The Oakland Community Land Trust offers our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of Ms. Beverly Williams, who passed away on February 10, 2025. Ms. Williams was a life-long Oakland resident and a fierce advocate who fought for the creation of—and funding for—a community land trust in Oakland as a member of the Oakland chapter of ACORN, and subsequently ACCE. In September 2009, Ms. Williams became one of the first board members of the newly formed Oakland Community Land Trust as an appointee of ACORN. Her early involvement and leadership with OakCLT helped establish many of the organization’s core values and policies which still guide our work today.
Here is a short clip of Ms. Williams offering comments to the Oakland City Council on April 21, 2009 after a long, arduous, and ultimately successful campaign led by Oakland ACORN members to urge the City to invest their federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds into OakCLT as a strategy to regain community control over foreclosed homes in East and West Oakland.
Rest in Power, Ms. Williams.
