Richmond honors community leaders during Black History Month ceremony

Four longtime community leaders who dedicated years to neighborhood advocacy, violence prevention, and civil rights were honored Monday night during the Richmond Neighborhood Coordinating Council’s Black History Month celebration.

The council recognized Doris Mason, AJ Jelani, JC Farr Jr., and Nat Bates, community leaders whose combined service spans more than a century.

Mason, who has served the Iron Triangle community for more than 25 years as president of the Barrett Avenue Neighborhood Association and treasurer of the Iron Triangle Neighborhood Council, spoke of the mentorship she received from community elders.

“When you’re working in a community, or you’re working with people, you work in an organization, and you’re raising children, or you’re raising the community, you never think about what you’re doing. You do it,” Mason said. “May the work that we do speak for us.”

Mason, born in Mansfield, Louisiana, the youngest of 10 children, dedicated her professional career to special education, serving students and families through the Alameda County Office of Education and West Contra Costa Unified School District.

AJ Jelani, who has called Richmond home since the 1970s and served as president of the Belding Woods Neighborhood Council since 2000, delivered an emotional testimony about his journey from the soup kitchen and rescue mission to community leadership.

“The Lord took me from the soup kitchen,” Jelani said. “So you see me now, but you didn’t see me then.”

Jelani founded Peace on the Streets Organization Inc. in 1993, a statewide initiative focused on addressing gang violence and providing mentorship. He organized the first Richmond Got Talent Show in 2010 and led Christmas on the Streets from 1993 to 2018, serving hundreds of children annually.

“I’m a reflection of what you put into me, what you gave me, and the resources are opportunity, attention, and expression, an opportunity to change,” Jelani said.

JC Farr Jr. served the Eastshore Neighborhood Council for more than 20 years — including more than 10 years as president. Farr organized the annual Easter egg hunt, which has served more than 300 children each year for nearly two decades.

Acknowledging his family’s legacy, Farr introduced relatives who stood to be recognized at the ceremony.

“These are the offspring of JC Farr Senior, who came to California,” Farr said.

Farr, who attended Richmond public schools and graduated from Harry Ells High School in 1961, served as a deacon and choir director at Seaport Baptist Church and later Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church. He worked as a stevedore at Naval Air Station Alameda.

Nat Bates, who arrived in Richmond in 1942, reflected on his eight decades in the city and seven decades of public service. A Korean War veteran who worked 38 years as a probation officer with Alameda County, Bates was first elected to the Richmond City Council in 1967.

“When I first got on the council in ’67, it was only two of us, George Livingston and myself, and at the time, Richmond was very racist,” Bates said.

Bates described fighting to integrate Richmond’s workforce in the 1970s, battling union opposition to enable employees across all city departments to transfer and promote freely.

“We put it on the agenda, and we integrated the entire Richmond workforce,” Bates said. “If you were working in the redevelopment and there was a position in the police department or the finance department, you had that opportunity to move forward. It was one of the greatest accomplishments that I can recall.”

The ceremony drew city and regional officials, including Mayor Eduardo Martinez, Vice Mayor Doria Robinson, Councilmember Cesar Zepeda, County Supervisor John Gioia, and representatives from Congressman John Garamendi’s office.

Arto Rinteela, president of the Richmond Neighborhood Coordinating Council, opened the meeting by thanking dozens of sponsors. and emphasizing the importance of neighborhood councils in civic engagement.

"It's been a long time coming, and we know what you do, because we do the same thing, except you do it better," Rinteela said to the honorees.

He also emphasized the importance of neighborhood councils and civic engagement.

“If you live in the City of Richmond, you are inside a neighborhood council,” Rinteela said, encouraging residents to join and “advocate for your neighbors and your neighborhood.”

YOU GET MORE WITH A PAID SUBSCRIPTION

Your subscription enables Grandview Independent to deliver more:

More time devoted to in-depth reporting
Longer, more comprehensive stories
Greater coverage of what matters to our community

Quality journalism costs money. Subscriptions allow us to keep reporting the stories that matter, without paywalls getting in the way of critical community information.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE - Starting at just $10/month

FOLLOW US FOR BREAKING NEWS:
• Twitter: @GrandviewIndy
• Instagram: @GrandviewIndependent
• Facebook: @Grandview Independent