T h e l o n g t e r m c a r e w o r k e r s o f S E I U L o c a Tl h e l o n g t e r m c a r e w o r k e r s o f S E I U L o c a l 2 0 1 5 p r o u d l y j o i n C a t a l y s t C a l i f o r n i a i 2n 0 1 5 p r o u d l y j o i n C a t a l y s t C a l i f o r n i a i n h o n o r i n g i c o n i c l a b o r l e a d e r a n d c i v i l r i g h t hs o n o r i n g i c o n i c l a b o r l e a d e r a n d c i v i l r i g h t s a c t i v i s t D o l o r e s H u e r t a , L o s A n g e l e s C o u n t ay c t i v i s t D o l o r e s H u e r t a , L o s A n g e l e s C o u n t y S u p e r v i s o r S h e i l a K u e h l , a n d a c c l a i m e Sd u p e r v i s o r S h e i l a K u e h l , a n d a c c l a i m e d w r i t e r a n d s t o r y t e l l e r G a b b y R i v e r a w. r i t e r a n d s t o r y t e l l e r G a b b y R i v e r a .
T h a n k y o u f o r b e i n g a p a r t n e r i Tn h a n k y o u f o r b e i n g a p a r t n e r i n f i g h t i n g f o r d i g n i t y f o r a l l f. i g h t i n g f o r d i g n i t y f o r a l l .
S i g n t h e p e t i t i o n : s e i u 2 0 1 5 . o r g / t i m e f o r 2 S0 i g n t h e p e t i t i o n : s e i u 2 0 1 5 . o r g / t i m e f o r 2 0
We are proud to support Catalyst California at this exciting juncture in the organization’s evolution. Thank you to John Kim and his team for their unwavering commitment to and impact in achieving racial and economic justice in California. Congratulations to honorees Dolores Huerta, Sheila Kuehl, and Gabby Rivera — sincere gratitude and admiration to you all for your monumental contributions to the fight for equity and representation.
— Tom and Janet Unterman
Thank you for joining us for this very special occasion celebrating the evolution of the racial justice movement and of our organization! Here’s what’s in store:
Enjoy drinks, bites, music, and more as you catch up with fellow equity advocates
Wendelyn Killian, Deputy Director, Catalyst California
Gabby Rivera, Writer, Speaker, and Storyteller
Presented by Yesika Salgado, Poet and Activist
The Hon. Sheila Kuehl, Los Angeles County Supervisor, 3 rd District
Presented by Dr. Robert K. Ross, President & CEO, The California Endowment
Hollis, Poet, Musician, and Activist
Catalyst California Board Members: Fred Ali, Philanthropic Consultant
Maria G. Cabildo, Director of Housing & Economic Opportunity, California Community Foundation
John Kim, President & CEO, Catalyst California
Dolores Huerta, Labor Leader and Civil Rights Activist
Presented by The Hon. Anthony Rendon, Speaker of the California State Assembly
Reflect together on the program over coffee, tea, and sweet treats; be sure to drop by the photo booth before you go!
Catalyst California is proud to honor these extraordinary social justice leaders:
Gabby Rivera Writer, Speaker, and Storyteller
In recognition of her progressive activism and community empowerment through the art of storytelling
Los Angeles County Supervisor, 3 rd District
In recognition of her three decades of devoted public service at both the state and county levels
Dolores Huerta
Labor Leader and Civil Rights Activist
In recognition of her 70 years and counting of stalwart advocacy in the labor and civil rights movements
Achieving America Family Foundation
The James Irvine Foundation
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation
Molly Munger & Stephen R. English
SEIU Local 2015 Tom & Janet Unterman
Aileen Adams & Geoffrey Cowan Annenberg Foundation
Brad & Claire Brian
Fred Ali Anonymous
Jim & Carole Barrall InnerCity Struggle
Helen Kim
Liberty Hill Foundation
John & Louise Brinsley Maria G. Cabildo California Budget & Policy Center
ConnectUNow
The Education Trust – West Wanda Killian & Mark Fuller
First 5 LA Katie McGrath & J.J. Abrams
Liz Levitt Hirsch
Paula & Barry Litt
GPSN
Kim Pattillo Brownson & Omar Brownson Abby Sher Beth Burnam Community Coalition Roberta Conroy Lloys & Aurelia Frates
The Hon. Marqueece Harris-Dawson Imagine Us Bill Lann Lee
Pete Manzo & Dahni Tsuboi Bruce & Valerie Merritt
PICO California
Public Interest Management Group Vickie Ramos Harris & John K. Harris
Wendelyn Killian LA Voice Brooke Larsen Garlock
Mary Lassen
Manuel Pastor & Betsy Hamilton
People's Health Solutions
New Leaf Literary & Media Barbra Streisand Stuart Foundation
UFCW Local 770
Reed Smith
SELA Collaborative USC Equity Research Institute
VOX Productions
Belinda & Jack Walker
Provoc Speaker Anthony Rendon Christopher Ringewald Edward & Karen Safford Andrea Sheridan Ordin
John Dobard
Michael Russo
Managing Director of Policy and Programs
Managing Director of Policy and Programs
Fred Ali, Chair
Philanthropic Consultant
Maria G. Cabildo, Vice Chair
Director of Housing and Economic Opportunity, California Community Foundation
Stephen R. English, Secretary
