Thank you so much for joining us this afternoon. Again I'm Julius Sokenu, I'm the Interim President here at Moorpark College and it's a pleasure to have this distinguished panel with us here today and it's also a pleasure to have you in our audience.
This is an opportunity for us not only to celebrate Black History Month but it's an opportunity for us to celebrate black leadership and black identity.
Your presence with us today says to me and says to us as a college that you not only value the contributions of Black and African American people to our county, to our country, and really to global...
really to the globe, but that you're also here, because you want to engage in those conversations that allow us to not only build pathways
to further prosperity, but conversations that allow us to connect to our history and look at that history in a current context.
Today we have a panel, that will not only share with you about their journey to success, but this panel will allow us to better understand what it means to be
a Black leader today.
It allows us to better understand and locate leadership in the context of social justice movement, in the context of the
awareness that we're all connected and that, that connection means that we're all working towards one another's humanity.
It is a pleasure to have this panel here today and that work and that honor goes to our Black History Month Committee.
That committee includes Gerald Richardson, Pauline Nassar, Banea Sumpter, Timothy Lumas, Professor Tamarra Coleman and a whole bevy of individuals who have been a part of this work, but, most importantly, this event was produced, curated by our Black Student Union members.
So, if this works well,
and I know it well, it really is their vision, and it is their energy. And for me that is really where
our hope lies. That's where our future lies, because it is these folks like Pauline and Gerald that will be the voice, will be the energy, and the conduit to the future of our communities.
So I'm going to pass it over to Gerald. Gerald and I we're co-moderating and really it is a pleasure to have Gerald Richardson the Third on this panel and welcome Gerald.
Gerald Richardson III: Thank you Dr. Sokenu. Hi everyone, thank you all for joining us today, we have some incredibly distinguished panelists. We have Superintendent
Tony Thurmond, who is the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, he will be joining us a little bit later.
We have Assembly Member Mike Gipson who represents the 64th district of California and is also the Assembly Democratic Caucus Chair. We have Mayor Aja Brown, who has a history maker, being the youngest elected
mayor in the history of the city of Compton, California. We have Dr. Thomas Duncan, who is incredibly is distinguished. He is the Co- Trauma Medical Director of
Anacapa Surgical Associates and the Co-Medical Director for Ventura County Medical Center. And, last but certainly not least, we have Dr. Landre Ajose who is
the California Senior Policy Advisor for Higher Education for Governor Gavin Newsom and she has dedicated her entire career to college affordability and equity. So I'm excited to have everyone here and I will pass it back to Dr.
Sokenu.
Dr. Sokenu: Thank you very much Gerald. And so we've forwarded the questions prior to our panelists so they can really think about and engage from a place of authenticity and preparation.
Each of the questions will take about two to four minutes for each answer, so that, when we get a chance to really engage our panelists and I'll start with the very first question. And the first question
states, could you please give us a brief summary of your leadership journey, how you got into your career and what sustains you? How you got into your career and what sustains you. And we'll start with Assembly Member Gipson.
Assembly Member Mike Gipson: Great, well first of all, let me say thank you very much to give me this great opportunity, to the panelists, my Aja Brown, it's great seeing you, and so to everyone who's assembled here today. Thank you very much for again giving me this opportunity.
Real quick, my journey well started with my parents. Both of my parents mother and father only matriculated to having a high school education but they worked hard.
And they said if there's something that you want you go after with your, with all your vigor.
And so my mother she did domestic work what that means is that she cleaned people's homes, rich people's homes and my father, he was a truck driver.
One job when he came to California him, him and my mom and he was a truck driver for 47 years. One job 47 years. And so it was because of what they instilled in
all of us to be part of a journey and that journey has led us to being change agents.
What guides us, is our lord and savior Jesus Christ that guides us each and every day. Our faith is shattered and I believe that is it was instilled into
my grandmother and her grandmother
who was born into slavery and she talked about that, and she talked about a people who had a determination, no matter what was in front of us, we were going to do everything that we can to make
tomorrow, better than today. And it was that determination that is part of our fight, part of our vigor to try to be a change agent in our community. And so what you see here today is me standing on
my parents shoulders and the community that raised me as well as my three sisters in Watts.
Growing up, we didn't have a silver spoon in our mouths, we grew up like everybody else grew up grew up but we had a determination to make our community better. And so that was instilled into us by our parents
who, you know, made us go to church, whether or not we wanted to go to church. Introduce us, we had a picture on our wall.
Black folks had a certain picture growing up and that picture, had, it was Jesus Christ, in the middle,
Dr. Martin King on one side and John F. Kennedy on the other side and that's how that built our foundation.
With all of those leaders instilling and pouring into us to make us the kind of people that we are today and I take that wherever I go, and I say this unapologetically 'cause I would never apologize for who I am or my blackness because it's beautiful.
Dr. Sokenu: Thank you, thank you so much Assembly Member Gipson. Mayor Brown?
Mayor Aja Brown: Yes, good afternoon everyone, and thank you so very much for having me.
My leadership journey definitely began at my home with my mother. I was raised by a single mother, I have a twin brother and she was very adamant about
me making my own decisions, using my own brain, thinking about every situation before me critically. And, as I matriculated through school
and continued to excel, after I got to college I literally my my freshman year I was pre-engineering and I just didn't feel that my passion was ignited and
literally sat down and prayed and I sat down before 1000 page USC course catalog and asked God just to direct my path and
opened right up to my current field of policy, planning, and urban development and read about the the various disciplines and I immediately walked over to the school
and changed my major. And at that point, I was able to connect with a wonderful counselor that really encouraged me to insert into a program that was brand new.
I became the first Black woman to end first woman to graduate within five years with my bachelor's and master's in Urban Planning, Economic Development. And, as I learned
I was always interested in how places were built and how investment was made just because of my own upbringing I knew that my mom was very intentional in putting me in
additional extracurricular activities, but she was also a researcher, she would walk graph with just binders of information and
she really extended opportunities to me that a lot of my friends didn't have, and so I thought about
as I got to college, how much further, would I even have been if I had even richer education and had additional opportunities? And so
I became very passionate about creating opportunities for people of color in under-served communities, and when I had the opportunity after graduating to work
in several under-served communities, I jumped at the chance and then later I was recruited to come back to
my cities, my home community, which is Compton to work in head of capital projects, and so I started serving there for a few years and was able to have an impact, but then I also realized that
Compton could never reach his full potential, we did not have a progressive leader with a vision, and so I began seeking
leaders that I respected to serve, and everyone said no, and I even talked to my husband and asked him to run because I was always a strategist and he was like absolutely mad, "You need to do this."
He said, you know, "I know that you were made to do this," and after much prayer and a whole bunch of confirmation I stepped out on faith to
begin this journey but my leadership development really started in the Church, I was a member of Faith Inspirational Church in Compton. The pastors Rafer
and Natalie Owens and they were very big on building leaders and that leadership is an inside job and that we all have so much power within us to affect change, and so I began looking at myself as a tool to have impact and
I made my decisions where I believed that can have the greatest impact in with my own personal commitment, I made a choice to God that I would use my gifts and talents to glorify him and to
build his people and so that's what I've done with my whole life and career. And I'm proud of the the sacrifices that we've made and the progress that we've made. To God be the glory. Thank you so much.
