The Jali, host Melyssa Barrett

Step into the vibrant world of community-building with Bridging Communities: The Power of Arts and Entertainment. In The Jali Podcast, we uncover inspiring stories of individuals like Necola Adams, who are making a difference in their communities through creativity and collaboration. Join us as we explore how arts and entertainment events transcend barriers, foster a sense of belonging, and ignite a spirit of engagement. Discover the transformative impact of building bridges and celebrating diversity in places like Merced, CA. Get ready to be inspired, uplifted, and motivated to create positive change in your own community. Welcome to a world where art meets activism, and together, we build a brighter future for all.

In this episode, District Attorney of Solano County Krishna Abrams delves into the role of promoting positive change and making a difference in her community. Abrams shares the collaborative efforts to establish community trust throughout Solano county through engaging in outreach and advocating for restorative justice. 

Krishna Abrams has served as Solano County’s District Attorney since 2014 where she is responsible for ensuring the safety of her community and creating a positive impact through community outreach programs aiming to achieve restorative justice.

In honor of Women’s History Month, join us on this special episode of The Jali Podcast as we amplify the voices of some of the remarkable women from my “tribe” sharing their stories, wisdom and lifting women, in response to two thought-provoking questions. Even I join in! 

1. Advice to our younger selves: Listen in as we reflect on our journeys and offer invaluable advice to their younger selves. From navigating challenges to embracing self-love, each insight shared is a beacon of empowerment for women of all ages.

2. The Power of Sisterhood: Discover touching anecdotes as our guests recount moments when another woman’s support, encouragement, or mentorship made a significant impact on their lives. These stories highlight the strength found in female solidarity and the transformative power of lifting each other. 

So who do you know in your “tribe” that you can ask these questions? No matter what gender, age, or ethnicity, find one of the remarkable women in your life and ask them these questions. You may just be surprised by some of the answers! Join us as we celebrate the resilience, achievements, comedy, and enduring spirit of women everywhere, and be inspired by the wisdom and camaraderie shared in this special Women’s History Month episode.

Special thanks to:

Kai Brinkley 

LaJuana Bivens 

Ann Ewing 

Sandra Fobbs 

Kenya Gaston

Alisa Harris-Brice 

Tareka LeShay & Memaw Jankins

Cynthia Mundy 

Angela Murphy, Ph.D. 

Kennetha Stevens

Lula Washington

Tamica Washington-Miller

Tracy Yoder

This week I am joined by the founder and Director Lula Washington and the Associate Director Tamica Washington-Miller of the Lula Washington Dance Theater as they navigate through the history of dance serving as a vehicle of communication and self-expression. They explore the healing powers of expressing oneself freely through artistic movement and how dance can accomplish building meaningful connections with others. 

Lula Washington is Founder and Artistic Director of the Lula Washington Dance Theatre (LWDT). Lula founded the Company in 1980 with her husband Erwin Washington to provide a creative outlet for minority dance artists in the inner city. Today, Lula and her Company are revered across the United States and around the world. 

Lula has dozens of other accolades including the 2003 “Lady of Wisdom Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Modie Bell Senior Citizen’s Foundation; the 2002 “Master of the Arts Award” presented by Recycling Black Dollars for her tireless commitment to dance; the 2001 “Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the Performing Artists in Schools Association for her work to bring dance into classrooms at public schools; the 2001 “Educator of the Year Award” presented at the 7th Annual American Choreography Awards Gala; the 2001 “KCET Celebrating The Women of Our Community” Award; the 2000 “Lifetime Achievement Award” presented at Dance Fest 2000 for her concert dance work in Los Angeles; and the 2000 “Lester Horton Award for Sustained Achievement” presented by the The Dance Resource Center in recognition of her 20 years of continuous excellence in dance in Los Angeles.

Tamica Washington-Miller is the Associate Director and named successor for the Lula Washington Dance Theatre, (LWDT), an International touring company, a training school and community anchor for dance and cultural performing arts. Tamica is a Performing Artist, Choreographer/Director, teacher, wife and mother of two. She is the daughter of LWDT Co-Founders, Erwin and Lula Washington. Her credits span film, television, live theater and dance. She has performed throughout the United States and abroad on a range of projects including with LWDT. Tamica was blessed to study and grow up under notable pioneers and legends in dance and theater. Tamica has a rich performance background. She has performed and choreographed for concert/live performance, film and television. She was the lead dancer for LWDT 1992 to 2004. Donald McKayle set original works on her. Tamica continues to perform.

To celebrate Women’s History Month, I wanted to highlight the exceptional work of four powerfully, tenaciously brilliant women, Letitia Hanke, Jordan Gray, Tareka McClellan, and Aiko Bethea, all of whom are fierce trailblazers shaping their industry. 

Aiko Bethea is a leader, builder and connector who has successfully navigated leadership roles in government, philanthropic, nonprofit and private sectors. The founder of RARE Coaching & Consulting, Aiko guides leaders and organizations, including Fortune 100 companies and global nonprofit organizations, to remove barriers to inclusion. She has been recognized by Forbes as one of the top seven anti-racism educators for companies and is a senior equity consultant for the Brené Brown Education and Research Group.

Jordan Gray is a professional athlete and American Record Holder for track and field competing in the Women’s Decathlon. Jordan founded The Let Women Decathlon movement whose mission is to advocate for gender equality for women to compete in the Decathlon at the Olympic Games.

Tareka McClellan serves as the Student Trustee to the Board of Directors at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California where she is committed to serving faculty and students by coordinating and preparing all student activities on campus, chairing all campus life and inter-club council meetings and quickly address and resolve all student complaints as received.

