Monterey Bay Black Folks Event Calendar |
Mon Jan 11 to Sun Jan 17, 2021 Edition |
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Editor's Note:
Throughout this newsletter, Blue Underlined copy (including above!) indicates a searchable link.
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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.
2) To submit a "My Take" article, send a word document (NOT pdf!) along with your name and email address to sgoings@csumb.edu
3) To submit a "In the Spotlight" biography and picture of a community leader, send to a word document and digital picture to sgoings@csumb.edu
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Profile:
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
During the less than 13 years of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s leadership of the modern American Civil Rights Movement, from December 1955 until April 4, 1968, African Americans achieved more genuine progress toward racial equality in America than the previous 350 years had produced. Dr. King is widely regarded as America’s pre-eminent advocate of nonviolence and one of the greatest nonviolent leaders in world history.
Drawing inspiration from both his Christian faith and the peaceful teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. King led a nonviolent movement in the late 1950s and ‘60s to achieve legal equality for African-Americans in the United States. While others were advocating for freedom by “any means necessary,” including violence, Martin Luther King, Jr. used the power of words and acts of nonviolent resistance, such as protests, grassroots organizing, and civil disobedience to achieve seemingly-impossible goals. He went on to lead similar campaigns against poverty and international conflict, always maintaining fidelity to his principles that men and women everywhere, regardless of color or creed, are equal members of the human family.
Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Nobel Peace Prize lecture and “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” are among the most revered orations and writings in the English language. His accomplishments are now taught to American children of all races, and his teachings are studied by scholars and students worldwide. He is the only non-president to have a national holiday dedicated in his honor and is the only non-president memorialized on the Great Mall in the nation’s capital. He is memorialized in hundreds of statues, parks, streets, squares, churches and other public facilities around the world as a leader whose teachings are increasingly-relevant to the progress of humankind.
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Steven's Take on Traitor Trump's Attack on Congress and Democracy
Like many of you, I was glued to the coverage of the siege on the capitol building on Wednesday Jan 6, 2021. I was disgusted and horrified, but unsurprised. As much as it hurts me to say this, from the moment Senator Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States, this shameful day was inevitable. White terror of sharing power with Blacks (and others) remains the primary source of this nation's political and cultural turmoil.
There are of course hundreds of statements and essays now written about this horrible day and I am unlikely to add anything new, other than this provocative statement:
Trump was right.
At the so-called "Save America March" that provoked and aimed a crowd already armed and prepared for violence (as multiple news stories attest), the White Supremacist-in-Chief told his mob-in-waiting before sending them to the U.S. Capitol where Congress was about to certify his loss: "Fight. We fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore."
He's right. We do have to fight like hell. Or we won't have a country anymore.
But let's be clear about what we are -- and are not -- fighting for. The fight is NOT between Blacks and Whites. In fact, a race war is precisely what these insurrectionists want (think of the rationale behind the Manson Family murders or the Charleston Church shooting). Nor is this a fight between Democrats and Republicans (that fight is mere partisan politics). It is fight to determine if America shall remain a multiracial democratic republic or finally become a White supremacist autocracy.
It is also a fight between fact and fiction.
The fact is Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the popular vote and the Electoral College. The fact is Barack Obama is a natural-born American citizen. The fact is Black Lives Matter. The fact is the Confederacy lost the Civil War. The fact is every compromise with the old and modern confederacy has been to the detriment of Black Folks and other People of Color and simply delayed the inevitable showdown.
This was true of the constitutional compromise that counted slaves as 3/5 a person and the Missouri Compromise that tried to keep a balance between slave states and free states. After the Civil War, it was true of the Reconstruction Compromise of 1877 that pulled Federal Troops out of the south and gave southern Democrat governments the right to deal with Blacks as they saw fit (which of course led to Jim Crow). It was true of Plessy vs. Ferguson that legalized segregation through the fiction of "separate but equal".
White supremacists do not want to co-exist; they want to reestablish themselves as masters over People of Color. White supremacists did not give up the fight after losing the civil war and they will not give up the fight after losing the 2020 election. Nothing could be so emblematic of this fact as the sight of the confederate flag parading through the Halls of Congress (pictured above).
