Pace e Bene

City of Hayward Year 2004 Lifetime Award

Born in 1939, as the youngest of 11 children in an Oklahoma sharecropper’s family, Lee Williamson has always been a “people person.” His upbringing was fundamentalist and conservative; his adult life, following three years in the army, six in the reserves, and an early career in engineering, has been a determined march westward and to the left.

 In his late 30s, with the support of his wife, Arlene, Lee turned down a promotion at the Virginia engineering firm where he worked and moved his family to California. Within two weeks he was enrolled in the Pacific School of Religion. He finished seminary in 1979 and was ordained in 1980, ministering in Bay Area churches since then.

 Actually, it was in 1968, following the shocking death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that Lee began to educate himself in earnest about civil rights, the Peace Movement, environmental issues, and social concerns. The move west and career change may, indeed, have been, at least partially, a result of his growing commitment to “do” something. Certainly, throughout his career, in addition to his pastoral duties, Lee has been a “doer,” conducting campaigns in support of causes such as political prisoners, the people of Haiti, the Gay-Lesbian-Transgender community, victims of violence and war, nuclear arms, and the hungry and homeless.

 For over 20 years, Lee has been active in a faith-based affinity group, Mustard Seed, whose purpose it is to support one another while seeking justice around such issues as the military, nuclear armament, and war. His civil disobedience made him a somewhat regular “visitor” at the Alameda County jail in the 80s, where he became even more acutely aware of and involved in the plight of the poor and people of color.

In the eleven years that Lee served as the pastor of South Hayward (formerly Wesley United Methodist Church, he opened welcoming doors to such groups as the Vietnamese Buddhist Youth Program, Afghan and International Refugee Support Services, and the Hayward Coalition for Affordable Housing. Through Lee’s leadership, his congregation has provided ongoing service and advocacy for the Family Emergency Shelter Coalition (FESCO). He has actively participated with the South Hayward Parish in all its programs, helping to begin a community garden, organizing for memorial services at sites where persons were killed in Hayward, participating in the No Room for Racism vigils, and promoting the food distribution programs of the parish.

Lee also joined the DEMOS Hayward Democratic Club and the Methodist Federation for Social Action; he prides himself as the “token straight” member of the GLOBE (Gays & Lesbians Organized for Betterment and Equality) board.

Lee’s energy seems endless and infectious. He is quick to name the first thing that keeps him going: he really believes in the will of God, and his hope is strong. He loves Hayward, his ecumenical colleagues, the genuine friendships that have formed over the years, and his wife Arlene who has been a constant support throughout his career.