Maripas Jacobo is a first-generation Chicana from Oxnard, California. She attributes her success to the tools, resources, and knowledge her community of Oxnard has given her. She graduated from CSUCI and is currently the STEM Transfer & Retention Coordinator for the Student Academic Success & Equity Initiatives department at CSUCI. She is a member of a local Latinx-led grassroots organization, Coastal Keepers. Coastal Keepers is the only Latinx grassroots organization in Ventura County, bridging the gap between policymakers and Oxnard and Port Hueneme communities by bringing educated reports and reflections on social and environmental injustices occurring in these coastal communities. Since 2021, Coastal Keepers has coordinated beach cleanups and advocacy efforts to restore and improve accessibility to Ormond Beach for current and future generations while empowering the next generation of Latinx environmental leaders.

Project Goals/Outcomes:

1. Create an ongoing accessible data repository of pollution hotspots along the Oxnard and Port Hueneme coast and waterways.
2. Produce and present a formal white paper to city and county officials.
3. Local leaders will be informed with quantifiable data to pollution hotspots and advocate for the use of litter capture devices.
4. Distribute 100 informational/educational pamphlets/flyers to volunteers during beach cleanups.
5. Collect 100 signatures showing the community’s need to implement trash collecting infrastructure before it ends up in our waterways or coast.
   1. Empower local community to take action and space within the environmental movement
      

Karina Cortes is a student at Oxnard College Middle High School and was the first paid “volunteer” of Swap Meet Justice/Justicia Tianguera Citizenship and Social Justice Fairs (“SMJ”). Her work coordinating the various attorneys and volunteers was increasingly essential to the smooth functioning of the event. Karina hopes to grow her leadership skills by extending the work she does at SMJ and throughout the community. Chantel Tapia is a student at Oxnard College Middle High School and has been working with the League of Women Voters VC since her junior year to head Voter Registration at OMCHS. Chantel is the Oxnard District Council President to lead all ASB cabinet members from the OUHSD. She hopes to expand the League’s work to engage and inform voters by bringing tools to the people who attend the Swap Meet.

• 94,000 people registered to vote in Oxnard - 164,912 citizens in Oxnard - 70,912 eligible people are not registered to vote
• Since 2018 a noticeable decline has been shown from the age range of 18-29.
• Black and Latino or Hispanic Americans - lower turnout rates in 2022 than in 2018

Diego Magaña, as a lifelong Oxnard resident Diego started MiniNature Reserve in 2021. Its mission is to restore nature in urban environments through landscape projects that engage, educate, and empower the local community. Diego was inspired to start this non-profit by family road trips to national parks. Diego was always blown away by what he learned on his travels, but also understood that many kids who were less fortunate did not have the same opportunities to connect with nature. In an attempt to address this, Diego is working to inspire the next generation of stewards by helping them restore nature in their own community.

Roosevelt (Roo) Bolden Roo’s journey in youth inspiration began as a basketball camp counselor at Ventura College. After years of experience with youth education, Roo started Rich at Heart and initiated Unified Sports at Adolfo Camarillo High School to promote inclusion and community unity. Rich at Heart is a nonprofit organization that provides opportunities, support, and connection for the special needs population.

Manlio Cesar Correa Alcantar was born in Michoacán and arrived in the USA in 1989, a “dreamer” of his time. A multicultural and trilingual social justice believer and promoter, he holds a BA in International Business and a Masters in Latin American Studies from SDSU, and has done PhD work on Migration and Development. Recently, he finished a UNITAR course on Entrepreneurship for Migrants and Refugees. Manlio is an advisor for migrant affairs of Michoacan. He founded CADIM (Centro de Atención y Desarrollo Integral Migrante) with the vision to be the one-stop center for the immigrant community in Ventura County to promote human and migrant rights, education, economic development and social justice. CADIM focuses their effort on the most vulnerable Spanish and indigenous languages speakers who have non or limited literacy in their own language.

Marisol Gonzalez is a first generation Chicana from Fillmore, California and is a student at CSUCI. Since 2014, Marisol has advocated for youth from marginalized communities. She is both a social and environmental justice advocate, who currently participates in policy oriented research at CSUCI and leads the Conejo Youth Conservation Corps alongside the Safe Passage Youth Foundation.

