Daphne Bradford named “Freedom’s Sister”



South Los Angeles resident Daphne Bradford has been an inspiration to all who know her.  The founder of Mother of Many, a non-profit that is using digital media to help teenagers realize a future in college and beyond, is a role model to South Los Angeles teenagers.  Now the Museum of Tolerance is honoring her contributions by appointing her a Southern California “Freedom’s Sister.”  image

Freedom’s Sisters is a national, traveling exhibition organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the Cincinnati Museum Center.  It presents 20 African American women, from key 19th-century historical figures—such as, Harriet Tubman and Mary McLeod Bethune—to contemporary leaders—such as Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Coretta Scott King and Shirley Chisholm—who have fought for equality for all Americans, and, as the Museum of Tolerance puts it, “have shaped the spirit and substance of civil rights in America.” 

MOT told Bradford said they were recognizing her “outstanding contribution to our community and beyond in promoting civil rights, advancing social justice, and aiding underprivileged groups in our society.”  Bradford has mentored high school students at Locke, Dorsey, Crenshaw and Hamilton High Schools over the years.  Perhaps her greatest impact has been with the the Crenshaw High School Digital Media Team, which was invited to visit The White House last year. image

MOT says the Freedom’s Sisters exhibit aims to “inspire the next generation of leaders” and “underscore the fact that one person can make a profound difference in the ongoing struggle for human rights and equality.” 

There is a group of teenagers in South LA who would agree that Daphne Bradford proves the point:  one person can make a difference.

“Ms. Bradford is not a “teacher,” but a mentor,” said Kevin Rivera, one of the students who has worked with Bradford on Crenshaw High School Digital Media Team.  “She’s an intelligent, caring, and inspiring person and I see that the determination Ms. Bradford has towards me and my peers to make every one of us to grow up to be responsible adults is enough inspiration needed. I’d like to thank Ms. Bradford for letting me be apart of the CHSDMT and the opportunities that came along with it…I believe no other person would’ve been able to do this for anybody else.”

Bradford and other distinguished Southern California African American women in Southern California will be added to the MOT exhibit when it opens on September 13. 

Photos by William Short and Willa Seidenberg