Dr. William ‘Bill’ Lucy: Job well done!

“In the South, you can go from ‘boy’ to ‘uncle’ to ‘grandfather’ 

without ever stopping at man — I AM A MAN.” —William Lucy

Editor’s Note: Dr. William “Bill” Lucy was one of the most influential trade unionists in the global labor movement. He was an avid supporter of the Jackson Advocate and friend to the Charles W. Tisdale family. Mr. Lucy transitioned peacefully September 25, 2024, at the age of 90 in Washington, D.C., yet his legacy continues to inspire others committed to human rights. The Jackson Advocate’s 2025 Black History Special Edition is dedicated to his memory. The following is Lucy’s official life story shared by those who knew him best.

The time is now to teach and celebrate the Bill Lucy Era. Yes, the Bill Lucy era in labor history and the global fight for freedom and justice. In a career that spanned more than seven decades, Dr. William “Bill” Lucy was at the crossroads of history repeatedly – from Memphis to the Middle East to South Africa; from King to Mandela to Obama.

His legacy is global. His longevity was phenomenal and inspiring. He remains the gold standard for courageous, visionary leadership.

Bill Lucy was a transformative leader in the America labor movement and around the world. He carved his niche as a rising labor leader in the early 1960’s. In 1965, he became President of AFSCME Local 1675, Contra Costa County Employees.

In 1972, Bill Lucy was elected AFSCME’s international secretary treasurer and became the nation’s highest ranking Black elected leader. Bill revolutionized the position. He skillfully transformed what was ordinarily a passive, ceremonial post into a powerful platform to advocate on behalf of AFSCME members and oppressed people worldwide. In that role for nearly 40 years, Bill Lucy helped AFSCME grow from 200,000 to over 1.4 million members in 3,500 local unions nationwide. He retired from AFSCME in 2010 as secretary treasurer emeritus.

He also helped redefine the role of African Americans in labor unions when he co-founded the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) in 1972 with Nelson Jack Edwards, Charlie Hayes, Cleve Robinson, and William Simons. Many had predicted CBTU’s quick demise. Instead, under Bill Lucy’s steady hand as president, CBTU grew in size and stature – from a handful of chapters to more than 50 today, including a chapter in Ontario, Canada. In 2012, Bill retired from CBTU as president emeritus, passing the baton onto Rev. Terrence L. Melvin.

By then, he had become a living legend. He had stood with Dr. Martin Luther King  Jr. in Memphis during the AFSCME sanitation workers strike in 1968. He stood with Nelson Mandela in opposition to apartheid in South Africa. Bill Lucy co-founded the Free South Africa Movement, a grassroots campaign that sparked widespread opposition to apartheid across the United States, rallying elected officials and civil rights organizations. But Bill also championed other liberation movements throughout Southern Africa. He made the freedom struggles on the African continent matter within the American labor movement.

After the release of Nelson Mandela – the South African leader who had been imprisoned by the apartheid government for 27 years – Bill Lucy led an unprecedented fundraising effort to bring Mr. Mandela on a United States tour.

Four years later, when South Africa held its first post-apartheid elections, Bill Lucy led an AFL-CIO monitoring delegation. He was also present when Nelson Mandela was elected the first Black president of South Africa in 1995.

Throughout the 1990s, Bill Lucy continued to rise into the upper ranks of organized labor. In November of 1994, he was elected president of Public Services International (PSI), the world’s largest union federation. He was the first African American to hold this position, and he oversaw 30 million workers from over 100 nations. In 1995, the AFL-CIO appointed Bill Lucy to its executive council, the federation’s highest decision-making body.

In 2007, Bill Lucy once again showed his shrewd, bold leadership. He became an early believer in a young, smart, charismatic Junior U.S. Senator from Illinois – Barack Hussein Obama. In spite of the fierce political heat, he still had the audacity to believe Obama could become the nation’s first African American president. Through CBTU, he raised more money and mobilized tens of thousands of Black voters and Union households in key states on behalf of Obama’s historic campaign – that put him in the White House as the 44th American president.

Even in retirement, Bill Lucy played a key behind-the-scenes role in persuading Joe Biden to choose Kamala Harris as his VP running mate in 2020. And right up to his death, he closely followed her campaign for the presidency.

He generously counseled and mentored the next generation of labor leaders and activists around the world, people who valued his sharp strategic perspective and global relationships.

Bill Lucy left his footprint not only on the national and international terrain but also on the city he loved — Washington, DC. He was chairman of the Democratic Party in the District from 1972-78. He helped to pave the way for the first generation of elected officials in D.C. under the Home Rule Charter. From Walter E. Washington’s election as DC’s first Black mayor in 1974 to Marion Barry’s legendary reign as “Mayor for Life,” Bill Lucy shaped the local political landscape for decades.

Bill Lucy preferred to work behind the scenes, shying away from fickle fame in front of the cameras.

But other leaders and activists knew exactly who he was. Bill was a “people person.” He could relate to big city mayors as well as street cleaners; to members of Congress as well as striking workers on a picket line. As the late Roger Wilkins put it so succinctly: Here’s the thing about Bill Lucy: he shows up. Not just any old time, but when he’s needed.” True indeed. Bill Lucy often would show up quietly for folks who needed a lifeline to keep the lights on or to help pay a past due bill. To the end, he never forgot his purpose or his people.

Honors: Dr. William Lucy received a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Howard University and Bowie State University – two historically Black universities.

In 2018, the NAACP honored Mr. Lucy with its prestigious Chairman’s Award, which is bestowed in recognition of individuals who demonstrate exemplary public service and use their distinct platforms to create agents of change.

For most years when he was an elected leader at AFSCME and CBTU, Mr. Lucy was perennially named one of “The 100 Most Influential Black Americans” by Ebony magazine.

William “Bill” Lucy was born November 26, 1933, in Memphis, Tennessee. He spent his childhood growing up in Richmond, Calif., before pursuing a degree in civil engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. Later, be would take a job as an engineering aide in the Contra Costa County government where he would begin his long, distinguished labor career.

Preceded in death are his parents Joseph and Susie Bell Lucy, and his brother Joseph Lucy Jr., his wife Dorotheria and son William Lucy Jr. Bill is survived by his devoted daughters Benita Lucy Marsh (Terry) and Phyllis Lucy; grandchildren: William Christopher Scott Morris, Kenneth P. Manual, Dorotheria Chae Manual, Thaddien Shon Manual, and a host of wonderful relatives and friends. Bill fulfilled his mission and passed the baton on, knowing we would carry his legacy forward with pride and gratitude.