Berkeley

Cheryl Sudduth, AD15 Candidate, Says She is “Unbought and Unbreakable”

Published

8 years ago

May 19, 2018

Cheryl Sudduth isn’t your typical political candidate. She presents a much-needed voice in politics, dedicated to social & economic equity, racial justice, educational system evolution, and civil & human rights. An experienced policy advocate and scientist, Sudduth has established a stellar reputation for ethical & unwavering advocacy for the unrepresented/underrepresented. She has garnered local, national and international acclaim for her advocacy and leadership.

“When we walk the halls of Sacramento or DC, you rarely see anyone who looks like me,” said Sudduth. “Certainly there are women, even Black or Brown or LGBT women – sparse in number as it may be. Yet, what you don’t see are Hijabi Muslimah women or women of color with [visibly] significant disabilities or any combination thereof.”

Sudduth is one of a dozen candidates vying for the open California State Assembly District 15 seat. However, Sudduth says her blend of unwavering integrity, strong corporate leadership, government contracting & compliance experience with an environmental science background makes her the best candidate.

“For too long, Black women and Brown women have been the backbone of our communities and our country, working as activists and organizers yet denied seats at the decision-making table,” she said.

“Así, si no estás sentado a la mesa, no se pueden establecer las prioridades o la agenda y verdad, si no estás sentado a la mesa, o estás en el menú o alguien que está ordenando para usted. {If you are not seated at the table, you cannot set the priorities or the agenda and, truthfully, if you’re not seated at the table, you are either on the menu or someone is ordering for you.},” she explained.

But Sudduth wants more than just the obligatory seat at the table or a token representation. She wants to ensure the voices of the people are heard and accounted for, at all levels of governance.

“We must ensure anyone claiming to represent our Black and Brown communities are actually of our communities and doing the work in our communities – not just talking more rhetoric then voting in concert with those who haven’t our best interests at the forefront.”

For Sudduth, it’s about having someone who stands up for people in the middle class and those struggling to get there. Someone like her, who chose to leave a corporate career to work in East Oakland, helping create job opportunities for those with disAbilities and disadvantaging conditions. It’s having someone who is unafraid to speak truth to power and fight to protect the rights of all people.

Sudduth has done this consistently through her award-winning work negotiating multinational agreements and training international sales teams at Sony, Siebel and Goodwill.

“My work at Goodwill proved we can employ people from these marginalized communities, provide on-the-job training and pay good wages (averaging $14.89/hr for unskilled labor, $22.60/hr for skilled labor) plus benefits (~$4.36/hr),” said Sudduth. “Without economic opportunity, many of us lack the will and the confidence to speak up so we are left without a voice. My goal has always been to help people find that voice and help be the conduit to deliver that voice where the needs of the People are communicated, heard and addressed.”

Whether professionally or through grassroots organizing with the ACLU, CCRJC, CCIRA, NAACP, BWOPA or CCISCO, she has been directly involved in efforts to reduce racial disparities in the criminal justice system, evolution of the education system, fair & just immigration policies economic security, housing stability, and environmental justice.

She was also frontline in the fight against the closure of Doctors Hospital in Richmond, to protect Berkeley’s Alta-Bates, immigrant rights and against the Richmond jail expansion.

“I’ve been doing this work a long time. I’ve this incredible sense of fairness and need for seeking just outcomes,” said Sudduth. “I believe that economic opportunity is a fundamental social justice issue.”

And she hopes to bring people power to Sacramento, through the creation of Community Council, comprised of a grassroots community representatives who will serve as advisors and aides.

“In the disAbility community, we have a saying – ‘nothing about us without us’. I use this view in every aspect of my decision-making. At every level, I want to know the concerns/input of the persons impacted by the decisions (either directly or indirectly). The Council will keep me honest as la Voz de la Gente / the Voice of the People,” says Sudduth. “That, is how I define true People-led leadership.”

The Primary Election for the AD15 race takes place on June 5th. For more information about Cheryl Sudduth, visit http://cherylsudduthforassembly.com

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Pamela’s Price’s Campaign Catches Fire Across the County

Don't Miss

Irella Blackwood for Auditor Controller in Alameda County

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Bay Area

UC Berkeley Named Top Public University in the U.S. and No. 7 in the World by ‘U.S. News’

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014. “A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

Published

4 days ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley.

The 2026 Best Global Universities rankings evaluated 2,250 research institutions from more than 100 countries

By Lila Thulin

U.S. News & World Report has ranked UC Berkeley No. 7 in its 2026 list of the best global universities, which assesses more than 2,250 research institutions worldwide.

Berkeley also claimed the honor of top public university in the U.S.

Released on Monday, the list evaluates universities from more than 100 countries on 13 metrics such as global and research reputation (as reported by academics and peers) and number of highly cited scholarly papers.

