Willis Edwards Biography Favorites Color Blue Food Mustard Greens Quote “Do what you can from where you are.” Time of Year January (His birthday) Vacation Spot Hawaii

Producer and NAACP executive Willis Franklin Earl Edwards was born in Carthage, Texas outside of Houston on January 1, 1946. He was raised in Palm Springs, California by his mother Anita Hudson Edwards and his stepfather, Frank Edwards in Section 14 of the Cahuilla Indian Reservation. Edwards attended Nell N. Kaufman Elementary School and graduated from Palm Springs High School in 1963. He attended California State University, Los Angeles where he became an active in politics.

Edwards campaigned for Senator Robert F. Kennedy and was at his side when he was assassinated in 1968. Drafted, he served fourteen months as a soldier in the United States Army in Vietnam where he earned a bronze star. After returning from Vietnam, Edwards became the head of the California branch of the National Student Lobby in 1970. Los Angeles Mayor Thomas Bradley appointed Edwards to the city's Social Service Commission in 1973, and in 1976, Edwards attended the Democratic National Convention where he served on the delegate credentials committee and led the Pledge of Allegiance. In 1978, Edwards ran unsuccessfully for the California General Assembly, although Thomas Bradley and Rev. Jesse L. Jackson endorsed him. Edwards was elected president of the Beverly Hills/Hollywood Branch of the NAACP in 1982. In 1986, he persuaded NBC president Brandon Tartikoff to nationally televise the NAACP Image Awards with Edwards as the producer. Edwards also coordinated Nelson Mandela's visit to Los Angeles in 1992.

Diagnosed with AIDS, Edwards briefly retreated to private life, but bounced back to help neglected civil rights legend Rosa Parks. Edwards got Parks national exposure at the 1998 Oscars, a seat next to Hilary Clinton at Bill Clinton's 1999 State of the Union address, a meeting with Pope John Paul II, and the Congressional Gold Medal. Edwards used his influence to raise over $1 million for Parks in 2000. Edwards recruited Diane Watson and raised funds for her successful campaign for Congress. Edwards is now serving as California representative to the National Board of the NAACP.

Edwards was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on March 28, 2005.