04 Sep East County Youth NAACP Is ‘Teaching Younger Generations to Speak Up’

The East County NAACP Youth Council, flanked by East Contra Costa County elected officials, wraps up a youth-led Black history play on Feb. 22 at True Light Missionary Baptist Church in Pittsburg. (Courtesy of Teylin Evans-McQuarters)

By Samantha Kennedy

For one night this past February, local Black history took center stage in a Pittsburg church. Through the youth-led play “Our East Contra Costa Story Has Wings,” young people took on the roles of Black community leaders who have shaped the county.

The county’s first Black supervisor. A mother who said she saw her son beaten by police. A police overseer.

For the East County NAACP Youth Council, the list goes on — and they plan to be a part of it.

“We’re not only teaching ourselves to speak up, we’re teaching the younger generations to speak up and make sure they feel like they have a voice,” said Gavin Payton, the Youth Council’s president. “Because they absolutely do.”

The youth council is an offshoot of the East County NAACP, which is led by Payton’s mother, Kimberly Payton. Kimberly and other East County NAACP leaders — Antioch Police Oversight Commission member Devin Williams and the pastor at True Light Missionary Baptist Church, Charles Glasper — were among those celebrated in the play.

The council shows up at city council meetings and school board meetings to have their say on topics like police brutality and a new superintendent.

Payton and the youth council pushed for more police accountability following the scandal involving Antioch police officers exchanging racist texts and called for the now-former superintendent of Antioch Unified School District to step down because of allegations that she did not properly handle bullying complaints.

The council is also made up of some of the youth who helped pick the first members of the Antioch Police Oversight Commission.

Having Black women in leadership positions, said Payton, is also important. Antioch City Manager Bessie Scott and newly appointed AUSD Superintendent Darnise Williams, both of whom faced some backlash when taking over, are some Payton named as supporters.

Scott, appointed last August and shortly before Mayor Ron Bernal and council members Don Freitas and Louie Rocha took office, received pushback for several social media posts on institutional racism.

“We’re hoping the superintendent is really going to step up,” said Payton. “And, so far, what we’ve seen from the superintendent and City Manager Bessie Scott is nothing but good things.”

The council co-hosted a “She Ready” event with the Safe Return Project, which featured Scott and other local officials who are women of color to uplift their voices and encourage them to become leaders in their communities.

“The community got to ask them questions that go to the root of issues in our community to shed light on our situation from a changemaking level,” said Malcom Kalil, an executive member and assistant treasurer in the Youth Council. “Our community will see the problems, but they were never able to reach out as directly [to elected officials] as they were during our event.”

There are people in leadership positions who “actually hear the community out and care,” said Kalil. “To hear from them directly is always an empowering feeling.”

When thinking of those leaders, Kalil said he “immediately thought about Shanelle Scales-Preston.”

“We’ve watched her become the first African American woman elected to the Board of Supervisors,” he said.

Scales-Preston is only the board’s second person of color to be seated in the county’s history. Federal D. Glover, who retired after more than two decades as supervisor and endorsed Scales-Preston as his successor, was the first.

And, when it comes to the inclusion of youth in decision-making, more can be done, according to the council.

Payton said that, though youth helped with the choosing of the police oversight commissioners in Antioch, they haven’t been included in that process since former Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe left office.

Since Bernal took office in December, three new commissioners have been appointed to the commission following resignations. Another resignation, this time by Commissioner Treva Hadden, will allow Bernal to make a fourth appointment.

Payton said part of the reason youth may not have been included in these decisions could be because some officials are newer than others.

Still, Payton has advice for all of them.

“Let us have a seat at the table,” said Payton. “Let us be on those boards and commissions. Ask us — push us — to apply.”

Young people interested in joining the Youth Council can email the group at ecnaacpyouthcouncilinfo@gmail.com.