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She marched with civil rights movement leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez, her advocacy beginning when she was just a child.
Now 73 years old, Leslie D. May’s continued activism has taken many forms, her face a familiar sight at many events, marches and meetings throughout the city of Antioch.
For May, a Black woman, it was never about fighting but about “protesting for people’s rights.” Still, she recalls how the Southern activists of the 1960s planned march routes dotted with “safe houses” to get pregnant women, children and seniors to safety in case protesters were attacked by people who didn’t feel the same way.
“I remember the water hoses, the tear gas. I remember being there, feet on the ground,” May said.
She shared her long history of marching for civil rights across the country, from her home in the Bay Area to Georgia, North and South Carolina, Washington, D.C., Maryland and more. Her parents, she explained, were highly educated and involved in both the local and national movements for change.
In recent years, May has focused her advocacy on Antioch, her home and a city that made national headlines when a 2023 FBI investigation uncovered civil rights violations, fraud, conspiracy to distribute steroids and destruction of evidence within the Antioch Police Department. Several officers from both Antioch and the Pittsburg police departments were indicted by federal prosecutors.
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Since then, May has worked closely with APD’s former interim Chief Brian Addington and current acting Chief Joe Vigil, making recommendations as the city formed its agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve its investigation. She commended both for rebuilding trust within the community following the scandal.
Addington and Vigil “have done a really good job rebuilding this department,” she said.
Vigil said May had been a critical part of providing perspective while also communicating with the community and the Antioch Police Oversight Commission, of which she was previously a commissioner. While she’s no longer serving directly on APOC, Vigil said he believes they will always be in direct communication.
“I don’t think we’ll ever not be able to talk to each other, inquire with each other or share things with each other,” Vigil said. “And I think a lot of that is built on trust.”
He highlighted the pieces of the DOJ agreement that APD has successfully delivered, such as the relaunch of a neighborhood watch program and a cleanup of Sycamore Square.
“Our goal is to dig in on this agreement with the DOJ and try to knock out this stuff as soon as we can and make the needed changes,” Vigil said. “I do not foresee us moving forward in certain areas without (May) being present or having some input or making comments that we would take into consideration.”
Bold, loud and some ‘good trouble’
Antioch resident Kathryn Wade — whose son, Malad Baldwin, was assaulted by Antioch officers in 2014 — said May has been an advocate for her family and other victims of police brutality.
“What I can say about Miss Leslie May, she only speaks her truth,” said Wade. “She speaks the truth from her life experiences and from what she sees in the city.”
Wade said her son, who had aspired to be a correctional officer, struggled with mental health issues following the beating he suffered in 2014, and in 2021 died by suicide. She commended May for being an advocate for victims of police brutality and working to rebuild the department.
“We do need public safety. And we do need to have that trust,” Wade said, further agreeing that APD went in a positive direction under both Addington and then Vigil.
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As a mental health therapist, May also helps victims of sex trafficking and sexual assault. Her Antioch office boasts comfy furniture, a dollhouse, paints and sand trays. The delicate scent of essential oils perfumes the air. The creative outlets, she said, help clients young and old slowly begin to tell their stories.
One of her favorite art therapy projects is to fill clear ornaments with paint.
“Pour all your pain and sorrow into this and shake it up. Then let’s let it dry,” May said she tells her clients. “Then I might say the next session, pour what you want to feel like in this one — use the colors. Let it dry.”
She uses those professional skills to help Reimagine Antioch, a local grassroots social justice group, facilitate healing circles, where the participants can focus on mental health and healing.
Nichole Gardner, founder of homeless outreach nonprofit Facing Homelessness in Antioch, said she has a deep respect and admiration for May.
If I’ve learned anything from Ms. May, it is to be bold, to be loud and there is nothing wrong with ‘good trouble’ when you are doing the right thing in Jesus’ name.
Nichole Gardner, Facing Homelessness in Antioch
“She has been a pillar in our community, addressing mental health and the need for programs and services to our most vulnerable populations,” Gardner said. “She shows up to advocate on issues regarding affordable housing and tenant rights and protections, homelessness, the need for youth programs and programs for seniors.”
As an advocate for the homeless, Gardner said she is grateful to have May as a mentor to remind her that her voice will never be silenced when fighting for the “rights, dignity and humanity for God’s poor people living on our streets.”
Gardner concluded, “If I’ve learned anything from Ms. May, it is to be bold, to be loud and there is nothing wrong with ‘good trouble’ when you are doing the right thing in Jesus’ name.”
The post Leslie May’s lifetime of advocacy: From civil rights protests to Antioch community reform appeared first on Local News Matters.