Mrs. Sadie Williams @100, still going strong

Sister Sadie got assistance from her youngest descendants, here her great-great granddaughter. – Photo: Wanda Sabir by Wanda SabirOn Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, Mrs. Sadie Williams held court at ILWU Local 10 in San Francisco. She wore a lovely white dress, a lavender flower lei, and just above her heart, a pendant with her beloved husband, Cleophas, on her neck. Further adornment was unnecessary.Surrounded by over 400 people – five generations of living kin, friends and admirers from across the country – Sister Sadie sat in a throne chair, later mingling with guests and even leading the drill team around the great hall. She was, of course, in her classy red, motorized scooter. “SADIE 100” in huge neon letters surrounded by balloons was a centerpiece near the podium where Brother Cleophas once called meetings to order, as the first Black president of International Longshoreman & Warehouse Union Local 10. The beautiful historic room – its high domed ceiling with geometric shapes, tables decorated in lavender, purples, gold and white – was full of laughter and smiles as the guest of honor sat facing us. A slide show showed her in various periods of her life with her husband, family and...