Happy June! Here is the latest on our Social Justice Fellows:
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Victoria Palomares and Dafne Aguilar (Oxnard LGBTQ+) have continued to hold their support sessions aimed to educate parents/caregivers of LGBTQ+ youth on advocacy and community building and provide a safe and affirming space for LGBTQ+ people and their families. These sessions are held on the 3rd Thursday of each month both in person at OPAC and over Zoom and will end next month. As a consistent form of support for returning attendees, Dafne and Victoria have provided a deeply meaningful space full of connection and empathy.
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Dexter Nunnery (PROJECT50) continues to prioritize the Black community of Ventura County through his advocacy work and is currently working on developing partnerships in order to connect individuals with services for young adult counseling. Dexter held an event in April to officially introduce his nonprofit. His event was well attended and much loved by guests, who were excited to connect with Dexter and hear about his work in Ventura County. On June 2nd, Dexter took a group of students from Vista Real Charter School to visit Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara as a part of his Young Adult Counseling Program.
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Brenda Heredia (Healthy Nyeland Acres) continues to hold health workshops and host weekly Zumba classes at the Nyeland Acres Community Center. Brenda has reported that the bond created by the Zumba attendees and their commitment to showing up every week has been incredible to witness. Thanks to Brenda, Nyeland Acres has a space where folks can have fun, exercise, and still spend quality time with their family members and community members. Brenda has worked hard and succeeded in making these Zumba classes permanent for Nyeland Acres residents.
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Zuleima Jimenez and Fatima Chavez (Oxnard Birthworkers) are continuing to hold their reproductive justice workshops. These workshops have covered topics such as pregnancy, birth, postpartum care, and abortion care. Each workshop offers attendees an array of free resources for birth and postpartum care. What’s more, each workshop is led by themselves and another medical professional to best serve the educational needs of their community members in attendance. Their compassion and attentiveness have helped them begin to amass more members for their Birthworker Collective.
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Sierra Doehr (Saticoy Farmers Market) received their Conditional Use Permit and is in the final stages of preparation for the farmers market! They have trained 33 vendors and are building a strong and passionate team of staff, board members, and volunteers to support their nonprofit. The community of Saticoy has already benefited deeply from their leadership and we are looking forward to the incredible impact the farmers market will have on the community.
We are very excited about the work of our current Fellows. The variety of challenges our Fellows are addressing is indicative of how much work there is to be done to give all a fighting chance to pursue their dreams. As our Fellows support and empower marginalized communities, please continue to support them and help amplify these voices for justice in Ventura County.
With sincere gratitude,
Michael Teasdale Chair, |
Rabiah Rahman
Vice Chair |
Kathryn Kinberg
Program Manager |
The Social Justice Fund for Ventura County funds and empowers future leaders
promoting fairness, equity, human & environmental rights in our community.