Let us remember that each of the four great losses for the cause of White supremacy produced an immediate backlash: 1) Losing the civil war led to the immediate development of the Ku Klux Klan and other subsequent White domestic terrorist groups like those that stormed the Capitol, 2) the African American civil rights era of the 50s and 60s that toppled legal segregation led to the great migration of southern segregationists from the Democrat to the Republican party, 3) the election of Barack Obama led to unprecedented Republican obstructionism, the rise of modern voter suppression abetted by the Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act, and the extraordinary escalation of killings of Black people by police and vigilantes that resulted in the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and 4) the defeat of Donald Trump led to the deadly attack on Congress.
White supremacists find it absolutely intolerable that their "dear leader" has lost to a white man -- Joe Biden -- who has now won three races on a presidential ticket with a Black person. Biden was of course, the #2 to a Black man -- Barack Obama -- whose legacy and accomplishments Trump sought to utterly erase. After winning the Democratic nomination, Biden doubled-down on equality by selecting Kamala Harris -- who is Black (gasp!), Indian (what?!), and a woman (OMG!) -- as his running mate.
As with the pardoning of Richard Nixon, there will be calls to "let bygones be bygones" and get on with attending to the nation's business rather than getting bogged down in divisiveness over the pursuit of criminal charges against the treasonous 45th President of the United States. But in this, we must heed the repeated lesson of history and the words of that disgraced president: "Fight. We fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore."
The two primary tasks of the Biden administration and the 117 Congress -- other than defeating COVID-19 and saving the economy -- MUST be to 1) hold criminally responsible Trump and his cult of insurrectionists and 2) the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
Make no mistake about it, the White supremacists who have completely infiltrated and nearly taken over the Republican Party will use the Big Lie about voting fraud as the rationale for more voter suppression and an unprecedented attack on voting rights and as the principal means of achieving their ultimate aim to Make America White Again.
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Pick of the Week:
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration: Black Folks On the Front Lines
Mon Jan 18
1 to 3 PM
Zoom Link:
Zoom Id:
865 7431 6289
As longtime community members know, the City of Seaside and the National Pan Hellenic Council have been hosting an MLK Day March and Program for decades. Although this year the in-person event has been cancelled due to COVID-19, we will continue to honor Dr. King with an online event through Zoom. If you are not already on Zoom, you can download it to your phone or computer by going to https://zoom.us/download. On the day of the event go to https://csumb.zoom.us/j/82858241910. If you are not able to attend via your computer, the call-in number is 1-669-900-6833. Please join us in keeping this tradition alive even in the midst of COVID.
Our first speaker Dr. Ronald H. Walker, a graduate of Morehouse College (Alpha Phi Alpha), is a medical doctor and current Health Commissioner of Gary Indiana. Dr. Walker will speak about his experience on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our second speaker, activist & entrepreneur Simonia Ridley Blassingame, is Executive Vice President of the National Naval Officers Association and the President/CEO of the Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber of Commerce. Mrs. Blassingame will discuss the role of Black women on the front lines. Black women have moved from not being able to vote (remember the 14th amendment only gave Black men the right to vote!) to being the most consistent voters in the country and the backbone of the Democratic party. Think of Black women in elected office today, from Atlanta Mayor Lance Bottoms to Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris and the women like Stacey Abrams that helped get them there.
We request your participation and your assistance in promoting the event by sharing this info with your networks.
Remember: Make the Dr. King holiday a day on; not a day off!
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In the Spotlight:
Mrs. Alice Jordan
Alice Jordan was born and raised in the segregated South, experiencing much of the challenges associated with the Civil Rights Movement. She helped to integrate a school in Louisiana. She moved to California from Atlanta, the home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Shirley Chisholm says, “Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth”. Mrs. Jordan has proven herself as an exemplar of this quote which she lives by. For over a decade, she has been a leader in organizing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration in Seaside that began in 1986. The annual program keeps Dr. King’s life and legacy alive and emphasizes the importance of community service. The entire community participates in this celebration, including schools, churches, elected officials, civic and social organizations. Also, African American Speakers travel from across the country to Seaside, sharing their expertise and encouraging us to make a difference. This celebration is co-sponsored by The City of Seaside and Pan-Hellenic Council, Monterey Bay Chapter.
