President's Message: We are Moving Forward!

Hello and Welcome

First and foremost, I give honor and glory to God for the gift of this website — a platform created for you, our community. I pray that the messages shared here in the President’s Corner uplift your spirit, ignite your hope, and strengthen your resolve. May it inspire action, unity, and unwavering determination.

Welcome to the official website of the St. Johns County Democratic Black Caucus. We are proud to launch this inaugural digital space — a place where truth, empowerment, and community converge. This
site is more than a resource; it’s a living, growing hub for connection, education, and mobilization. We invite you to explore, engage, and help us shape it into a powerful tool for change.

Our motto is simple yet profound: “Building Community Together”.
And we mean it.

St. Johns County holds a sacred place in the history of Civil Rights. It is here that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was jailed for his courageous activism. It is here that Dr. Robert B. Hayling and countless others stood firm in the face of injustice. St. Augustine is home to Cora Tyson who celebrated her 102nd birthday in 2025. She is known as the “House Mother to the Civil Rights Movement”.

From the Lincolnville Museum to Fort Mose, the legacy of resistance and resilience lives on — and it calls us to continue the work. Our Black history is not just our past — it is our power. It teaches us, guides us, and fuels our fight against the forces that seek to erase it. We stand boldly against efforts to whitewash our truth and return us to a time of silence and suppression. We are here to speak, to act, and to build.

The SJCDBC is committed to:

  • Advocating for fair and equal representation in our county
  • Educating our communities on legislative processes at every level
  • Elevating candidates who understand our needs and are unafraid to be the lone voice for justice
  • Holding accountable those in office who fail to represent the people

We are growing. We are organizing. We are unapologetic in our pursuit of justice, equality, and dignity. The assault on our voting rights, our Blackness, and our humanity must end — and we must end it together.

Explore our site. Invite your family and friends to join the movement. Because we are powerful in our togetherness.

Let’s stay informed, stay united, and stay ready.

May God bless you and guide our steps forward.

In Solidarity,
Valerie Byrd
President, St. Johns County Democratic Black Caucus