In Memoriam
Remembering Ron Dellums: A Leader for These Times
As we approach the second anniversary of Ron Dellums’ transition, I’ve been thinking a lot about Ron. The New York Times article about Ron’s life framed him as being 20 years ahead of his time, be it leading on South Africa anti-apartheid, national security, climate change, HIV/AIDs.
Many have spoken about Ron’s brilliant mind, his great courage, and his compassion for all. Today, I want to talk about one of Ron’s magic powers and my relationship with him in order to uplift Black and Asian solidarity. Ron had an uncanny superpower of seeing the inside of people, our true selves, our light. And in that seeing, he would bring out the best in us. A shy person would speak with eloquence and confidence. A grumpy person would still emanate light and joy. Ron’s magic power of seeing the best in people, lifting them up to their highest potential transformed my own life.
Ron Dellums changed my life even before I met him. In my last year of law school, after years of struggle, I had a job offer from a big corporate law firm. My mother, an immigrant single mom who was denied a college education and sacrificed so much for her children, was so proud of me. Despite this, I couldn’t help but feel my soul leave my body on the way to work. In the midst of my inner turmoil, I came across an article about Ron Dellums where he spoke about the times of loneliness when he was following his conscience. In that instance, I knew then that I wanted to be like Ron Dellums. I wanted to be a person of courage, a person of conviction, a person who felt so passionate about justice. Reading Ron’s words gave me the inner strength to pursue my dreams of justice.
As fate would have it, years later, serendipity struck and I met Ron Dellums, who changed my life again, this time in person. I was serving as the attorney for an anti-displacement coalition during the Jerry Brown years in Oakland when fighting against displacement was a very lonely battle. Ron flew across the country to come home and help us; I was assigned by the coalition to serve as his liaison. Ron’s stance with the coalition turned the political tides and ultimately compelled City officials to address displacement impacts.
At a personal level, I experienced Ron’s magic powers at work. During a heated meeting with the angry and privileged white developers who saw my role as a personal threat, Ron not only intervened but uplifted my leadership. Ron’s grace towards me enabled me to touch my own grace and rise above the attacks, rather than being taken down.
Later as mayor of Oakland, Ron and his wife Cynthia asked me along with others to join their City Administration. I wanted to help them but was anxious about going into the inside of City Hall, a place I perceived as a den of back-stabbing and petty politics. Throughout the years, others have encouraged me to run for office or take on high profile jobs. I always declined because I held fear of holding power. I was afraid of going into the proverbial monster’s cave and becoming the monster.
Working at the City for Ron transformed my perspective. I saw firsthand the power that government has to change the systems and structures of oppression, to heal the past injustices. For example, despite the Great Recession, under Ron’s leadership, the Dellums Administration reduced homicides by 40%, created the national model Green Jobs Corp to fight poverty and climate change, and invested in re-entry jobs.
Because of Ron’s belief and trust in me and his other staff, I witnessed my own ability to hold power with honor, love, and integrity. My transformation, of becoming into myself, of breaking bonds of racist and sexist conditioning that told me that I was not worthy, occurred because of Ron Dellums’ magic.
Today with so much at stake, we share many of Ron’s inspiring talks and images at The Dellums Institute for Social Justice.
May Ron Dellums’ magic power to bring out our best selves live on in you.
Black History
IN MEMORIAM: Marcia Ann Gillespie, Editor of Essence and Ms. Magazines, Dies at 82
Marcia Ann Gillespie, the trailblazing journalist who served as the first editor-in-chief of Essence magazine, has died at age 82. After joining the publication at its inception in 1970, Gillespie spent a decade elevating the beauty and voices of Black women during a pivotal era of self-love and cultural revolution. She later broke barriers as the first Black woman to lead Ms. magazine, further solidifying her status as a titan of the publishing industry. Her expansive career also included authorship and teaching, leaving a profound impact on American media. Read more.
Marcia Anna Gillespie, the first editor in chief of Essence magazine, has died. She was 82.
Born in Rockville Centre, New York, in 1944. The daughter of a church sexton/small business owner and domestic worker/caterer, Gillespie parlayed her degree in American studies from Illinois’s Lake Forest College into a research job at Time-Life Books, Inc. in New York.
There she advocated for fairness and inclusion of Black life in its publications. When the owners of the standard bearer of Black life, Ebony magazine, ventured into creating a special publication for young, Black women, Gillespie was hired as managing editor in 1970, and became editor-in-chief a year later at the young age of 26.