Mrs. Jordan, through her membership in The Links, Incorporated and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, recruited members of the community, especially minorities, to mentor students at Seaside High School focusing on leadership, character and academic excellence. This program kicked off with the Freshman Class of 2013 and lasted through their senior year. In 2017 the graduating students and staff acknowledged the positive impact of the program on the lives of the students. We have committed to another four years of service.
Mrs. Jordan affiliation with nonprofit organizations has allows her to aid in the presentation of scholarships to many individuals over the years, especially minorities. She was also instrumental in helping to establish CSUMB’s Upsilon Xi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She continues to promote “Get Out and Vote”.
Mrs. Jordan is a member of Seaside Kiwanis. She has served in many leadership roles. She has also served as an adviser of Seaside High School Key Club for over a decade and has been recognized as ‘best club in the district’.
Mrs. Jordan enjoys sports, traveling, readings and helping her community wherever there is a need. She is married to Don Jordan, former Mayor of Seaside.
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In the Spotlight:
Dr. Bettye Lusk
Recently elected President of the Board of Trustees for the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, Dr. Bettye Lusk is the long time First Lady of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church and will be co-hosting this year's Dr. King Celebration for the City of Seaside
A Commitment to...Every Child.
"Every Child...A Success...Every Child...a tapestry woven piece by piece!!!!"
As a child, I learned how important and special it was to have great teachers. Growing up in the South in a one-room school taught me much about having a great family and the commitment of a great teacher. I decided then that I wanted to become a teacher. I wanted to pass on to other children my first teacher's gift of love, patience, and encouragement which enabled me to believe in my ability to become who I am today. As a Board member, my commitment is to be a wholehearted participant in the creation of a culture that would nurture and celebrate the success of every school in MPUSD.
The empowerment of all participants...students, parents, teachers, classified staff, District staff, Board members, and our communities will foster opportunities to create an environment that will support the success of our children...our future. We are one another's greatest strength, and all are accountable for the outcomes. Mary McLeod Bethune says, "All of my life I have worked with youth. I have begged for them and fought for them and lived for them and in them. My story is their story." This is to be my legacy...what will yours be?
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In the Spotlight:
Dr. Ronald H. Walker
Dr. Ronald H. Walker is on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. As the Health Commissioner of Gary Indiana, he oversees the city’s response to COVID-19. However, he has been on the frontlines in more ways than one. Both he and his parents tested positive for the virus in early 2020. Dr. Walker was interviewed about the subject by the New York Times.
Walker is a graduate of Morehouse College and went on to pursue his M.D at Finch University of Health Sciences. He has a primary medical specialty in pediatrics and a secondary specialty in family practice. Dr. Walker is a proud member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and has many other professional memberships including American Association of Public Health Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Medical Association among others.
He is also a musician, composer, marathon runner and the head coach of the Miller Cubs Little League Baseball. He is married with one child.
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In the Spotlight:
Simonia Ridley Blassingame
Simonia Ridley Blassingame is a wife, mother, sister, aunt, activist, entrepreneur, and child of God. She was born and raised in Macon, Georgia. She is a product of the Jones County school system. She earned a bachelor’s degree (Biology) from Spelman College and was commissioned into the United States Navy at the Morehouse NROTC Unit. She has also earned master’s degrees from Troy University (Educational Leadership) and the Naval Postgraduate School (Operations Research). She served in the United States Navy for 25 years. As a life member of the National Naval Officers Association (NNOA), she now serves as its Executive Vice President.
