Sibongile Bradley West

Sibongile Bradley West, 67, born on April 2, 1955 and passed away April 15, 2022. She resided in Los Angeles, California at the time of her passing. Arrangements are under the direction of Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills, California.

Remembering our Beloved
SIBONGILE BRADLEY WEST

"If I can help somebody as I pass along, then my living shall not be in vain."

SIBONGILE BRADLEY WEST was born April 2, 1955, in Pacoima, California to the late Manuel and Adlene J. Bradley. Sibongile, whose given name was Phyllis Ann (the family affectionately called her "Sissy"), was the second of three children. She was an energetic outgoing child and exhibited a passion for learning and excelling in all her endeavors. At the early age of two, Sibongile's lifelong friend and next-door neighbor, Beverly Jenkins who was five, would come home from school, teach her the alphabet and everything she had learned. Beverly's dad, Mr. Essex Jenkins, was so impressed that on Sibongile's third birthday he gave her a children's book about different countries and cultures. Sibongile was so mesmerized by the book that within a year, she had learned to read. This early exposure to learning propelled Sibongile through school enabling her to graduate from San Fernando High School at the age of sixteen. Inspired by her practice of Transcendental Meditation®, she attended college at the Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa, and later at the University of California.

Sibongile was raised in a Christian home and attended Guardian Angel Catholic Church and School. She grew to love praying the rosary because of its meditative prayer practice and she found it to be beautiful and uplifting. At age 16, she began practicing Transcendental Meditation® (TM®) and her religious practice became the spiritual realm enhanced by her practice of TM and in later years by the guidance of the Beings of the Christ Light, all of which, for her, were interwoven. She attended the Transcendental Meditation Teacher Training Course in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1973 where she became a teacher. Although Catholicism was her foundation, Sibongile was on a different divine level than those who just follow the edicts of a mainstream religion. She respected the beliefs and practices of others, and even participated in some of them. She shared in the beauty of the Catholic rituals but was always interested and open to all beliefs. Her practice of TM expanded her awareness of higher realms of consciousness and experiences with what she understood as the Celestial Realm. As a result of this growth, she became aware of Beings of The Christ Light. In this light, she served as a Board Member of the Foundation for Inner Mastery to promote spiritual growth and preserve their teachings.
Sibongile began traveling the world at an early age because of the wanderlust seeded in her by the book she received from Mr. Jenkins. Her travels took her to different corners of the world, not only to study Transcendental Meditation, but to broaden her knowledge about the world in which she lived. In later years, her mother, Adlene, became her traveling companion, taking frequent cruises to see the world.

Driven to be a change agent and have a positive influence in the lives of other, Sibongile dedicated her life to help others live their lives to the fullest. She first taught TM to many people of color at the original Transcendental Meditation Center, Inc., located in Leimert Park in South Central Los Angeles. Her impact was also felt at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles where she taught TM as a part of a Hypertension Research program. She served as President of the African Post-Traumatic Stress Relief Now (PRN), whose focus was on delivering TM to PTSD sufferers in Kenya, Uganda, and the Congo. Additionally, she served as President of the Breathe Again with TM and chaired and organized the TMC 50th Anniversary Celebration. She ardently pursued spiritual growth and development taking her on travels to India, Switzerland, and elsewhere.
Sibongile continued her storied career by serving her community in a myriad of ways. She was a 30-year business owner providing services to the art and entertainment industry in hair and costume design for recording artists, stage, screen, and dance productions. Her clientele included Hazel Gordy, a friend of over 40 years who thought of Sibongile as "her heart", and well-known entertainers such as Sheree Brown, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Grammy Award Winner Patrice Rushen, and many others. Her career path led her to the real estate industry, public affairs and communications. Sibongile served as the community and business liaison for outreach engagements for then Assemblymember Holly Mitchell (now Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell). In that capacity, she assisted constituents in voicing concerns with the Assemblymember, and in planning their engagement and talking points to seek legislative support.

Combing her expertise and passion for communications, Sibongile began work with Young Communications Group. As a strategic communication professional, she specialized in integrated communications with an emphasis on community outreach engagement, media relations and social media marketing. She worked in public education, media and community relations campaigns focused on African American communities. She effectively engaged with community influencers through participation in the Sacramento countywide campaign to reduce stigma against people with mental illness and to raise awareness about mental well-being. Sibongile was well-known and trusted in Black Los Angeles as an educator, entrepreneur and communications professional and had great inroads into the Black communities of Sacramento due to her work with the California Assembly.

Having a strong love and passion for family, Sibongile took the lead in ensuring family activities and gatherings were well organized. She researched and organized the James Family Reunion in 2018, bringing together for the first-time hundreds of family members and cousins on her mother's side. Her infectious smile always brought a welcoming spirit to family gatherings. With several family members adopted into the family, it was Sibongile who took the lead to help those members find their biological relatives, thereby helping them find closure to their identities. However, she found her own tranquility in cooking and gardening. When possible, she prepared one-of-a-kind meals for her family and frequently used her own backyard garden oasis to conduct TM classes for her clients.

In 1985, the former Sibongile Bradley married her best friend, Richard Hudnut West, Jr. They worked to build a beautiful life together. Unfortunately Rik (as he was known to family and friends) departed this life, suddenly, on December 18, 1992, at the early age of thirty-five.

SIBONGILE BRADLEY WEST, age 67, passed away peacefully in her home in Los Angeles, CA, on Good Friday, April 15th, 2022, after a courageous battle with ongoing health complications. She leaves to cherish her memory her brother, Darryl H. Bradley, Sr.; sister, Gaynell Marie James; brother-in-law, William H. West; cousin, Carolyne Bradley Oliver, whom she fondly referred to as her "original" cousin; cousin, Kenneth Fisher, with whom she shared a close bond; nieces, nephews, cousins, and a host of devoted family members, extended family members, friends, spiritual devotees, and professional colleagues.
Words cannot aptly express the imprint she leaves. Her ability to engage and build trust with diverse audiences and her unwavering joy, positivity and can-do/will-do spirit, will be forever missed.