The Unity Council is profoundly sorry to hear of the passing of Bernard Tyson, Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente over the weekend. Kaiser Permanente, under Mr. Tyson’s tremendous leadership, became one of The Unity Council’s strongest partners. His advocacy pushed Oakland to recognize the unbroken line between better careers, education, housing, and health. He saw the incredible influence that Kaiser Permanente could make on the affordable housing landscape and knew how to use the might of Kaiser to build a movement towards equity. Mr. Tyson personally and courageously championed racial diversity. As one of the only Black CEOs leading a major corporation in the country, he fearlessly illuminated and called out racial injustice in his professional and personal life, and helped build bridges for Black and brown communities. I had the immense privilege of meeting with Bernard and his extraordinary team over the years and was always struck by his compassion, perseverance, and integrity. He was thoughtful, sincere, and compassionate in every way. Our organization will remember him for his many contributions to Oakland, to The Unity Council, and to the fight for equity.
Sincerely,
CEO Chris Iglesias