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“It was a GREAT meeting!” – Progressive Dems celebrate Black History Month

Highlights – and contributions of our speakers

Our Black History Month program on February 11 brought out one of the largest crowds for a monthly PDB meeting – and surely the most beautifully diverse ethnic mix.  Around 60 members and friends attended.

As part of our Black History Month celebration, the Progressive Democrats of Benicia honored four local African-Americans for their service and dedication to our local communities:

  • Honorable Terrye D. Davis, Judge, Solano Superior Court
  • Viola Robertson, Exec. Dir., Benicia Community Action Council
  • Dr. Zoee Bartholomew, Ed.D., Commissioner, Benicia Open Government Commission and
  • Novanna (Vonnie) Hunt, Board Member, Benicia Human Services Board.

Gethsemane Moss and K. Patrice Williams moderated the program.

One of our honorees, Novanna Hunt, submitted a written record of her remarks, and co-moderator Gethsemane Moss submitted her poem.  We are proud to publish both here:

Novanna E. Hunt

Novanna (Vonnie) Hunt offered a highly significant insight into the reality of Black History here in Benicia during her lifetime.  She told of growing up and remaining a resident on Benicia’s Carolina Drive:

Black History month is a time to recognize and remember great deeds, people and accomplishments in the history of African Americans.  We have a bit of interesting and unheralded Black History right here in Benicia.

I live on Carolina Drive which was once an all African American community.  How did Carolina Drive become a black community?  The homes were built in 1954.  As the story goes the original developer fell into financial trouble and needed to sell the homes quickly.  He sold his first home to an African American family.  After that, he couldn’t sell to anyone but African Americans.  The older homes in nearby West Manor had restrictive covenants that prohibited the sale of homes in that development to African Americans.  Remember, that in the early 50’s it was tough for a Black couple to qualify for a home loan.  They had to have a significant down payment, be gainfully employed at stable jobs, have stellar credit and often references from a white person.

My mother first purchased a home on Carolina Drive in the mid-1960s. My husband and I purchased the home in 1971.  I believe it is time to dispel the myths and the prevailing warped perceptions about this neighborhood of 41 homes located just off Military and West Seventh Street.  As a fifty-year resident, I can tell you…  [continued]

Gethsemane Moss

Gethsemane Moss opened with a brief statement about her learnings during her doctoral research, “I studied the history of the negative labeling and experiences of black women.  It was during my research and review of literature that things began to make sense based on my own experiences, particularly as a young person and as a working professional. I learned that black women face a great deal of scrutiny in work settings and are constantly put in positions of having to navigate systems while considering their race and gender in order to combat stereotypes. It has helped me to put things in perspective as I continue moving forward in my life.”

Then she shared her moving poem, This Black Woman.  The lengthy work begins,

When you look at me, what do you see?
Black, Mammy, Jezebel, Sapphire, angry, uneducated, welfare?
The many lies that have been told about me, yet you never took the time to really see me.
Everyone has a story.
I am mother, a daughter, a wife, a girlfriend, a writer, an actress, a playwright a scholar, a sister, a friend!
I am not only these things for 28 or 29 days out of the year, I am these things 24 – 7 – 365!  [continued]

Meeting of February 11, 2019 – Celebrating Black History Month

For reflections on our February meeting, see “It was a GREAT meeting!” – Progressive Dems celebrate Black History Month

Details below are from the invitation that went out in January…

February 2019 Meeting – Celebrating Black History Month

February is 2019 Black History Month, and in celebration, the Progressive Democrats of Benicia honored local African-Americans for their service and dedication to our local communities. The Club met on Monday, Feb. 11 at 7:00 pm in the Benicia Library’s Dona Benicia Room.

During the meeting four women were honored and shared some of their thoughts about Black History Month:

  • Honorable Terrye D. Davis, Judge, Solano Superior Court
  • Viola Robertson, Exec. Dir., Benicia Community Action Council
  • Dr. Zoee Bartholomew, Ed.D., Commissioner, Benicia Open Government Commission and
  • Novanna (Vonnie) Hunt, Board Member, Benicia Human Services Board.

Gethsemane Moss and K. Patrice Williams moderated the program. Ms. Moss is an Educator and member of the Benicia Arts and Culture Commission, and Ms. Williams is the Founder and President Emeritus of the Solano/Napa Chapter, BWOPA, Black Women Organized for Political Action.

“The Progressive Democrats of Benicia are honored to bring attention to the accomplishments of these African-American women, local women, and to celebrate their longstanding service to our communities,” said Moss and Williams. “We hope they’ll share with us their thoughts on Black History month and what it means to them.”

Black Migrations is the theme for Black History Month 2019. In reading about the theme, “I found that it refers not only to the historical movement of blacks from the American South to the industrialized North, but also to later 20th century movements,” said Ralph Dennis, Chair of Progressive Democrats of Benicia.

Recent migration trends include those from the Caribbean nations into the U.S. and the return of Northern African-Americans to the U.S. South, to cities such as Atlanta and Houston, in search of jobs and better pay.  Gentrification of inner city neighborhoods and re-suburbanization are other examples.

The story of Black History Month begins in 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. That September, the Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson and the prominent minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, dedicated to researching and promoting achievements by black Americans and other peoples of African descent. Known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the group sponsored a national Negro History Week in 1926, choosing the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The event inspired schools and communities nationwide to organize local celebrations, establish history clubs and host performances and lectures. Mayors of cities across the country began issuing yearly proclamations recognizing Negro History Week.

By the late 1960s, Negro History Week had evolved into Black History Month on many college campuses. President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Since then, every American president has designated February as Black History Month and endorsed a specific theme.

In addition to the Black History program, the meeting included a short discussion on the latest developments to create a Solano Regional Park District, with expectations of a report and implementation plan from the County to be issued soon.

For those interested in running for public office – Close the Gap free online webinar series

Close the Gap California is hosting a really interesting and informative free online webinar series for anyone considering a run for office.  See below for description.  (Details for registration will show on the CTGCA website soon.)

We are impressed that they will have Ann Ravel as main speaker for the first webinar on March 8, “Dark Money.  Clean Money.  Can an Ethical Candidate Compete?”  Ann Ravel is the former director of the Federal Elections Commission.

In 2017, Federal Elections Committee chair Ann Ravel resigned saying: “The mission of the FEC is essential to ensuring a fair electoral process. Yet, since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, our political campaigns have been awash in unlimited, often dark, money.”
Ann Ravel is now a lecturer at Berkeley Law.   kalw.org/post/former-fec-chair-ann-ravel-discusses-her-resignation-and-money-politics#stream/


Close the Gap California WEBINARS
2019 Schedule
closethegapca.org/webinar/

Campaign Finance: “Dark Money. Clean Money. Can an Ethical Candidate Compete?”
Friday, March 8th @ Noon

Party Politics: “CTGCA’s How-To Guide: Working a Convention to Advance Your Candidacy”
Friday May 17th @ Noon

Women & Elections: “Catching a Wave or Building a Movement?”
Friday, Sept. 20th @ Noon

Non-Partisan to Partisan Focus: “From Non-Partisan Office to Partisan Progressive Candidate”
Friday, Nov. 15th @ Noon

From: Susannah Delano <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, February 6, 2019 1:14 PM
Subject: Mark your calendar now for CTGCA’s 2019 Webinars