Brenda Heredia is the proud daughter of immigrant parents from Michoacán, Mexico. She was born and raised in Nyeland Acres. Growing up she always knew she wanted to serve her community. She obtained a Bachelor’s in Sociology from California State University, Long Beach and a Master’s in public health from the University of Southern California (USC). After her education, she came back to her hometown. She is part of Nyeland Promise, a nonprofit organization, where she serves in different capacities including advocating for her community. Nyeland Acres is a disadvantaged community that lacks basic services for residents. In 2021, Brenda was recognized as the Young Professional of the Year by the West Ventura County Business Alliance for her dedication in advocating for her community.

Population Characteristics:

• Residents in Nyeland Acres are often marginalized and lack adequate resources including access to health care and education.
• Because of inequitable access to care and other health-promoting resources, disadvantaged populations are often sicker when they do find a source of care and incur higher medical costs.
• Target audience: Low income underserved adult Hispanic residents that live in Nyeland Acres

Nyeland Acres stats:

• • 2,809 population in Nyeland Acres
  • 93% Hispanic residents
  • 35% of adults are sedentary
  • 11% of adults have diabetes
  • 74% of adults are low income and low access to grocery stores

Goals:

• To positively influence the health behavior of Nyeland Acres residents by providing culturally and linguistically appropriate health education and empowering residents. They will be empowered to take care of their health and their families.
• To raise health equity by providing residents with resources, education, and encouragement.
• To promote physical activity by hosting a weekly 60-minute Zumba class for Nyeland Acres adults.

Outcomes:

• Residents will be educated about different health topics and how to seek preventive services by attending a workshop. There will be a total of 4 workshops offered during the duration of the project.
• Host a series of weekly Zumba classes to give an opportunity to residents to engage in physical activity and develop relationships with other residents.
• Coordinate a Health and Wellness Fair in Nyeland Acres to educate and raise awareness on the importance of health.
• Build positive relationships among residents.

Dafne Aguilar has a Masters in Social Work with an emphasis in Child Welfare and currently works as a school-based Social Worker for the Ventura County Child and Family Services. Dafne is an advocate, mentor, organizer and part of the LGBTQ community in Oxnard. Dafne has worked in the mental health field with the Spanish speaking community for over a
decade. Their passion is advocating for underrepresented communities, destigmatizing mental health, and providing affirming spaces for the queer
community.
Victoria Palomares is an Information Technology professional and the founder of OxnardLGBTQ+. When she was growing up part of the LGBTQ
community, she could see that Oxnard was lacking LGBTQ friendly places and support, therefore after high school she started OxnardLGBTQ+ as a
support group and local club for the community. Alongside with Dafne, they are the main organizers of the annual Oxnard Pride Festival which
began in 2020. Together, they want to continue to build spaces for queer people of color in Oxnard and beyond.

• LGBTQ+ youth have reported feeling increasingly more depressed, anxious and suicidal. The 2022 Trevor Project National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health states that 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. Nearly 1 in 5 transgender and nonbinary youth attempted suicide and LGBTQ youth of color reported higher rates than their white peers.
• Oxnard LGBTQ+ has reached out to the community to hear what their needs are, and the most common statement has been to have accessible Bilingual groups for parents of LGBTQ youth to know how to support their children. As well as education on LGBTQ issues, basic knowledge on terminology, and to build positive connections.
• LGBTQ youth who felt high social support from their family reported attempting suicide at less than half the rate of those who felt low or moderate social support.
  

Goals:

• Educate Parents/Caregivers of LGBTQ+ youth, advocacy, and community building.
• Provide a safe and affirming space for LGBTQ people and their families.

Outcomes:

• 10 support group sessions of parents/cargivers on a monthly basis.
• Provide educational material to the parents/youth.
• Provide all information in both Spanish/English.

Dexter Nunnery is the founder of PROJECT50 and is from McComb, Mississippi where he attended Jackson State University before moving to California and has been a resident of
Camarillo for 25 years. Dexter worked for Harbor Freight Tools for 19 years and received their prestigious “Silver Hammer'' award in 2011 as a Project Manager. In 2019, Dexter received the VCOE (Arts, Media and Entertainment) award of the year.

