Celebrating Black history icon Dr. Willie Ratcliff’s 90th birthday

Willie-Ratcliff-raising-hand-Willies-90th-Radio-Africa-Kitchen-by-Jesus-Arriaga-091622-1400x933, Celebrating Black history icon Dr. Willie Ratcliff’s 90th birthday, Culture Currents Local News & Views News & Views
Dr. Willie Ratcliff: the man, the myth, the legend. – Photo: Jesus Arriaga

by Sierra Bourne, SF Bay View

“We need to start giving our people their flowers while they’re still here!” called the impassioned voice of SF Bay View Editor Nube Brown into the microphone, followed by overwhelming cheer and applause from the packed dining hall audience. Indeed, many metaphorical and actual flowers were given as friends, family and community members gathered at the venue of the Bayview’s very own Radio Africa Kitchen to celebrate the amazing life and legacy of Dr. Willie Ratcliff on his 90th birthday this Sept. 16. 

Aromas of expertly prepared Ethiopian cuisine wafted from the kitchen into the lively dining area filled to the brim with laughter and smiling faces as guests arrived, greeting one another and taking turns exchanging warm hugs and exuberant happy birthdays with Willie, seated cheerfully at the center of the room beside his wife and co-owner of the SF Bay View newspaper, Mrs. Mary Ratcliff. 

Partygoers-Muhammad-al-Kareem-and-Isaiah-Powell-at-Willies-90th-Radio-Africa-Kitchen-091622-1400x1071, Celebrating Black history icon Dr. Willie Ratcliff’s 90th birthday, Culture Currents Local News & Views News & Views
Partygoers at Dr. Willie’s 90th bash. Center left is Muhammad al-Kareem, 1976 founder of the SF Bay View. To his right is Isaiah Powell, a local farmer who recently founded a revolutionary community garden on Palou in Bayview, growing a bounty of nourishing fruits, vegetables and herbs. – Photo: Karpani Burns

Dr. Ratcliff was born in East Liberty, Texas, and later relocated to Alaska for work for over 30 years, where the majority of his family presently resides; this made it all the more touching to witness his daughter, Janet Ratcliff, in attendance alongside her own two beautiful children, Anika and Aisha, and Aisha’s daughter all seated together with Willie at the table – the event was truly a heartfelt family affair.

District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton was in attendance and presented Dr. Ratcliff with a Certificate of Honor on behalf of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors

The heartwarming atmosphere would continue throughout the evening as numerous guests took to the mic with testimonials of how Willie positively impacted their lives – from union workers expressing their gratitude for his relentless championing of workers’ rights and racial equity in trade unions to city government officials turning out in recognition of Dr. Ratcliff’s contributions to San Francisco through both his career in activism and the decades-long continuation of one of the last radical newspaper publications in the city. 

District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton was in attendance and presented Dr. Ratcliff with a Certificate of Honor on behalf of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, in addition to the induction of the San Francisco Bay View Newspaper into the African American Chamber of Commerce with a lifetime membership. 

Willie-Ratcliff-Brigette-LeBlanc-Nube-Brown-Mary-Ratcliff-Willies-90th-Radio-Africa-Kitchen-by-Jesus-Arriaga-091622-1400x816, Celebrating Black history icon Dr. Willie Ratcliff’s 90th birthday, Culture Currents Local News & Views News & Views
Brigette LeBlanc of the SF African American Chamber of Commerce reads aloud the San Francisco Bay View newspaper’s induction into the Chamber – with a lifetime membership! To Brigette’s right is Editor Nube Brown and Editor Emeritus Mary Ratcliff. – Photo: Jesus Arriaga

There is little doubt that anyone in the room was unfamiliar with the extensive legacy and accomplishments of Dr. Willie Ratclifff, but it is rare in the life of prominent Black activists that the community they serve is able to witness their evolution of thought and ideology from the peak of their political involvement to the later stages of their lives; the lives of leaders and changemakers in Black history are all too often cut short and much of their radical contributions and messages are either diluted or destroyed, unable to be accessed by future generations. 

Fortunately, such is not the case with our beloved Dr. Ratcliff. Renowned Bayview Hunters Point filmmaker Kevin Epps is ensuring the true revolutionary legacy and thoughts of Willie Ratcliff live on eternally through his coming new film “Dr. Willie’s Wisdom,” a raw and inspiring collection of interviews Epps conducted with Willie in the early 2000s, clips of which debuted at the 90th birthday bash.

Nube-Brown-Kevin-Epps-Willies-90th-Radio-Africa-Kitchen-by-Jesus-Arriaga-091622-1400x933, Celebrating Black history icon Dr. Willie Ratcliff’s 90th birthday, Culture Currents Local News & Views News & Views
SF Bay View Editor Nube Brown with Board Chair Kevin Epps and his two children, Kamari and Kamia Epps. – Photo: Jesus Arriaga

But, in true Willie Ratcliff fashion, the focus of the evening was also on charitability and community building; even on his special day, Ratcliff humbly shared the spotlight with a cause for the greater good – the San Francisco Bay View newspaper’s newly announced Editorial Fellowship Fundraiser. As the fundraising is vigorously ongoing, the Bay View will publish the Honor Roll, listing all donors with top billing to those who give $1,000 or more, in the November paper. To join the Honor Roll, help meet our GoFundMe goal.

Willie and Mary have hoisted the truly awesome weight of maintaining and continuing the revolutionary publication for several decades with resilience and strength, and are now looking towards solidifying the place of the SF Bay View amongst future generations and ensuring the monumental impact the paper has had is able to advance for many years to come. The purpose of the fundraiser is to be able to hire and compensate dedicated SF Bay View staff adequately and take on a new editor-in-chief for the paper to continue trailblazing the path set forth by Dr. Ratcliff and so many others whose tireless efforts make this publication possible. 

Sierra Bourne is a Community Journalist with the SF Bay View born and raised in Bayview Hunters Point. Her reporting covers radical land and environmental activism and youth in the city. Reach Sierra by email at sierra@sfbayviewnews.wpenginepowered.com.