On Tuesday, Jan 16, twelve-year-old Azellea Victoria Amalfitano (center) was presented a certificate of recognition by the City of San Fernando for her courage in addressing the city council with a message of diversity, equity and inclusion during a Nov. 11 city council meeting.
“We all know how challenging that meeting was, no matter what your opinion. We all want to have an inclusive and safe space here in the City of San Fernando and we are so grateful to the youth who came to that meeting, and the opportunity to hear directly from you, ” said Mayor Celeste Rodriguez.
“Clearly you are going to be a very strong advocate as you grow in this community, and we are lucky to have you as part of our community family,” said Rodriguez.
The meeting Amalfitano spoke at was a contentious one, with over two hours of public comment about an incident at the San Fernando Library, when a group of conservative protestors blocked a Drag Storytime from taking place. During the meeting adults on both sides of the issue argued what they thought was best for the youth in San Fernando.
“As a young person here, and a queer person, I feel like I can say the most for the queer children,” said Amalfitano at the Nov. 11 meeting. “I see a lot of adults speaking for the queer children, and a lot of adults who don’t understand what that means.”
“You shouldn’t resort to violence, or hash words, or just being a bigot in general, because of the way someone wants to look,” said Amalfitano. “Just because of some colors on a flag, you shouldn’t resort to being a bad person.”
Amlfitano said it was “really cool” to be recognized by the city, adding that she didn’t realize her speaking up was that big of a deal at the time. She said she was very nervous to speak, but felt it was the right thing to do to voice her opinion as a young person within the community.
“It’s not it’s not easy to speak up in a room with people that might not agree with you, might not like you for it,” said her father Sergio Amalfitano. “I’m very, very proud of her.”
(SFVS/el Sol Photo/Semantha Raquel Norris)