Black History Month 2023

Throughout history, the Black community has produced incredible leaders despite oppression and great pain. Although the fight for justice continues, new visionaries have emerged in the face of injustice. This month, we seek to uplift stories of hope and the dynamic individuals within our orbit who have fought for meaningful, tangible change. Over the years, the Office of Kat Taylor has had the opportunity to learn from, and partner with, Black leaders in school food, regenerative agriculture, capital transformation, and storytelling. We are proud to honor 10 leaders and allies to commemorate Black History Month. Some trailblazed a path long ago, and some actively work today for a more inclusive and just world. Their tireless efforts are a reminder of Dr. King’s quote, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” These luminaries inspire us to be better and do more. We are deeply grateful for their courage, vision, and leadership. 

Chef Bryant Terry

ⒸMOAD Photo Credit: Tinashe Chidarikire

As a working ranch that takes a restorative (really regenerative) approach to our land and community, TomKat Ranch collaborates with a diverse set of partners, including Bay Area chefs to help catalyze people to make mindful choices that promote racial and gender equity and encourages environmental well-being. In September 2022, TomKat Ranch was honored to host the Black Food Summit with Chef-in-Residence, Bryant Terry, a well-known vegan. While this seems like an unlikely partnership, in fact, we share a common mission to provide food in a way that nourishes people and the planet. Chef Terry uses the art of storytelling to bring the Indigenous roots of his dishes to life.  He is the author of six critically acclaimed books, and has been recognized with the James Beard Award, an NAACP Image Award, and an Art of Eating Prize for his work. “Black Food is a communal shrine to the shared culinary histories of the African diaspora,” he says. 

 Commissioner Clothilde “Cloey” V. Hewlett

California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) Commissioner Cloey Hewlett has a long history of enforcing laws. Hewlett was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2021 to oversee the regulation of financial institutions, to enforce fair business practices, and to protect consumers from fraud and abuse. She has served California under three different governors, dedicating much of her career to public service, advancing good governance, and protecting consumers. Hewlett served as Interim Director at the California Department of General Services from 2002 to 2003, and as Undersecretary at the California State and Consumer Services Agency from 1999 to 2003. She also held several positions at the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office from 1979 to 1991, including Assistant District Attorney and Special Prosecutions Criminal Investigator.

Terah Lawyer-Harper

As Executive Director of Creating Restorative Opportunities and Programs (CROP), Terah Lawyer-Harper focuses on criminal justice reform and reentry services from a self-destructive prison environment. CROP, led by system-impacted people, trains hundreds of individuals in personal leadership development to live fuller, more impactful lives while seeking to address unique challenges that returning citizens face. 

“It’s my purpose in life to provide resources and guidance and to empower people to thrive,” Lawyer-Harper says. “Normally criminal justice reform specializes in one thing and they do it very well. CROP was so daring to envision something bolder – which is comprehensive whole person care that is individualized, and not a cookie cutter approach.”

As a client and partner, Beneficial State Bank supports CROP’s truly holistic approach. This month, we are celebrating the ribbon cutting of their new residential career campus in downtown Oakland, which opens this Spring.

Gaspar Yanga

An African prince who was sold into slavery in Mexico, Gaspar Yanga is a Mexican national hero and is known as “the first liberator of the Americas.” In 1570, Yanga led a band of enslaved people to freedom and together they built a refuge for slaves on the run. For 30 years, they survived in part by raiding caravans taking goods along the Camino Real between Veracruz and Mexico City. The Spanish colonial government repeatedly tried to conquer the territory but Yanga prevailed and eventually reached an agreement with the colonial government for self-rule of his settlement. It was later called San Lorenzo de los Negros, and also San Lorenzo de Cerralvo. TomKat Media’s Camino Chronicles collaborator, Gabriela Ortiz, wrote a work for orchestra entitled “Yanga,” as an homage. This piece was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and you can listen to “Yanga” here.