• To bring awareness to the black/african american community that PROJECT50 exist by attending seven vendor table events by end of 2022.
• To build trust between the black/african american community and PROJECT50 as a go-to program for help and resources.
• To work with the Oxnard Unified School District to be a help resource for black students on probation.
• To have two referrals each in areas of the supporting platforms (Child Support, Probation, 2nd Chance Service, and Public Defender Court appearances.).

Outcomes:

• 4 successful referrals by year end 2022 and 25 successful outcomes in year 2023.
• Working partner between high school counsellors and probation officers of probationers.
• 10 table awareness vendor events.
• 10 testimonials from black/african american community on how they have a different view on Ventura County resource programs and services.

Sierra Doehr (she/they) is a first generation Filipinx-American whose experience with colonialism in the U.S. has continually led them to seek healing. Their healing journey led them to the intersection of food security and racial equity as a health educator and farmer. In 2019, Sierra started Saticoy Depot, a decolonized urban farm on Chumash territory (Saticoy, CA) where they grow pre-contact foods in a space that is safe from white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism. Her work continues to expand social justice efforts that reclaim food sovereignty in the Saticoy community.

Low-Income Economy

• The 2019 Census found the median household income in Saticoy is about 50% the amount of the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA Metropolitan Area.

Food Insecurity

• Saticoy is a USDA-designated food desert as supermarkets are over 1 mile away.
• Food Nutrition Service identifies over 54% of children 0-18 qualify for free or reduced school lunch in Saticoy.
• Over 100 households don’t have access to reliable transportation.

Nutritional and Health Needs

• Saticoy has a 12.6% rate of diabetes, a 70.8% rate of overweight or obese community members, and a 7.4% rate of heart disease, which are all higher than Ventura County averages.

Here is a Sept 2022 article about Saticoy Food Hub in Edible Ventura County.

Goals:

• To provide equitable economic opportunities for producers while creating access to fresh, local, and healthy food.

Outcomes:

• A farmers market will be established and meet at least once a month.
• 500 customers will be served by October 31, 2023.
• 200 customers will utilize EBT and market match benefits by October 31, 2023.

Saticoy Farmers Market Website:

Fatima Chavez is a first-generation Chicana from Oxnard, California. She graduated
in 2016 from CSULB with a BA in Sociology. Since 2014, Fatima has worked with traditional plant medicine, completed full spectrum doula training in 2019 with Birthworkers of Color based in Long Beach, and received Lactation Educator and Counselor certification in December 2019. In addition, Fatima has completed various birthwork trainings and workshops led by Indigenous and POC educators.

Zuleima Jimenez is an Indigenous woman of Mayan descent, first-generation born & raised in Oxnard CA, (Chumash Territory). She received a Bachelor’s in 2013 for Public Health with a
minor in Holistic Studies at SFSU and in 2017 completed her full spectrum doula training through La Matris Birth Services. Has since completed various birth work trainings as she
continues to learn from BIPOC to offer better her doula care, Yoga and SEL services.

• Marginalized communities in Oxnard face injustices and discrimination since birth, even before birth, when BIPOC and/or LGBTQA+ pregnant people are not given accurate, full information, and at times coerced into decisions or consent
• In Ventura County only 6.5% of households received maternity care in the past 3 years
• Birth outcomes such as preterm birth, low birth weight, infant and maternal mortality are connected to racial and economic disparities
• What is a Doula ?
  -Doulas are well-positioned to improve outcomes in communities of color and low income communities. Doula support has been well-documented to improve health outcomes, enhance care engagement and satisfaction, and reduce spending on unnecessary procedures and avoidable complications.
• We hope to bring together BIPOC birthworkers and those in related work field, in Ventura County to share knowledge, support, and resources.
• Creating accessible information on reproductive, prenatal, birth and postpartum resources and assistance to BIPOC and LGBTQA+ communities
• 39% reduction in the likelihood of cesarean births
• 15% greater likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth
• 10% reduction in the use of pain medications
• Shorter labor by an average of 41 minutes
• 31% reduction in reporting a negative birth experience

