The members and staff of SEIU Local 1021 were saddened to learn of the sudden passing of a member of the local's staff: Berresford "Berry" Bingham.
The manner of his passing only heightens our sense of shock and loss: According to news reports, Berry was found dead in his West Oakland home on Tuesday, apparently the victim of a homicide. An investigation is underway, but at this time there is no information on a suspect or motive.
Berry joined the union community in the mid-1990s, first as Political Director of SEIU Local 616, representing public service workers in Alameda County. After the local merged with nine others to become Local 1021, representing public service workers throughout northern California, he became the new local's Community Strength Coordinator.
Berry served both his country and his communities. He served for 20 years in the US Navy, enduring and outlasting widespread discrimination against people of color. He was a deacon in his church, and often Local 1021's man of the cloth for public meetings and events. He was an elected member of the Alameda School District Board, where he became known as an advocate for all children, regardless of race or background. He was a father of three and deeply connected to his family's roots in Jamaica, where he was born.
Berry had a big heart. He cared very deeply for our members, the most for those who had the least. He was a passionate advocate for homecare workers throughout his time with SEIU. One of his proudest moments was seeing then-candidate Barack Obama "Walk a Day" in the shoes of a close friend, homecare worker Pauline Beck. He was currently working on a Head Start campaign in Stockton, a health fair in Oakland and other projects -- trying, as always, to strengthen the ties between the community and the union.
Devout and dedicated, he knew the value of relationships, and how to treat people with respect without compromising his values. He often expressed his belief that we could lift up working families only by being true partners with our communities: not just pursuing our own interests, but committing ourselves to the needs of others. And he shared his disappointment when we were unable to do so.
Berry's untimely and senseless death is a tragedy. He will be dearly missed by many -- his children and family, his friends, his church, his co-workers, the union community. We would do him honor by keeping his faith in community alive in our work.
