Monterey Bay Black Folks Event Calendar
Week of Mon July 27 through Sun August 6th, 2020
About the Monterey Bay Black Folks Event Calendar

The purpose of the Monterey Bay Black Folks Event Calendar is to connect the Black Community of CSU Monterey Bay with the local Black Communities of the Greater Monterey Bay Area. The Calendar is edited by Steven Goings, MSW and is entirely voluntary and looking for institutional support. To submit an event for possible inclusion, please send to AfricanQuazar@gmail.com. The plan is to send out the Calendar every Monday at 9 AM for those who wish to receive it. The deadline for Monday submissions is midnight of the previous Thursday.
Steven's Take
The Equal Importance of Attitudes and Action!

As a Spiritual Activist, I am concerned with wedding values with actions. I agree with the Book of James that "Faith without works is dead." However, I am not a Machiavellian that believes "the ends justifies the means." I am as critical of value-less "by any means necessary" social warriors as I am of action-less naval gazing value statements that strike all the right notes but stop short of policy making.

CSU Monterey Bay's initial official response to the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor was of the mostly action-less value statement variety. The entire campus community received a thoughtful and no doubt heart-felt letter from CSUMB president , Dr. Eduardo Ochoa, that lamented the current state of affairs and reiterated and encouraged community members to live up to the values of CSUMB's founding vision. We also got a nice "At CSUMB, Black Lives Matter" banner on the face of the CSUMB website for a while. 

Although incomplete, I appreciate and applaud the gesture.

However, I agree with Black Faculty at CSUMB who felt that these gestures did not go far enough in committing the University to dismantling institutionalized racism on our campus. Accordingly, they have drafted a Call-to-Action letter to President Ochoa and his Cabinet for concretely addressing systemic racism and developing and supporting Black Lives on our campus.  

The Black Faculty of CSUMB are seeking broad support from their colleagues on campus and the Black Community-at-Large as they step out front to push for positive institutional change. I hope that readers of the Monterey Bay Black Folks Calendar will join me, by adding your names to this letter of support of the CSUMB Black Faculty's Letter on Systemic Racism.
CSUMB Black Faculty
Call-to-Action
July 20, 2020

Dear President Ochoa & Members of the President’s Cabinet,

We, the Black faculty at CSUMB, are writing today to express our concern for the lack of campus action in addressing systemic racism at CSUMB. We appreciate the sentiment expressed in President Ochoa’s May 31, 2020 letter on the killings of George Floyd and others and were encouraged by the President’s acknowledgment of systemic racism in American institutions. Yet, we are dismayed by the lack of direct actions presented on behalf of our campus leadership to move beyond merely recognizing systemic racism to investing in a strategic approach to dismantling racist policies and practices (unwritten policies). At this point, we are not confident that this administration has done everything within its power to address the concerns presented by Black faculty, staff, and students. For years, many of us have experienced inequalities, on this campus, in how we have been treated and in how our issues have been addressed. When we have been brave enough to come forward with our concerns, our issues go unresolved in a human resources system that is seemingly ill-prepared to address complex human relations matters. It is our full contention that unless our campus leaders fully address concerns levied by Black faculty and others, this campus will continually lack the capacity to support our students to become the agents of change envisioned by the founders of this institution.

We, the Black faculty at CSUMB, propose the following Calls to Action we believe will demonstrate CSUMB’s commitment to the lives of ALL Black faculty, staff, students, and community members who are a vital part of the CSUMB campus community.

1. We call for the campus to prioritize a review and response to the CFA Call to Action Proposal . These demands are critical to addressing systemic anti-Black racism at CSUMB and across the CSU.

2. We call for funding support and a physical space for the newly created Center for Black Student Success. Our students should see themselves represented on the campus and should feel supported by faculty and staff who are dedicated to their advancement. As such, we are requesting compensation for one full time staff person, one course buy-out for a faculty per semester, and adequate space to accommodate our work in support of our students.

