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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Sons of Bransford Awards Mark 20 Years of Honoring Community Service, Mentorship and Leadership
Five community leaders recognized at St. Paul ceremony as James Bransford's daughter, longtime colleagues and award recipients recount his influence on Minnesota's communities.
ST. PAUL, MN (October 28, 2026). Twenty years after a group of African American men organized a gathering to honor James Edward Bransford during a serious illness, the community recognition program established in his name returned Tuesday evening to celebrate five people whose work has advanced education, mentorship, domestic violence prevention, business development and public service across the Twin Cities.
The 20th Annual Sons of Bransford Awards, held at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, brought together former honorees, community organizers, legal professionals, faith leaders and families for a ceremony that also revisited Bransford's work helping people overcome addiction, navigate the criminal justice system and rebuild their lives.
Among those recognized were Dr. Diane D. Thibodeaux Ashby, a longtime advocate for survivors of domestic violence; state Rep. Cedric Frazier, whose early legal career brought him into contact with Bransford; businessman and community mentor Ezell Jones; Ronaldo Williams, recognized for mentorship and efforts to expand access to healthy food; and an educator identified during the ceremony as Leo, whose full name was not clearly captured in the recording.
The anniversary also provided an opportunity for those who knew Bransford to describe his work in greater detail. In interviews conducted by MinneapoliMedia following the ceremony, his daughter, retired Hennepin County Judge Tanya Bransford, and longtime associate Samuel Simmons discussed the circumstances surrounding the creation of the awards, Bransford's influence within the justice system and the responsibility of younger community leaders to continue the work.
Simmons, one of the original organizers, said the first ceremony was never intended to become an annual institution. It began because several men believed Bransford, who had been hospitalized for an extended period, deserved recognition while he could still appreciate it.
"The first one was all about him," Simmons told MinneapoliMedia. He said the men who organized the gathering had either benefited from Bransford's assistance or witnessed the difference he made in other people's lives.
The decision to continue honoring community members reflected a broader concern Simmons had encountered in his work with African American men. Too often, he said, recognition came only after years of struggle or after someone had died.
"Black men know how to be punished. They don't always know how to be loved," he said, explaining why public acknowledgment became an important part of the program.
Bransford, who died in 2020, had worked in addiction recovery, community advocacy and the Hennepin County Public Defender's Office. His experiences with substance dependence and recovery informed an approach that emphasized treatment, personal responsibility and the possibility of change. The people who worked with him recalled a man who knew how to locate services, understood the circumstances facing people in crisis and was prepared to challenge them when necessary.
Simmons remembered Bransford as someone who could correct a person sharply and still offer encouragement. He also recalled receiving calls from Bransford asking him to assist men whose circumstances were particularly difficult.
Those relationships continued long after the immediate crisis had passed, helping establish a network of people who relied on one another for professional guidance, personal support and referrals to community services.
A Judge Recalls Her Father's Work Beyond the Courtroom
For Tanya Bransford, the anniversary was both a family occasion and an opportunity to explain work that many people knew only through its results.
Her father served as a dispositional adviser at the Hennepin County Public Defender's Office, a position that involved helping attorneys and courts identify appropriate resources for people facing criminal proceedings. His knowledge extended beyond conventional legal services to treatment programs, community organizations and other agencies that could address underlying problems.
In an interview with MinneapoliMedia, the retired judge recalled a case involving a pregnant Native American woman who was facing criminal charges while struggling with chemical dependency. Concerned about the woman's circumstances, she asked the attorneys whether they would object to consulting her father for information about available treatment resources.
The attorneys agreed, and James Bransford identified a program serving pregnant Native American women.
The possibility of treatment rather than incarceration became part of the discussion about how the case could be handled.
Tanya Bransford said her father had been advocating approaches of that kind decades before treatment courts became more common. He understood that some people repeatedly entered the criminal justice system because the circumstances contributing to their offenses had never been adequately addressed.
His work did not mean ignoring misconduct or excusing criminal behavior. According to his daughter, he expected people to accept responsibility for their actions and was candid with judges when someone failed to meet the conditions of an opportunity they had been given.
She recalled that he would not misrepresent a person's progress simply to secure another chance. His credibility depended on being truthful with both the courts and the people he was trying to help.
Bransford also sometimes went personally to the jail to transport people into treatment. His daughter remembered becoming concerned about those trips as he grew older and urging him to stop putting himself at risk.
Over time, arrangements were developed to allow treatment providers and designated personnel to transport individuals directly from custody into programs, reducing the likelihood that someone would be released without reaching the services they needed.
The retired judge said her father took particular pride in his sobriety anniversary. He had experienced repeated setbacks before achieving sustained recovery, and he regarded the date as evidence of the work required to change his life.
She recalled his humor about the difference between a birthday and a sobriety anniversary. He liked to remind his family that his mother had done the work when he was born, while achieving sobriety had required a sustained effort of his own.