Dr. Sokenu: Thank you Mayor Brown. Thank you so much. Dr. Ajose?
Dr. Landre Ajose: I love the way you say my name because you're Nigerian.
Dr. Sokenu: I know. I was like, I can say that one.
Dr. Ajose: It doesn't happen often so I appreciate that. You know, I am a deep believer that the leadership journey is born of personal experience, and my own personal experience,
Sorry, my dog agrees.
My own personal experience is not that different
from Mayor Brown's I was the mother or the child of a single mom. My mom came to the United States from Nigeria to go to school, she wasn't able to achieve that vision, but she was
determined to make sure that her children achieved that vision. And so she worked nights and weekends as a respiratory therapist eventually,
so that we could go to school, and she put us in Catholic schools and eventually in private schools. And then, when I was in high school when I was 14 years old,
my mother went back to Nigeria to visit her family and her passport and green card were stolen, and she wasn't able to come back to the United States. And it took her 10 years to re-immigrate to the United States and in that period of time I lived on my own. I lived as a foster child.
I was fortunate enough to go to college, though there were many, many people who didn't share the same expectation that I would go to college as my mother did.
And I think, you know, what I learned through all of that is that...determination is essential.
Not taking no for an answer is essential. Being willing to speak truth to power is essential.
And I carry all of those things with me, when I think about what informs me now as a leader. It's a question of, you know, how do you,
how do you make sure that you're telling the person who has the most power, the most authority? In my case, it's the governor.
that's the way we should go or that's clearly not the way we should go and why. And so, for me, I really think a lot about how my own personal experience,
my mother's experience, her aspirations for me, her aspirations for my siblings,
all of that really was predicated on education. Everything she did was predicated on education. And so it's no surprise really that everything I do now is predicated on education, not just for my own children,
but also for all of California students. And so I'm deeply deeply committed to ensuring access,
meaningful access for California students, particularly those students who come from circumstances where one may not think that they're quote unquote college material. Those are the students, we need to reach out to the most.
Those are the students, we need to provide the most kinds of systemic supports to.
And that's what I am quite devoted to and, you know, thinking about also affordability, college affordability as an essential component of have that access question. So I think that's what drives me most as a leader.
Dr. Sokenu: Thank you so much it's very clear that you're all bringing a passion and the location for service to this work. Dr. Duncan?
Dr. Thomas Duncan: Thank you very much for allowing me to be a part of this distinguished panel. It seems like at least three of us share something in common, because my parents are from Ghana, but
immigrated to Nigeria and that's where I was born. Now it so happened that, you know, when I was growing up, I spent a lot of time in the hospital and I was fascinated with tools in the hospital,
and the distinguished look that the doctors had in terms of their starched
uniforms, but I wasn't thrilled about getting an injections because I always got injections when I got to the hospital so that part of it, I didn't like it all.
Nevertheless, at the age of 15 I decided, I wanted to go to to med school and to become a surgeon, because I love working with with matchbox cars and putting radios together, etc., and I didn't know what's going to happen, but I thought, "Well, I just keep plugging at it." And going through
high school I wasn't a great student at all, but I got through it and then I spent a year in the university over there,
and I wasn't a great student there either. And I came to United States when I was 17 I started college all over again and I seem to blossom there and, subsequently, you know,
wanting to apply to med school and took the MCAT and also kept my GPA up but, when it was time to be accepted into med schools, I wasn't accepted, because I was a foreign grad and I couldn't take out loans.
But one of the schools that I went to the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine offered me a scholarship and they said,
"If you can maintain a B average then we'll give you this scholarship from year to year," and I said,
"As long as I get my foot in the door, no one's kicking me out here." So I got in the door, and, you know, I finally got through and subsequently
did my general surgery residency at the Child's All Drew Medical Center at MLK Drew. So I spent at least six years in Compton. So we share something in common and I spent several rotations doing,
you know, general surgery tricks in different hospitals in LA, which gave me the opportunity to bond with others and figure out what I wanted to do and helped to develop my own style of
medicine. And I've been in Ventura since 1998. I left for a couple of years and came back, but
they treat me well over there, you know, I've been the Chief of Staff and I've been a chief of surgery. And,
you know, my greatest goal is to give back to the community and what sustains me is if
I see a patient who has been in pain I subsequently take care of them, and the pain is gone after whatever procedure, I do,
and the gratitude they have for me is what keeps me going. Now there are others that don't necessarily give you the gratitude that you think you deserve, and that's okay, but as long as you have people that give you some gratitude and
I'm happy about that. And my parents always instilled that educational,
educational aspect of of life in us and without education, you can get anywhere in life per se, I guess you can but it'll be a little more difficult. So that's my story and I'm glad to be on this panel.
Gerald: Thank you, Dr. Duncan. I have the next question. Do you feel like you have an additional burden placed on you as a Black leader? And I would like to hear from Mayor Brown first on this one.
Mayor Brown: I do, I believe that, just as African Americans, period, it's been ingrained in us that we have to
always be twice as better, work three times as hard, always be cognizant of the the agency that we hold in the world, and that we will always be
reflected on differently than the masses and that's due to anti-blackness than everything else that we all have overcome
and continue to strive to overcome on a regular basis within our respective roles and industries that we serve within. I do believe that
obviously this nation has a very strong history of just disproportionately
viewing African Americans and even the treatment, especially as an elected leader, it's historic fact that Black leaders are targeted for investigations, that we're
trailed by the FBI and CIA in large proportions in comparison to our white and non-black counterparts and so
all of those things definitely inform the way that we navigate and I can just say for myself personally I've always just
striven to be above reproach in everything that I do and even things that other leaders,
you know, can can do wholeheartedly like establish mayor's funds and different things like that. I've been very cognizant to not let my good be evil spoken of, and that's just something that I think many Black people have had to navigate
in unfortunately and it's just the reality of our experience but I'm still hopeful that we will continue to see these walls broken down in my lifetime and my hope is that my daughter won't have to navigate in the same way that I have within these spaces.
Gerald: Thank you for saying that Mayor Brown. Assembly Member Gipson.
Assembly Member Gipson: Thank you very much for the question and I would just say that one it's not a burden for me being black or a leader and so
I have been always taught that, you know, that my mother didn't clean all the homes, he had to clean just to have her son matriculate to this kind of position and may not help the least of these. It is a responsibility that I have that I wear.
