In Loving Memory: Rev. Arnold Townsend

The Rev. Arnold Townsend was a giant in the community, not only in the Fillmore District but throughout the city of San Francisco. He was a voice of reason, authority, ethical behavior, moral purpose, and social advocacy, always striving to make the city a more just, equitable and inviting place to be. Rev. Townsend worked tirelessly to uplift all people, and his commitment to public service extended to all corners of our city, but he was not shy about fighting for the rights of Black people, here in San Francisco, and everywhere. Rev. Townsend volunteered his time as a member of countless city commissions and civic bodies — from the San Francisco Ethics Commission to the Redistricting Commission — and as vice-president of the San Francisco Chapter of the NAACP. Rev. Townsend’s involvement with the African American Art & Culture Complex dates back to before its founding, as he and other community leaders led the fight to establish a neighborhood arts center for the Black community in the late 1970s and early ’80s. Rev. Townsend served on the AAACC Board of Directors for two decades, and was its president from 2014 until his death in 2024. A man of boundless energy, tremendous oratory skills, and considerable charm, “Rev T” mentored generations of young people, inspired countless San Franciscans, and held untold others to account with his relentless pursuit of justice, and his generosity of spirit.