By Antonio R. Harvey | OBSERVER STAFF WRITER

Julius “Joe” Cherry clearly made it known why The OBSERVER presented the fire chief of the city of Sacramento with the first-ever “Newsmaker of the Year Award” recently.

In Celebration of “Black Press Month,” Cherry was honored at The OBSERVER’s inaugural event, “Black Press Breakfast Celebration” that was held at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in downtown Sacramento.

The event also included the first annual “Corporate Communicator of the Year” award that was presented to Wells Fargo.

Cherry had to deal with severe crisis within the department that caused embarrassment, shame, and unwanted headlines that spreaded across the nation. And while doing so, the 1982 graduate from Sacramento State University who holds bachelors of science degree in Public Administration, began making sweeping changes in the service institution to regain the trust of taxpayers.

“It’s been 10 months since I officially became the fire chief,” Cherry said to nearly 100 guests at the breakfast consisting of dignitaries, elected officials, law enforcement personnel, firefighters, and members of the community. “Some days I thought it had been 10 years, but what I will tell is that before I leave this office it is absolutely my goal to restore the reputation of this fire department in this community,” Cherry said.

Cherry, who was sworn in June 7, 2004, is the second African American fire chief in the history of the Sacramento Fire Department. Cherry earned his jurist doctorate in 1989 from the University of Pacific McGeorge, School of Law.

“I said when I was sworn in and I’ll say it today. ‘This is the community’s fire department.’ The firefighters don’t own the fire department. The Sacramento community owns it. I’ve preached this from day one. I’ve talked about leadership well before any of this stuff broke (in the news). This fire department will be transparent, respond to the community’s needs, and this fire department will act appropriately.”

Cherry was also given a poster-size cartoon strip reflecting his achievements. The artwork was drawn by syndicated cartoonist Morrie Turner (Wee Pals).

Cherry was sworn in June 7, 2004, as the second African American fire chief in the history of the Sacramento Fire Department. The department has had 18 fire chiefs including Cherry and Ray Charles, the first Black person to hold the position.

“Ray is certainly a mentor for Joe and Joe has acknowledge that on many occasions,” said Dr. William H. Lee, publisher of The OBSERVER. “But this individual, Joe Cherry, brings with him the kind of preparation that is unique to his position. He is the first the first attorney to occupy the chief position.”

Wells Fargo was presented corporate communicator award for recognizing the importance and value of utilizing diverse media in all of its public communications and marketing endeavors. Wells Fargo was recently given an “outstanding” rating under the Community Reinvestment Act for its performance in the areas of investment, lending and service.

Bob Crouch, who accepted the communicator award on the behalf of Wells Fargo, said the financial institution couldn’t prosper without serving the community.
“We are only as good as the community we serve,” Crouch said. “And that’s the diversity in Sacramento, throughout California, and the rest of the country. Thank you for this great award and we will continue as best as we can and the best we know how.”
Cherry and Wells Fargo’s awards are presented during that honors the Black Press of America. In fact, this is the 178th anniversary of the Black Press. More than 3,000 papers have been started since the first African American publication, “Freedom Journal” was published on March 16, 1827 in New York City.

In regards to Cherry and Wells Fargo, Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally (D-Los Angeles), who attended the breakfast, explained to the guests the “value” of the Black Press. The honorable Dymally also told the story of how a special publication produced by The OBSERVER made a significant impact in Governor Jerry Brown’s bid to run for president in 1976.

The publication listed all the Black elected officials in California State government.
“The Black media has meant so much to us,” Dymally said. “They have the abilities to get the story and understand the crisis we face. This paper has been my friend and my supporter for all these years.”