Features

Bill Beasley has had guns drawn on him twice: once by the Los Angeles Police Department and once by the Ku Klux Klan. But in four decades of civil rights activism, antiwar protests and gay pride celebrations, Beasley has never backed down in his fight for justice and basic human rights. 

To honor this commitment, his friends and colleagues are honoring the 64-year-old African American with a birthday celebration at his south Berkeley home on Sunday.  

Beasley was born in Atlanta in 1938 and came of age during the Civil Rights Movement, spearheaded by Atlanta's own Martin Luther King, Jr. Beasley was acquainted with the late leader, but was even more familiar with King's brother A.D., for whom he worked as a driver.  

It was with A.D. King that Beasley first faced an intimation of mortality. During a lunch counter sit-in, the black diners were refused service. “They told us we had to leave or else we were going to get shot,” said Beasley. King told the thugs that they'd better make it fast and quick, to which Beasley responded, “speak for yourself!” 

“We were faced with a great deal of danger in the Civil Rights movement and the Gay Rights movement,” explained Beasley. “I knew there was the possibility of getting shot and dying, and at one time I just resigned myself to being a martyr.” 

Beasley witnessed such martyrdom firsthand in both the Civil Rights Movement and his involvement with the Black Panthers. He supported the Panthers, but now is saddened by some of the means they used. “There's still a lot of work to be done in society, but tactics have to change. People have to understand that a lot of tactics the Panthers used led to the killing of so many beautiful young people. If they were here today, they'd be leaders,” he said.  

Beasley laments the loss of Huey Newton, a Panther who is no longer around. “He had a very intelligent mind about struggle, “said Beasley. “He was a very impressive man.” 

After moving from Atlanta to St. Louis and then Los Angeles, Beasley came to Berkeley in 1965, and has lived here since. He has also concentrated his efforts in the gay community, serving for many years on the board of San Francisco's Pride Committee until a stroke sidelined him last year.  

“I was a gay man who always believed in people being who they are,” he said. He worked in establishing Gay Pride parades in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and has made a definite impact on the next generation.  

“He's played a key role in shaping my adult life in terms of getting involved in the queer community,” said Berkeley resident Joshua Smith, who is now also a board member of the San Francisco Pride Committee. “This celebration is a chance to recognize him, because he played a key role in who I am today.”  

Berkeley City Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who met Beasley more than a decade ago, spoke of his mentoring role. “He's somebody who has put a lot of his time into quietly nurturing young people in the coming-out process,” said Worthington. “He's been a role model in how to address homophobia and racism and how to fight both with dignity.”  

Beasley has also lent a piece of his property to the Berkeley-based Strong Roots organization, a community gardening project that encourages youth to put their energy into nurturing the soil. And he sees hope in the current generation and the new wave of antiwar rallies. “This generation is doing what needs to be done, keeping issues in the limelight,” he said. “They're right on key.”