Goals:

• Education on reproductive health, pregnancy, postpartum, abortion and the care/ resources available
• Start dismantling medical services inequities that are driven by class, race, gender, sexuality that lead to traumatic and negative births, especially for Black women, women of color, poor women, survivors of violence, immigrant women, queer, gender nonconforming, nonbinary, and trans people, and those living in Ventura County
• Advocacy: Hold ‘know your rights sessions’ and how to self advocate to protect rights, so they can make informed decisions and have control over their reproductive health
• Surveys before and after to understand needs and measure success
• Story telling/sharing as a form of expression and coming together

Outcomes:

• Up 10 workshops in local community spaces as well as will be offered virtually
• 10-20 participants
• Communal Maternal Health Care
• Participants able to know of, seek and share resources regarding to care or if rights are not respected
• Protecting the rights of all birthing people, so they can make the best decisions around their pregnancies, miscarriages, abortions, labor, birth, postpartum, breastfeeding, and to have their children grow in safe and loving environments

Rich at Heart provides a variety of activities in Ventura County promoting inclusivity for youth, young adults, their families and community members. These activities provide a safe, hands-on, interactive, and diverse learning environment for teenagers and young adults with any type of special needs, including intellectual and developmental disabilities. This SJFVC grant will help to fund Roosevelt and Rich at Heart towards one or more of these events.

Alisa De Los Santos is an educator particularly interested in equity in education systems and family engagement. She grew up in Camarillo, went through Pleasant Valley School District, and graduated from Rio Mesa High School. After undergrad at UCLA, she spent seven years in arts education administration in Los Angeles - first at the Los Angeles Music and Art School, and at The Broad Stage, a performing arts center in Santa Monica, as the Manager of Education and Community Programs. It was there that she was able to work alongside families and communities of color, as well as Title 1 educators throughout Los Angeles County. Most recently, Alisa completed a master’s degree in Education Policy and Management at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, focusing on racial equity in school systems and power sharing in decision-making with families and communities.

Alisa, will be leading a project to empower parents of color, parents of English Learners, and low-income parents to advocate for the needs of their children and families.

Long-term, Alisa aims to establish practices within the Pleasant Valley School District for sustained family engagement in decision-making that is inclusive of the voices of families of color, families of English Learners, and low-income families. With greater parental engagement the needs of students of color will be addressed more effectively.

Michelle and Edith are a mother daughter team. Michelle has earned a degree in Chicana/o Studies from California State University, Northridge and is currenting working on attaining her Master’s in Latin American Studies from California State University, Los Angeles. Edith has been a long-time business owner in Ventura County and has personal connections with the undocumented community. Together, they work to connect with their community and share resources and encourage others to know their rights.

To connect and build trust with the undocumented immigrant community in Ventura County who have been victims of immigration consultant/notary fraud. This will directly enable communication between the victims of immigration consultant/notary fraud and the Ventura County’s district attorney’s office, leading to more reports against the perpetrators.

Create a long-lasting effect of trust within the undocumented community and the district attorney’s office. This level of trust will mean more reports are being made against immigration consultants and notaries. By making more reports, there will be less fraud occurring within the community and families can be less fearful of entrusting the wrong person with their lives.

Sierra Doehr (she/they) is a first generation Filipinx-American whose experience with colonialism in the U.S. has continually led them to seek healing. Their healing journey led them to the intersection of food security and racial equity as a health educator and farmer. In 2019, Sierra started Saticoy Depot, a decolonized urban farm on Chumash territory (Saticoy, CA) where they grow pre-contact foods in a space that is safe from white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism. Her work continues to expand social justice efforts that reclaim food sovereignty in the Saticoy community.

Saticoy, CA is an economically-marginalized community that faces the continued effects of food apartheid including racial inequity and food insecurity. Sierra’s work of launching a farmers market in Saticoy will create economic opportunity for 15 community producers while providing access to fresh, local food for 500 customers.