3. We call for accountability for campus law enforcement to include...:

Click Here to Continue Reading

Click Here to Indicate Your Support of the Call-to-Action (scroll to bottom)
In The Spotlight:
Debbie Anthony

The Retired MPC Counselor and Community Activist Announces her Candidacy for the 4th District of the Monterey Peninsula College Board of Trustees

Anthony's Candidate Statement

I am a African American Woman born and raised in Monterey. My family moved here in 1938.
Attended Bayview elementary school. Graduated 1966 Pacific Grove High School. A.A degree MPC. BA degree UC Berkeley. MA degree U of Michigan Ann Arbor.
In 1973 then MPC President Dr George Faul offered me a position of Counselor/Instructor.
For 39+ years I counseled and served thousands of students and contributing to their success and reputation of MPC.
I served on countless committees at MPC. I was a Monterey County regional rep for CTA Union Statewide and the Academic Senate Statewide
I developed  the MPC Transfer Center as the Transfer Center Director and represented MPC in developing with CSU system and UC system the first Guaranteed Admission Program for students transferring. I served as the Articulation Officer for MPC which familiarized me with thousands of College curriculums and courses. I also hosted and initiated the first African American College Graduation Ceremony on the Monterey Peninsula known as the “Rites of Passage”.
Served on the hiring committees for the opening of CSUMB of Faculty and Administrative Staff ,representing the African American Community of Monterey County in these selection processes.
I served on the Natividad Hospital board of trustees, member Of Monterey County Civil Grand Jury, Monterey County Commission on Status of Women, Graduate of the Pacific Grove Community Police Academy. Volunteer for the Boys and Girls Club of Monterey County and. the Carmel Youth Center . NAACP, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority , Village Project Inc. (partial list)
I am seeking this seat on the Board to support the Vision of MPC and the students, faculty and staff and communities which will make this vision happen!!
The Village Project Eagala Model Equine Assisted Therapy

The Monterey Bay Black Folks Calendar is dedicating the month of July to fundraising for The Village Project, Inc.

See the weekly progress towards our goal and make your donations at https://www.villageprojectinc.org/donations .

This week we highlight the Eagala Model Equine Assisted Therapy !

In partnership with the free-spirited horses, our goal is to offer hope, promote healing, and support transformation within human beings. The Eagala Model Equine Assisted Therapy is an innovative, experiential approach that incorporates horses into the client’s mental health therapy session designed to help clients identify their goals, face their fears, and work through barriers in life. Eagala’s team approach is comprised of a mental health professional, equine specialist, and horses in the pasture or arena with clients at all times. The goal is for clients to interact with the horses from the ground, as there is no riding involved. Clients observe the horses’ reactions to them and then identify ways in which these reactions could be metaphors representing a situation or pattern going on in the clients’ life. This approach to mental health therapy has been found to be effective in treating people with anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), grief, difficulties forming and maintaining relationships, adverse childhood experiences, and addiction.
“The Village Project brings children to work with horses in Carmel Valley. Founded 11 years ago The Village Project is dedicated to meeting the needs of the under-served communities of Monterey County. “A big part of what they do is therapy for children and adults.Over the last year, the Village Project has been able to add equine therapy to its list of services thanks to a unique partnership with the equine community of Carmel Valley.” (KSBW, Conrad, 2019)

Click link below to view article and interview from KSBW:


The Village Project’s work is unconditional; your support is crucial.

NAACP National Convention
Held Virtually: September 13 – September 26

The safety and security of our communities continues to be our utmost priority. We hope that you join us as we have imperative conversations discussions around COVID-19, voting and economic stability for Blacks.

The 111th National Convention will now be held virtually on September 13-18, 2020 .  
Regional Meetings for our members will take place September 21-26, 2020 .
  
Monterey County NAACP to choose delegates to NAACP National Convention soon. Watch this space!

Click here for a recap of the 110th National Convention

For more information about the 111th National Convention, visit https://www.naacpconvention.org/
Useful Links:


  • Here is something the Monterey County Branch NAACP is working on. You can send your entries directly to lbogene@yahoo.com

  • Check out the list and add your bio and photo to it.

  • We all know the so-called criminal justice system treats our folks much more harshly than others, sometimes just having community members show up at court can make a difference in how things turn out.

  • Check it out or add your favorite to the list

  • With so few African Americans working in our K-12 and higher education systems, our kids have too few opportunities to see professionals and role models who look like them. We are looking for Black community members and professionals who can be called on to be occasional guest speakers in local classrooms.

Black Voices and Photo Portrait Project
  • Local photographer Nic Coury has launched this Black Portrait Project and looking for subjects. If interested in posing for a professional picture message him on Facebook or send me (africanquazar@gmail.com) your contact info for me to forward.

  • Just the basic public contact and position info

  • Click on this google document to share your thoughts about what is needed in the Black community. We will prioritize them for further action.

  • Check out the current list of churches, update existing entries or add new ones.

Monterey Bay Black Folks Weekly Event Calendar 
Submit to AfricanQuazar@gmail.com