It's a burden at this it's a burden in the sense that we have to be better. We have to not only be on time we got to be before time. We have to
be the best in schools, be the best athletes. Venus and Serena being the best tennis players, they have a burden to be the best to represent our community, to show other young
Black beautiful girls what they can strive to, right? So it's a burden for Kamala Harris, to be the first
Black female Vice President of mixed heritage to be here and to be there in order for other young girls to show that they can do it as well. It's a burden
in a good sense for us to continue to drive each and every day to make a difference. You know, there's stereotypes my parents have always told us, we have to, you know, have better grades, we have to
come to work ready to impress groomed, looking sharp, smelling good walking in with the confidence and let it exude. It's not arrogance it's that we are sure that we're confident that we have arrived we're here, right? And so
for me it's about just driving each and every day to one, making sure that the legacy that my parents left us that we honor that legacy by leaving a indelible mark on this society. That we mattered. That we exist and we
brought people along with us. I didn't, you know, again my mother, my father, been very, very big parts of our lives, I stand on their shoulders and I want to make sure that when people hear the name Gipson, it's not ridiculed by,
you know, embarrassment or innuendos, that it's good name. And so my mother and father always instilled in us to making sure that we never do anything that would tarnish the family's name.
And so it's a burden but it's a good burden, because it continue to keep us driving and striving each and every day to do better.
Gerald: I love the way you put that. Thank you Assembly Member Gipson. What about you, Dr Ajose?
Dr. Ajose: Yeah I think I would agree with the Assembly Member, I mean, I think,
I guess I might describe it as a higher expectation and I think what is interesting about that higher expectation is that it comes not just from
it comes from Black folks and from White folks, right? So that expectation certainly means that
there's a representation of politics in this country. So where I go I show up as me, but I show up as a member of the Governor's Administration I show up as a member of
a culture of Black folks, I show up in all kinds of ways, and I feel the responsibility to show up in a way that makes all of those
that intersectionality of my identity that makes everybody proud, right? And so that does, if you want to describe that as a burden, you can describe it as a burden, but there is a higher expectation that I feel like I need to
represent that I need to be present with.
So I think that there's that piece. There's also just from a professional perspective, I would say I'm really mindful of the role that I play in the Governor's office and what it means to be African American in the state of California.
Because we are, you know, 6% of the state, and yet the history, the culture of Black people in this nation is what so many other groups in this country rely on
to protect, and defend, and advance their own civil rights, right? And so I feel like I'm constantly trying to make sure that while we are caring for the whole,
caring for everyone, caring for all Black and brown students that I'm also paying special attention to what that lived experience has been for Black folks, and what that means for them to continue to to strive and to succeed, because the truth is
we still aren't there yet, and we need to make sure that we are providing
much greater opportunity for a much wider swath of people, so that we get there, even as we have a very deep very rich, a very, you know, story history as Black folks in this country,
and Black folks both born in this country and Black folks who come to this country from other places. It is a very rich history.
And so I feel that the the responsibility to provide for every person of color to provide for all Californians and every person of color in particular,
but also to make sure that Black folks are seen in that because I think in a state where we are 6% sometimes we aren't seeing the way in which we need to be.
Gerald: Absolutely, thank you. What about you, Dr. Duncan?
Dr. Duncan: Yeah so in terms of whether it's a burden to be in a position that I am, I think it's a little bit of a burden, but I to embrace it. I embrace it because
it's like the Michael Jordan effect, you know, you work best under pressure and I feel like
to be able to get to where I've been there have been a lot of people who have given me a lending hand, and I feel like I need to pay it back to society to help others come up.
And, you know, I do a lot of mentoring, I feel it's really important for young Black males and females need to see us in the leadership positions to know that they can get there someday.
And I act like there's always somebody watching me and whatever I do in life, I lead by example, and I never want to be a hypocrite. So if I walk into a code situation and there's a patient being treated
the way in which I wouldn't want my family member to be treated, I speak up about it, and, you know, I want people to know that it comes from the heart
and whatever I do, I act like people are always watching me, because they are and you'll be surprised, with the conversation that come up later on down the line
when you think that nobody is watching what you were doing but actually people are and so,
that's been my drive and and, you know, my parents, particularly my dad was always on time to get to places if he was not on time he almost had a nervous fit and I had picked up on that. And
that's the, I'm the same way, I always I'm on time, if I can help it. And he always had a pen with me in case an idea came to mind. So I'd say he could write down his ideas and put a piece of put a pen to paper and then, subsequently, discuss the ideas, later on, with his colleagues. So,
I really embrace that pressure and I don't think it's a burden on me and I want to be able to help other people out.
Gerald: Thank you, Dr. Duncan I really appreciate how you mentioned the importance of Black youth to seeing Black leaders and seeing that this is something that we can accomplish one day. It's very important to me. What about you Superintendent Thurmond?
Superintendent Superintendent Thurmond: Well, good afternoon everyone. It's an honor to beyond with colleagues and friends. Assembly Member Gipson, and Mayor Brown, and Dr. Ajose,
Dr. Sokenu, and Dr. Duncan. I like how Dr. Duncan started right off by talking about how he said he's Michael Jordan of education. I like how you just called that out game recognize game, I appreciate that
Dr. Duncan. And I agree with you, Michael Jordan always talked about excellence.
You know, people often fail to understand that players like Michael Jordan reached excellence, because they put in the work.
They practice at the free throw line. They didn't just say, "I'm going to be an NBA star," and then expect someone to make that happen for them.
When the greatest players in the world care enough to put in the preparation that your dad taught you about being on time,
Having a pen, being prepared, these are messages that are young people can hold on to, and that we should share with them and the burden is something that I would say
is sort of has always been in my subconscious, but when when Dr. Ajose said I owe, I thought about that I feel like I owe because people have opened doors for me. Who am I
to let it close on my way through it? You know? I gotta keep that door open too, and while I'm going through looking back to pull somebody too, "Come on y'all pull through," as well, to come through together.
You know, in my life I've had so many people open doors for me how dare I not
do what I can, and if the way I carry myself is going to close the door I'll just own that for myself shame on me. And I do not want that to be
the story about Tony Thurmond. I don't want that to be the legacy. I want it to be that I served in a way, where I did a good job,
where I honored my ancestors, you know, I want to honor them, I want to honor the people whose shoulders, I stand on.
No one in my family has ever held another office. No one in my family's ever even thought about running for office.
I want to propel more people to think about those opportunities, and so I feel like I owe as well, and if it's a burden it's a burden that I accept and I'm happy to.
I echo just what I've heard from everyone this afternoon and so I'll leave it there, mr. moderator, thank you for asking the question.
Gerald: Thank you.
Pauline Nassar: I will be asking the next question. Hello everyone, my name is Pauline Nassar I am here on behalf of Brilliant Minds Youth Foundation.
Brilliant Minds Youth Foundation is one of the leading action tanks for Black youth throughout California. We have a question, particularly for Dr. Ajose and Mayor Brown.
An inaccurate and unfair portrayal of Black woman being too angry, too aggressive, and too difficult to work with is pervasive throughout the workplace.
Have you had experience with this trope or other negative stereotypes that are too often ascribed to Black women, if so, how would you have handled it? Dr. Ajose, I pass it on to you.
Dr. Ajose: Thank you Pauline and thank you for the work that you all do. I appreciate that. Yeah I've had experience with that trope for sure. I think it comes from a place of people not knowing us, really. Many people don't know,
I mean many people in the majority don't know Black people at all, right, and a lot of them have never really had an experience with
a Black woman, and I think that, you know, the challenges, there's a challenge, obviously in terms of race, but then there's the double challenge of both racism and sexism, and how those can be layered together that can
create particular challenges I think for Black women. But, you know, I look at 2020 and 2020 was the year of the Black woman. I'm sorry but, you know, Kamala Harris, and Stacey Abrams, and Shirley Weber. Come on.