Founding Co-Director of Advancement Project (now Catalyst California)
Arlene Holt-Baker
Former Executive Vice President, AFL-CIO
Chrissie Castro
Co-founder and Executive Director, California Native Vote Project
Sandra Celedon
President & CEO,
Fresno Building Healthy Communities
Bill Lann LeeSenior Counsel, Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center
Barry Litt
Partner, McLane, Bednarski & Litt
Monica C. Lozano
President & CEO, College Futures Foundation
Molly Munger
Founding Co-Director of Advancement Project (now Catalyst California)
Alberto Retana
President & CEO, Community Coalition
Anthony Thigpenn
Community Organizer
Tom Unterman
Founding Partner, Rustic Canyon Partners
April Verrett
President, SEIU Local 2015 & Secretary-Treasurer, SEIU International
At Catalyst California, we dismantle racial injustice and redesign systems for access and equity. We do this by shifting and building power with movement leaders in communities of color who are making real change. With the collective impact of community, data, and policy, we make the California Dream inclusive and available to all.
Improving educational opportunities for children who need them most.
Strengthening community power to transform neighborhoods.
Making state and local governments more responsive, participatory, and representative.
Advancing justice and safety for lowincome communities of color.
Gabby Rivera grew up with superheroes on the block. Her mom, aunties, and the women in her community were the strongest people she knew: seamstresses and paramedics who’d sit around the dining table and tell wild tales about their lives in the Bronx. When Marvel Comics asked Gabby to write the story of America Chavez, their first queer Latina superhero, she proved that heroes could be kind and vulnerable, too. Funny, insightful, and authentic, Gabby inspires young people to live a life that is joyfully open and revolutionary.
Gabby’s newest project is b.b. free – an original comic series following 15-year-old b.b. and her blossoming cosmic powers, in a post-apocalyptic world not quite like anything you’ve seen before. She’s also the author of Juliet Takes a Breath, a young adult novel listed by Mic as one of the 25 essential books to read for Women’s History Month.
Gabby also hosts a podcast titled Joy Uprising, featuring interviews with Gabby’s “favorite revolutionary humans” – many of them queer people of color, where they share how they find, maintain, and nurture their joy in this chaotic world.
Representing Los Angeles County’s Third District, Supervisor Kuehl is currently the Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. She has led the way on many initiatives to improve people’s lives by reforming county systems. Some key wins include increasing the minimum wage, emphasizing and enhancing “second chance” and anti-recidivism programs, providing unprecedented funding and services for the unhoused community, and much more.
Prior to her service on the Board, Supervisor Kuehl served eight years in the California State Senate and six years in the State Assembly. She was the first woman in California history to be named Speaker Pro Tempore of the Assembly and the first openly gay or lesbian person to be elected to the California Legislature.
She successfully advanced single-payer health insurance through the Legislature twice and authored 171 bills that were signed into law, including legislation to establish paid family leave and prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender and disability in the workplace and sexual orientation in education.
In her youth, Sheila was known for portraying Zelda Gilroy in the television series, The Many Loves of Dobie Gills.
Dolores Huerta is one of the most influential labor activists of the 20th century and a leader of the Chicano civil rights movement. She began her career when she co-founded the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization (CSO), which led voter registration drives and fought for economic improvements for Hispanics. Through a CSO associate, Huerta met activist César Chávez. In 1962, they founded the United Farm Workers’ Union (UFW).
Throughout her work with the UFW, Huerta organized workers, negotiated contracts, and advocated for safer working conditions. She also fought for unemployment and healthcare benefits for agricultural workers.
In 1973, Huerta led a consumer boycott of grapes that resulted in the groundbreaking California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, which allowed farm workers to form unions and bargain for better wages and conditions. Over the last 40 years, Huerta has worked as a lobbyist to improve workers’ legislative representation and elect more Latinos and women to political office.