By exercising their right to healthy and culturally-relevant foods produced within their community, the Saticoy community is reclaiming their food sovereignty.
Saticoy Farmers Market Website:

Monique “Mo” Gonzalez is a queer poet, youth mentor and the creator of Get Loud Movement, an arts based social justice collective that amplifies the voices of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, other related identities) community. They have developed leadership and community building within Ventura County while working closely with Coalition for Family Harmony, Diversity Collective, Spectrum Collaborative, Oxnard LGBTQ+, One Step a La Vez and more.

Discrimination adversely affects the economic and mental well-being of LGBTQ+, including 1 in 2 who have reported its negative psychological impacts. When surveyed about role models and mental health, having inaccessible role models was associated with increased mental distress for 60% of LGBTQ+ youth. Additionally, there is a lack of safe and inclusive environments that promote youth empowerment and engagement which help strengthen the well being of LGBTQ+ youth who face many adversities.

To develop a community healing approach through art while giving young LGBTQIA+ folks the tools to raise awareness through creative expression. The spaces they continue to create consist of speakers, performers and workshops held by young LGBTQIA+ ARTivists and mentors that integrate social justice issues and different mediums of art. Their goal is to inspire other young creatives to express themselves and their advocacy in the most authentic ways.
Get Loud Movement website

Maria Rodriguez is a resident of Ventura County, and a recent graduate of California Lutheran University. With a long history of being active the community, in her senior year at CLU Maria started a project to research the adequacy of legal assistance for immigrants in our community. She found numerous occasions of immigrants being fraudulently represented by individuals without legal training at outrageous cost and resulting in some undocumented people losing their life’s savings. Her project will continue to pursue her research to gain more data so that she can educate the immigrant community and approach local political leadership and law enforcement to take action to end this exploitation.

Why Do Immigrants Get Shortchanged?:

The Case for Increased Legal Services in Migrant Communities in Ventura County

___________________

The problem that we are trying to address is how difficult it is for immigrants to find and achieve success when they are in need of immigration related legal assistance. Based on our pilot study we found that this population lacks the resources and knowledge needed to achieve a favorable outcome in their case. Most often they are not aware or involved in their community to know what resources are available to them. They do not understand our complicated immigration system and this creates confusion and mistrust. Therefore, they in turn seek legal aid help from unlicensed and unqualified people that defraud them. Putting them and their families at risk of deportation.

The main goal is to develop information that will support making immigrant legal resources more accessible, get more people help with immigration issues, and to keep families together by reducing detentions and deportations that could be prevented.

We plan to set up and meet with our local stakeholders to address and hold them accountable about this issue that is affecting their constituents. Also, we plan to create educational materials to educate undocumented immigrants about legal fraud.

Elibet Valencia Muñoz is a photographer and filmmaker based in Ventura County, CA and Jalisco, Mexico with 7 years of experience. Her Bachelor of Arts is in History with a minor in Visual Communication. She incorporates her training in her art and social justice efforts. Leading themes in her work are material culture and accessibility.

"La Danza De Los Diablos" is a photographic project profiling the famous Mixteco dance that includes the wearing of horned, devilesque masks. The product will be a photo series of the local group "Los Elegidos De Asís," the largest group in Ventura County with dozens of dancers. The project includes the members in full attire, detailed shots of the masks, as well as portraits of the person behind the mask. Along with the photographs, this project will audio record oral history and contextualize it with colonization history, in particular to the Middle Passage. The photographs will be exhibited digitally and physically throughout Ventura County in Summer 2021 and donated to academic and public libraries for permanent housing. This project aims to amplify afro-indigenous art, culture, and history. It will serve as a contribution to our community via art exhibitions, material for curriculum, and evidence of mental wellness activities. The goal is to bring awareness to the diversity of culture and heritage within Ventura County and to advocate for more just representations and services for the Mixtec and afro-indigenous community.

The success of my project will mean that the Ventura County community will have access to cultural and historical knowledge highlighting our connection to heritage and lands. This approach is akin to the SJFVC’s which also seeks to bring people together and inspire collective empowerment. The photographic collection will be shared with the community via tours, both in print and digital, during Summer 2021. The goal is to display the work in at least one location per city of Ventura County. Screen-resolution images will be offered to all county public and college libraries for permanent archival housing. Prints will be donated to several offices and organizations. By assuring thorough distribution of the collection, this project fulfills the SJFVC’s mission for fairness and equity.