At the time, the venture by the Johnson family – the owners of Ebony magazine and Jet – into creating a publication for young Black women met the growing revolution of self-love in the Black community.
In other words, the battle cry of the late 1960s, “Black is Beautiful,” had a place to be seen and not just heard.
Thousands of young women who had already abandoned straightening combs and European aesthetics learned more ways to wear their natural hair from Afros to cornrows. Young Black designers got a place in the spotlight not just in clothing but jewelry that expressed neo-African ideals. But one of the most important impacts was the magazine’s unapologetic elevation of the beauty of the dark-skinned Black female to the status she deserved.
Under Gillepie’s tenure, Essence championed storytelling that celebrated Black women’s identities, experiences, and contributions at a time when their voices were often overlooked in mainstream media,” Essence wrote in a statement posted to Instagram
For 10 years she steered the fledgling publication before joining Ms. Magazine as a contributor in 1980 later becoming the first Black woman to edit a mainstream American magazine when she took charge in 1992.
In 1998, she helped secure the publication’s future through a women-led ownership group. She stayed at Ms. In various capacities until 2001, during which time the magazine had the most diverse readership in its history.
She also mentored future Essence editor Susan L. Taylor and taught young journalists at SUNY Old Westbury.
Emmy-winning actor Sheryl Lee Ralph took to social media to honor Gillespie’s life.
“Rest in peace, dear Marcia Gillespie,” she wrote on Threads. “Your voice, your brilliance, and your commitment to lifting up Black women leaves a legacy that will continue to inspire me and so many others.”
A professor at SUNY Old Westbury and Bennett College, she also co-authored the authorized biography “Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration” in 2008.
According to Wikipedia, she also served on various boards as a director or advisor, including: “…the Arthur Ashe Institute of Urban Health, the Black & Jewish Women of New York, the Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C., Aspen Institute, …and the Studio Museum of Harlem. Gillespie is a member of the National Council of Negro Women and the American Association of Magazine Editors.”
She was the recipient of several awards, including: the Lake Forest College Outstanding Alumni Award (1973), the New York Women in Communications Matrix Award (1978); a Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York Association of Black Journalists for print journalism (1982); a ‘Top Ten Outstanding Women in Magazine Publishing’ recognition by the March of Dimes.
In later years she was inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame (2002); the NAACP President’s Award (2006) and the Barbara Graves Legacy Award at the Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit in 2017.
The conclusion for her online obituary reads: “She leaves behind a legacy written not just in the pages she edited, but in every editor, journalist, and reader who found themselves — finally — in the stories she chose to tell.”
Online sources for this report include “The History Makers,” The Washington Informer, Wikipedia, Essence magazine, Ms. Magazine and her obituary.
Black History
IN MEMORIAM: United Farm Workers Union Icon Dolores Huerta, 96
Dolores Huerta, the legendary labor leader and co-founder of the United Farm Workers, has passed away at age 96 due to complications from cancer. A pioneering civil rights activist, Huerta was instrumental in securing collective bargaining rights for migrant workers and popularized the rallying cry “Si se puede.” From her early days as a community organizer in Stockton to receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, her decades of advocacy transformed the American labor movement and inspired generations of activists to fight for social justice. Learn more about her life and legacy.
Dolores Huerta, a community organizer known most for her work to support fair wages and justice for migrant workers, passed away in her Bakersfield home on Wednesday from complications of cancer. She was 96.
Accolades poured in from across the nation.
“I cannot imagine a world without Dolores Huerta, and it is with deep sadness that I mourn the passing of my dear friend and legendary leader,” said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee who met Huerta in the 1970s. “She understood how race, gender, poverty, and economic inequality intersect, pushing for a women’s movement inclusive of Black women and women of color. And she never separated the struggle for farmworkers from reproductive freedom and other civil rights and human rights.”
Former Berkeley mayor and current state assembly member Jesse Arreguin, who was mentored by Huerta said on Instagram that she was “always driven by a deep sense of justice and fairness, she transformed this state and this nation, changing the lives of farm workers and advancing the rights of all people.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris called Huerta a “pioneering labor leader and legendary civil rights activist.
“Amidst the struggle of the movement, her rallying cry, ‘Si se puede,’ was a call to stay in the fight,” Harris wrote.
Organizing was a family trait. Born on April 10, 1930, in Dawson, New Mexico, Huerta was the daughter of a traveling coal miner whose reputation as a fiery union leader followed him to the New Mexico Legislature. After moving to Stockton, her mother held two jobs to support her children and went on strike with her cannery union in 1937.