His recovery remained central to the way he understood people facing addiction. It also gave him credibility with individuals who might otherwise have resisted advice from someone representing an institution.
Tanya Bransford remembered the illness that eventually prompted the first awards ceremony. Her father had spent weeks in intensive care, followed by an extended period of rehabilitation. His condition had been serious enough that family members and friends were uncertain whether he would recover.
When the community organized a tribute, he recognized the urgency behind the gesture and joked that the men had decided to honor him because they thought he might not survive.
He did recover, and the annual program that began with his recognition continued to honor others.
Dr. Diane D. Thibodeaux Ashby Receives Alice Lynch Community Service Award
One of Tuesday's presentations brought together two women whose families had worked alongside James Bransford during an earlier period of community organizing.
Retired Judge Tanya Bransford presented the Alice Lynch Community Service Award to Dr. Diane D. Thibodeaux Ashby, recognizing her decades of work with survivors of domestic violence and her efforts to bring crisis intervention services into religious institutions.
In introducing the honoree, Bransford recalled that her father, Alice Lynch and Dr. Thibodeaux Ashby had worked together during the early 1980s, when domestic violence was often met with silence or resistance within institutions that survivors might otherwise have expected to provide support.
Dr. Thibodeaux Ashby and her late husband, Dr. Rufus E. Thibodeaux Sr., established Holding Forth the Word of Life Ministries in 1982. Three years later, they incorporated Oasis of Love, expanding their work in crisis intervention, domestic violence prevention and community outreach.
The ministry's work later continued through the Family Life Center in North Minneapolis.
During her acceptance remarks, Dr. Thibodeaux Ashby recalled meeting James Bransford, who introduced her to Alice Lynch and other advocates working with survivors and shelters. She remembered telling the group that she wanted to bring their services into churches, where people experiencing abuse were not always receiving the assistance they needed.
The advocates welcomed her proposal. Gaining cooperation from churches, however, proved more difficult.
Dr. Thibodeaux Ashby recalled believing that religious leaders would readily open their doors to domestic violence services. Instead, she encountered resistance and had to continue developing relationships that would make the work possible.
She eventually became a link between established domestic violence service providers and faith communities, a role she said has continued from 1985 to the present.
The recognition was especially personal because Alice Lynch, for whom the award is named, had been among the advocates who helped introduce her to that work.
The ceremony acknowledged not only Dr. Thibodeaux Ashby's years of service but also the early partnerships that helped bring domestic violence prevention into institutions where the subject had often been avoided.
Following the presentation, the two women embraced onstage as the audience applauded.
Honoring Those Who Help Others Advance
The evening's other awards recognized community members whose work has involved expanding opportunities and supporting people through professional, educational and personal challenges.
Ronaldo Williams received the John Turnipseed Mentor Award. Presenting the recognition, Samuel Simmons described Williams's involvement in community-based efforts to improve access to nutritious food, including cooperative initiatives serving neighborhoods where healthy options have not always been readily available.
Williams kept his acceptance remarks brief, thanking the organizers and emphasizing his commitment to ensuring that Black and brown communities have access to healthy food.
Ezell Jones was recognized for his longstanding involvement in business and community mentorship. Tanya Bransford, who introduced him, recalled his relationship with her father and described his willingness to help people navigate professional systems, locate resources and develop connections that could support their businesses.
Jones had established himself in the corporate world before pursuing entrepreneurship, but his contributions extended to people who needed advice or assistance with matters such as insurance and business development.
In a brief interview with MinneapoliMedia, Jones remembered James Bransford as someone he could approach when community members needed help. He described bringing people to Bransford, who would listen to their circumstances and help identify appropriate resources.
Jones said younger people could benefit from learning about the experiences of community members who had built careers while continuing to assist others.
The educator recognition went to a recipient identified in the recording as Leo. Samuel Simmons described his work in schools, universities and community programs, particularly his commitment to young people and families.
Speaking with MinneapoliMedia afterward, the honoree said his professional experience included teaching at the University of Minnesota, working with United Way and supporting young people involved with the justice system.
He described meeting Simmons through conferences and other professional activities and developing a relationship with him because of their shared interest in education, mentorship and community healing.
He said gatherings that bring Black men together to discuss healing and community responsibility provide opportunities he had not often encountered while growing up.
His remarks also reflected the importance of building relationships with experienced professionals whose work can help guide younger educators and community advocates.
Cedric Frazier Reflects on a Mentor and His Years in Public Service
State Rep. Cedric Frazier received the James E. Bransford Community Service Award in recognition of his leadership and public service.
Tony Newborn introduced Frazier, recalling their first meeting more than two decades earlier at William Mitchell College of Law. Their friendship continued through law school, professional careers and Frazier's involvement in public office.
