KNOW YOUR TRAINER

VELMA SYKES

Here’s a popular aphorism: When you want to get something done, ask a busy person. Velma Sykes is that person – and she certainly gets a lot done! She is active on the Executive Committee of the Sacramento NAACP and is the current chair of Women in NAACP (WIN). She is also active in the business community, serving as chair of the Sacramento Area Women’s Chamber of Commerce and as an executive for the Hidden Empire Film Group. In addition to her work commitments, Velma loves to spend time outdoors with her four granddaughters. Her days are full!

Despite her busy schedule, Velma decided to get trained as a texter in June of this year and started texting in early July. Her goal is to get out the vote in swing states with an eye to a big win in November. As a trainer, she wants to bring more people on board to help with this important task.

Recently, Velma was texting and found some inspiration from an unlikely source – a Trump supporter. After her initial text, Velma received a VERY long reply from a guy spouting the usual Trump message. “This rude guy sent me the longest TRUMP 2020 reply I’d ever seen,” Velma recalls. Following the suggested campaign protocol, she kept replying to him in a pleasant manner – and was surprised to find that her civility was ultimately returned. “It turns out that the guy now owned his son’s phone,” she says, “And that his son was a Democrat.” By the end of the conversation, he was offering to send the phone bank volunteer information on to his son and … he even thanked Velma and wished her well! His change of tone was an unexpected ray of hope from a very unexpected source.

Velma is delighted to be part of this team. “This is very important work,” she says, “And I am happy to be doing it with YOU!” Thanks, Velma, for making time to be part of our community and to help us build our team.