Eric Span

Eric Span is a leader and innovator in the field of school nutrition. He is the Director of Nutrition Services for Sweetwater Union High School District, one of the largest secondary school districts in California and an active member of Center for Ecoliteracy’s California Food for California Kids Network, an association of school nutrition directors dedicated to providing students with fresh, locally-grown school meals. 

Through his work at Sweetwater Union High School District, Eric actively championed School Meals for All, California legislation that provides free breakfast and lunch to all K-12 students. A chef and culinary school graduate, Eric is known for his expansive knowledge in recipe building, procurement, and leading large teams. He is a vocal proponent of the Farm to School movement and connects school food with classroom education in his work. In 2020, the California Department of Education named him a California Hunger Hero, an honor reserved for a devoted school nutrition individual who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to hunger relief in local communities. In addition to his role at Sweetwater Union High School District, Eric currently serves as the Public Policy and Legislative Committee Chair for the California School Nutrition Association and is also the chair of the San Diego County Farm to School Taskforce. 

Dr. Gail Myers

Dr. Gail Myers (R) with Natalie Baszile (L) at TomKat Ranch in 2022

Dr. Gail Myers is a lifelong advocate and leader. Her work has primarily focused on Black Farmers and local, state, and federal organizations to bring produce from Black Farmers, and to provide accurate history and education to low-income communities. Her recent documentary, Rhythms of The Land was featured at the Black Food Summit held at TomKat Ranch late last year. Dr. Myers has spent decades chronicling the challenges and achievements of Black farmers across the country. In 2020, she founded Farmers Xchange to ensure farmers remain financially viable by directly interacting with consumers, other farmers, farm affiliates, hotels, restaurants, and grocery stores.

Darnell Grisby

Darnell Grisby is a national thought leader in transportation policy and the mobility justice movement. His work centers on housing affordability and the intersection of transportation and housing finance. Governor Gavin Newsom recently appointed Grisby to serve a four-year term on the California Transportation Commission (CTC), which oversees transportation improvements throughout our state.

 Before joining the CTC, Grisby worked as the Director of Policy Development and Research at the American Public Transportation Association, where he focused on “improving our communities while still making the American government more responsive to the American taxpayer.”

Today, Beneficial State Foundation is honored to have Grisby lead as the Senior Vice President for the Clean Vehicle Assistance Program.

“It’s not good enough to be not racist; we have to be antiracist,” Grisby says. “And what that does—it allows us to look at our behaviors, our governance, our hiring, our policy frames all within some level of analysis.”

Ruth Beckford Smith

ⒸAfrican American Museum and Library at Oakland 

Known as the “Mother of Black Dance” in the Bay Area, or “The Dance Lady” in the East Bay, Ruth Beckford-Smith earns our respect for so many reasons: dance just being one of them. Beckford founded the Oakland Dance Association and the Cultural Ethnic Affairs Guild. When she taught Haitian dance at Augustine’s Episcopal Church, she realized her young students needed food to thrive.

As one of the co-organizers of the nation’s first free breakfast program, Beckford and the Black Panthers trailblazed a program that grew from just 11 kids to 20,000 kids in 19 cities across the country. Today, through our coalition, School Meals For All, Ruth Beckford-Smith inspires our work towards ensuring every child has access to two free delicious and nutritious meals a day. 

Pro Tip: If you’re in Oakland, check out the famous Alice Street mural titled “Universal Language.”

Rasheed Hislop and WilL Scott Jr.

With support from Rasheed Hislop (far right), third-generation farmer Will Scott Jr. (center) and his fellow farmers, the African American Farmers of California (AAFC) are restoring and strengthening the tradition of Black farmers feeding their community in the City of Fresno. AAFC is on a mission to keep the legacy of Black farmers alive and growing in the Golden State. ​​Of the approximately 70,000 farms in California, more than 90% are white-owned or managed; fewer than 1 percent are Black-owned or managed, according to the latest agriculture census in 2017. Through our initiative, Growing The Table, we are proud to have supported the AAFC’s work to distribute beautiful, organic produce to the West Fresno communities in need.