As part of Juneteenth Celebrations, SWMSRCC, Brotherhood Crusade, and Community Coalition (COCO) came together to host the first Juneteenth Freedom Brunch at COCO headquarters in South LA. Esteemed Speakers included COCO Executive Vice President Aurea Montes-Rodriguez, Brotherhood Crusade President and CEO Charisse Bremond Weaver, Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, California State Senator Lola Smallwood Cuevas, Assemblymember Reggie Jones Sawyer, and SWMSRCC’s very own Kyle Patterson closed out the proceedings.
The gathering also celebrated the launch of Community Coalitions Center for Community Organizing and the South LA Carpenters Local 323 Training Center. These two, soon to be iconic, institutions will undoubtedly stand tall as beacons of hope in the community.
Prior to this, 323 leadership took part in a three-month intensive “Introduction to South LA” program side by side with the next generation of COCO organizers. The celebration also served as the culmination of the intensive learning experience that our representatives were blessed to take part in.
The bond between the Carpenters Union, COCO and the Brotherhood Crusade is strong, and our shared goals will undoubtedly strengthen this community. Patterson is excited about the future and our partnership with two of South Los Angeles’s most progressive community organizations, “It’s a good opportunity to be a part of something like this, pioneering it with the partnership with all these different coalitions and just being in a position with the Southwest Mountain States Carpenters as a representative and trustee to where we’re able to train folks here in South Los Angeles.”
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