Remembering Peggy da Silva, our first executive director

“Some people say, ‘Advocating for walking? That’s like advocating for breathing,’” said Peggy da Silva back when she served as Walk SF’s very first executive director in 2003.

“But it really is an uphill battle to advocate for walkers because you’re calling for a cultural change,” said Peggy. “You’re calling for stopping automobile dependence and reclaiming the right to walk safely wherever you want.”

I love these words from Peggy, which are as true today as they were more than 20 years ago.

I am sad to share that Peggy recently passed away. You can read about the many ways Peggy worked during her lifetime for change and for numerous causes.

Peggy played a crucial role here at Walk San Francisco at a crucial time. According to one of our founders, Mike Smith, Peggy transformed what was essentially a group of passionate volunteers into a full-fledged organization. 

Peggy worked tirelessly to build our membership and secure grants, plus also started holding group walks that both celebrated walking but also talked about what pedestrians face. At the time, pedestrian fatalities were about twice as high as they are today.

This work meant Walk SF started to have a louder voice on behalf of pedestrians, and could take on bigger campaigns. Read our biggest wins from the early years. 

From the start, Walk SF was a scrappy, solutions-oriented voice for the most vulnerable on our streets – and Peggy was part of why. We remember her legacy today and into the future. 

Special thanks to Elizabeth Stampe, Nancy Botkin, Mike Smith, and Marilyn Adamson for their contributions to this blog.