By Robert J. Hansen | OBSERVER Staff Writer
Attendees dressed in their Sunday best and business attire gathered in high spirits at the 43rd annual Greater Sacramento NAACP Prayer Breakfast on April 18. Despite the good vibes, no one could ignore the elephant in the room: the return of the Trump administration and its escalating attacks on the Black community and civil rights.
This year’s theme, “Standing Together and Never Divided,” set the tone. It was the first prayer breakfast under newly elected Sacramento NAACP President Tijuana Barnes, who emphasized faith, unity, and unwavering commitment to justice.
“We already have the weapons that we need to fight those things that are against us,” Barnes said.
Notable attendees were Mayor Kevin McCarty and his staff, Police Chief Kathy Lester, and former Sacramento NAACP presidents Betty Williams and Nathaniel White.
The morning featured stirring sermons and spiritual calls to action from some of the region’s most respected clergy.
Pastor Jeffrey A. Johnson Jr. of Eastern Star Church opened with a sobering message grounded in current fears and economic uncertainty. He shared that he has spoken with elders worried about their Social Security checks being delayed, and workers unsure about their jobs under the new administration’s policies.
“I think we can all attest, all testify, that we are living in dangerous times. We are living in times now that for some of us, we have never seen before,” Johnson told the crowd. “If I’m being honest, we are in uncharted territory.”
Superintendent Darnell Thomas, pastor at Showers of Blessing Church of God in Christ, followed with a call to spiritual vigilance, saying the nation is in desperate need of prayer. “What I see now in this nation is that we have not learned from history. Sometimes God will put a wicked king in place in order for us to remember who the king really is,” he said, prompting a wave of affirmation from the crowd.
Bishop Esley Simmons of South Sacramento Christian Center delivered the closing message, drawing from both personal experience and collective memory.
“We’re not fighting against [the administration], we’re fighting together,” Simmons said in his signature thunderous voice.
He also spoke of the racism he experienced growing up and the resilience of the Black community. “We have survived, and we will survive. God’s plan is to pull us out of this predicament.”
The Sacramento NAACP also used the occasion to honor local leaders who last year made and continue to make contributions to civil rights and the advancement of the Black community.
Stacey Anderson, the NAACP’s second vice president, received the Health Equity and Advocacy Award for her work on the Sacramento County Public Health Advisory Board and the Chief of Police Advisory Team. Her commitment to justice also shines in her service as a court-appointed special advocate.
Yvonne Lucas-Heriveaux was honored with the Unsung Hero Award for organizing a rally and walk around the Sacramento County Jail to fight for inmates’ right to vote. She also conducted wellness checks for incarcerated individuals on behalf of families lacking resources. “I feel blessed,” Lucas-Heriveaux said. “And that’s why I believe it’s important to be a good steward of those blessings and give back to the community.”
Chris Lodgson, a lead organizer with the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California, received the Big Dog Award for his efforts pushing for reparations for California descendants of American slavery. “We are closer to reparations than we ever have been in California,” Lodgson said. “People are going to be writing about the things we are doing 20, 30, 50 years from now. We’ve already made history. But what we have to do next … is going to make what we’ve already done look easy.”
Lodgson has been at the forefront of the California reparations movement since 2018.
The Greater Sacramento NAACP, under the new leadership of Barnes and others, is committed to advocating for Black and other marginalized Sacramento communities, particularly in education, health care, the child welfare system and criminal justice.
“That’s what this prayer breakfast is about. It’s about all of us coming together,” Barnes said. “Being here, you are saying that I’m standing against anyone who’s trying to roll back our civil rights.”