Hello Neighbor,

As we wrap up Black History Month, I have taken some time to reflect on what this year's theme of "Black Health and Wellness" means to me. What a great opportunity it is to be able to recognize the tremendous contributions made to our nation by African-American doctors, nurses, midwives, doulas, scientists and others.

My mother was a nurse who spent a great deal of time helping family and friends in our community navigate their fear of going to the doctor, and knew how to ease their anxiety. This why I believe it is critical to have culturally competent health information and people in the medical field who can relate to the community that they serve. As a legislator, it is equally important for me to support legislation that affirms California's commitment to advancing good health in underserved communities.

Included in this newsletter, is a special video that discusses these issues and acknowledges the vital role that nurses and health professionals play. There will always be a special place in my heart for nurses and I appreciate the opportunity to highlight their work during this month’s celebrations.

Lastly, while we know that we have come a long way, there is still much work to do to create an equitable society. Until then, Black History Month will continue to be relevant and necessary.

Sincerely, 

Senator Anna Caballero
State Senator, 12^th Senate District

FREEDOM

Freedom should be free my brothers and sisters
But is it really for you and me?
Or is it just a misused word
Like the word equality

Black health and wellness is this year's theme
Our sacrifices shaped this nation
Black healthcare professionals are on the front lines
and will keep growing with education

We have seats at the table now
Thank God for the Freedom Trains,
The marches, the sit-ins
The lives that weren't lost in vain

We still have a lot to do
Our future is in good hands
With leaders and teachers in our communities
I say, "Yes We Can!"

Black History is American History
That we must never forget
We hold our heads high and stand our ground
But freedom is not free yet

-Joyce Dale

Rafer Johnson

Rafer Johnson and his family moved from Hillsboro, Texas in 1934. The family settled in Kingsburg, where Johnson attended High School and became a star athlete (he played football, basketball, baseball and track and field).

You can read more about the Olympian who has been called, "The World's Greatest Athlete" here.

Anita Evans

Anita Evans took office in 2020 as the first female African-American city council member in the city of Madera as well as the city's first female African-American Mayor Pro-Tem.

"I may be the first, but promise I don't want to be the last...God told me to help my people."

Women are 51% of the U.S. population, but make up only a fraction of representation in elected office.

 In 2021 women of color only made up:

• 9% of the total members of Congress
• 34% of the women serving in Congress
• 8% of total state legislators
• 26.5% of all female state legislators
• 14% of mayors in the nation’s 100 largest cities

Linda Thames-Griffin

Linda Thames-Griffin owns Merced Original Downtown Expo. She began her business during the pandemic and then decided to uplift women who had lost their income during the pandemic. Her expo continues to grow and she continues to empower other crafty women to become entrepreneurs.

Her next venture includes a course for these new business owners to help with the technical side of owning a small business. She's uplifting our community one crafter at a time.

You can read more here

Mrs. B's Z-Place & Annex

"These amazing businesses in San Juan Bautista feature "an eclectic mix of gifts and collectibles stressing Black artists and aspects of Black history." Their owner Patricia Bains is very proud of her African American heritage and her shops are a testament to that.

“My husband and I are avid readers and we trained our children to read,” she said. “So I carry a lot of books that tell you about African Americans in different locations and times in history. They cover churches, slavery and the aspects of African American life in this country.”

Black business owners make up approximately 124,551 businesses, with about 28.5% of these businesses in the Health Care and Social Assistance sector, the highest percentage of any minority group.

You can read more here

Black Pioneers of Salinas

"The pioneer Black family most widely remembered in Salinas is the Cooper family, the older members of which were former slaves who settled here sometime in the 1880s." And thanks to the NAACP Chapter in Salinas, we continue to learn more about the Black community in Monterey County.

"Although Black history of our city is scarce, the Monterey County Historical Society hopes to change all of that."

Tahmirah Hamed

This young woman is doing amazing things in our community. Even while in high school and part of Invest In Me's inaugural leadership cohort, she had big dreams. Tahmirah recently graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a degree in Sociology and a minor in Psychology.

Her goal is to help at-risk youth and eventually create a non-profit to assist at-risk students. She's currently a Scholarship Coordinator for the Stanislaus Community Foundation. We look forward to her leadership in our community.

https://sd12.senate.ca.gov/