A RIGHTEOUS WOMAN VALLEY CIVIL-RIGHTS LEADER MAEOLA ELLIS-GRAVES HONORED.Byline: Rick Coca Valley News Writer Maeola Ellis-Graves has spent her life pursuing goals with steadfast determination. It was that way in 1951 when she campaigned to get Robert Lillard elected as the second black councilman in Nashville, Tenn. And in her 26 years of working at Ruckers Mortuary mor·tu·ar·y n. A place, especially a funeral home, where dead bodies are kept before burial or cremation. in Pacoima, Ellis-Graves swallowed her emotions more times than she can count to help ease the pain of families in mourning MOURNING. This word has several significations. 1. It is the apparel worn at funerals, and for a time afterwards, in order to manifest grief for the death of some one, and to honor his memory. 2. The expenses paid for such apparel. 2. . She brought that determination to her work as treasurer for the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), organization composed mainly of American blacks, but with many white members, whose goal is the end of racial discrimination and segregation. , and she brought it to her service on the boards of many health, religious and educational organizations. Through it all, friends said, Ellis-Graves also has brought strength and compassion to any task she felt needed her attention. On Saturday, friends and loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl of Ellis-Graves gathered to honor and thank the African-American leader with a reception at the Alicia Broadous-Duncan Senior Center in Pacoima. Zedar Broadous, a pastor at the Calvary Baptist Church of Pacoima that his father established 51 years ago, remembers Ellis-Graves from earlier days. ``She was an active member of the NAACP NAACP in full National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Oldest and largest U.S. civil rights organization. It was founded in 1909 to secure political, educational, social, and economic equality for African Americans; W.E.B. Du Bois and Ida B. when my father was alive,'' Broadous said. ``She was very active in the community as well.'' Broadous said Ellis-Graves was there during the African-American community's sometimes-intense struggles, such as fights to end racial discrimination in housing and to ban the police chokehold. ``She was on the forefront of all those issues,'' Broadous said. Broadous is the former president of the San Fernando Valley branch of the NAACP and is involved in various civic, religious and community issues and organizations. Looking back on his own life, he said, he is aware that Ellis-Graves has had a significant impact. ``She was - and always has been - a person I've gone to for wise counsel,'' Broadous said. Ruckers Mortuary manager Michael T. Wright has worked with Ellis-Graves for six years. ``The zeal Zeal Bows, Mr. crippled fiddler with intense feelings. [Br. Lit.: Pendennis] Cedric of Rotherwood zealous about restoring Saxon independence. [Br. she has - you don't find that very often,'' Wright said. ``She can't be replaced.'' Although she's working fewer hours at the mortuary, Ellis-Graves hasn't slowed down much. She continues her work with the NAACP, helps raise funds for the Southwestern Christian College Southwestern Christian College ("SwCC") is a Historically Black colleges and universities / historically black college in Terrell, Texas 30 miles east of Dallas. SwCC is operated by members of the Churches of Christ, making it the sole extant institution of its kind. and is active in her church, the Reseda Church of Christ. Ellis-Graves reflected on her life in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, and how it hasn't been what she originally expected. ``When I came here I think I was surprised, because I heard about all of the things in California,'' Ellis-Graves said. ``But when I got here, I didn't find those things because I found so much segregation segregation: see apartheid; integration. .'' She faced job discrimination. ``I showed up with my black face, and I didn't get any jobs.'' Ellis-Graves said. And then, with her iron determination, Ellis-Graves set out to change that culture and to help make the San Fernando Valley a better place. ``I would like to share that, whatever you see that you want to do, you pursue that and never give up,'' Ellis-Graves said. ``Whatever you want, if you pursue it hard enough, you will get it.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Maeola Ellis-Graves moved to Pacoima in 1963 and has been helping northeast San Fernando Valley residents ever since. |
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