The local chapter of the NAACP visited St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on Sunday afternoon to speak about their continued partnership and their goals for 2024.
“Thank you for having us back again this year, and for all that you did with us throughout the last 12 months,” NAACP Santa Clarita President Valerie Bradford said during her opening remarks. “No one can accuse either of us of sitting on our laurels in 2023 because we were very, very active.”
NAACP Santa Clarita was welcomed to St. Stephen’s by the church’s Anti-Racism Coalition as a part of its celebration of Black History Month.
Bradford repeatedly expressed gratitude to the church’s members for their longstanding and dedicated support toward seeking racial justice in the Santa Clarita Valley, referring to several instances in 2023 where they worked together on various issues.
“When we asked you to stand with us at a press reference to fight racism at one of our local schools, you were there,” Bradford said. “When we asked you to stand with us at multiple City Council meetings to not only attend, but to speak, you were there. When we asked you to stand with us to fight hate crime numbers at the end of the year for Black residents, you were there.”
Bradford also spoke about the various struggles that NAACP Santa Clarita faced last year, saying the organization had advocated for at least a dozen SCV residents experiencing bigotry.
“Black kids were harassed in a local park by a contractor,” Bradford said. “Elected officials made racist comments from their platforms. Hate speech and actions directed toward Black students occurred at no less than five of our local schools. Residents drove around town spewing hate out of their vehicles or even writing it on their cars. HOAs acted inappropriately over and over again with Black and brown residents. And unfortunately, sexual exploitation of Black and brown youth occurred towards the end of last year.”
According to Bradford, NAACP Santa Clarita will continue its advocacy in 2024, with additional focus being given to getting more SCV residents active in elections.
“Our focus for 2024 is going to be voter registration. It is going to be amplifying the Black voice ahead of the 2024 presidential race because every ballot cast is a vote for democracy.”
Following her opening presentation, Bradford sat down to take audience questions with three other NAACP Santa Clarita members: Membership Chair Barbara White, Secretary Rachel Geraci, and Political Action Committee Chair Kevin Thomas. The latter three took the first question, which focused on maintaining hope in a turbulent political landscape.
“We have to focus on the movement that we have steadily moved forward, even though the times are hard,” said White. “My hope, my fight, my happiness comes because I have children and grandchildren that I want better for. I want them to live in a place where they can continue to have hope. So, when you don’t have hope, you have to find things that are important to you. That will drive you to do things better.”
“Handle the small battles,” said Geraci. “Look at the small battles that you can overcome. And always rule on the side of love. Because people are going to hate every day. People are going to encourage division every day. You always rule on the side of love. Those are small battles that you can win.”
“Each day is a new day,” said Thomas. “There’s something I do with my students. I always tell them, when they’re having a difficult time, just inhale and exhale. Take the time to just realize that there are people there who care for you. You’re in a place now where there is nothing but people who care and people who love you, who do what they can to help you. I mean, that’s what real Christian love is. Being able to be there for someone who’s in need, as the way Jesus taught us to be.”
The panelists also spoke at length about what they considered key issues for the organization, such as racial discrepancies in health care and racial representation in city government.
“I’ve been up here about 20 years, and it’s always referred to as ‘Awesometown,’ and I’d love for it to be awesome for all of us,” White said.
Membership levels and public image were also concerns for the NAACP Santa Clarita members, who said that they’re usually received warmly by the community but occasionally face hostility or confusion from people who they feel don’t fully understand the group’s origin and mission.
“All of the Black organizations that were started, none of them were started to do anything bad to anyone else,” White said. “They were all started to help and support against the stuff that was done to us.”
The group remains committed to its cause and hopes to grow in member size and recognizability in 2024, a goal that may lead to frustration since, as White noted, much of the SCV doesn’t even know that there is a local NAACP chapter despite its existing for years.
“That’s a big challenge,” she said. “Just making sure that people know that we’re here and that we are here for the good. And my mission is to make an ‘Awesometown’ for everybody.”
