By Mike Kinney
A community BBQ in Richmond this Sunday will honor local first responders and commemorate the 21st anniversary of 9/11.
The Contra Costa Coalition on Health and Wellness and The RichMinds Network, in conjunction with the Richmond fire and police departments, will host the annual event at the Richmond Fire Department Training Tower at South 33rd and Cutting Blvd from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The celebration will begin with a joint memorial run consisting of both Richmond fire and police personnel, according to Richmond Fire Department spokesperson Captain Rico Rincon. The run will go from the Training Tower along Cutting Blvd to Fire Station 61 in Point Richmond, Rincon said.
The annual memorial run provides moments to reflect on the lives of first responders that were lost on Sept. 11, 2001, Rincon added.
Guest speakers scheduled to attend Sunday’s community BBQ include Congressmember Mark DeSaulnier, County Supervisor John Gioia and Richmond City Council members Nat Bates and Demnlus Johnson III.
Antwon Cloird, community activist and board member of the Contra Costa Coalition on Health and Wellness, has been helping to host and coordinate the annual event for the past five years.
“We in the community wish to acknowledge and honor our first responders in both the Richmond fire and police departments for keeping our communities safe and for all of the community service they do throughout the year, and to remember the first responders who lost their lives in New York City on September 11th , 2001,” said Cloird.
