We are thrilled to be one of 63 non profit organizations participating in the 2022 Santa Cruz Gives campaign. Please help us continue our mission and build our Melanated Makerspace program by making a contribution (minimum donation is $5. CLICK HERE).

PLEASE HELP US AMPLIFY AND SPREAD THE WORD AMONG YOUR NETWORKS! Forward this email and follow us on Instagram @santacruz.black

We are hopeful that being a part of Santa Cruz Gives will help elevate our organization to the next level and allow us to do this important work.

Our project, Melanated Makerspace, is a youth leadership program that will connect black youth in Santa Cruz County to employment opportunities, scholarships, community activism, mentorship, and transferable skills.

Those who participate in this program will attend workshops, be mentored by community member entrepreneurs, connect and learn about vocational services programs ,and create digital projects in order to become future Black leaders in our community and beyond.

Santa Cruz Black (initially as Santa Cruz County Black Coalition for Justice and Racial Equity) was established in response to the racial reckoning of 2020 following the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd (to name sadly a few). These events and the fact that the Black residents of Santa Cruz County are only 1.7 % of the total population were catalysts to bring Black concerns out of the shadows and into the forefront in this county.

We are dedicated to Black initiatives through community engagement, including: our commitment to closing the racial wealth, developing affordable housing opportunities, empowering youth, and creating community events for Black residents in Santa Cruz County.

Julie Lythcott-Haims brings down the house with her keynote at our event honoring Ketanji Brown Jackson’s elevation to the Supreme Court. Julie made a point about how she wanted to become a jurist and Supreme Court justice at a young age. Watch her full keynote HERE. This is one of the message’s we want all youth to hear.

Black Friday: A Blacksgiving Potluck!

Our annual tradition continues 11/25. Join us for Black Friday: Blacksgiving 2!

Organized by the Black Kings of Santa Cruz County in conjunction with Santa Cruz Black.

A potluck in Community. 6 pm at 612 Ocean Street, The Resource Center for Nonviolence.