Pioneers in Integrative Medicine

Rev. Cecil Williams and Janice Mirikitani are the 2012 Honorees

Rev. Cecil Williams is the founder of Liberation of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco. Janice Mirikitani is the founding President of the Glide Foundation. Together, they have achieved worldwide recognition for their groundbreaking work to empower San Francisco’s poor and marginalized communities to make meaningful changes in their lives, and to break the cycle of poverty and dependence. They have built 87 comprehensive programs that provide education, recovery support, primary and mental health care, job training, housing and human services. This extensive network of services includes the only food program in San Francisco offering 3 meals a day, 365 days a year, an innovative and nationally recognized outpatient substance abuse treatment and recovery program, and an AIDS prevention, testing and case management program which provides comprehensive medical services to the homeless.

Rev. Williams was appointed minister to Glide in 1964, transforming the idea of a church’s role in contemporary society by opening its doors for everyone with unconditional love and acceptance. He challenged his congregation to take action by feeding the hungry, providing outreach for runaways, prostitutes and drug addicts, and performing same sex unions for the lesbian and gay community, one of the first ministers to take a public stand for same sex couples. Glide Church has evolved into the most comprehensive nonprofit provider of human services in San Francisco. In 1986, Rev. Williams became the Chairman for the Northern California Dr. Martin King Jr. Birthday Observance Committee at the request of Mrs. Coretta Scott King. Rev. Williams is the recipient of the 2008 National Caring Award presented by the Caring Institute in Washington, DC.

Janice Mirikitani is San Francisco’s second Poet Laureate, appointed in 2000. She has authored four books of poetry and is editor of two anthologies of poetry, prose and graphics by children from the Tenderloin; she is also the editor of nine landmark anthologies which provide platforms for writers of color, women, youth and children. Janice's other passion has been to create programs for women and families as they struggle with issues of substance abuse, rape, incest, domestic violence, the AIDS crisis, single parenting, childcare, health/wellness, education, and jobs development. She is the recipient of over 40 awards and honors, including the Governor and First Lady’s Conference on Women and Families.

To learn more about Rev. Cecil Williams and Janice Mirikitani, visit Glide's website glide.org

Past Recipients of the Pioneers Award:

• Michael Pollan
• Matthew Sanford
• Michael Harner, PhD
• Deepak Chopra, MD
• Anna Halprin, PhD
• Andrew Weil, MD
• Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy
• Dean Ornish, MD
• Mehmet Oz, MD
• Jean Shinoda Bolen, MD
• John O'Donohue, PhD
• Larry Dossey, MD
• Angeles Arrien, PhD
• Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD
• Rachel Naomi Remen, MD
• David Whyte
• Edgar Wayburn, MD