Chief Deputy Kennedy-Smith is the first African-American woman to join the ranks of the 121-year old department, the third African-American and the seventh woman. During her remarks, where she acknowledged and thanked a host of family, colleagues, friends, and community and civic leaders who helped her along her journey, she said, “this is about women power today” and then she acknowledged women like Valerie Hill, the first woman to reach the rank of Undersheriff who encouraged, supported and pushed her up the ranks. In introducing her colleagues Chief Deputy Kennedy-Smith commented that it’s “not about title or rank but who we are as people.” She acknowledged her parents, who, while unsure of her decision to become a law enforcement officer, where always in her corner as were her husband Melvin and her two sons. Grant Yates, the City Manager for the City of Lake Elsinore, where Chief Deputy Kennedy-Smith last served, commented that she stands for “respect, trust, and empowerment.”
A few days before Chief Deputy Kennedy-Smith’s promotion ceremony, I was invited to witness the swearing-in of the newest member of the state legislature: Assembly Member Sebastian Ridley-Thomas at West LA College. At the youthful age of 27, he has the distinction of currently being the youngest person serving in the State Assembly. I often joke with him that he is such an “old soul” that he’s older than me. But while young in years, his commitment to public service is rooted in centuries-old traditions of the Black church, press, and higher education institutions, and of course family. His parents Avis and Mark Ridley-Thomas were, and continue to be, major influences in his life. His father, currently serving as a Los Angeles County Supervisor, offered to his son the same advice that was offered to him when he graduated from Immaculate Heart College, “Be not conscripted by causes unworthy of your life.” His Morehouse College classmate was on program and spoke of the influence that the historic institution with graduates like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had on Sebastian. That West LA auditorium was full of people who wanted to celebrate the occasion as a community. And like Chief Deputy Kennedy-Smith, Assembly member Ridley-Thomas thanked the “village” that supported him, encouraged him, and taught him the virtues of service.
Finally, at the end of last week I received a text message from my brother, Hardy. He has just interviewed and was appointed to fill the vacant trustee seat for Area D of the San Bernardino County Board of Education, making him the first African-American to serve on that board. Hardy has been a passionate advocate for education since his college days at Wilberforce University in Ohio. While I was not there to witness his swearing-in – he had no idea the announcement would be made so quickly after the process and was immediately sworn-in by the president of the board Laura Abernathy Mancha – I witnessed the tremendous outpouring of support and pride from the community as I read comment after comment on a Facebook post announcing the news. President Mancha said he was selected because of his vision and knowledge and ability to motivate others. We’re proud that he is following in the footsteps of our father who served as a trustee for the San Bernardino Unified School District Board of Education for 12 years and our mother who is currently serving as the assembly member for the 47th district.
After Chief Deputy Kennedy-Smith’s promotion ceremony I received a call from Sheriff Sniff. We talked briefly about the large crowd that participated in the promotion ceremony and how important and significant it is for us to commemorate and memorialize these positive milestones and personal achievements in a very public way. He reminded me that it’s only been six years since the department started holding these public promotion ceremonies for family, friends, colleagues, and the community. And I thought of the African-American cultural tradition of bearing witness and how we often talk about it as a duty to acknowledge the negative – the atrocities and violence – and rarely do we talk about the duty to witness the good, the positive, the exceptional.