Sara Guillen was born and raised in Oxnard. She recently returned home after graduating from San Diego State University with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. As an undergrad student, she interned in local political offices and in Washington, D.C., where she discovered a passion for public service. Looking to give back to the community that helped shape her, she joined AmeriCorp and one of their Ventura County-based service programs. She is currently a CalSERVES VIP Fellow working with Westminster Free Clinic, a local non-profit that provides free medical services to the uninsured population of Ventura County. She is passionate about the intersection between reproductive justice, equitable healthcare, and public policy and plans on attending graduate school in the future to get her Master’s in Public Policy.

While working at Westminster Free Clinic’s weekly food distribution service in both Thousand Oaks and Oxnard, Sara noticed the increasing number of families that were coming for food each week. Many of the folks she spoke with explained they were experiencing economic hardship due to the pandemic and rely on food distributions to feed their family. However, not all food distributions are equal; Westminster Free Clinic’s food distribution is unique in that they focus on providing healthy, nutritionally valuable food— such as fresh vegetables, fruits, and whole grains— to the community they serve. Her project will focus on conducting a nutritional needs assessment of the Oxnard population that Westminster Free Clinic serves and using that data to improve access to healthy, culturally relevant foods at Westminster Free Clinic and other food distribution services as well as lay the groundwork for the Corazones Sanos (Healthy Hearts) program at Westminster’s Oxnard Clinic, which is focused on improving the health outcomes of low income, uninsured Latinos suffering from or at risk of heart disease due to diabetes, obesity, and/or lifestyle habits.

If the project is successful it will include:

1. Interviews of at least 100 different families in the Oxnard Plains will complete a needs assessment survey so WFC and other organizations know what families are eating now and what families really need,
2. A report of the data will be completed and shared with the press, local leaders, and lawmakers who have influence,
3. Help to other organizations feed people more nutritious food like those that utilize Second Harvest, Food Forward, and Foodshare by sharing the report and creating awareness. We will include a list
   1. of heart healthy foods to include,
   2. a list of what is not heart healthy and promotes obesity in our low-income families,
4. Expanding services to reach 200+ families (approx. 1,300 people) with access heart healthy food weekly through WFC,
5. Address the gaps in diets families have identified though the Needs Assessment in order to sufficiently meet the dietary needs of the community,
6. At least 200 families will state they have access to the food and support to help their families eat healthy and maintain a healthy weight through our Corazones Sanos program. This program is focused on improving health outcomes through behavioral changes in our participants that focus on healthy eating, active living and socioemotional support to create sustainable, long-term, life-style changes for families at-risk for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular health issues.
7. Local non-profits will adapt our heart-healthy food distribution model and start providing food that benefits their population’s health. Also, sharing our model with local leaders and lawmakers to have them advocate for funding and bills that will create and sustain this type of food distribution model on a wider scale.

The coronavirus pandemic is impacting every aspect of our lives and making all of us find creative ways to adapt to this unprecedented situation. The Social Justice Fund for Ventura County (SJFVC) understands that this disruption has created many issues and uncertainties – from childcare and meals to income and employment, as well your health and that of your families. During these difficult times, we need to remember that the impact on marginalized and low-income communities will be even greater. Many of these families were already living their life in crisis, and the Covid-19 pandemic only adds to their distress. SJFVC helped by providing a $10,000 contribution.

The Social Justice Fund for Ventura County (SJFVC) has awarded $3,700 to Friends of Fieldworkers. The grant will pay for masks and other personal protection equipment (PPE) for farmworkers. Farmworkers are essential to the nation’s food supply, and Ventura County is home to over 40,000 farmworkers. They have been working throughout this pandemic without adequate PPE provided by their employers. Fields of Fieldworkers’ seeks to provide these vital resources to farmworkers, which is key to the health of farmworkers and the effort to maintain a secure food supply to our community.

The Social Justice Fund for Ventura County (SJFVC) cosponsored a lunch, along with Chalice of Newbury Park, saying "Thank You" to some of our Ventura County hospital first responders at Pleasant Valley Hospital. SJFVC helped by providing a $900 contribution.