Huerta received the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award in 1998 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. She was the first Latina inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Today, Huerta is a board member of the Feminist Majority Foundation, the Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus of the United Farm Workers of America, and Founder and President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation.
Hollis Wong-Wear, known mononymously as Hollis, is a Grammy-nominated recording artist, songwriter, and filmmaker who works at the intersection of creativity, community organizing, and public policy. With her roots in spoken word and slam poetry through the nationally recognized Youth Speaks program, Hollis is passionate about how the arts fuel and shape civic discourse and is dedicated to lending her voice and capacities toward vibrant social equity. Her debut solo full-length album, Subliminal, was released in May 2022; select tracks were featured on Spotify’s “Fresh Finds” and Apple Music’s “New in Alternative” playlist, and the album was recently named a Bandcamp New and Notable release.
In addition to her artistry and songwriting career, Hollis is also a public speaker, event curator, and facilitator who works frequently with brands, organizations, and government. She is a Google Next Gen Policy Leader, an alumna of the Hedgebrook Residency, and a Humanity in Action Senior Fellow. A graduate of Seattle University, Hollis was born and raised in Petaluma, CA, and attended high school in San Francisco. She now lives in Los Angeles.
Juliana Castillo
Jennifer Ho Wendelyn KillianKirsten Lew
Roxana Reyes Amy SausserRonald Simms, Jr.
Sierra Smith, Kolor Society
Zaneta Smith, Kolor Society
Bryan Schiller, The GRAMMY Museum
Brian Hake, VOX Productions
Shawn Sedlacek, VOX Productions
Ashley Lampe, Wolfgang Puck Catering
Carlo Toledo, Wolfgang Puck Catering
Jon Endow, Jon Endow Photography
Sabiha Basrai, Design Action Collective
Anna Engle, Design Action Collective
With special thanks to: Leslie Poston, Julia Webb, and the entire Catalyst California team.
Lori Alcala
Controller
Juliana Castillo
Administrative Associate
Carmen Davis
Administrative Associate
Breanne Gonzalez
Executive Assistant
Zharia Howard
Administrative Associate
Jorge Jimenez
Chief Financial Officer
Katrice McCorkle
Human Resources Manager
Julia Webb
Senior Operations Manager
Dolores Zamora Budget & Finance Associate
Communications
Roxana Reyes
Senior Communications Associate
Ronald Simms Jr.
Senior Manager of Communications Development
Jennifer Arceneaux
Associate Director of Foundation Relations
Jennifer Ho Development Manager
Kirsten Lew Development Associate Leslie Poston
Manager of Foundation Relations
Amy Sausser
Director of Development
Kenneth Robert Cole
Research & Policy Analyst
JunHee Doh
Manager of Educational Equity
Manuel Fierro
Associate Director of Early Childhood Policy
Vickie Ramos Harris
Director of Educational Equity
Jessenia Reyes
Associate Director of Educational Equity, Policy Day Son
Senior Manager of Educational Equity
Jacky Guerrero
Director of Equity in Community Investments
Anisha Hingorani
Associate Director of Equity in Community Investments
Myanna A. Khalfani-King
Senior Research & Policy Analyst
Patricia Leal-Gutierrez Manager of Equity in Community Investments
Mariselle Moscoso Research & Policy Analyst II
Kianna Ruff
Justice Reinvestment Manager
Government Relations
Sadalia King
Senior Manager of Government Relations
Matthew Trujillo
Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives
Alejandra Ponce de León
Manager of Political Voice
Aaron Robertson
Director of Political Voice
Chauncee Smith
Senior Manager of Criminal Justice
Research and Data Analysis
Alexandra Baker Research & Data Analyst
Leila Forouzan Manager of Research & Data Analysis
Hillary Khan Database Architect
Maria Khan Research & Data Analyst
Elycia Mulholland Graves Director of Research & Data Analysis
Chris Ringewald
Senior Director of Research & Data Analysis
David Segovia
Research & Data Analyst
Jennifer Zhang Research & Data Analyst II
for your
to human
equity and justice in
County.
Catalyst California is at the forefront of fighting for equity and justice throughout the county. We so admire their strong and relentless voice and this year’s inspirational honorees who have given their all in the fight for equitable and just programs and services that allow communities and children to thrive and reach their full potential.
