Redding honors community leader Eddie McAllister
The president of the Shasta County Citizens Advocating Respect (SCCAR)—a Not In Our Town group—was honored by Leadership Redding with its Alumnus of the Year Award. Eddie McAllister was selected for his outstanding community involvement, according to the Redding Record-Searchlight.
McAllister’s community involvement includes serving on the advisory board for the Salvation Army, working with PlusOne Mentors and the Youth Violence Prevention Council. He’s also helped organize the Local National Night Out, the Multicultural Celebration and the Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration. In 2013, McAllister helped organize Redding’s Global March for Peace and Unity, making his city one of 16 California cities that participated in the March. He is the recipient of the Redding Mayor’s Proclamation for his work in a program honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called See the Vision Live the Dream Day. As a Vietnam veteran, Eddie McAllister also helps organize programs to serve the veteran community.
"Dr. King said, ‘Life's most urgent and persistent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” McAllister said after receiving his award, “And this is something I picked up on."
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Tom O’Mara is a longtime activist in his home county of Shasta, California. His community rallied together after a racially motivated shooting and formed the now-Shasta County Citizens Advocating Respect in 1988. In the early 1990s, Tom joined the group, which has been active through three major hate crimes including the murder of a gay couple by white supremacists, profiled in a Not In Our Town film. He now works closely with law enforcement, serving as a bridge between the community and the police.
How an Anti-Racist Community Group Evolved from Being a Watchdog to a Partner of Law Enforcement