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100+ BLACK LEADERS FOR PROP 15 TO PUT SCHOOLS & COMMUNITIES FIRST

To have a truly prosperous future for California, our Black students and communities must thrive.

 

Schools & Communities First is a once in a generation opportunity to address structural inequities that have plagued our people and our state, for decades. Black and communities of color have been the hardest hit by disinvestment, all while corporations and wealthy real estate investors have exploited property tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share. Today, our people stand to gain the most by reclaiming $12 billion dollars every year for our classrooms and our neighborhoods. 

 

In honor of Black History and Black Futures month, the list of over 100 Black Leaders for Schools & Communities First is comprised of the state's most prominent and important Black figures - from educators, clergy, youth activists, small business entrepreneurs, nonprofit directors, workplace leaders, philanthropists, and elected officials.  We are proud to include renowned Black leaders like U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza, and CEO of the Silicon Valley Minority Business Consortium Walter Wilson. 

 

Black futures depend on re-investment in the resources we need to thrive. Schools & Communities First will help build a new legacy in California we can all be proud of. 

  • Akbar Bibb, Vice President, Region A, SEIU 1021

  • Alicia Garza, Principal, Black Futures Lab; Co-founder, Black Lives Matter

  • Alison Collins, Commissioner, San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education

  • Alysia Bonner, President, SEIU Local 521

  • Amber Childress, Trustee, Alameda County Board of Education

  • Angela Normand, Board Director, California Teachers Association

  • Dr. Annette Walker, Board President, Hayward Unified School District

  • Andre Spearman, Member leader, Faith in Action East Bay

  • Angela Glover Blackwell, Founder in Residence, PolicyLink

  • Anthony Thigpenn, Founder & President, California Calls

  • April Verrett, President, SEIU Local 2015

  • Barbara Lee, U.S. Congressperson (CA-13), read her letter in support here

  • Ben Bartlett, Council member, City of Berkeley

  • Rev. Ben McBride, Co-Director, PICO California

  • Rev. Benjamin Briggs, Director of Civic Engagement, Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE)

  • Bill Freeman, Board Director, California Teachers Association

  • Bobby Welch, President, Association of Santa Clara County Educators

  • Brandon Sturdivant, Co-Director, Mass Liberation

  • Byron K. Reed, Senior Vice President of Community Development, Board Director, Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber

  • Carl Williams, President, California Federation of Teachers Council of Classified Employees

  • Carolyn Webb de Macias, Board member, Community Coalition South LA

  • Catherine Bracy, Co-Founder & Executive Director, TechEquity

  • Chris Wilson, Associate Director, Alliance San Diego

  • Christina Livingston, Statewide Executive Director, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE)

  • Clarissa Doutherd, Executive Director, Parent Voices Oakland

  • Connie Rice, Civil Rights Attorney; former Western Regional Counsel for NAACP LDF

  • Crystal Irvine, member, African American Caucus, SEIU Local 221

  • Rev. Damita Davis Howard, Assistant Pastor, First Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist

  • David Isom, Board member, Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District

  • Dereck Smith, Executive Vice President, SEIU Local 2015

  • DeWayne Sheaffer, Board Director, California Teachers Association

  • Dina Walker, President & CEO, BLU Educational Foundation

  • Drucilla Willis, member, African American Caucus, SEIU Local 221

  • E. Toby Boyd, President, California Teachers Association

  • Edward Robinson, Trustee, Kern County Employees Retirement Association

  • Dr. Elisha Smith Arrillaga, Executive Director, The Education Trust West

  • Eric Payne, Trustee, State Center Community College District

  • Erika Jones, Board Director, California Teachers Association

  • Folorunso Ashaolu, Education Advocate & Mentor, Fathers & Families of San Joaquin

  • Fred Blackwell, President & CEO, The San Francisco Foundation

  • Gaye T. Johnson PhD, Professor of African American Studies, UCLA

  • Gloria Bruce, Executive Director, East Bay Housing Organizations

  • Gloria Walton, Executive Director, Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE)

  • Gregory Freeland, Associate Dean, Inclusion & Research/Creative Scholarship, California Lutheran University

  • Holly Mitchell, State Senator 30th District

  • Iris Trammel, member, African American Caucus, SEIU Local 221

  • Ismahan Abdullahi, National Deputy Director, Muslim American Society - Public Affairs & Civic Engagement

  • Jackie Byers, Executive Director, Black Organizing Project

  • James Head, President & CEO, East Bay Community Foundation

  • Jamileh Ebrahimi, Youth Organizer, RYSE Youth Center

  • Jan Robinson Flint, Executive Director, Black Women for Wellness

  • Jennet Stebbins, Trustee, Delta Community College of San Joaquin

  • Jennifer Esteen, Vice President of Organizing, SEIU Local 1021

  • John Dobard, Director of Political Voice, Advancement Project

  • Joseph Bryant, President, SEIU Local 1021

  • Jovanka Beckles, retired Council member, City of Richmond

  • Julius B. Thomas, Director for California, National Education Association

  • Justin Cummings, Mayor, City of Santa Cruz

  • Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator (D-CA)

  • Kalimah Salahuddin, Trustee, Jefferson Union High School District

  • Karen Bass, U.S. Congressperson (CA-37)