With admiration,
Aileen Adams and Geoffrey Cowan
Congratulations to honorees Dolores Huerta, Sheila Kuehl, and Gabby Rivera, and to Catalyst California at this exciting juncture in your organization's journey. — Brad and Claire Brian
to further racial and economic
in
for Equity Award Honoree
re s Huer t a for nearly 70 years of tireless activism, advocacy women, immigrants and people living in poverty
Partner Award Honoree
for three decades of impactful public service
Justice Award Honoree
a bby Ri vera for creative activism in the LGBTQ+ and Latinx communities
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
— James Baldwin
With deep appreciation for all the honorees and Catalyst California who fiercely face change day in and day out. Paula & Barry Litt
Thank you to Catalyst California for continuing to build our Beloved Community and a fairer, stronger CA! - Kim Pattillo Brownson & Omar Brownson
Congratulations to Catalyst California and the honorees of the 2022 Champions for Equity Awards – Abby Sher
I am thrilled to honor this year’s awardees for all they have accomplished for social equity: Dolores Huerta Sheila Kuehl Gabby Rivera And to support Catalyst California – Beth Burnam
Best wishes to Catalyst California as you continue to EVOLVE and congratulations to today’s honorees: Dolores Huerta, The Hon. Sheila Kuehl and Gabby Rivera
congratulates Catalyst
Champions for Equity Awards honorees
to the honorees and to
California
Roberta Conroy
The Stuart Foundation is proud to join our partner, Catalyst California, in recognizing Dolores Huerta, the Honorable Sheila Kuehl, and Gabby Rivera for their courageous, brilliant, and tenacious leadership in advancing equity and justice for all our communities. We thank you and Catalyst California for all that you do.
A d v a n c i n g J u s t i c e A w a r d R e c i p i e n t
“ A l l o f t h e w o m e n i n m y l i f e w e r e t e l l i n g m e t h e s a m e t h i n g M y s t o r y , m y t r u t h , m y l i f e , m y v o i c e , a l l o f t h a t h a d t o b e p r o t e c t e d a n d p u t o u t i n t o t h e w o r l d b y m e . N o o n e e l s e ” G a b b y R i v e r a , J u l i e t T a k e s a B r e a t h
S T O R Y T E L L E R
w w w . g a b b y r i v e r a . c o m
G a b b y u n i q u e l y i n t e r t w i n e s h e r c r e a t i v e t a l e n t w i t h i n c l u s i v i t y a n d e m p o w e r m e n t . S h e ' s a n i n s p i r a t i o n t o e a c h a n d e v e r y p e r s o n t h a t h a s t h e p l e a s u r e o f r e a d i n g h e r w o r d s o r h e a r i n g h e r s p e a k a v i s i o n a r y a n d t h e v o i c e o f a g e n e r a t i o n !
- J o V o l p e , N e w L e a f L i t e r a r y & M e d i a w w w . n e w l e a f l i t e r a r y . c o m
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress
Congratulations to the 2022 Champions for Equity Awards honorees for this well-deserved honor.
To the board and staff of Catalyst California –thank you for your work and commitment to advancing racial justice. In solidarity, Fred Ali
Congratulations to Advancement Project California and tonight's honorees: Gabby Rivera, The Honorable Sheila Kuehl, and Civil Rights Activist and labor leader Dolores Huerta.
Congratulations to Advancement Project California and tonight's honorees: Gabby Rivera, The Honorable Sheila Kuehl, and Civil Rights Activist and labor leader Dolores Huerta.
Congratulations to the honorees and deep gratitude to the staff of Catalyst California. May you continue moving mountains to reinvent our public systems and build the world we want to see.
With deep gratitude, Helen Kim
to Catalyst California and all the awardees: Dolores Huerta, Sheila Kuehl, and Gabby Rivera. from Pete Manzo & Dahni Tsuboi
is proud to support
for their achievements and evolution of racial justice movement. Through their efforts we have noted advocacy in labor and civil rights movements, devoted public service through reforming county systems to improve people’s lives, and progressive LGBTQ+ community through storytelling resulting in inspiring to live revolutionary.
V A N C E M E N T P R O J E C T C A L
O R N
A
N
R
o l o r e s H u e r t a
Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, First District, proudly supports Advancement Project California's 2022 Champions for Equity Awards!
@ H I L D A S O L I S
We at Catalyst California believe that a new California is waiting to be born. One that aspires to justice and trusts in the strength of our racial and ethnic diversity, and 30 years of building a grassroots progressive movement.
All the building blocks necessary to create the next California currently exist in our state. We have some of the most sophisticated movement leaders in the country. We have the ingenuity and natural resources of our lands and our diverse people. And more and more, we have a mobilized electorate to move us in a new direction.
We just need to – together – own the idea that we are the founders of the next California and put in the hard work to get us there.
That’s why Catalyst California exists, to power us toward an aspirational California. Our values of audacity, capacity-building, collaboration, equity, innovation, and integrity guide all of our work.
Thank you for being a part of the Catalyst California family. We are honored to be with you in the fight for racial justice.
