Page 34 - Sonoma County Gazette - January 2020

Santa Rosa City Council Votes for New Vice Mayor
The year 2020 is the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, giving women the constitutional right to vote. While different in goal and origin, the recent #MeToo movement and women’s marches also represent pivotal change and the power of the collective voice to challenge the status quo. The Museum of Sonoma County’s upcoming exhibition, From Suffrage to #MeToo: Groundbreaking Women in Sonoma County, explores the changing expectations, challenges, and obstacles to inclusion that women have faced and the remarkable people who have broken through the barriers.
Congratulations to Council Member Victoria Fleming who was unanimously chosen for a year long term as Santa Rosa’s Vice Mayor. Fleming was elected in 2018 and represents the 4th District.
Santa Rosa City Councilwoman Julie Combs resigned her post with praise and thanks from colleagues on November 19 after serving seven years on
the City Council. “I’m finding it hard to pass the torch,” said Combs, during her resignation statement via teleconference, “but we are all human beings, and sometimes, personal concerns prevail.” Combs resigned because of her husband’s health challenges and financial concerns.
The exhibition is part of a yearlong celebration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, presented in coordination with the Sonoma County Library, the National Women’s History Alliance, and the Sonoma County 2020 Women’s Suffrage Project.
The City Council will appoint a new Council member to fill one City Council seat with a term expiring in December 2020. The seat was vacated by Council Member Julie Combs on November 25, 2019, and an appointment to fill the vacancy must be made within 60 days or by January 24, 2020.
Eric Stanley, the Museum’s Curator of History says, “The story of Suffrage to #MeToo is important because it reveals an underlying reality: that suffrage was a great victory, but the issue of women’s rights and inclusion remains unfinished business.” Learn more at museumsc.org/suffrage-metoo/
If the Council does not fill the vacancy by January 24, 2020, the Council must call a special election pursuant to City Charter Section 31. A total of 19 applicants met the minimum criteria of the application process and will be interviewed by City Council on January 7, 2020.
The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday, January 25, with an opening reception on Friday, January 24th from 5-7 pm at 425 7th St., Santa Rosa and will be on display from January 25 thru September 30, 2020.
As part of the appointment process, the Santa Rosa City Council invited community members to submit interview questions that will be considered for inclusion in the candidate interviews that will be conducted to fill the current City Council vacancy. srcity.org/3200/Council-Member-Vacancy-2019-20
2020 Women’s Centennial Celebration Kickoff and Event:
The 19 candidates are: Mark Andrews, Dennis Beach, Erin Carlstrom, Maxwell Church, Duane Dewitt, Richard Dowd, David Ebright, Brian Flores, P Penny Herman, Judy Kennedy, Mike Martini, Evette Minor, Mary Jacquelynne Ocana, Jim Pedgrift, William Petker, Clint Saunders- Yant, Sandra Wandel, Karen Weeks, Gary Wysocky. Please note, Martini, Wysocky, and Carlstrom are former Santa Rosa City Council members. To review candidate applications: srcity.org/3209/Council-Applicants
The year 2020 marks the 100th Anniversary of the signing of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution giving women the right to vote across the nation. To begin the celebration of this historical event Sonoma County 2020 Women’s Suffrage Project’s Centennial Kick-off was held on December 8, 2019, at the Saturday Afternoon Club, the oldest women’s club in Sonoma County housed in Santa Rosa. A special shout out to all those who attended, the volunteers and the wonderful speakers and great panel. The keynote speaker was, Molly Murphy MacGregor one of the founders of the National Women’s History Alliance which started here in Sonoma County and located in Santa Rosa.
Birthday Celebration Honoring Dr, Martin Luther King, Jr.
There will be events, programs, and parades to participate in throughout the year. Find more information and the event calendar at: socowomen2020. org/
(born on January 15, 1929.) King’s birthday was approved as a federal holiday in 1983 and is celebrated on the third Monday in January by all 50 states. The date this year will be January 20 and the annual birthday celebration, “Live the Legacy, Make it Happen,” will be January 19 from 6:30-8:30 pm at Santa Rosa High School, 1235 Mendocino Ave. Parking in back on Ridgeway Ave.
Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) receives INSIGHT Into Diversity Award: According to a press release issued last month by Sussanah Sydney, Manager of HR/Employment Equity at (SRJC) has received the 2019 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT into Diversity magazine. This honor recognizes colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. SRJC is the only California Community College to receive this award and will be featured, along with 94 other recipients, in the November 2019 issue of INSIGHT into Diversity magazine.
As I was writing about this tribute to Dr. King, I heard President Donald J. Trump has been impeached and I could not help but reflect on what Dr. King would have said about the Impeach to and Remove rallies that happened
in December where hundreds of thousands of individuals across the nation gathered to encourage our representatives in Washington, DC to vote for impeachment. I came across this quote by Dr. King,
This award measures an institution’s level of achievement and intensity
of commitment to broadening diversity and inclusion on campus through initiatives, programs, and outreach; student recruitment, retention, and completion; and hiring practices for faculty and staff. ”It is a great honor to receive the award as it validates the effort the district is making in the area of diversity and inclusion,” reported Sydney.
“If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.”
4th Annual Women’s March: Mark your calendars for January 18, 2020 happening in Courthouse Square in downtown Santa Rosa. The goal of the marches are, “To advocate legislation and policies regarding human rights and other issues, including women’s rights, immigration reform, healthcare reform, reproductive rights, the environment, LGBTQ rights, racial equality, and freedom of religion, workers’ rights and tolerance.”
Wishing you a Happy, Healthy New Year.
Elaine B. Holtz is co-producer /Host with Kenneth E. Norton of “Women’s Spaces” on KBBF 89.1FM Monday 11-12 noon & 11-12 midnight. Visit her website at www. womensspaces.com Become a Fan on Facebook. The show is streaming on kbbf.org
According to Leslie Graves, organizer of Women’s March Santa Rosa, there will be local community groups tabling, speakers, children’s activities and plenty of opportunities to make signs that reflect your sentiments.
A special shout out to Leslie Graves and all the volunteers and organizations that are helping to make these events both fun and historical.
To find more information about the Women’s March Santa Rosa go to: facebook.com/events/509576082928288/ The event takes place at Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa, CA from 10 AM-1:30 PM on Saturday, January 18.
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