By Manny Otiko | California Black Media
Rev. Tecoy Porter, a Sacramento minister, has been named as president of the National Action Network (NAN)’s Sacramento chapter. NAN is a civil rights group created by Rev. Al Sharpton. Porter was introduced at NAN’s national conference, which was held last month in New York. The Sacramento chapter will hold its first meeting Monday, May 21, at 7:00 p.m. at the Dr. Robert Porter Center Genesis Church in the Meadowview neighborhood.
Porter is the senior pastor of Sacramento’s Genesis Church. In 2011, he retired from a career in Information Technology to dedicate himself to full-time ministry work. Porter is also an accomplished musician who has released four CDs, along with his brother Dr. Ellington Porter. He also served as director of the MLK Celebration Choir, a gospel community choir representing various denominations and cultures in Sacramento.
Sacramento has become a hotbed of civil rights activity recently as members of the African-American community staged city-wide protests over the slaying of Stephon Clark. Clark, who was unarmed, was killed in a hail of bullets minutes after police arrived at grandparents’ home.
Rev. K.W. Tulloss, western region president of NAN, said Porter was selected for his local experience.
Tulloss said NAN was looking forward to working with Porter.
“We’re excited about the new chapter,” said Tulloss. “It will address many of our concerns about police policy. We’re excited to have a well-regarded leader who has strong ties to Sacramento.”
Tulloss, who attended the national conference, said one of the primary focuses of the event was the upcoming elections.
“We decided to focus our efforts on the importance of voting,” said Tulloss.
Several Democratic politicians, such as Sens. Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand, also attended the conference. The senators have an eye on running for president in 2020 and are looking to Sharpton’s support. According to Tulloss, the NAN conference is nicknamed the “Sharpton primary.”
Tulloss also stressed the importance of African Americans voting.
“Voting impacts your community and the state,” said Tulloss.
