[Editor’s Note: Mr. Ridley-Thomas, a Democrat, represents Culver City and the Crenshaw District in the state Assembly.]
[img]1987|right|Sebastian Ridley-Thomas||no_popup[/img]As Californians, we often derive a strong sense of pride from the way we lead other states in many areas.
From technology to tourism and energy to entertainment and many industries in between, we lead.
The 10th day of Black History Month is an ideal time to look at how we have led through the strength of California’s diversity in the past, and how we will continue to be out front in the future.
The Hon. Frederick M. Roberts was the first African American elected to the state Assembly in 1918.
Assemblymember Roberts was the great-grandson of Sally Hemmings. He is widely believed to be the great-grandson of Thomas Jefferson.
Mr. Roberts may be best known today for authoring legislation to establish a Los Angeles campus for the University of California.
Mr. Roberts’s bill creating UCLA was signed into law in 1919. Quickly it would develop into the Westwood campus we know today, a shining jewel of the 54th Assembly District.
In 1939, UCLA welcomed Jackie Robinson to Westwood. Mr. Robinson, a star student-athlete from Pasadena, is credited with breaking down the most significant racial barrier in professional sports, sparking the modern civil rights movement.
Many of California’s great elected officials made their way through the U.C. system, including former Mayor Tom Bradley. He went to UCLA in 1937 on an athletic scholarship.
Mr. Bradley’s ability to bring together various ethnic and religious groups to share a common goal for the greater good of Los Angeles was a hallmark of his 20-year tenure as L.A. mayor.
That legacy is represented by the wonderfully diverse 54th Assembly District.
Last November, as Californians passed a ballot measure that known nationwide as landmark criminal justice reform, we elected a California record of 12 African American members to the Assembly and Senate. Collectively, they make up the California Legislative Black Caucus.
Black History Month is an appropriate time to reflect on how far we have come as a state and nation.
This is a time to chart our path towards continued progress. I am grateful to walk in the footsteps of the African American political pioneers who came before me.
I vow to continue working to ensure equality and opportunity for all Californians, as well as provide an example for the rest of the United States.
Mr. Ridley-Thomas may be contacted at http://asmdc.org/members/a54/