You know what I'm saying? So, I think, actually now people are starting to know us. People are starting to know our power.
And we are being unforgiving about that power, we're being unrelenting about that power, and I think that what distinguishes
I think all good leaders, but certainly many of the Black women leaders that I know, is we lead with our values and our heart, but we show up in a place of deep authenticity,
and we are pragmatic about getting the job done, right? And it is the blend of all of those things. So if that intimidates you that's not on me, 'cause my job is to get my job done and to do it from a place of head and heart.
But I think that, that, when I think about those women when I think of Kamala, and Stacey, and Dr. Weber, people are getting stuff done and if I was in a different setting I wouldn't use the word stuff. So yeah we're all right.
Mayor Brown: Yes.
Pauline: Thank you Dr. Ajose.
Mayor Brown: I just love Dr. Ajose's comment so much and I'm glad I was on mute but
I would just say absolutely I think that and Dr. Ajose touched on this briefly, but the combination of
sexism, and then also just racism, and then also the the structures of society and the images that are intentionally depicted of Black women provide another mountain which we have to climb and address, and
the marginalization, I also believe, of Black woman has added a very unique challenge to Black women to
obviously not only exist in our agency, but also to address challenges. And I can just say my own experience, being a young Black woman,
elected official in a role, there weren't very many examples of women of my age group
that looked like me in this particular role, and it was thought that because I was younger, because I was a woman that I wouldn't be decisive, or I wouldn't have a vision, or I wouldn't be pragmatic, where I wouldn't
be able to actually implement or execute, and so the the assumptions or the misnomers that people have of Black women ultimately
inform the way that they interact with them. And so people have to really check themselves and adjust their own expectations and then come with an objective mindset in dealing with Black woman, because as Dr. Ajose said, we are
not only powerful but capable, but we have been consistent, we have always been this way, we have always been nurturers, we have always been visionaries, we have always been problem solvers, we have always
been just powerful in every single way, we've always been healers, we've always been this way. And so now we're starting to see because
women are continuing to break every single barrier and push themselves in places that we didn't exist before, now the world is starting to really recognize
the power, and the beauty, and the agency of Black women, but we've always been this way since the beginning of creation. So I think that that is something that will continue to be
edified in a new way in this post pandemic world that we're living in and I think that Black women will continue to do what we've always done, which is to
shine and to get things done, and to dominate, and to set a new standard, and to
be prophetic in our words and so castings that are not as though they were, and to continue to deliver. So I love being a Black woman, but I have had my own challenges and even with my own, you know, my own people. Sometimes were the hardest to
really engage with one another and Dr. Ajose said this earlier about expectation, because we really have to adjust our expectation that we have for ourselves in order for us to really
open the way to better navigate collectively. So definitely it's been a challenge but it's also a very beautiful gift, so thank you for the question.
Pauline: Thank you, both. Dr. Ajose, this year was definitely the year for Black successful woman, I definitely agree and I'm sure everyone else does. You speak so beautifully. Thank you and Mayor Brown
you are a role model for all young Black woman of this generation. So thank you, thank you, thank you.
Gerald: I have the next question. So similarly for Black men, whereas when...when White men are assertive, they're perceived as bosses,
but when Black men are we received as we're perceived as angry or aggressive. So my question is, do you feel that you are perceived in a negative light,
like aggressive or angry when you're asserting authority? And how have you handled that? And I would like to hear from Superintendent Thurmond first.
Superintendent Thurmond: Well, thank you Gerald, I'm still just enjoying the responses from Dr. Ajose and Mayor Brown. As a father raising two young daughters, I just have to say it warms my heart because
I hear people talk about not being aggressive or ambitious and I'm like, "Wow that is such a double standard."
And when you look at who saying it, it often is not a woman or a woman of color, but it's a man saying that and I just think
if it's okay for man to be ambitious about how a man wants to approach his career why wouldn't we allow the same for a woman, and so
my heart is warm by it, you know, again raising two daughters, we have these conversations. I think this whole thing speaks to your question into two themes that you all are touching on Gerald and Pauline,
that we allow people to be labeled and really those labels speak to other people's insecurities, other people's
issues and prejudicial attitudes, and, you know, it's on my mind that this most importantly affects
African American youth in our school systems, where they are spelled and suspended at a higher rate than any other racial group. And that sometimes it is for the simple action, a student turned around
and they get expelled. And if it's an African American male at a very, very high rate and I cannot get my mind around the fact that our
school systems expel children who are African American in preschool. I don't know what you do in preschool to be suspended or expelled, but we have to do a better job of how we nurture our students and I know that has a lot to do, not with those children,
it has a lot to do with those who are encountering them. Their own bias. And so I, you know, what I love about today's activity that you all are putting on is that I hope that there are
leaders who are listening and watching in our community college system to recognize don't let other people's issues or prejudices stop you from shining
as you just heard Pauline say. Continue to be a leader and to strive for what you want to do. And if someone is saying that you are aggressive,
do I think about it? I do Gerald. I think about it when I'm in certain circumstances.
And if i'm feeling a certain kind of way about my passion and my advocacy, sometimes I do catch myself, and I do think, "Okay, what are the optics going to look like, for me, as a Black man,
and how and how much passion, do I show?" I do think about it, but at the end of the day, I do think it's important for our leaders to strive,
and to not let someone else's a sense of what their level of ambition should be or passion should be, defined, how they carry themselves, especially as we contend with this issue
with our students, with our African American students who are who are disproportionately judged, mistreated, suspended, and then we see that carry itself
into the criminal justice system. You know, people will say in schools, "Oh he's so cute," when they're babies.
When they become older and a little taller they start to look at Black males as a threat and I'm saying, "That's the same baby that you loved in elementary school, so let's support him
and help him to grow into a man, help him to overcome the barriers that are around him." So I have a few feelings on this subject because it it parlays into the work that we do,
but again, to the message to all the students who are watching, continue to lead and shine. Don't let anybody put you in a box and tell you what you can or cannot do. And please call on all of us to be helpful to you as you begin your leadership journeys.
Gerald: All I have to say it's just amen. Thank you. That was beautifully said. Assembly Member Gipson, what are your thoughts on this question?
Assembly Member Gipson: Well, thank you very much, and I certainly concur with my good friend and colleague Superintendent of Public Instruction, I would just simply say that he would not be where he's at right now, if he wasn't aggressive and some people
has painted me as the angry Black man, well you never walked in my shoes.
You know, you don't live in my community.
You have not seen what I've seen.
And so, when people hear me speak and they say, you know, "Does it take all that?" You damn right it takes all that, because my eyes have seen so many different things that you have even get to begin to even see or explore.
