LOS ANGELES — The NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference honored former State Sen. Steven Bradford and California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber at its 13th annual Legacy Hall of Fame Gala June 28, recognizing their decades of service, legislative impact and advocacy for civil rights.
Held at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel near LAX, the celebration brought together NAACP branches, elected officials and community leaders from across California.
Attorney and entrepreneur Kerri Harper-Howie emceed the event. Regina Brown Wilson, executive director of California Black Media, moderated a fireside chat that offered an inside look at the honorees’ journeys and visions for the future of Black political leadership.
Bradford was honored for his extensive public service and legislative leadership. The first Black person elected to the Gardena City Council, Bradford later served in both the Assembly and Senate, representing South Los Angeles and the South Bay.
He is known for authoring key legislation such as Senate Bill 2, which allows for the decertification of law enforcement officers for serious misconduct, and the California Cannabis Equity Act. Bradford also served as a member of California’s Reparations Task Force and chaired the California Legislative Black Caucus during several major policy battles.
“We don’t do this for the awards,” Bradford said. “But it sure feels good to be recognized.” He spoke candidly about the racism he has encountered, even in the Capitol.
“I’ve lost track of the number of people who met me in the Capitol and assumed I was head of security,” he said. “I’ve had lobbyists testify about police use-of-force bills and not one of them looked like the families who were grieving. I called that out — and within a week, they hired a Black lobbyist. I guess I’m good for jobs.”
Weber, California’s first Black secretary of state, was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021 after Newsom appointed Alex Padilla to the U.S. Senate, replacing Kamala Harris. She was later elected to a full term.
Prior to that, she represented San Diego in the Assembly, where she authored Assembly Bill 392, redefining police use of deadly force, and the bill that established California’s historic Reparations Task Force.
In her remarks, Weber reflected on values instilled by her parents, who fled the Jim Crow South and made civic participation a family tradition.
“I always told the truth,” Weber said. “My mother taught us never to lie, and that has served me well in everything I’ve done — whether in the classroom or in the Assembly.”
She recalled how her family’s Los Angeles living room became a polling place.
“My dad wouldn’t let folks vote in the garage because it had spiders and cobwebs,” she said. “So, our living room became the polling place, and my mother always made pound cakes and sweet potato pies for the poll workers.”
Weber earned a doctorate degree in communications from UCLA by age 26 and taught Africana Studies at San Diego State University for more than four decades.
In a reflective fireside chat moderated by Wilson, Weber and Bradford discussed their personal backgrounds, legislative experiences and perspectives on the future of Black leadership in California. The conversation touched on family influences, integrity in public service, and the challenges of representing Black communities in high-stakes political environments.
Bradford spoke of his parents’ influence.
“My parents taught me to show up, be present, and speak your truth,” he said. “They weren’t political, but they voted, they talked about Dr. King, and they instilled that civic duty in me.”
Weber underscored the importance of consistency in public life.
“Truth doesn’t change depending on the circumstances,” she said. “People trust me because I’ve never wavered. That’s why we were able to pass difficult legislation. When I told members something, they believed it.”
Both honorees voiced concern about the current political climate and the threat of backsliding on civil rights.
“Covert racism is more dangerous than overt racism,” Bradford said. “This administration scares me. And we have too many folks who look like us saying, ‘Trump isn’t bothering me.’ Not yet. But he will.”
Weber added: “We can’t sit around and do nothing. People died for the Voting Rights Act, and now they’re trying to take it away. We need to be outraged.”
The evening concluded with remarks from NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference President Rick Callender, who thanked both honorees for their decades of courageous service.
“We honor Weber and Bradford not just for what they’ve done,” Callender said, “but for how they’ve done it — with courage, honesty, and an unwavering commitment to Black communities.”
Joe W. Bowers Jr. is an editor for California Black Media.
