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Sonoma County PACEs Connection (CA)

Holding Up our Leaders: Compassion, Justice, and Civil Disobedience in 2018

On Saturday, January 27, 2018 the Press Democrat featured an article entitled "Leaders Vow Protection" which showcased the voices of three committed Sonoma County leaders:  Dr. Frank Chong (SRJC President), Dr. Judy Sakaki (SSU President), and Diane Kitamura (SRCS Superitendent).    

I clutched my newspaper in my hands, and swiped at tears of gratitude while I sat in awe of the leadership, compassion and dedication to justice our leaders bravely vocalized.  Taking the concept of "sanctuary city" or "sanctuary county" from an abstract idea to a specific commitment to our local students, each leader vowed to "resist federal immigration operations on campus and defy all requests for information about undocumented students."

Each person personalized their message during a forum hosted by Los Cien.  Lisa Carreño moderated the conversation, which turned personal and passionate.  Some of the panel members even talked about risking going to jail if their civil disobedience resulted in such a consequence.  

I feel like America is in a critical phase of re-birthing our identity as a nation, and what is called civil disobedience today may help shift and change laws to accommodate our new American values of the future.  With the top educational posts in our community filled by people of color, diverse voices and perspectives are now influencing how we shape our future.  And this is a future focusing on values like equity and inclusion. 

How can we show our support to ensure they don't bear the weight of shouldering this change on their own?

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