And so my experience in my loins of my aggressiveness comes out of hurt and pain, just like my grandmother, my great grandmother who was born into slavery,
you know, seeing her granddaddy treating belittled and treated as less than a man. Our history is chronicle. So when you look at aggressive, these people who are inferior of the aggressiveness,
but we're trying to make a point. Do you understand that
because when I speak naturally people listen, but it comes out of experience, I am damn tired of people dying on my streets. So damn-it I'm going to raise my voice so that people can hear not only my hurt and pain, but the mother who just has to bury her son.
I have to speak on her behalf, and if it means me being aggressive, in order for decreasing of gun violence in our community dammit I'm going to do just that.
Because you haven't walked in my shoes. You haven't seen where there's a 15 year old Latino boy who died in my arms. This boy looked in my face while I held
brain matter. He was shot in the head at 15 years old, when I was a police officer and he died in my arms.
You don't know what I've been through. You don't know my journey, so damn it don't tell me what I've gone through and does that take all that, yes, it does, because it takes aggressiveness.
Did you say that about King? Malcolm X? Marcus Garvey? Those men were aggressive but guess what they spoke truth to power, and they changed the generation. They changed a country.
And so, if it means being aggressive, in order for me to get my point across. If it means speaking truth to power and things change for the betterment of my community, then call me, then find me guilty of that.
Gerald: Wow.
What are your thoughts, Dr. Duncan?
Dr. Duncan: Thanks for the question. Initially, when I was younger I was quite easy going, and I still am, to a certain extent,
but I've learned over the course of time that you have to speak up. You have to speak up otherwise,
you will be shoved under the rug and your voice will not be heard. And it takes extra time to be at the table to make your voice heard,
but you have to be there. And similar to my co-panelists, I have two daughters, and, you know, the world has got to change for women.
I have four sisters and then two daughters and so I'm surrounded by women, all the way around, and I love the fact that things are changing for Black women in this country. Now,
in terms of me being in a situation in which I need to be assertive, when I'm taking care of patients, if something is going wrong,
I will be assertive, because you can't bring a patient's life back. You can't bring a patient's life back. It's not like
working on a car, and you can switch a part around here or there and, you know, next thing, you know, the car can be put back on the road. If you lose a patient,
you can never bring them back. And one thing that has touched my heart quite a bit is dealing with young particularly Black and Latino males who are involved in gun violence or
similar violent events that have unnecessary losses of their lives and their parents are those that have to deal with it. You know, they deal with it for the
rest of their lives and either family members or brothers and sisters. So we have a lot of
prevention programs that we have at Ventura County Medical Center so that we don't have these victims coming back over, and over, and over again. And
I like to take advantage of the teachable moment, so that when somebody comes in and they're vulnerable, you can speak to them, and hopefully guide them along the way,
such that they don't come back all over again. we go to the juvenile justice center to speak to the kids over there, and as a result. Now,
I mean in terms of being outside of the hospital environment, you know, I may get angry when I see things not being done properly, such as
either being a car rental place, or in a hotel, or restaurant and you're being treated like a second class citizen because maybe you aren't in uniform,
and you look like, you know, a plain clothed person and not that it's wrong to be in plain clothes, but you shouldn't be treated any differently, and I speak up and I argue.
And sometimes I argue, because I know my daughters are listening and I know they will have to argue for themselves someday, and they need to be able to step up and hold up the fort for themselves. So in a nutshell yeah I don't
have any problems being called an ABM or the angry Black man. I'll take it on and argue my point with data and knowledge is power.
Dr. Sokenu: Thank you so much
Dr Duncan it is so powerful to hear each one of you talk about really courageous leadership, right? It's
the fact that you own your own light and you own your own ground, and in doing so you're able to not only speak truth to power, but you're also able to model for folks who come after you,
you know, what it means to be a person of dignity, of a person worth. The next question is kind of Ventura County located, but it really for us in this moment, we all know, it's an American problem. So here's the question.
Ventura County has identified racism as a public health crisis. How would you as leaders at the state and the local level address this social problem of racism? And could we start with you Assembly Member Gipson?
Pauline: You're muted.
Dr. Sokenu: You're muted.
Assembly Member Gipson: Sorry about that, how do we address racism, you said from Ventura County?
Dr. Sokenu: The county has identified racism as a public health problem. So,
we want to sort of address it from our campus level, all the way up. So we want to hear from you how you would have us address it. You know, you're not in Ventura County, but it's a national problem I believe, so how would have us address this problem?
Assembly Member Gipson: Right, and so one of the things is one, recognizing that California is pretty dynamic, because we have so many different histories, so many different ethnicities.
One, I support my colleagues Jose Medina's view in terms of making sure the ethnic studies are taught in school and it's absolutely critical
that we know each each other's cultures, and we are able to one, understand each other better, to see an African American young male walking down the streets
with his pants hanging or, you know, sagging doesn't represent that he's part of any particular gang, it could be a fashion statement. But it's one, understanding
that one, that racism exists. And for us as leaders trying to tear down those barriers, you know, I have a biracial I have two biracial almost three, I have one on the way,
grandchildren and, and so I don't want them to grow up into a community where people are judging them because they're, you know, they're black or anything like that. We want to tear down those racial
divides, that bigotry. We spoke on the floor just this week about we passed the resolution, a House Resolution 23 that condemns the attack on the API community
in our country, in our state right now, because of what emulated from the White House for past four years we heard a characterization that Chinese people brought this pandemic to us, and it has painted them in a very
unfavorable picture by the highest authoritative person in the land, and that's the President. And so it's trying to make sure that we tear down and call bigotry out.
There is no place in our society for racism and bigotry, and the more that we confront it head on and talk about it,
the better we are as a people and accepting of people. It makes no difference, the color your skin. We judge each other, you know,
look what King said, King tried to get us to understand, we judge people by their character,
you know, by their character and things of that nature, and so we have to make sure that we as leaders continue to tear down those kind of racial divides that separate people because there's more that bring us together,
then divide us. And I think the more that we have our trusted voices and those who are elected leaders
talking about that. That's why us trying to change the trajectory in the history books and so that there are great Latino
leaders of history that we need a chronicle African American history, Asian American history and talk about that this is a world that's accepting of every person, and I say that's how we begin to really tear down
a lot of those of those racial divides that divide us here in California and across this world, but we also have to speak truth to power. We need people to make sure that we never have someone who
who matriculates to the highest opposite of the land to spew that hatred and divide. Look what just happened on January the 6th,
it was people who came with a sense of a bigotry and racial divide that wanted to seek to hurt people because
of the person in office, in the highest office of the land gave the green light and basically validated that kind of rhetoric, and there's no place in California, there's no place in our country for that. We should accept everyone for who they are
irrespective of the color of their skin. So it's our job to make sure we spread that word.
Dr. Sokenu: Thank you Assembly Member Gipson.
Dr. Duncan?
