Community
Stirring the Pot: Please… Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work
Next week, on April 24, Take Your Daughter – and now Sons – to Work Day will celebrate 21 years of fostering young minds and introducing youth to the working world.
As the organization that has formed around the program says, “Exposing girls and boys to what a parent or mentor in their lives does during the work day is important, but showing them the value of their education, helping them discover the power and possibilities associated with a balanced work and family life, providing them an opportunity to share how they envision the future, and allowing them to begin steps toward their end goals in a hands-on and interactive environment is key to their achieving success.
More than that, it teaches your child – birth or borrowed – that you care enough to include them in what you do the many hours you are away from home.
I remember one of the times I took my two daughters to work at a former newsroom. Of course, this was before boys were a part of the program and unfortunately, there weren’t too many girls that made the trip that day. They shadowed me most of the day then I sat them in front of a garbage can where they went through my files and organized them.
One daughter today says she remembers playing “Titanic” with her sister on colleagues’ desk chairs, eating in the cafeteria and, of course, being able to miss school for the day. But I know involving them – and later, my sons occasionally – in my job as a reporter and then editor over the years provided much more.
Today, my kids have all completed (or are in the midst of) a post high school education. But more importantly they understand that what I did day in and day out was for them. Because I had to leave my stay-at-home title at times over the years, they now understand why and that through it, I’ve introduced them to people and places they never would have experienced otherwise.
It’s important to show our kids what it is we do. It is important that they understand that what we do as mothers is more than cooking dinner, washing clothes and tucking them in at night. Sure times have changed and the “1950s Mom” has been gone for some time, but there are still too many women who don’t share more of their professional lives with their children.
We talk about positive role models and mentorship programs, but who better to do this than us? And if a young person doesn’t have a parent who is capable of filling this role, it’s up to us who have the jobs to take our collective children to work.
Our youth – not just our own offspring – need to see who we are as women – and men – and the contribution we make to the workforce and the world. That way, they will one day do the same.
For more information on Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work, visit daughtersandsonstowork.org.
Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig is an award-winning, professional journalist who resides in Oakland. If you have an individual, organization, issue or other topic that may be of interest to our readers, contact her at talk2mfc@yahoo.com. Need more stirring? Visit stpminute.blogspot.com.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
City Government
Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Special to The Post
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.
Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”
According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.
“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”
When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.
At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”
While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.
On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.
“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.
The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.
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