We are excited to participate in the Santa Cruz Gives campaign, which will help evaluate 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. Email us at info [at] santacruz.black with any and all questions!

Santa Cruz Black (initially formed 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 (who recently was elected to Palo Alto City Council) 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 Holiday Joy! Stay on the lookout for a youth Christmas Show put on and hosted by Word of Life Church, this church serves as a historical part of the Black community in Santa Cruz and continues to serve the county today! More information on the Christmas Show will be shared soon!