Dr. Duncan: Yes, this issue is a big one that was taken on by our county CEO Mike Powers and I'm glad that he brought it to the forefront, and together with the Board of Supervisors, and
the document that was put together was put together by a committee, and even though I wasn't part of
writing the document per se, we're part of reviewing it. So I'm glad was passed by the Board of Supervisors, it just brings to light the fact that
they recognize it's a big issue and we need to, to make a change in Ventura County, even though we think,
well, some people think that it's not a big problem here, but to a certain extent it is, and it's better than in some other counties in California, or in the nation, but,
it's still a problem, and what we've done is we've created a committee, a diversity, equity, and inclusion committee,
countywide as well and in the health care agency, as well as hospital wide. And so we've decided to bring forth methods of educating those in the agency about micro aggression,
implicit bias, and blatant racism, and we've had multiple talks on this we've had, we have conferences that are held
almost every Friday we have a speaker that comes on that speaks about these different kinds of issues to educate people about it and
I think this is a way to move forward to this problem. It's been around for several hundred years and
the Berlin Wall was broken down someday and we can work towards getting to that point in which everyone's accepted, regardless of the color of their skin. And that's what I think needs to happen eventually. It's going to take a while, but I know we can get there.
Dr. Sokenu: Thank you, Dr. Duncan. Dr. Ajose, you have the ear of the governor, so, how do we address this issue, and from a statewide perspective?
Dr. Ajose: Let me just say I think it's really forward thinking of the county to be looking at racism as a public health crisis.
You may know that our Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris has also looking at the issue of racism as a public health crisis,
in large part because of the adverse effects it has. Most of her work has been around adverse childhood effects, but it has effects on all of us.
For African Americans, it has effects on stress, it has effects on mental health, it could accelerate or intensify things like diabetes, blood pressure, all of these things that are actual physical manifestations of the kinds of experiences,
the sets of micro aggressions that we as people endure time, and time, and time again. So it is absolutely a public health crisis,
In the black community, and I think it does need to be addressed. From a statewide perspective and from a higher education perspective, I would say that there are a few things,
well, there are few things that we're doing one is, there's been obviously a very robust conversation taking place in the legislature and with the governor around what
police reform needs to look like in the state, that now that conversation is manifesting on many college campuses as a conversation around campus policing, and what should that look like to keep students safe.
Is it fair, is it just for African American students, particularly men who walk around on campuses to be
questioned on their own campuses more than other students? So we really need to look at that, in a discreet way. We need to think about what is the implicit, I think it was the superintendent who mentioned
implicit bias, what is the implicit bias training that we need to make sure to provide for those folks? Secondly, in the community, at the CSU,
we now have an Ethnic Studies requirement, which will also
make sure or require some of our community colleges, who are engaged in the associate's degree for transfer to provide Ethnic Studies courses, and so we are doing that piece of trying to correct our history, so that
the black experience and black voices are much more integrated in terms of our total understanding and experience of history.
And not just history in the past, but our current and present history,
and what that means, then, in terms of architected our future, right? So there's that second piece. And then the third piece, I would mention just from a statewide perspective is that we are in the midst
currently setting up at the statewide level, a task force on looking at reparations for Black people in the state of California. So that task force, I know will be
compelled to have their first meeting prior to June 1, and I think that is going to be an opportunity for us to really architect a statewide conversation
around what is the experience of Black people, how is it historic,
what does it manifest in now and what does it mean for the future, and how might we think about correcting for that. So I think that there are
a number of different things that we're doing at the statewide level, at the campus level that really is taking off in a very direct way issues of racism.
Dr. Sokenu: Thank you so much Dr. Ajose, that's a very comprehensive response to the question. I wanted to sort of till the question over to our Superintendent Thurmond, and frame it really more in the context of education.
We know the achievement gap disparities, could you talk to us about your response to this question, in terms of how we can address this public health crisis as it pertains to education?
Superintendent Thurmond: I'm grateful Dr. Sokenu for
the county taking on the designation of racism as a public health crisis. Believe or not there is a bill that has been introduced into the state legislature that would also
designate it. To me the keys is what happens once we make these designations, they've got to be some interventions and some resources and,
you know, as we try to do with the pandemic of of the Coronavirus and its impacts, you know, we've seen this year that there is also what I call the pandemic of racism.
I mean we literally, literally watched George Floyd killed before our very eyes. We're seeing acts of racism, when it comes to Breonna Taylor and others. We're seeing it on the TV evening news and we're watching it.
And so we must address it, because we know that any public health crisis means that there are
impacts and trauma that take place for everyone, those who are involved, and those who witness it. And so I do think that we have opportunities to use education
to end hate and we created an initiative called Just That, education to end hate. We provide grants to school districts, so they can address
issues of hate, because, you know, we believe that that's a way to counter people
accepting the messages of hate. If you look at some of the groups that have been involved in neo nazi groups and white supremacy groups,
many of them prey on misinformation, as it relates to young people, and young people are carrying out their acts. And so our education end hate initiative focus on how do we counter racism, how do we counter
Islamophobia, how do we counter misperceptions about what's taught about Native Americans and bullying of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
And I'm proud to say that, of all the districts that we've provided grants to in education end hate, that the Ojai School District in your county was one of them.
We've also even before the pandemic started, we started rolling out a framework for addressing implicit bias in education.
To provide training to our educational leaders, because we can see through our ongoing opportunity gap that we've been dealing with for decades,
we can see how race plays a factor. And so I have to speak again for my good colleague, and friend, and brother, Assembly Member Gipson,
together we're working on a bill that would expand male educator of color programs in California.
This is a very powerful concept. Research proves that when there's just one educator of color and it has a positive impact for all students. Students of color. All students.
And we also believe that having more male educators of color in the workforce and diversifying the workforce is a key question and so,
to your point, Dr. Sokenu, we've offered grants of school districts to deal with implicit bias,
to deal with anti-racism programs. We've offered grants to deal with what we call equity. How do we close this opportunity gap through training, professional development, and coaching, and tackling all of our biases head on.
As you heard from Assembly Member Gipson there is a bill that would make Ethnic Studies a graduation requirement and we're sponsoring it and happy to support it.
My office is working on creating a model Ethnic Studies curriculum guide, so that we can lift up the experiences,
you know, so students of color can see the contributions that their ancestors have made this gives them pride,
but it also sends a message that we can all be proud of the contributions of people of color in our state, in our nation, regardless of our backgrounds. And so, you know, we're making moves where we can to make sure that school districts have
the resources. I would also just submit this and and I have to give credit to where I, where I heard it,
Dr. Ibram Kendi talks about the role that we all play individually. Individually, you know, maybe we can't all be out on the protest line, maybe we can't all introduce a bill, but if we
if we witness someone who is the subject of a micro aggression or racist statement we have a responsibility to do something, to say something.
And you can do it in the most gentle way possible, you can just pull a person to the side and be like, "Hey did you know that what you said had an impact on that person?"
However it is, there's an opportunity that we can all play and so obviously we're pushing hard on what we can do in the educational space, but I believe that we all have an individual and collective responsibility to each other, to say, if we see something to say something.
Dr. Sokenu: Thank you so much Superintendent Thurmond, I appreciate your response to that question. So this is a chance for us to hear from our audience. They've been waiting if it's all these questions and in the Q & A. So I'm just going to start working through the questions and
Gerald and I will sort of just sort of pick questions and we'll pose questions to you.