After graduation from Stockton High School, Huerta attended University of the Pacific‘s Stockton College (later San Joaquin Delta College) where she received a teacher’s certificate.
But when the children of farm workers came to school hungry and needing shoes, she quit, believing she could do more for them organizing farm workers and joined the Community Service Organization (CSO).
By the late 1950s, she was organizing other CSO chapters and working as a lobbyist, speaking before the state Legislature, as well as teaching citizenship classes and supporting voter registration drives.
Over the next few years, she was part of several union efforts, co-founding the National Farm Workers’ Association (NFWA) with Cesar Chavez and Gilbert Padilla in 1962.
She became the UFW’s main negotiator, leading to favorable contract for grape workers in 1970. In the years that followed, there were successful boycotts of lettuce, wine and table grapes. In 1975, she helped ensure farm workers’ rights to collective bargaining with the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act.
In 1988, while protesting George H.W. Bush’s candidacy for president in San Francisco, Huerta was severely beaten by a police officer, leading a five-year leave of absence from UFW. She returned to work after Chavez’s death in 1993.
The recipient of numerous awards, Huerta used the $100,000 gift for receiving the Puffin/Nation Award for Creative Citizenship in 2002 to create the Dolores Huerta Foundation, which funds full-time organizers to go to neighborhoods and teach residents how to collaborate with government and community groups to exercise self-determination.
She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 and was made a member of the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest award given to foreigners by the Republic of Mexico.
Huerta was married twice and is survived by seven children.
Wikipedia, the Associated Press and other online reports are the source of this story.
Black History
IN MEMORIAM: The Rev. Leon “Sonny” Clark, Longtime Orange County Pastor and Community Leader, Dies at 72
Rev. Leon William “Sonny” Clark, the longtime pastor of New Spirit Baptist Church in Santa Ana and a prominent faith and community leader in Orange County, passed away on September 9 at the age of 72. Born in Bennettsville, South Carolina, Clark was a U.S. Navy veteran who dedicated his life to service. He served various Southern California churches before leading New Spirit Baptist Church for over 22 years, extending his work into counseling, mentoring, and civic engagement, and supporting the African American community. To learn more about his life and contributions, read more.
Rev. Leon William “Sonny” Clark, longtime pastor of New Spirit Baptist Church in Santa Ana and a respected faith and community leader in Orange County, died Sept. 9. He was 72.
Born Oct. 2, 1953, in Bennettsville, South Carolina, Clark was a U.S. Navy veteran who later built a life of service centered on family, faith, ministry, and community.
Clark began his formal ministry at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Altadena in 1978. After acknowledging his call to ministry in 1980, he preached his first sermon and went on to serve churches throughout Southern California, including Second Baptist Church in Riverside, Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Rubidoux, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Pomona, and Friendship Baptist Church in Yorba Linda.
In November 2003, Clark was called to lead New Spirit Baptist Church in Santa Ana, where he served as pastor for more than 22 years. His work extended beyond the pulpit through counseling, mentoring, civic engagement, and efforts to strengthen Orange County’s African American community.
Clark served on the Orange County Heritage Council and supported efforts to preserve and celebrate African American history and culture. He helped organize the Orange County Black History Parade and Unity Festival, served on the Interfaith Committee and the Orange County Transit Authority, and served as president of the Orange County Ministers Conference.
In 2024, the City of Santa Ana recognized Clark for his contributions to the community. He also received the Orange County Southern Baptist Association Hall of Faith Award and was previously honored as Pastor of the Year by the Orange County Heritage Council.
Clark is survived by his wife, Andrea Joyles Clark; six children, Shawn Williams, Le Ondra Clark Harvey, Kyla Coward, Joshua Clark, Marissa Clark and Ashley Clark; grandchildren and great-grandchildren; siblings; extended family; and the New Spirit Baptist Church congregation.
A wake will be held Thursday, Oct. 1, from 4 to 8 p.m. at New Spirit Baptist Church, 701 S. Sullivan St. in Santa Ana, with a remembrance service from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
A Celebration of Life will be held Friday, Oct. 2, at Friendship Baptist Church, 17145 Bastanchury Road in Yorba Linda. Viewing begins at noon, followed by the service at 1 p.m.
Burial will take place Monday, Oct. 5, at 10:15 a.m. at Riverside National Cemetery.
Clark often shared a guiding principle that shaped his ministry: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
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