Professionally, Simonia is the President/CEO of the Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber of Commerce where she serves the business community and provides the leadership for encouraging, promoting, and growing business ownership. She has also founded two companies and serves as the CEO of both Focused Motives, LLC and SANE Leadership, Inc. At Focused Motives, she continues in her public service by helping people save money on necessary items like cell phones and internet access. Simonia is also committed to empowering every individual to use their influence and learn to love and embrace SANE Leadership. She volunteers as a Bossed-Up Community Trainer - with a goal of helping women (18-35) craft happy, healthy, and sustainable careers. She also serves as advocacy and service co-chair of the Zonta International (Orlando e-Club). She serves her local community as a member of The Links, Incorporated.
She now resides in Forsyth, GA with her husband J. Kenneth Blassingame of California. They have a beautiful teenaged daughter, Niya.
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In the Spotlight:
Ms. Joyce Shabazz
Ms. Shabazz will be co-facilitating the Anti-Black Racism Retreat: Transforming Allyship
Joyce Johnson Shabazz, is the Founder of Evolution, LLC, a consulting practice that works with individuals and organizations addressing challenges to the relational dynamics of race in organizations and leadership.
Ms. Shabazz has completed coursework at Tufts University, Boston College Law School and Fletcher School of International Law and Diplomacy. She has worked as an Adjunct Professor at Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts teaching coursework for the Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with a Specialty in Conflict Resolution. She serves on the Board of Directors of The Center for Peaceable Schools and Communities formerly a part of Lesley University.
Ms. Shabazz's research focuses on the impact of racialization on Black African Heritage leadership and communities. She is a family and community mediator with 30 years of experience and has served as the Director of the Black African Heritage Affinity Group for the National Coalition Building Institute since 1995.
An accomplished social entrepreneur, mediator, facilitator, educator, and life coach with over four decades of experience, Ms. Shabazz has led anti-racism programs for dozens of organizations, including The City of Boston’s Department of Health and Hospitals, Harvard Medical School, Dimock Community Health Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Greater Lynn Community Health, Services for Mental Health and Family Support Cambridge Public School System, Massachusetts Partnership for Health Communities, Mt. Auburn Hospital Emergency Admission Department and the American Medical Students Association.
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In the Spotlight:
Sue Parris
Sue Parris will be co-facilitating the Anti-Black Racism Retreat: Transforming Allyship
Sue Parris is the Director of the European Heritage White Race Identity Affinity Group, and Regional Director for NCBI in the Western U.S. With more than 25 years experience as a consultant and facilitator she assists government agencies, non-profit organizations, and corporations throughout the U.S. with Equal Employment Opportunity, diversity and equity issues and organizational development. She has consulted on equity initiatives, conducted work environment assessments, training, team-building and conflict resolution for a wide range of organizations. Sue particularly enjoys working with nonprofit, community-based organizations and finding opportunities for coalition and collaboration. She has been adjunct faculty for Golden Gate University and Antioch College, as well as a certified trainer for California Board of Corrections staff. She is also a co-founder of Whites for Racial Equity, a group of white people committed to ending racism.
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Upcoming
National Events:
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2021 King Holiday Observance Nonviolence 365 Virtual Training Sessions
Location
Date And Time
- Mon, Jan 11, 2021, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM (ET) & 6:00 PM – 8.00 PM (ET)
- Wed, Jan 12, 2021, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM (ET) & 6:00 PM – 8.00 PM (ET)
Ticket
About this Event
King Holiday Observance Training Sessions:
What is the answer to the myriad of injustices that are harming humanity today? “Nonviolence,” Dr. King said, “is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time.” We share Dr. King’s belief and invite you to join The King Center during King Holiday Observance 2021 for four virtual sessions on understanding and applying nonviolence today for societal, cultural and personal transformation.
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2021 King Holiday Observance Beloved Community Global Summit
January 14 - January 15
Location
About this Event
The Beloved Community Global Summit is an opportunity for mission aligned individual organizations who are dedicated to creating the Beloved Community to come together and share ideas. Participants will hear from a myriad of national and international individuals who share their vision for a more just, humane, equitable and peaceful world.
