In Memoriam: Acie Byrd & Lynn Williams
Wednesday, May 21, 2014(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
Longtime local activist Acie
Byrd has died at the age of 77 following a battle with cancer.
Byrd (right)
was among an estimated quarter of a million U.S. military personnel exposed to
radiation from U.S. nuclear tests and became a leading advocate for fellow
atomic veterans, calling for healthcare compensation and a comprehensive test
ban treaty. In 1977, Byrd was one of the founding members of Pacifica station
WPFW in Washington, where he served as a local and national commentator and
board member for many years. “Marginalized back in the day for his efforts,
Acie never stopped being the conscience of his union,” said Metro Washington
Council President Jos Williams. “As in every other aspect of his life, Acie
stuck firmly to his beliefs and fought the good fight. He’ll be sorely
missed.”
Lynn R.
Williams,
the son of a Canadian mill-town minister who led the United Steelworkers (USW)
during a turbulent decade of steel industry consolidation, died May 5 at age
89. Williams (left) “held
this union together through the worst of times, the massive bankruptcies and
consolidations in the U.S. steel industry,” said USW President Leo W. Gerard.
Click here
for the USW’s complete
report.