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Remember that Black history is US history, and every month is Black History Month. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Tyre Nichols should be alive today. We all know this. My heart breaks for his mother and loved ones.Firstly, I want to send my heartfelt condolences to the Memphis Community and the rest of us who are hurting. Another young life cut short an untimely death cut short in a most horrific way. I’m exhausted and I thought I was numb. This keeps happening!I don’t know how to feel about the swift firing of the 5 Black officers who brutalized Tyre Nichols to death. This is a good thing. Right? It’s a new world, but nothing has really changed. Has it?How can a person don a kevlar vest, button up a nicely ironed shirt and slacks, tie up those shoes, put on that gun holster -with an assortment of other devices of violence- go to work, engage with their co-workers, other officers, get in that squad car and transform from human to brute? How can one human lose their humanity upon encountering another human being - especially an unarmed individual during a routine traffic stop. Or worse, change from human to brute when the other human has been in a vehicle collision (the case of Keenan Anderson). Again, how does a person turn from human to brute upon encountering another human being? This is a rhetorical question. This is not a case of a few bad apples gone rogue. No, no, no-no. NOPE This is the culture of policing in America, the foundation of which is anti-blackness, an extension of the other foundation of America, the institution of chattel slavery.Every officer is a trained officer and they are being mentored, after graduating from the academy, by veteran training officers. How much training do these officers need to retain their humanity and see that the people they believe need to be apprehended simply need to be apprehended, not lose their lives? More training is not the answer. I think the youth activists have got it right. Reform is not the answer either. How do you reform pathological behavior? These killer cops are acting in a manner consistent with being tools of state violence. It is about control and domination. Law enforcement officers do not keep us safe for the most part. If reform is not a viable solution and defunding the police department budgets is extremely terrifying to some people (because we all want to feel safe and we know what deprivation/ desperation and lack can drive some people to act in pathological ways), how do we go about creating communities of care, developing deep relationships with each other. I don’t know if this will keep us safe. What I do know is that feelings of joy, contentment, and belonging haseverlasting effects.No, I’m not wussing out. I still have that fire in my belly. I also know that we are all human beings and that fact is the least common denominator amongst all of us, as we shine in our authentic selves.And the Sun sets on another young soul.Another mother weeps.Rest in power Tyre,rest in peace sweet prince.Peace, Love + Power,Cheryl M. Williamsshe/her/theyExecutive Directorsantacruz.black
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There will be an altar for Tyre Nichols, where his life will be honored at the Santa Cruz Clock Tower at the end of Pacific Avenue in Downtown Santa Cruz tonight at 6 pm.
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When we see the police abuse their power and enact violence against innocent Black people there can be no question that we need to change the way the system operates.It reminds us why we have to keep resisting these inequalities as a collective, as we have been for centuries, and why a symbol like Black History Month that celebrates that fight is necessary.-Wes Weatherspoon, SCB Communications
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Santa Cruz Black is partnering with Santa Cruz Public Defender's Office to host the first National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers summit at the Resource Center for Nonviolence, an event highlighting incarceration justice organizer and author Keeda Haynes in honor of Black History Month! Lawyers, investigators, social workers, and everyday people will be traveling across the country to train local public defenders, enhancing defense mechanisms to explore abolitionist perspectives. Come join us for a night of inspiration and insightful conversation reimagining our criminal justice system.
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UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTSIntroducing…Santa Cruz County Black History Month Calendar, including events celebrating Blackness and Black History throughout Santa Cruz County.Keep track of all the events by using the calendar linked here: BHM Calendar
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If you would like to have your event represented on this site: email Programs@Santacruz.black with the event info and It will be added ASAP! Happy Black History Month!
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National Transit Equity Day is Saturday February 4, 2023. The date is chosen in honor of the birthday of Rosa Parks (this year is her 110th birthday!), for her pivotal role in combating racial segregation on public buses, trains, and trolleys. This year, it will be celebrated in Watsonville Plaza from 10am - 3pm with community speakers and family friendly events including train rides, a bike rodeo, and food! National Transit Equity Day falls at the beginning of National Black History Month and is a collaborative effort of National Civil Rights Leaders, Environmental Advocacy Organizations, Labor Unions and Laborers. With the leadership of Labor Network for Sustainability, this national collaborative movement brings awareness to the importance of robust public transit as a civil right, of environmental justice, of safe walkable cities, and of a just transition to a green economy for our labor force. In Santa Cruz County today, the majority of our community members are negatively impacted by the low quality of the existing transportation system. Residents of South County are severely impacted by freeway congestion. Non-driving residents of all ages and incomes are poorly served by our limited public transportation system. The high costs of housing and auto ownership create barriers for people of all but the highest income levels. We can do better! |
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A one-time gift of support or becoming an ally with a recurring monthly gift allows us to grow our burgeoning grassroots efforts to amplify the Black community in Santa Cruz County and build community programming and community assets.
Santa Cruz Black (initially as Santa Cruz County Black Coalition for Justice and Racial Equity) was established in response to the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. That event and the fact that the Black residents of Santa Cruz County are only 1.7 % of the total population was the catalyst 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.
Our mission is to empower & sustain a prosperous & thriving Black community by building and advocating for fair & just policies that promote increased access and equity in health, safety, & well being.
Please consider supporting Santa Cruz Black.
A one-time or monthly donation of ANY size sows the seeds needed for our emerging organization to thrive.
For example,
$100 will allow us to print and distribute our organizational informational collateral
$250 supports building and maintaining our IT infrastructure and needs
$500 enables us to provide transportation for our cohorts in the Melanated Makerspace program to events county-wide.
$1000 allows us to sustain our office space and expand our services as a growing community resource.
$2500 provides support for our larger community events in providing guest speakers and artists the honoraria they deserve.
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Follow @santacruz.black on Instagram and visit our website, Santacruz.black for more information about Santa Cruz Black as wee as other local events and community news
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