So there's a question from Romina Lingvall and Romina says, "Thank you so much for putting this webinar.
for us. I'm a math teacher, what is the best way to inspire my African American students to strive for more? How best can I support them? Thanks again for sharing your story stories with us, they are inspiring."
Superintendent Thurmond: Everyone's looking at me on this one.
I don't know that Dr. Ajose I've heard you talk about, you know, changing practices around Math education as much as anyone.
And this is a place where I think we do have to provide support and I'm speaking from personal experience I struggled, I struggled mightily in math,
but my ninth grade teacher Ms. Harrell, she just embraced me in a way, an African American woman who's teaching Math, she embraced me in a way, where she said,
"That this is possible and that you will be able to do this," and she reinforced me in a way that allowed me to work through my own fears and anxiety, and my own lack of knowledge of the subject matter, because we all know that math is cumulative.
And we must give our students a foundation for how to start and to work their way through the process, and many of our students carry anxiety about Mathematics, it is an area that is well documented
in having anxiety. And over the years, there have been many efforts to reimagine how we teach Mathematics.
To get past saying that this is the only way that you can solve the problem, and that, you know, if we want to encourage critical thinking
and a student can find another way to solve the problem let's encourage that.
We have to get past punishment. There's a term that I remember hearing my daughter's first grade teacher use, and she said, "It's simply drill
and kill," meaning you got to memorize these facts, but the imagery around that just really connotes something that's more punishing, rather than helping students develop a love for learning.
And so I'm proud of where our field has gone to look for new ways to engage students in how they learn math to demystify the anxiety that they hold towards math.
I'm grateful for those who use practical application to help students see how you can use Mathematics and I invited some students that come with me and we're going to take them when we can, to a
to go to one of the building trade locations, with the carpenters at their training facility to see how math is used in practical ways,
around architecture and design, and how we use algebra and geometry for the things that are built before us. And so I believe that practical application supports learning. At the end of the day it is,
it is always, having a great teacher who engages the students and helps them to find different ways of learning and gives them reinforcement,
to support them when they struggle, because that was me I was that student who struggled all the way through.
And Ms. Harrell wherever you are I owe you a debt of gratitude for teaching me that not only could I do ninth grade Math but that somehow I could pick myself up and
do college level Math and do graduate level Statistics. Don't ask me to tell you how it works now
I'm getting to y'all space, right, y'all with the doctorates behind your name, but that we can get through these challenges and,
you know, we need help, sometimes we need help, and we have to provide help. I've also been so impressed at peer help when students help each other. When we teach our students to emulate
and to have empathy for each other rather than teasing somebody. One student might be really
skilled in Math and the other student is skilled in another subject, and when we create spaces, where they can support each other, it reinforces,
I've seen this where my kids are teaching something that I could never articulate, but they're able to get it across to appear in a way that makes sense to them, and so
I believe that we are seeing a renaissance in how we teach Math into the teacher who sent in the ideas and
let us know what you use in your classroom because this is a place where we can always do better, where we can always learn more, and we'd love to
hear your ideas. You can send them to me directly at t-thurmond@cde.ca.gov. Get at me, however you can. We'd love to hear your ideas, because this is an important place for us to do better for our students.
Dr. Sokenu: Thank you. Thank you.
We have a question from Waverly Carr and the question is, "How comfortable are you with personal failure? In the community, we often hear, failure isn't an option, even though a lot of it is out of our control."
So whoever wants to answer that question it's a question about personal failure.
Assembly Member Gipson: Well, let me just chime in with that, personal failure hurts, and I take it to heart
whether it's on the floor of the California State Assembly or in one of our committee rooms where I may have not articulated
the point I really wanted to articulate, or I didn't deliver it like I delivered in my mirror in my bathroom, okay? So a lot of us use that mirror in our bathroom
to see how we, as a sounding board to see how and where our points are on point, how our voice matriculate on certain words and things of that nature, and so
it hurts, right, but it's an opportunity for me because I'm my own worst critic. I'll beat myself up, but guess what?
It gives me an opportunity to get better the next time and do it better, the next time. And so I take that and I challenge myself. I challenge myself each and every time
I take that weakness and channel it into a strength, so that I can be better with it, because, you know, my story,
I never wanted to be where I'm at today, okay? I didn't grow up and say I want to be, you know, a legislator, a politician, or public servant, I mean not not in this sense, right?
You know, I always wanted to be a police officer and I did that. You know, I believe in, you know, serving and protecting the community and that's what
I did for number of years as a police officer. And I let me also say that I did it well and I treated people with dignity and respect the same way, my mother said always treat people the way you want to be treated.
That was in that was an etched and ingrained in me and my sisters. And so I've always I always did that. And so, you know, taking those personal failures
because we all will have them. I don't care; when you see Barack Obama on stage, you say, "Man, he was flawless," but you don't know what he sounded like in the back room
before he got us all together, before there was coaches coaching him on how to pronounce people's names and things of that nature, right? And so it's all about; I am a work in progress, and I think we're all a work in progress. So beat yourself up if you must, but get back up and do it again.
Don't just waddle in in your defeat or disappointment. I'm speaking to somebody. You get up and try it again, so you can better yourself.
Iron sharpens iron, even if that means finding someone who will sharpen you to show you and be the best you possibly can be in the area that you want to strive in. Do just that. You know, I wasn't
the sharpest knife in the drawer growing up in school, I had my challenges, yes,
a lot of us had challenges and things of that nature. So I hung out with people who added to my life, who poured into my empty cup, and then watched it overflow. And so we use that as a strength, not as a weakness but as a strength to make us better.
Dr. Sokenu: Thank you, thank you so much that is powerful, that is powerful, because what you're saying to us is that there is no such thing as failure, it's an opportunity for growth and an opportunity for success. Whereas, okay very good, very good. Let's see. Let's do.
Dr. Duncan: I'm going to tail on Assemblyman Gipson in the sense that we have what's called a morbidity and mortality conference every month in which we talked about cases that
didn't go so well and how we can learn from it, and what I tell my colleagues and residents is
you always want to learn from your errors, although it's always easier to learn from other people's errors. So if somebody made an error,
and you learn from it, don't make the same error, again. You know, learn from it and put that in your toolbox and move on from there.
We stand up in front of an audience to present our cases and it takes a lot of guts to bring forth a case that you failed at. So,
in that respect, it's not the good thing to be standing up in front of your peers, to present a case that didn't go well, but it humbles you and medicine is humbling because we're not God and
things can go wrong and people who present to the hospital in end stage disease,
and sometimes you can't do anything about it and you kick yourself and try to figure out ways in which you can you could have changed things, you could have done things differently,
but you certainly don't want to make a mistake that you shouldn't have made because you took the Hippocratic oath and your goal is to make no mistakes and treat everyone correctly.
Dr. Sokenu: Thank you so much, Dr. Duncan. Let's look through a couple more questions and then we'll we'll finish the
panel which has just been so inspiring and what you each one of you have brought to us is the reason why we need to have leaders in front of our children.
The reason why we need to make sure that the community hears from our elders. The reason why we need to make sure that there are opportunities to gather and exchange ideas, so that way we can multiply, you know, the knowledge in our community. So here's a question.
