde's Jinho "The Piper" Ferriera in his one man show "Cops and Robbers" examined the need for candid dialogue around societal responsibility.  The officer involved shooting that is the lynchpin of the poignant poetic piece has unforeseen twists and turns that leaves the audience prepared to take action to do the right thing.  The May performances that included post discussions with and for teens should be produced again soon. A spot on Article in Mercury News scratches the surface of "Cops and Robbers."

Dr. Jerry Kang of UCLA's Law School, warns that we should closely examine what we consume in television news as it creates subconscious racism that impacts our decision-making including how quickly we shoot guns.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=627381

"These implicit biases have been demonstrated to have real-world consequence - in how we interpret actions, perform on exams, interact with others, and even shoot a gun."

All the work Willie B. Kennedy stood for is summed up for me as I think over her life and the state of America in Psalm 144: 12. Her work was all about the posterity of the community, fairness and justice for the generations following her-"That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; That our daughters may be as pillars, Sculptured in palace style... that there be no breaking in or going out; That there be no outcry in our streets... Happy are the people who are in such a state;
Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!" (New King James Version)."

Willie B. Kennedy's work was a mantle of the pursuit of happiness. Will we pick up the mantle?

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Related Articles 

Mayor Edwin Lee's Statement 6-28-13

http://www.sfmayor.org/index.aspx?page=846&recordid=353

Photo of Services-SF Examiner

http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/willie-b-kenendy-memorial/Slideshow?oid=2509553&slide=4&loop=true&autoplay=true

SF Appeal.com

http://sfappeal.com/2013/07/services-for-former-supe-willie-b-kennedy-begin-thursday-night/

Look for Lee Hubbard's Story on Thursday for the Post News Group