Equal is not Equity. Listen to others – those like you and those not like you. Give what is needed where the need is. We can make a difference. These are themes that ran through our meeting today.
After a call to order by President Todd, the Thought for the Day was eloquently presented by PP Walter Dahl as he read Desiderata, written almost 100 years ago by American writer and poet Max Ehrmann. This was a call to be authentic and to be gentle with yourself, to listen to others and to keep peace in your soul.
Meeting sponsor April Javist encouraged our club to continue bringing in diverse speakers and asked members to bring guests to our meetings. She then talked about the Sacramento Literacy Center’s mission of helping all children read. She reminded us that reading is the #1 equity skill and that post pandemic 63% plus of 3rd graders can’t read at grade level. Reading skills start with toddlers being encouraged to talk.
Todd’s Tuesday Trivia, presented by Elfrena Foord and Jim Culleton, emphasized coming from afar. We currently have at least nine members born in foreign countries, including Lev Kaganovich (Belarus), Amin Elmallah (Egypt), Latif Yusufi (Iran), Jaydeep Balakrishnan, Bhavnesh Makin, and Surender Singal (India), Dr. Hugo Bogren (Sweden), Eric Solis (San Salvador), and Moira Doherty (Canada).
Club Announcements
- Fireside - Mik Miklaus encouraged people to sign up for our next Fireside on November 30 at the Teichert home.
- Daughters Day - Roy Alexander reminded us about Daughter’s Day on December 19 and requested committee members.
- Loaves & Fishes - Virginia Wade appealed for 3-4 more volunteers for the afternoon shift at Loaves and Fishes.
- Golf for Kids - Bryan Murray reminded us Golf for Kids will be on May 10, and his committee seeks volunteers
- President Todd noted that club accountant Barbara Clegg is recovering smoothly from surgery. He also shared the sad news that Surender Singal’s wife recently passed away.
PP Wes Yee introduced our guest speaker, Kelly Fong Rivas, who holds the position Racial Equity Advisor to Mayor Darrell Steinberg. After an extended career in advocacy and advisory roles and a stint as the mayor’s chief of staff, she created this new position in Mayor Steinberg’s administration. Kelly explained that equity is not the same as equality. We all have different needs and equity seeks to meet the needs of the underserved. Her position seeks to deal with systemic equity issues. She quoted Arthur Chan: “Diversity is a fact, Equity is a choice, Inclusion is an action, and Belonging is an outcome.” Her four work goals are: assuring that her position remains, building new paths with neighborhoods through the SCORE program (Sacramento Centered on Racial Equality), working for public safety reform, and following up on the issue of reparations by looking at how past practices influence our current situation.
President Todd thanked those who have faithfully assisted with meeting logistics, including PP Susan Sheridan, PP Diane Woodruff, Elfrena Foord, PP Jim Leet, Kathy Herrfeldt, Käthe Nathan and today’s volunteers - greeters Gabriel Gendron, Craig Brown, and Moira Doherty; Pulse reporter Liz McClatchy; photographer PP Diane Woodruff; and wine sponsors Dan Fenocchio and Bob McLean.
There will be no meeting next week due to Thanksgiving, so our next meeting will Foundation Day on November 28.
reported by Liz McClatchy
