Civil rights activist Rev. Cecil Williams' legacy being preserved at SF Public Library

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- One box at time, the life of civil rights activist Reverend Cecil Williams and his work at GLIDE Memorial Church is being chronicled at the San Francisco Public Library main branch.

"We're very excited to have this collection because it documents this major institution that really broke barriers, serving vulnerable people in the city," said Tami Suzuki, Municipal Records archivist.

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The archives is comprised of documentation detailing GLIDE's service in the Tenderloin neighborhood and to LGBTQ+ communities, as well as Williams' influence on everyone from world leaders to rock stars.

"It Includes sermons from Cecil Williams, includes a lot of their Sunday celebration programs, photos of a lot of events and visitors to their programs," explained Suzuki.

"It's like you're walking into that congressional archives. I mean, you see telegrams from presidents. You see incredible dialog about incredible civil rights action," said Karl Robillard, chief communications and public affairs officer at GLIDE. "Cecil's history is San Francisco's history. He kind of carried a message of the day that I think was so significant, not just to GLIDE, but to San Francisco and beyond.

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And GLIDE is making sure the Williams message continues to be carried.

"Recognizing that this exhibit is bigger than GLIDE, we can't just house this on the fifth floor in a corner office in the very back of the building," said Robillard. "It needs to be public. People need to see it and feel it and experience it."

Sunday is the memorial service for Reverend Cecil Williams who died last month at the age of 94. The service will be held at GLIDE at 1 p.m. and doors open at noon.