We founded The Post on the belief that many stories about important people and events in our community needed to be told. While we’ve tried our best to tell those stories, we typically focus on the news rather than the people behind it. As we close out 2022, we thought it would be a good time to tell you about one of those people.
Looking back: One of the best parts about our jobs is attending and reporting on events involving students in the Palm Springs Unified School District. That’s where we found Charlie Ervin — a parent, mentor, and leader who worked tirelessly and selflessly this past year with youth, other parents, district officials, and multiple organizations to make life better for us all.
We found Ervin leading the effort to send two dozen young men and women on the district’s first-ever tour of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. We watched him join fellow African American Parent Advisory Council members as they handed out Kente stoles to graduating seniors. He even showed up in our text messages to point out that Palm Springs High School had just had its first Black valedictorian.
But wait: Ervin isn’t just involved with youth. He’s also on the Palm Springs Planning Commission and frequently in attendance at meetings of the Desert Highland Gateway Estates Community Action Association, where he’s among the most vocal leaders in the neighborhood.
- If all that wasn’t enough, Ervin made history this month as he became the first African-American to be sworn in as a member of the PSUSD Board of Education.
What they’re saying: Deiter Crawford — a neighbor and fellow leader in the Desert Highland Gateway Estates neighborhood — has known Ervin since they were children. He said last week that his friend stands out for his work across multiple organizations and governmental bodies and for his care for future leaders.
- “He has been a role model and a father figure to many of our young men while coaching youth football,” Crawford said. “I admire him because he is persistent with his dedication to our children and the community.”
For all those reasons and many more, we were honored to present Charlie Ervin with a plaque earlier this month proclaiming him our 2022 Palm Springs Person of the Year.