Newborn described Frazier as a leader whose commitment to serving others had been evident long before he became a legislator.
Frazier's acceptance remarks were shaped by his decision not to seek another term in the Minnesota House. He told the audience that the approaching end of his legislative service had prompted him to reflect on the people who influenced his career.
Among them was James Bransford.
Frazier recalled moving to Minnesota from Chicago and looking for people who could help him understand unfamiliar institutions and professional environments. After law school, he worked at the Hennepin County Public Defender's Office, where Bransford served as a dispositional adviser.
As a young attorney, Frazier said, he was eager to work with Bransford because of his reputation for understanding the community and knowing which organizations could help clients facing difficult circumstances.
He initially knew little about Bransford's earlier struggles with addiction. He assumed the respected professional he encountered had followed a relatively conventional path into his work.
Learning about Bransford's recovery gave him a deeper appreciation of the experience behind his approach to clients.
In an interview following the ceremony, Frazier said one of the most important lessons he took from Bransford was the need to recognize a person's humanity regardless of past decisions or present circumstances.
He recalled that Bransford approached people with respect rather than judgment and understood that their potential could extend well beyond the problems that brought them into contact with the justice system.
Frazier said the awards also serve an important purpose for people whose community work is demanding, stressful and often performed without much public attention.
Recognition, he explained, can reassure those individuals that their efforts are making a difference and encourage them to continue.
His remarks connected the recognition he received Tuesday to the professional guidance he encountered early in his legal career.
Funding Difficulties and the Next Generation
The anniversary celebration took place despite financial difficulties that forced organizers to change their plans.
Simmons told MinneapoliMedia that the Sons of Bransford Awards had previously been connected with the Community Empowerment Through Black Men Healing conference, which brings together participants to address personal development, relationships and community healing.
Funding problems affected this year's conference plans, requiring organizers to cancel or reorganize portions of the programming and arrange the awards ceremony separately.
Simmons said the anniversary event was assembled under difficult circumstances, but organizers were determined not to abandon the celebration.
He hopes the awards can return to being part of the conference next year.
Beyond funding, Simmons said the program faces a challenge familiar to many longstanding community organizations: preparing younger people to assume responsibility for work that has depended heavily on experienced organizers.
He pointed to the decision to give a younger participant the opportunity to serve as master of ceremonies. The assignment, he said, was part of a deliberate effort to develop new leaders through practical experience.
Simmons acknowledged that older community leaders do not always make succession easy. Some remain closely attached to programs they created and are reluctant to surrender control, even when younger people are prepared to contribute.
He wants that pattern to change.
His goal is to identify younger organizers who can eventually assume responsibility for both the awards and the broader community healing work associated with the conference.
He also hopes those leaders will retain the emphasis on accountability, personal development and community support that shaped Bransford's approach.
For Simmons, continuing the awards means more than preserving a ceremony. It requires ensuring that the people who organize the recognition remain connected to the communities whose work they seek to honor.
Twenty Years After the First Tribute
Tuesday's anniversary brought together people who knew James Bransford in different roles and at different stages of his life.
His daughter knew the father who celebrated his recovery and worried about the people he helped. Cedric Frazier knew the experienced adviser whose understanding of treatment resources made him an asset to attorneys and their clients. Ezell Jones knew a mentor willing to assist people confronting problems they could not resolve alone. Dr. Diane D. Thibodeaux Ashby knew a community advocate who helped connect domestic violence prevention work with churches and other institutions.
Samuel Simmons knew a man who could offer encouragement and correction in the same conversation, and whose assistance had earned the gratitude of people who wanted to recognize him before it was too late.
Their accounts also showed how much of Bransford's work depended on relationships. His knowledge of community resources mattered because he knew whom to call, how to reach them and how to persuade people to accept help. His personal experience with recovery mattered because he understood the difficulty of changing behavior and the consequences of returning to old patterns.
The awards established in his name have continued through the efforts of people who believed those contributions deserved to be remembered and that similar work by others should receive recognition.
At the close of Tuesday's ceremony, Simmons thanked the honorees, organizers and supporters and spoke about plans for the next gathering. The evening ended with an acknowledgment of those who had received awards in previous years and an invitation for community members to identify others whose service deserved attention.
For the five people recognized this year, the anniversary provided public acknowledgment of work carried out in classrooms, courtrooms, churches, businesses and neighborhoods across Minnesota.
For the family and longtime associates of James Bransford, it marked another year in which the recognition first organized during his lifetime continued in his absence.
The men who established the awards in 2006 wanted Bransford to know what he had meant to them. Twenty years later, the program still follows that original purpose by honoring people who are here to receive the recognition.
Reporting: MinneapoliMedia attended the October 27, 2026, Sons of Bransford Awards ceremony at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul. This report draws on recorded presentations, acceptance remarks, firsthand interviews conducted at the event, and original event photography.
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