Princess Beverly Williams Memorial Services

Princess Beverly Williams, community organizer, activist, mother, sister, auntie, grandma, and beloved friend to many, died this week, and we are all feeling the deep loss. Princess Beverly gave tirelessly to the community, and we’re asking folks to give generously now so her family can give her a proper homecoming. All funds raised will go to the costs of burial, memorial, and settling her affairs.

More about Princess Beverly:

PBW, or Dubs, as she was called at CJJC, was a powerhouse for justice. She grew up in North Oakland on 55th Street, and was a housing rights organizer at Causa Justa :: Just Cause from 2010-2017. During her time there she supported hundreds of tenants in becoming knowledgeable and empowered to fight for their rights. She connected with hundreds of community members and got them to see themselves as a critical part of the housing justice movement. She was a deep believer in Black and Latinx solidarity and worked across divides to bridge community members together. She was a deeply skilled organizer and recruited the most members to any event, party, action, or member meeting, in part because she really listened and understood where people were coming from and what they needed. She taught many of us what transformative organizing means in practice and what it meant to be part of the change you seek in the world.

You could find Princess Beverly leading ferocious chants at actions and rallies and in the halls of City Council. She was not afraid to get loud and speak truth to power - or remind you when it was your turn to do your office chore. She also filled many hearts and rooms with her laughter and joy. She was an incredible community builder, developing a strong sense of connection and community with volunteers, staff, ally organizations, and the many tenants she recruited to become members.

Her sense of community was broad and extended outside Causa Justa :: Just Cause. She was deeply involved in her church, had recently gone back to school, and supported many social justice organizations and causes over the years, such as North Oakland Restorative Justice Council, Self-Help Hunger Program, and working to launch her dream: her own program to help others, House of Angels.

Princess Beverly transformed the pain she felt from losing her only son Lorenzo to gun violence into envisioning a justice that heals rather than harms. Through the North Oakland Restorative Justice Council, she co-facilitated an ongoing circle for people who had lost a loved one to gun violence or incarceration. She invited Mustafa, another CJJC member, to get involved and soon Mustafa was leading RJ circles and envisioning alternatives to incarceration with Oakland youth. Princess Beverly recognized the importance of policy change and spoke at our State Capitol in Sacramento about the devastating loss of her son. She inspired people to create the world we want with restorative justice values. Princess Beverly knew that her healing was our healing. By healing herself she was working on societal healing. By advocating for policy change to heal social injustices she was healing our larger systems and structures. She invited us all to "make our road by walking it."

Even after she was pushed out of her hometown of Oakland to Stockton due to gentrification, she still remained connected to her community and social justice work in Oakland. Princess Beverly never stopped fighting for Oakland, while also embracing her new home and community and helping out her new neighbors in true Dubs fashion.

She loved the color purple just as much as she loved to fight for community. But when it came to actions, you would find her rocking red shoes, red pants, and the red CJJC t-shirt. And when it was someone’s birthday Princess Beverly would always shout "Go Cupid. It's your birthday. Woo! Woo! Woo!"

Just as Princess Beverly kept the memory of her son alive, each of us will be a part of the people, places, and organizations that hold and share her memory, and honor her legacy by keeping up the fight for dignity for the people of Oakland.

How the funds will be spent:

All funds raised will go to costs of burial, memorial, and settling her affairs, from me by direct check, venmo or cash to the vendors, or reimbursement for friends and family (including CJJC fam and PBW's sister Dabphne) who are spending money on space rental, food, flowers etc.