William “Bill” Lucy, a towering figure in the American labor movement and a champion for civil and human rights, died Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, at his home in Washington, D.C., at 90 years old.

Lucy, who served as secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) for nearly four decades, was a key player in the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike. The strike, where Lucy marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., helped secure union recognition for AFSCME Local 1733.

In addition to his work with AFSCME, Lucy co-founded the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) and the Free South Africa Movement (FSAM), which led U.S. protests against apartheid in the 1980s.

“Bill was a relentless advocate for social justice,” AFSCME President Lee Saunders said in a statement. “His legacy will continue to inspire generations of workers and activists.”

Lucy’s leadership reached across borders. He was the first African American president of Public Services International (PSI), the world’s largest union federation, and served on the executive council of the AFL-CIO. He also held positions with the NAACP, TransAfrica and the Africa-America Institute.

Born Nov. 26, 1933, in Memphis, Tenn., Lucy grew up in a working-class family. His father, Joseph Lucy, was a mechanic and part-time musician, while his mother, Susie Bell, was a seamstress who later ran a soul food restaurant. The family moved to Richmond, Calif., during World War II, where his father worked in shipyards.

Lucy graduated from high school in 1951 and began working for the U.S. Navy at a shipyard during the Korean War. In 1953, he took an entry-level job with the Contra Costa County Public Works Department, marking the beginning of his involvement in labor issues.

He became an active member of the employee association, helping to transform it into a full-fledged union—AFSCME Local 1675.

In 1966, AFSCME International President Jerry Wurf invited Lucy to Washington to help establish the union’s Department of Legislation and Community Affairs. Two years later, Lucy was dispatched to Memphis, where sanitation workers were striking for better wages and safer working conditions after two workers were killed by a malfunctioning garbage truck.

Lucy played a key role in gaining public support for the strike, coining the now-iconic “I AM A MAN” slogan. The phrase became a rallying cry for workers fighting for dignity and recognition.

In 1972, Lucy was elected AFSCME secretary-treasurer, a position he held for 38 years.

That same year, he founded CBTU, the first labor organization in the U.S. to condemn South Africa’s apartheid regime. During the 1980s, Lucy and FSAM led demonstrations and boycotts against companies that did business with South Africa.

Lucy also played a role in organizing Nelson Mandela’s U.S. tour after his release from prison in 1990, including a stop at the AFSCME International Convention. In 1994, Lucy led an AFL-CIO delegation to monitor South Africa’s first democratic election.

Lucy retired from AFSCME in 2010 but continued to speak out on issues of workers’ rights and social justice. In his final address to AFSCME members, he urged them to remain committed to the cause, saying, “We have a responsibility to help those struggling to put food on the table, clothes on their backs and roofs over their heads.”

Lucy is survived by two daughters and four grandchildren.