The Black and Allied Employees affinity group has organized a series of events to celebrate Black History Month.The events will be held on Wednesdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Feb. 9 through Feb. 23.  The purpose of the events is to learn more about the legacy of systemic anti-Black racism in our country, as well as celebrate Black culture and the progress that has been made. 

On Feb. 9, Shelley Jones-Holt, Founder/CEO of Leadership Legacy Consulting, will give a presentation on critical race theory. 

Jones-Holt has served the educational field for over 20 years as a pK-Adult teacher, principal, district office administrator, superintendent, college faculty and executive leadership coach. Her emphasis on cultural and racial historical literacy is foundational to engaging in a restorative approach to uncomfortable conversations about controversial topics such as race and identity oppression. She believes that adults and children can become literate in history, culture and academics simultaneously by focusing on what we read, how we build empathy through cultural proficiency development and change the future for all through our understanding of the past. Jones-Holt earned a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley, a Masters from Sacramento State and a doctorate from USC. She has received numerous awards and acknowledgements for her work in equity leadership including being named the 2016 Equity Administrator of the Year by ACSA (Association of California School Administrators).

She is now serving as a racial and educational equity consultant providing training, facilitation, coaching and support to equity driven teams and organizational, legislative, and educational leaders across the nation. She is the founder of Leadership Legacy Consulting, LLC and of the nonprofit Family Legacy 5 focused on providing technical, adaptive and educational support to educators and leaders at all levels. She has expanded her reach to also empower families through family leadership training for all and establishing apprenticeship and entrepreneurship opportunities for youth to thrive in their areas of passion and interest. She has written articles on culturally responsive equity leadership and the five pillars of generational family leadership to support individuals, leaders and families taking strategic action against all forms of oppression through our understanding of systemic racism, developing cultural proficiency, being intentional in our equity leadership and raising culturally proficient families. Jones-Holt's belief is that anything is possible with a focus on your vision, your leadership, your legacy and our support. The real work can only be done by looking inside ourselves first without shame, blame or victimization!

On Feb. 16, filmmaker Imani Mitchell will speak about Black representation in film.

Born and raised in Sacramento, Mitchell was introduced to the performing arts through theater and has performed professionally within Northern California for the last 10 years. She has appeared on stage at B Street Theater, Capital Stage, and Celebration Arts. Most recently, she directed a production of PIPELINE at Celebration Arts and currently serves as a member of their board.

Outside of the theater, Mitchell is dedicated to the art of filmmaking and developing her craft as a writer and director. In 2019, she founded her film company IAM Studios and wrote and directed her first film, “Whirlpool” (soon to be available on Amazon Prime). Mitchell created IAM Studios with the mission to employ and support talent of color and showcase stories that represent the diversity and complexity of the Black experience. Currently, her second film, titled “I Remember Yesterday,” is in postproduction with a plan to be released in April 2022.

On Feb. 23, Sonia Lewis, founder of ASCRIBE Educational Consulting, will speak about the history of voting rights in the U.S.

Lewis is a California native. Her educational background includes degrees in history and psychology from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, a Secondary Teaching Credential in Social Studies and a master's degree in education from San Francisco State University. 

After spending nearly 20 years in the traditional classroom teaching History/Social Studies and managing a small magnet program, she founded ASCRIBE Educational Consulting. Their focus has always been geared towards educational/racial equity and resource distribution. Since 2009, ASCRIBE Educational Consulting has centered the development of programs and writing of curriculum for marginalized and vulnerable student populations. In addition, her work involves speaking and training around the topics of equity, race relations, and social justice. When she is not working, you will find her loving, nurturing, and advocating for six boys, seven bonus children and two granddaughters.

To register, visit https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=36589.  

Since June 2020 and the aftermath of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade, several efforts have been underway within UC ANR to make our workplace safer, more equitable, and more welcoming to Black employees. These efforts have included UC ANR's partnership with UC Davis Harassment & Discrimination Assistance and Prevention Program for reporting instances of harassment and discriminatory practices or behaviors, as well as the virtual Black History Month and Juneteenth events that took place this year. Though these efforts have been endorsed and supported by UC ANR higher leadership, the newly recognized Black and Allied Employees affinity group has been spearheading these efforts behind the scenes since 2019.  

Black and Allied Employees, also known as BAE, began as a small group of coworkers – present and past employees – who discussed patterns of anti-Blackness within the UC ANR workplace and what changes could be made to address them. When the uprisings of 2020 began, the group requested a meeting with UC ANR leadership, and began to meet with them on an occasional basis to bring attention to these patterns and to advocate for substantive, systemic changes to make UC ANR a safer and more welcoming environment for Black employees.

The group continues to advocate for accountability, parity, and fair and equitable recruitment, promotion and retention. BAE members also aim to provide a safe space for Black and African Diaspora employees to obtain support around workplace concerns, as well as professional development and growth opportunities.

Since BAE has been formally recognized as an affinity group at UC ANR, the group has been accepting new members. Non-Black allies are welcome to join under the condition that the space remains safe and supportive to Black members. The group currently meets once per month on Friday afternoons.

If you would like to join BAE, please fill out this interest survey. We look forward to connecting with our colleagues throughout the state.

If you have any questions about Black and Allied Employees, feel free to contact Ron Walker at rlwalker@ucanr.edu, Shyra Murrey at smmurrey@ucanr.edu or Esther Mosase at enmosase@ucanr.edu.