Rabbi Castlman helped heal the wounds from the Imam’s recent sermon.
District Attorney Jeff Reisig’s Multi-Cultural Community Council (MCCC) honored six Yolo County citizens at the 4th annual MCCC awards luncheon which took place at the Yolo County’s Atrium in Woodland on September 28, 2017.
The awards luncheon focuses on recognizing individuals or organizations who promote multi-cultural relationships, acceptance and peace; forge diverse coalitions to assure ongoing community dialogue related to cultural awareness, the criminal justice system, and public safety; and ensure multi-cultural community participation in educational and informational programs related to accessing, understanding and providing input to the criminal justice system.
In his opening remarks Reisig stated that the MCCC was born five years ago from discussions about how law enforcement, could do a better job of working in the community by engaging people with diverse cultural backgrounds. The mission of the Yolo County’s Multi-Cultural Community Council is to enrich understanding of Yolo County’s diverse population and to celebrate how cultural knowledge expands our ability to accept and appreciate differences. The Multi-Cultural Community Council is made up of individuals from throughout Yolo County. The MCCC is led by Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig, along with Matos. The MCCC acts as an advisory group to Reisig.
MCCC member and retired UC Davis King Hall Law professor Alan Brownstein presented the “leadership in crisis” award to Rabbi Seth Castleman of Davis. Rabbi Castleman was instrumental in moving the city toward a place of healing after the controversy created by Islamic Center of Davis Imam Shahin’s hateful and hurtful words about the Jewish community. Rabbi Castleman talked about the Imam’s apology being just a beginning point and the only the future will tell if the Imam puts his words into action.
Chief Deputy Jonathan Raven, also a member of the MCCC, presented the Administration of Justice award to the UC Davis School of Law Immigration Center which has been doing extraordinary work for immigrants in our community. Amagda Perez is the director of the Clinic and Holly Cooper is the senior staff attorney. Much of the work is done by supervised law students. Professor Jack Chin accepted the award on behalf of the Center.
The Davis Phoenix Coalition received one of the Community Member Volunteer awards. Gloria Partida founded the Phoenix Coalition after her son was the victim of a vicious hate crime. The Coalition engages the Davis community in ongoing efforts to eliminate intolerance, for the purpose of preventing hate motivated violence and thus cultivating a broader civic culture that embraces and promotes all aspects of the city’s diverse community.
Scott Love was the other recipient in the Community Member Volunteer category. Love was one of the founding members of the Yolo County Library’s Inclusion and Diversity Committee which teaches about different cultures and demographics to create a more inclusive organization.
Other honorees included Rosie Caraveo who works for the Woodland school district. She has worked closely with Yolo County Social Services, Yolo County Probation, the Woodland Police Department, the District Attorney’s Office and Child Welfare Services when parents or a child need some support at school or need to connect with a school staff member.
Joan Beasley was honored in the “Human Services” category by MCCC member Tessa Smith. Smith, who is supervised by Beasley at the Health and Human Services Agency, stated that Joan has led the charge for stakeholder inclusion, equity, and access in the administration of Yolo County Mental Health Services with compassion and commitment for nearly 20 years. Beasley is retiring this year.
Finally, Helen Roland was honored for her role in working with the Faith Based Communities. Roland is a retired lecturer of Sacramento State and UC Davis. She has worked for many years for marriage equality and human rights in the LGBT community.
The luncheon concluded with MCCC member Clarence Van Hook playing a blues piece he wrote about unity and togetherness during trying times. After a couple rounds, most in attendance joined Van Hook in the chorus.
From Left to Right: Helen Roland, Scott Love, Professor Jack Chin, Joan Beasley, Leanne Friedman with Gloria Partida, Rosie Caraveo, Rabbi Seth Castleman, Jeff Reisig
###