Join me as members of the Black Employee Collective, Yolanda Barial Knight, Yulie Padmore and Sabrina Pinell, delve into the impactful advocacy efforts within the East Bay Regional Park District in California shedding light on the profound legacy of the Port Chicago 50, highlighting the intersection of history, social justice, and community empowerment.

Yolande Barial Knight is a co-founder along with Yulie Padmore and Sabrina Pinell of the Black Employee Collective of the East Bay Regional Park District where she and her fellow members campaigned along with many organizations in the Bay Area and nationally to name the first park in Contra Costa County after a black person! The park is in Concord, CA and is named: Thurgood Marshall Regional Park – Home of the Port Chicago 50 in Concord, California.

Yolande is blessed to be the mother of 2 sons and a daughter who are the lights of her life. She has been honored to receive the NAACP Image Award from the Stockton Branch, the Woman of Color Award from the African American Chamber of Commerce and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award from the Tracy African American Association. She is the immediate past President of Tracy African American Association, immediate past Director of the Youth Department at People of Christ Missionary (POC) Baptist Church’s in Tracy, she has a byline in the Tracy Press Newspaper where she writes Mother’s Corner column that focuses on parenting children of all ages. She is also a member of the Tracy Democratic Club and the Tracy African American Association.

She has been the Clerk of the Board for East Bay Regional Park District for 32 years.

Yulie Padmore has advocated for justice for the Port Chicago sailors since 2019. As a co-founder of East Bay Black Employee Collective, she worked with colleagues and community organizations to help facilitate the naming of Thurgood Marshall Regional Park — Home of the Port Chicago 50 in 2020/2021. Yulie is a proud member of the Port Chicago Taskforce and editor of the news and resource website PortChicago50.com

Sabrina Pinell started her career with the East Bay Regional Park District in 2007 at the Robert Crown Memorial State Beach – Crab Cove Visitor Center in Alameda. She is now working in the Acquisition, Stewardship & Development Division at the Park District Administrative Headquarters in Oakland, Sabrina received her Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Art and a minor in African-American Studies from UC Berkeley in 1997. She shares not only a love for art in all of its expressions (craft, sculpture, dance, etc.), but also culturally and historically embraces the people who make it globally; and their stories. She is a Certified Massage Therapist with a specialization in Reiki Energy healing in collaboration with the Luna Nueva Wellness Healing Collective in the Bay Area. In collaboration with Yolande Barial Knight and Yulie Padmore, she co-founded the Black Employee Collective with other East Bay Regional Park District employees of African-American heritage in 2020 in an a community effort to name the new park in Concord, California Thurgood Marshall Regional Park – Home of the Port Chicago 50. In her spare time, you can find Sabrina at a local festival, in the backyard with her fur babies or spending quality time with her two children and family.

To inform, educate and collectively communicate Black American issues, social narratives, historical, cultural, social and environmental justice within the East Bay Regional Park District to the Black employees, Black community and future generations

https://portchicagomemorial.org/2009/06/01/into-forgetfulness/

History of Port Chicago: https://news.berkeley.edu/2019/07/17/this-base-is-going-to-blow-sky-high-port-chicago-75-years-later/

History of Port Chicago: https://www.sfchronicle.com/chronicle_vault/article/Port-Chicago-disaster-Unpublished-photos-of-a-14099503.php

Petition – Rename Bay Area Park To Honor Thurgood Marshall: http://historicalequity.org/

Giving a shoutout to Iota Phi Theta, I had the pleasure of talking to Dominic Honoré from Iota Phi Theta, who shares the rich history of the organization, his unique crossing journey and how the fraternity seeks to build Brotherhood and community impact. 

Dominic Honoré was born in San Jose CA but raised in Manteca CA. Both of his parents are graduates of San Jose State University. His Father is a firefighter and his mother is a labor & delivery nurse. He is the oldest of two siblings having a younger sister and comes from a mixed race background: His Father is Louisiana Creole & his Mother is Biracial (White, Black & Puerto Rican). He went to East Union High School and Attended University of La Verne from 2015-2019. He played college football as a Linebacker and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Communications in May 2019. He Pledged Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. in Spring 2019 within a line of 2 under the Theta Gamma Undergrad Chapter & Beta Zeta Omega Graduate Chapter. He is an Ace. His Line Brother (Deuce) was also his teammate. He was a Graduate Assistant for Academics & Compliance at Texas A&M Kingsville for their Athletics Department. He currently works for the Outreach Department at Delta College in Stockton CA and is a substitute teacher for high schools within Manteca Unified School District. He aspires to become an Educational Counselor at the High School, Junior College or 4 Year University level and coach Football. He is currently finishing up his Masters in Educational Counseling with a PPS Credential at CSU Stanislaus in 2024. He resides in Manteca CA with his beautiful wife Chabryel of 3 years, his 2 year old daughter Arabella, and soon to be born daughter Elyse.

IG: @itsdom4

 #TalentedGentlemen #WestCoastOwtlawz

The brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Samuel L Dacus II, Charles Lockard and Trenton Goudeaux share the organization’s commitment to service and excellence through brotherhood.  

Founded on January 5, 1911, at Indiana University-Bloomington, Kappa Alpha Psi Incorporated is recognized as one of the oldest intercollegiate fraternities in the world. With the motto of “Achievement in Every Field of Human Endeavor, the organization emphasizes academic excellence and leadership through its commitment to participating in global community outreach.