A Family of Spiritual and Civic Activists

The name Broadous is nearly synonymous with community and religious activism.

For decades, members of this prominent family have worked on behalf of residents in the northeast Valley and the rest of the city.

The Broadous family’s presence in the Valley dates back to the mid-1940s, when the Rev. Hillery T. Broadous and his wife, Rosa, moved to Pacoima. Hillery Broadous, a retired Army man, worked with the Fair Housing Council, formed an organization to support African American entrepreneurship and, with his wife, was a founding member of the NAACP’s Valley chapter. In 1955, he founded Calvary Baptist Church.

The couple raised 10 children in Pacoima--and in the church. Several members of the Broadous family remain active in religious and community causes:

* The Rev. Alicia Broadous-Duncan, executive director of the Northeast Valley Multipurpose Senior Center and founder of Adonai Covenant Ministries.

* The Rev. Zedar Broadous, president of the San Fernando Valley chapter of the NAACP, member of the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission, publisher of the San Fernando Valley African American Chronicle News.

* The Rev. M. Cecilia Broadous, associate minister of mission support and community development for the American Baptist Churches of Los Angeles.

* The Rev. Arthur Broadous, program coordinator, Pacoima Community Youth Culture Center.

* Connie Taylor-Broadous, executive director of the Pacoima Community Youth Culture Center.

* Deborakh Broadous, who teaches at Cal State Northridge’s Pan-African Studies Department.

* The Rev. Pamela Broadous, who performs outreach work with homeless people on skid row.

* Lillian Broadous, a missionary in the Dominican Republic.

At 78, Rosa Broadous remains active in the church, heading the department of missions.