It says, "We must connect our health and education systems to enable a preventative community wide support system.
And it's the story of David versus Goliath as a minority. Lives are destined to lead transformation to ensure racial equity and the development of a culturally proficient care thus Dr. King's... where's the question? Okay there wasn't a question in that one. Okay.
Let's see.
"Do you feel a sense of power and intellectual creativity, because of your higher education? How important was this to you as a leader?"
Dr. Ajose: I'll start with that one since Higher Ed is what I do.
And also because I spent a lot of time in school, and I think what I would say is
at this...
advanced age, I do feel that sense of power, I think
that
my education allows me to look at problems from multiple perspectives and to really be able to strategize and think through it. Last night, for example, I was sitting on my couch I had asked one of my
colleagues to draft something for the governor and I was reading it, and I was like,
"This isn't right. I don't have this is not right," and I sat there and I flipped the problem upside down and came up with a whole new strategy and then called her and said, "Okay we're rewriting this and we're doing it this way," and she was like,
"Oh, that never would have occurred to me," and I think that there was, you know, it's a memo for the Governor, but there is
creativity and thinking about how do you reframe something, repackage something, put ideas together to really bring about
a whole series of actions, right, and so this is a proposal to the governor about something that we should do. So, I do feel like it has given me a lot of
creativity, that there's a lot of room, especially in this role, to be able to propose ideas that have very, very practical meaning and value for Californians in their everyday life.
I will say parenthetically that the degrees are also helpful because it means that people are less likely not unlikely but less likely to question you.
And I think that, that is what for me, my degree has meant. When I walk in the room, people are willing to listen to me because they see those letters.
In ways in which if I didn't have those letters they might be more willing to listen to one of my peers just because their own unconscious bias moves them in that direction. And so I would
I think that, you know, when I think about higher education and the importance and the value that it has, that is a part of it. It is a part of the freedom,
right, to be able to walk into any space, to feel like you belong, to feel like you add value, and to feel like people will listen to you. That to me is incredibly important and that's a part of higher education as well.
Assembly Member Gipson: Ditto.
[Dr. Sokenu]: Thank you. [Superintendent Thurmond]: I probably saw that memo that you wrote Dr. Ajose, they're always good. Your memos are always on point.
I would just say that for me in particular, graduate school education I found has been just practical in helping me launch my career. Before politics, I was
in the nonprofit world and I worked as a social worker and sometimes you don't have any experience until someone gives you an experience. And so,
in the nonprofit world, as you know, you have to learn how to write grants, you have to learn how to build new programs,
and as a person just starting out I didn't have that experience, but when I had assignments that said, "Okay, you have to learn how to write this grant.
You have to learn how to design this program," all of a sudden, I had experiences that would translate and I was a student who needed a job. You know, I needed to work my way through school and all of a sudden, I could apply to these nonprofit jobs and be able to
start with that experience that I had gotten in my master's program, but also use it as a foundation to grow and get more experience in the field. So I would just say that, you know,
it was helpful and practical, and it opened doors for me. It's also the first time that learning felt deeply connected for me.
Everything that I wanted to do, I was learning and I was learning in what I was reading and then everything that I was reading I had a chance to go and test it in the field. It was the best,
it was the time when I finally woke up as a student, right, and I got past,
I'm just gonna say it 'cause I know we got students on this, I got past missing class, I got past just scraping by, just doing just enough just trying to, you know, memorize everything the night before or sometimes the morning before the exam,
it got me to, graduate school got me to a point where I fell so engaged
in what I was learning, I wanted to go practice it and everything I was practicing I wanted to go and test against the great research and theories that others had done before me. And so I'll leave it at that, now y'all know what kind of student I was but,
I highly recommend it, if nothing else, for the pure enjoyment that comes from the learning,
and the practical uses that you may apply it with.
Dr. Sokenu: Thank you so much Superintendent Thurmond. Gerald?
Gerald: Superintendent Thurmond I know you have to hop off, but I really do thank you for your time and you said some very amazing things today that I really appreciate hearing, just like I'm sure everyone else does so thank you for your time.
Superintendent Thurmond: Thank you, this was really great. Let's do this again, you know, let's like have a reunion and just keep doing this
so that we support all of our wonderful students in the community college system and at every level. Thank you all. Presenters I learned a lot from listening to you.
And I wish I didn't have to run to the next meeting, but you know how that goes.
Everybody take care be safe and well. Make sure you wear your mask. Socially distance. We're going to get through this pandemic. We are going to get through this pandemic.
And we have to care for ourselves as African American people. I'm not saying nothing that Dr. Duncan won't tell you. I'm in his lane. I'm gonna turn that back to you Dr. Duncan, but I do care for you all, and I want us all to be safe and well. Thank you, everybody. Take care.
Dr. Sokenu: Thank you so much Superintendent Thurmond. So each of you, in your own way, have reaffirmed for us why we do this, and why we have this panel,
because what you've shown us is that leadership really comes from that kernel of inspiration, that faith,
that commitment, that modeling that you get as a child, as a young adult, as a young professional, but you also say to us is that we all have the responsibility
to lead. That leadership has to be individual and it has to be communal.
You ask us to think about those strategies that you each have adopted, and I hope that our students listening that our faculty, and staff, and administrators listening
will hear the strategies that you employ and that you continue to employ, and that have come out of your own experiences,
and that they will integrate that as they engage and interact with our students, with our local community, and clearly with one another.
I appreciate the way in which you model for us how we can support our students, by listening to them, not only listening to the experiences and valuing their experiences, but integrating their experiences into our curriculum,
into our practices and ways of delivering, and ways of engaging. You ask us in a very, very clear ways to be angry, to be proud,
and in some instances to be arrogant, because that's good, because what that does it says is that we belong.
And, in so doing, maybe we will dismantle the structures that exist to limit us and to limit our community, but we can also
open the eyes of others to see what is always been there, right, that we are adding value every single day
to this country and to this community, these communities that we live in. I want to thank you very much a Dr. Ajose. I want to thank you, Dr. Duncan. Thank you so much Assembly Member Gipson. I also to
Superintendent Thurmond and as well as to Mayor Brown, because each of you remind us that we need leadership that will be transformative,
and that we need leadership that begins with each one of us. That leadership is individual and the leadership that we want to see in ourselves, we have to project onto others.
Thank you so much for being here today. We are honored and I do again, one of the things Gerald and Pauline.
This is a student led event. The questions that you responded to, were crafted by Gerald, and Pauline, and me, so it's not that
it was an administrative function, it was really the students who wanted to engage you. Thank you for your leadership, and please keep up the work that you're doing because we're all very proud of you.
Assembly Member Gipson: Thank you very much. God bless y'all. Be safe.
Dr. Sokenu: Thank you. Thank you.
Dr. Duncan: Thank you.
Assembly Member Gipson: Bye bye.
[Dr. Ajose]: Thank you for the invitation. [Pauline]: Thank you.
Dr. Sokenu: Thank you everyone.
Dr. Ajose: Bye.