Charlie Walker, who was the subject of a recent film starring Luke Cage‘s Mike Colter, has died at 89 years old.
In the 1960s, Walker led protests to open public construction jobs to Black contractors who were being excluded and deliberately discriminated and passed over for white truckers and white-dominated unions.
He later became one of the most successful truckers in the United States and was well-revered for cleaning up the San Francisco Bay after an oil spill in the early ’70s.
Walker’s legacy was immortalized in the recent biopic, I’m Charlie Walker.
“Charlie Walker was a true original. Cut from the same cloth as men like my own father and uncles,” said Colter. Men from the seventies era that took opportunity by the horns. Charlie was unapologetic about his ambition and desire to carve out a place in the world. He made a way for his family and set an example for generations to come. He was a character that moved through the world with a certainty and swagger that made people take notice. He deserved to have his story told. It was an honor to portray him. He will never be forgotten. My condolences to his family and loved ones. May he rest in eternal peace”
I’m Charlie Walker producer Mike Regan said, “On behalf of our Executive Producer Bill O’Keeffe and our entire cast and crew we are all devastated by Charlie’s passing, but at the same time we are here to celebrate his amazing life. Our thoughts are with his beautiful wife Annette, his entire family and his beloved community of Bayview Hunters Point San Francisco. We could go on and on about Charlie’s accomplishments and the impact he had on so many, but we also know Charlie would tell us to get back to work. And that is exactly what we will do to continue to honor his legacy and amazing life”
“Like many, I was honored and privileged to spend a lot of time with Charlie, as he regaled in stories and wisdom,” said I’m Charlie Walker director Patrick Gilles. “He will be missed but certainly not forgotten.”
In 2022, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to honor Walker by naming a street in Bayview Hunters Point as “Charlie Way.”
Walker is survived by his wife of 63 years, Annette Walker, his daughters, Charlette Carnegia and Ruedell Walker, his son, Charles Walker Jr, his 11 grandchildren, which includes his eldest grandchild, Geoffrea Morris, whom he assisted in raising, and his 13, great-grandchildren, and host of nieces and nephews and community friends.