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2021 King Holiday Observance Beloved Community Awards
January 16 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location
Date And Time
- Sat, January 16, 2021 – 7:00 to 9:00 PM
About this Event
Every year, The King Center in Atlanta leads the nation-wide observance of the national holiday commemorating the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. One of the marquee events of the King Center’s week-long holiday experience will be the “Beloved Community Awards” (formally “The Salute to Greatness” Award). The Beloved Community Awards recognize national and international individuals and organizations that exemplify excellence in leadership; pursue the universal quest for social justice and who are committed to creating the Beloved Community, a more just, humane and peaceful world, in the tradition of Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Upcoming
Community Events:
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Dr. King Day Zoom Link:
Meeting ID: 828 5824 1910
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Anti-Black Racism:
Transforming Allyship
Co-Facilitated by Joyce Johnson Shabazz and Sue Parris
Registration is Closed
Purpose: A forum for people of all racial identities to engage around ending structural and anti-Black racism. Join us for this opportunity to deepen understanding of racial domination, marginalization and subjugation.
Outcomes:
- Framing racism and its impact across the racialized continuum
- Interrupting the "divide and conquer" pattern of structural racism
- Learning and practicing conversation across racial identity
- Examining patterns, practices and accountability
- Building accountable allyship for Black and other racialized groups
This virtual three-day event will be led by: Joyce Johnson Shabazz, Founder of Evolution, LLC, a consulting practice that works with individuals and organizations addressing challenges to the relational dynamics of race in organizations and leadership. She also directs the International Black African Heritage Caucus and leads affinity work in partnership with the National Coalition Building Institute International. She is joined by Sue Parris, a consultant and trainer assisting organizations to increase awareness of racial and social equity issues and institute organizational equity and inclusion practices. Sue is Chapter Director for NCBI Monterey County and leads the NCBI International White Affinity Group. She is also a founding member of Whites for Racial Equity, a group of white people who are committed to dismantling racism.
Hosted by National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) Monterey County, and co-sponsored by California State University Monterey Bay, and Whites for Racial Equity of Monterey County. Special thanks to The California Endowment, Hartnell Foundation and Center for Nonprofit Excellence for their support.
Partial list of Panelists:
- Mary Ann Carbone, Mayor of Sand City, Chumash Healer
- Brian Corpening Ph. D., Associate VP, Office for Inclusive Excellence and Chief Diversity Officer CSU Monterey Bay
- Michael Frederiksen, Chapter Administrator NCBI Monterey County
- Caroline Haskell, LCSW, Author, Consultant & Trainer
- Luis Xago Juarez, Artistic Director, Baktun12
- Margaret Keith, Director, Student Disability Resources, CSU Monterey Bay
- Stephanie Low, Leader, NCBI Intl. Jewish Affinity Group
- Erika Matademas, Community Impact Officer, Community Foundation for Monterey County
- Andrea Monroe, Associate Director for Service Learning, CSU Monterey Bay
- Eric Mora, Public Policy graduate student, MIIS
- Pamela Motoike, Ph. D., Professor, Service Learning Institute, CSU Monterey Bay
- Francine Oputa, Ph. D., Director, Cross Cultural & Gender Center, CSU Fresno
- Rosa Smith
- Tyller Williamson, City Council Member, City of Monterey
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We Want to Do More than Just Survive
February 3, 2021
12:00pm — 1:15pm
Hosted by Otter Student Union, Otter Cross Cultural Center, and Service Learning, Dr. Bettina Love, author of "We Want to Do More than Just Survive," will give a keynote with Q&A to follow regarding educational justice inspired by the rebellious spirit and methods of abolitionists.
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Useful Links:
New! County Employment Opportunities: Monterey County Supervisor Elect Wendy Askew encourages community members to "register for job announcements from the County - and to apply for anything that seems interesting so that your resume gets into the system."
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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.
- Just the basic public contact and position info
- Check out the current list of churches, update existing entries or add new ones.
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Monterey Bay Black Folks Archive
2021
2020
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Monterey Bay Black Folks Weekly Event Calendar
Submit to AfricanQuazar@gmail.com
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