Last year, I was fortunate to be honored by KRON 4 as the winner of Remarkable Women of the Bay Area (watch the video here!), and I remember thinking how much I’ve been supported by remarkable women throughout my entire life. You can go back five generations in my family, and in each one, a first-born daughter has led the way for us to follow. So, to be honored in this way truly felt like a full-circle moment for me.
This Women’s History Month, I’m continuing to reflect on how the women I’m surrounded by have had a profound impact on my life and work. Women like:
- Our team of Parent Liberators, who are the fuel of The Oakland REACH and who refuse to settle for the status quo. They are hitting the ground in front of schools all month, morning and afternoon, recruiting parents to be change-agents in schools and putting them in the driver’s seat.
- Our REACH mamas, aunties, grandmas, and caregivers shared their stories in a class-action suit against the state of California and WON a $2+ billion settlement, which includes a groundbreaking provision that recognizes community-based organizations as effective providers of evidence-based programming for children.
We know the work doesn’t end with this win, and we’re grateful neither do our champions — women like:
- Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) who is helping us fight for comprehensive, evidence-based approaches to literacy instruction through the “California Kids Read” bill, Assembly Bill 2222. REACH is proud to endorse her bill — read our letter of support here.
- Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell, Alicia Arenas, Sondra Aguilera, and Romy Trigg-Smith, whom we sincerely thank for their partnership in building an aligned, cohesive, and results-oriented literacy and math ecosystem for our Oakland students.
- Nicole Rennie, the founder of FORWARD storystudio, beautifully captured REACH’s story and our vision for the future in a four-part video series you can watch below!
I can never begin to name everyone, but I’m so grateful for this village of people willing to work together to ensure that women’s history isn’t just looking back on the past but projecting toward a brighter future.