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014.

“A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

The rankings also assess a university’s strength in various subject areas; these assessments are separate from U.S. News’ 2026 Best Graduate Programs rankings released in April.

This year, Berkeley was named in the top three nationally in seven subject areas – environment/ecology, ecology, water resources, physics, computer science, chemistry, and engineering – and in the top five for a total of 17 subjects. Subject rankings are based heavily on scholarly publications and citations as well as reputation.

In September, U.S. News also released its 2026 Best Colleges list, in which Berkeley was also named the No. 1 public institution among American universities.

That honor joins other accolades judging campus to be the best public university in the country, such as those from Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Arts and Culture

Farwest Region Deltas Celebrate Centennial With “September Breakfast” Honoring Vivian Osborne Marsh

The region was established in 1925 under the leadership of Vivian Osborne Marsh, who became its first Regional Director. Marsh was a pioneering scholar and civic leader, earning recognition as the first Black woman to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in anthropology from UC Berkeley.

Published

10 months ago

September 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Farwest Regional Director, Kimberly Usher, Mayor Barbara Lee, US Representative Lateefah Simon, and Farwest Regional Representative, Radiya Ajibade. Photo courtesy of Farwest Regional Photographer Vicki P. Love.

By Antoinette Porter

Hundreds of members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and their guests gathered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union at the University of California, Berkeley, to mark the 100th anniversary of the sorority’s Farwest Region.

Marsh went on to serve as Delta Sigma Theta’s 7th National President, where she launched the sorority’s National Library Project to expand access to books in underserved Black communities in the South. During her presidency, the organization also became a prominent voice in the civil rights movement, lobbying Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation.

Bak in the Bay Area, Marsh devoted her career to advancing educational opportunities, mentoring young people, and strengthening community life. That commitment continues to shape the region, which supports initiatives in education, social justice, and economic development. Current projects include raising scholarship funds for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, voter education campaigns, and health and wellness programs.

A century after its founding, the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta remains active across California and other western states, carrying forward Marsh’s vision of service and advocacy.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Arts and Culture

Cal Performances Presents Angélique Kidjo & Yo-Yo Ma in Sarabande Africaine at UC Berkeley Greek Theatre on Aug. 30

On Saturday, Aug. 30, the pair will debut the Bay Area premiere of Sarabande Africaine, joined by pianist Thierry Vaton, percussionist David Donatien, and special guest Sinkane. The program illuminates centuries of musical interplay between African traditions and Western classical forms, using the Baroque sarabande dance, and its African ancestor, the Congolese spirit dance Zarabanda, as a gateway to exploring the deep, interconnected roots of global music.

Published

10 months ago

August 25, 2025

Oakland Post

Angelique Kidjo and Yo-Yo Ma. Wikimedia photos.

By Carla Thomas

On Labor Day weekend two of the world’s most celebrated musicians and cultural ambassadors, Grammy Award–winning vocalist Angélique Kidjo and legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma join forces for an evening of music, history, and cultural dialogue at UC Berkeley’s historic Hearst Greek Theatre.

Both Kidjo and Ma have built careers not only as great performers but as passionate advocates for cultural understanding. Sarabande Africaine is as much a conversation about shared heritage as it is a musical performance, blending genres, geographies, and histories.

“Every day there are moments when all of us can feel we are on the inside of something and also when we feel we are on the outside of something,” said Yo-Yo Ma. “To be able to understand both at the same time and oscillate between the two gives us a larger perspective on the world.”

“If your mind is open, and there is no fear, it’s easier to listen, and to question yourself,” said Kidjo.

The upcoming performance is presented within Cal Performances’ Illuminations: “Exile & Sanctuary” series for the 2025–26 season. The production explores exile as more than just physical displacement, but a disruption in identity and belonging, while sanctuary represents both refuge and the creative space where new connections and communities can take shape.

Cal Performances’ Illuminations bridges performances with UC Berkeley’s academic research, pairing the arts with conversations about urgent global issues.

Kidjo’s continued partnership with Cal Performances includes her 2021–22 artist-in-residence, premiering her music-theater work Yemandja, set in 19th-century West Africa during the transatlantic slave trade.

She also participated in the Bias in Our Algorithms and Society panel alongside campus leaders like Jennifer Chayes, and joined the Black Studies Collaboratory for a dialogue on music, diaspora, and the world.

She has since returned to Berkeley for multiple performances, most recently in 2024 at Zellerbach Hall.

Yo-Yo Ma’s history with Cal Performances spans decades, beginning in 1997. One notable project includes the 2018 performance of Bach’s complete cello suites at the Greek Theatre, a testament to his devotion to creating “transformative concert experiences in iconic spaces.”

For tickets and more information, visit calperformances.org.