  • Keith Brown, President, Oakland Education Association

  • Keith Carson, Supervisor, County of Alameda

  • Khalid Alexander, Founder, Pillars of the Community

  • Kim Carter, Founder, Time for Change Foundation

  • Kimberly Ellis, Founder, UnBought- UnBossed; former Executive Director, Emerge California

  • Kirk Samuels, Civic Engagement Coordinator, Community Coalition South LA

  • Kyra Greene, Executive Director, Center on Policy Initiatives

  • L. Karen Monroe, Superintendent, Alameda County Office of Education

  • L. Lacy Barnes, Senior Vice President, California Federation of Teachers

  • La Tonya Harris and Janel Bailey, Co-Executive Directors, Los Angeles Black Worker Center

  • Lamar Thorpe, Council member, City of Antioch

  • Larry Griffin, Vice President of Legislative and Political Affairs, IFPTE Local 2

  • Lateefah Simon, District 7 Director, Bay Area Regional Transit (BART)

  • Leslie Cooper Johnson, Vice President of Organizational Development, Community Coalition South LA

  • Linda Dent, Vice President, SEIU Local 721

  • London Breed, Mayor, City of San Francisco

  • Loren Taylor, Council member, City of Oakland

  • Ludovic Blain, Director, California Donor Table

  • Malkia Devich Cyril, former Executive Director, Center for Media Justice

  • Marcus Williams, Vice President Region E, SEIU Local 1021

  • Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Council member, City of Los Angeles

  • Maurice Goodman, Trustee, San Mateo County Community College District

  • Maya Walker, Executive Board member, Association of Educational, Office, and Technical

  • Employees of Hayward; State Council Representative, California Teachers Association

  • Melvin Willis, Council member, City of Richmond

  • Michael Lawson, President & CEO, Los Angeles Urban League

  • Michael McAffee, President & CEO, PolicyLink

  • Michael Tubbs, Mayor, City of Stockton

  • NAACP Pomona Valley

  • NAACP Riverside

  • NAACP Santa Monica-Ventura

  • Neva Walker, Executive Director, Coleman Advocates

  • Nicole Taylor, President & CEO, Silicon Valley Community Foundation

  • Patrisse Cullors, Co-founder of Yes on R and Black Lives Matter Global Network

  • Pauline Brooks, Vice President, California Alliance for Retired Americans (CARA)

  • Pecolia Manigo, Executive Director, Bay Area Plan Action Network

  • Pete White, Founder & Executive Director, Los Angeles Community Action Network

  • Pharaoh Mitchell, Founder, Community Action League- Antelope Valley Chapter

  • Ramla Sahid, Executive Director, Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans

  • Renee Crawford, Vice President, Stanislaus County Chapter SEIU Local 521

  • Riley Talford, Chapter President, SEIU 521 Fresno County; Board member, Fresno County Employees’ Retirement Association

  • Robert Ellis, Board Director, California Teachers Association

  • Robert Paige, Youth Program Director, Urban Peace Movement

  • Rochelle Pardue-Okimoto, Council member, City of El Cerrito

  • Dr. Ruby Durias, Chair, Education Committee Ventura NAACP; retired math teacher

  • Saa'un Bell, Strategy Director, Californians for Justice

  • Pastor Sam Casey, Executive Director, Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE)

  • Sandra Davis, Small business owner, Oeste

  • Shamann Walton, Supervisor, County of San Francisco

  • Shana McDavis-Conway, Co-Director, Center for Story Based Strategy

  • Shanell Williams, Board Trustee, San Francisco Community College

  • Shari Davis, Co-Executive Director, The Participatory Budgeting Project

  • Shelly Gupton, Board Director, California Teachers Association

  • Sheryl Lane, Executive Director, Building Blocks for Kids- Richmond

  • Stephane Medley, Director of Education and Justice, RYSE Youth Center

  • Steven Pitts, Associate Director, UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education

  • Stevon Cook, Commissioner, San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education

  • Stevonna Evans, Council member, City of Adelanto

  • Susan Burton, Founder & President, A New Way of Life Reentry Center

  • Sydney Kamlager, State Assemblyperson 54th District

  • Taisha Brown, Chair, California Democratic Party African American Caucus

  • Tamisha Walker, Executive Director, Safe Return Project

  • Taunya Jaco, Director for California, National Education Association

  • Teresa Cox, Trustee, Ohlone Community College Board

  • Tony Thurmond, Superintendent of Public Instruction, State of California

  • Tonya Bealey, Chair, African American Caucus SEIU Local 1000

  • Tshaka Barrows, Chief Executive Officer, The W. Haywood Burns Institute

  • Tyler Okeke Youth activist, Power California; college student

  • Tyller Williamson, Council member, City of Monterey

  • Vanessa Moses, Executive Director, Causa Justa: Just Cause

  • Walter Wilson, CEO, Minority Business Consortium- Silicon Valley

  • Wendy Sims-Moten, Trustee, Santa Barbara Unified School District

  • Pastor William D. Smart, President & CEO, Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern California

  • Y-Vonne Hutchinson, Founder & CEO, ReadySet

  • Yvonne Walker, President, SEIU Local 1000

  • Zachary Norris, Executive Director, Ella Baker Center ED; Author of "We Keep Us Safe"

  • Zerihoun Yilma, Associate Director, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)

  • Zima Creason, Board member, San Juan Unified School District Board of Education

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