Monterey Bay Black Folks Event Calendar
Week of Mon August 31st through Sun Sept 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 idea for the calendar came out of the community forums organized as part of CSUMB's annual Super Saturday Black student recruitment events. The Calendar is edited by Steven Goings with new editions being released every Monday. To submit an event for possible inclusion, please send to AfricanQuazar@gmail.com. The submission deadline is Friday at 6pm.
Editor's Note:
Throughout this newsletter, Blue Underlined copy (including above!) indicates a searchable link.
Steven's
Take on Returning Black CSUMB Students

Black Lives Matter and the Role of Healing
                                                                                 -- By Steven Goings
 
You matter. 

Health and Wellness Services and it's Personal Growth and Counseling Center cares about you. For every community member experiencing worry and isolation due to the coronavirus and social distancing, you matter and we care about you. For community members displaced by fires burning throughout the state, we care about you. For every Black person deflated and disgusted by the relentless assault on Black lives and Black dignity, we care about you.

As we continue to grapple with the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and anti-Black violence, we face an existential question: to heal or not to heal. 

It was no accident that the Personal Growth and Counseling Center offered the first institutional support for Black lives at CSUMB. In 1999, PGCC counselor Mel Mason developed the Harambee African Heritage Men’s Group. Black male students at that time had reported “experiencing isolation, distrust by non-Blacks – especially whites, feelings of being stereotyped in classrooms by some white professors and a general sense of feeling unwelcome and having no relationship or sense of connectedness to the campus or its institutions.” 

Harambee – a Kiswahili word meaning “strong collective community” – became a place for Black men on our campus to regain pride in their African ancestry, celebrate successes, problem solve, receive mentorship – and heal. 

Just a year earlier, Health and Wellness Services founding director, Caroline Haskell started a campus affiliate of the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI). NCBI is an internationally acclaimed leadership development organization dedicated to eliminating every type of intolerance and oppression.

What Mel and Caroline both understood was that racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia and all other forms of oppression are not just social justice issues; they are health issues. 

The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the health of the elderly, the poor and communities of color is ultimately due to ...

Click Here to Continue Reading
Candidate's Corner:

Regina Mason Runs for Seaside City Council -- Again!

Mrs. Mason can be reached at (831) 277 - 4760 or at
umatter2mason@gmail.org

Regina's campaign website: UMatter2Mason.org

Click Here for Regina's Platform

Click Here to Donate to Regina's Campaign or send campaign contributions to
Regina Mason for Seaside City Council,
P.O. Box 752,
Seaside, CA 93955

Click Here for 2018 YouTube Video "Regina Mason: Struggle for Equality"
About Regina Mason:

Regina Mason's body of work serving the community of Seaside goes back decades. Google "Regina Mason, Seaside" to see her accomplishments.

As a social worker, Regina has touched the lives of people from all walks of life and has worked with teams of like minded people to bring changes to the community.

Regina ran in 2018 and came in 3rd place in a 5-way race. She has decided to run again to give voters an opportunity to put a social worker in office -- someone whose work speaks for itself. Social workers have changed the world in positive ways throughout history.

Regina's Take:

In her own words, Mrs. Mason makes her case for joining the Seaside City Council.

"Regina Mason is running for a seat on the Seaside City Council. Your Vote means that she will work to achieve a platform to bring parity to the needed of our city. 

Regina Mason is a lifelong resident of Seaside and continues to give back to our community. We have views of the bay from just about every corner. We are a melting pot of cultures from many parts of the globe. I was born in the military hospital on Fort Ord. I am a descendant of a military father.

Using my years of experience, I have a plan that involves you. Now is the time for me to give back to our community in a different way. Along with fellow council members, the mayor, employees and citizens, we will produce an economic recovery plan to bounce back economically from the closure of Fort Ord.

Citizens are one of our greatest strengths. Together, we will make informed decisions. Our youth are our future and we will give them every opportunity to develop in a safe, caring and nurturing environment for future generations. We will use the wisdom of our elders and the strength of millennials to develop best practice approaches to grow our community.

# U Matter 2 Mason is my campaign theme. When elected, whether you voted for me or not, I will serve each of you because U Matter 2 Mason."
In the Spotlight:

Dr. Kamilah Majied

Dr. Kamilah Majied is a mental health therapist, social work educator, researcher, and internationally engaged consultant on building inclusivity and equity using meditative practices. She teaches clinical practice to graduate students employing psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness-based, and artistic approaches to well-being. She also teaches research methods, social and organizational policy analysis, and community organizing through a social justice lens. Kamilah has taught contemplative practice from several perspectives including mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness and racial justice, Buddhism and mental health, and mindfulness practices to preserve the environment. She gave opening remarks at the first White House Conference of Buddhist Leaders on Climate Change and Racial Justice, where she also facilitated a dialogue on ending racism amongst the internationally represented Buddhist leadership.

After 15 years of teaching at Howard University, Dr. Majied has recently joined the faculty at California State University, Monterey Bay as a Professor of Social Work. She is a member of the Koru Mindfulness team at CSUMB. She serves as the Inclusivity Advisor for the Contemplative Coping During COVID 19 Research Project at the University of California Davis, Center for Mind and Brain. She also serves as Anti-Racism and Inclusivity Advisor for the Center for the Contemplative Mind in Society. Drawing from her decades of contemplative practice and diversity, equity and inclusion leadership, Dr. Majied engages people in experiencing wonder, humor and insight through transforming oppressive patterns and deepening relationships towards ever- improving individual, organizational and communal wellness.

Click Here for links to Dr. Majied's selected contemplative practice articles and digital presentations
Kamilah's Take:
Honoring Our Interdependence with Black People

One of the most clarifying principles articulated in many philosophical and religious teachings as well as in the natural and social sciences is the interconnectedness of all life. The backdrop of the intersecting, related pandemics of surging Covid-19 infection and surging anti-Black violence places the reality of human interdependence in stark relief.

It has always been true that our out-breath is someone else’s in-breath, that our in-breath is someone’s out-breath. Yet, that truth takes on a more compelling aspect when we realize that deadly viruses may be borne on the breath we inhale or exhale. These crises remind us that we must care for ourselves and for one another, knowing that both the biological and sociological toxins we carry are communicable and can destroy our well-being and that of those around us. Just as the climate crisis has taught us that there is no “away” where we may throw our refuse, there is also no “they” who bear the suffering of racism alone.

Because of white supremacy, which subjugates our awareness of the contributions of Black people to every aspect of our lives, most of us have a compromised view of interdependence. This means we need focused reflection with the intent to surface the obfuscated deep connections each of us has to Black lives. Black people are known to be caregivers for other Black people. Yet far less attention is paid to how Black bodies have cared for white bodies as well as the bodies of people of every ethnicity throughout time and place.

Considering the disproportionately large numbers of Black people who are doing the work we now recognize as essential, valuing and protecting Black lives...

Click Here to continue reading Dr. Majied's article in Lion's Roar: Buddhist Wisdom for Our Times
In the Spotlight: Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt

Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt is a professor of psychology at Stanford. She has a Ph.D. from Harvard, and is the recipient of many prestigious awards, including a 2014 MacArthur “genius” award. She has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was named one of Foreign Policy’s 100 Leading Global Thinkers. She is widely considered one of the world’s leading experts on racial bias.

She was one of the first social science researchers to apply her research on implicit bias to law enforcement, and President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing quoted her testimony in its call for implicit bias training at all levels of law enforcement.

She is co-founder and co-director of SPARQ, a Stanford Center that brings together researchers and practitioners to address significant social problems. SPARQ not only addresses social problems in the area of criminal justice, but also in health, education, and business.

With SPARQ, Dr. Eberhardt has worked with the Oakland Police Department on improving police-community relations. California’s former Attorney General, Kamala Harris, and the Department of Justice used pilot versions of her trainings on implicit bias to develop a statewide training program for law enforcement officials. She is also part of a federal monitoring team overseeing the New York City Police Department’s reform efforts in the aftermath of a judge’s ruling to end controversial “stop and frisk” practices.

She has consulted for Airbnb, Nextdoor, and other businesses who have read her research and reached out to see how social science can be applied to reduce bias in the business world.

The hallmarks of her work are: unsettling research revealing the long, pernicious reach of unconscious racial bias, and an unrelenting commitment to use her findings to develop positive solutions in our contemporary world.

Interest has built in Dr. Eberhardt’s work through media coverage of her research in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Discover Magazine, WIRED, Vox, and Slate. Her work has been featured on the BBC, PBS, and NPR as well as in popular books, such as NPR correspondent Shankar Vedantam’s The Hidden Brain and Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow.
Upcoming
CSUMB Events:
Talking about Racial Bias with Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt

September 3, 2020
6:00pm — 7:00pm

Register early and get rewarded!
First twelve people to register will receive a free copy of Dr. Eberhardt's book courtesy of the Otter Student Union and Otter Cross Cultural Center.

Order your own copy of her book at Bookshop, Better World Books, Amazon, or your favorite bookstore!

Join Otter Student Union and the Otter Cross Cultural Center for a keynote on the psychological associations between race, crime, and police brutality. Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt is a renowned expert on where unconscious racial bias comes from and how to address it.

An Evening with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

September 9, 2020
6:00pm — 7:00pm

The Otter Student Union and Otter Cross Cultural Center are proud to invite you to enjoy a 45 minute discussion with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi on how to build an anti-racist world. Conversation will be followed by a 15 minute Q&A session.

Social Justice Dialogues #1 Election 2020:
Call to Action When Democracy is at Risk
September 9th
12-1:30 PM

This is a program that will enable students, faculty and staff to share knowledge in a safe space regardless of rank, contributing as equals, in ways that everyone’s ideas, thoughts and contributions are respected. The leadership and facilitation of the dialogues will be shared and rotated between students, faculty, staff and community leaders.
Upcoming
NATIONAL Event:
111 NAACP Virtual National Convention

The annual convention of the NAACP shall establish policies and programs of action for the ensuing year. Join us as we have imperative conversations discussions around COVID-19, voting and economic stability for Blacks.

Schedule

WEEK ONE

Sunday, Sept 13
Public Opening Address, 6:00pm

Monday, Sept 14
Health & Wealth Conversation, 7:00pm

Tuesday, Sept 15
Youth Conversation, 7:00pm

Wednesday, Sept 16
Labor Conversation, 6:00pm
Criminal Justice Conversation, 7:15pm

Thursday, Sept 17
Civic Engagement Conversation, 7:00pm

Friday, Sept 18
Black Voter Day presented by BET
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