The North Bay Community Engagement Film Premiere
The North Bay Community Engagement Film Premiere, virtual and free to attend, invites North Bay change-makers and future change-makers alike to stick around after the videos for an interactive conversation on community engagement. For those newly inspired and unsure where to plug in, you’ll learn about a variety of amazing organizations and opportunities right in your own neighborhood, from environmental protection to building people power in the streets, or perhaps nurturing healthy communities or to forging a more regenerative local economy. For those already busy making change happen, come meet neighbors ready to get involved or talk strategy with fellow advocates working to channel volunteer energy into lasting impact.
Film Premiere - 7 Short Reels
An Honorable Recognition
Showcasing 7 featurette reels recognizing 7 extraordinary heroes, reminding us of the power we each hold to
drive collective change. We received over 60 nominations from different cultures, backgrounds, ages, genders,
abilities, languages, nationalities and identities, working on all varieties of issues grounded in these three principles: placing equity at the center - focus on community members already at a social and economic disadvantage, building people power - empower local communities to better help themselves and each other, and connecting the dots with diverse
stakeholders, skills and services to increase effective collaboration.
THE HEROES AMONG US
“Severino is skilled at engaging and inspiring youth and non-Kashia to acknowledge and repair harms to return into balance with tribal foodways.”
Severino Gomes
Severino Gomes is a cultural keeper sharing wisdom through abalone conservation and Kashia Pomo food sovereignty. Severino is tireless in his vision to repatriate traditional Kashia Pomo cultural practices, he harvests bay nuts, advocates for abalone conservation and repair of abalone habitats. In his practicing of traditions, he generously imparts that knowledge to bridge the younger generation with older practices.
“The collective is an important project, building resilience in communities that are frequently marginalized. This space has resulted in significant art pieces that speak to the joy and celebration of our community, as well as highlighting the injustices and trauma that we might carry yet not know how to express. I have been so inspired by the safe space and tireless support she gives to youth and adult artists who create works of art through paint, drawing, speech, and poetry that are representative of their cultural roots and the multiple worlds occupied.”
Isabel Lopez
Isabel Lopez is the founder of the Raizes Collective - empowering and mobilizing community through the arts, culture and environmental education. The collective came together to offer artists and teachers of color the resources of space, programming, events, shows and activities to affect social and political change through art and community building - believing this facilitates healing of the divisions within our diverse communities. Isabel is a fierce advocate for her community, especially for the bilingual and bicultural artists she works with. She brings positive, strong, and focused energy into spaces, and dignity to her artists beyond a supportive space, but also in funding their work.
“This young lady engages with the community in a way that feels authentic. Her professionalism, charm, and positive attitude makes it easy for people to rally with her. What really impressed me about Dez is that we had only talked virtually through text and email and because she was so professional I imagined she was an adult. Her and crew had put together a phenomenal event that followed Covid-19 protocols, adding value to the community that was in need of representation.”
Dez Rai Kai
Dez Rai Kai a high school senior at Analy and part of the BLM visibility team who organized and led Black Lives Matter protests, vigils, and mural artwork in Sebastopol. She collaborated with numerous other young people and is a huge inspiration to people of all ages, creating an inclusive movement of young people for racial justice.
“Tavy is a fierce, beautiful, passionate advocate for social/racial justice. She has been instrumental in keeping racial justice at the forefront of our community’s mind. She is eloquent and passionate and when she speaks she can move mountains! The love and light group has helped to mobilize voters for important issues that impact our youth and BIPOC. Driven not by the incentivized motives of an external org, but solely by personal passion, motivation, resourcefulness, and sheer will & dedication to community, Tavy has made a HUGE impact throughout Sonoma County and is highly deserving of due recognition!”
Chantavy Tornado
Chantavy Tornado is a mother, community organizer, and founder of Love and Light - with the mission to uphold social justice and celebrate diversity in Sonoma County, while creating systems-based changes through grassroots actions, promoting evidence-based models for restorative justice and practices, promoting equitable representation of all people of color, engaging in community-based education, advocacy, and empowering the voices of people of color in our community.
“Her tireless work supporting our unsheltered community is inspirational to me and has motivated me to get involved with the group’s activities. She is a truly compassionate human being who puts her compassion into action. She is able to engage people who have been disenfranchised and she is bringing our community together to make a difference and save lives. Her energy to organize is seemingly endless and she is an inspiring and extremely capable individual who also has a very fascinating story to tell about her own lived experiences and struggles.”
Heather Jackson
Heather Jackson, one of the co-founders of Sonoma County Acts of Kindness, soon to be a 501(c)3 organization, works to save lives by coordinating engagement, advocacy, and distributing food, sanitary supplies, masks, tents, sleeping bags, warm clothes, etc. to our unsheltered community members. Heather coordinates and often personally delivers 3 meals a day to over 200 unsheltered people in the greater Santa Rosa area. In addition, she helps coordinate healthcare, services, supplies, and does all of this for free. She has built long-lasting important relationships. Heather knows just about every homeless person in Santa Rosa by name. She is a shining example of direct action and fearless community engagement and wears her heart on her sleeve for all to see.
“No matter what kind of help a community member needs (health, employment, immigration, housing, food insecurity, or liaising with their child’s school), she finds a way to support them and connect them to wraparound services in Sonoma County. She never says, “I can’t” or “It’s not possible” — she finds a way to meet everyone’s needs.”
Ana Cordova Belik
Ana Cordova Belik works as the lead bilingual family mentor for The Petaluma Family Resource Center, with the mission of serving the low-income and vulnerable families at McDowell Elementary School, and the entire school district. Ana moved to the U.S. in 2002 from Zacatecas, Mexico and found her passion for public service in empowering families. Ana's work focuses solely on building healthy, resilient families in Petaluma, providing access to emergency assistance, COVID resources, housing, mental health, food, and educational resources. She has helped countless undocumented families apply for financial assistance during the pandemic, and supports families in learning to use the district's online grading portal. Ana has taught healthy cooking and crafts classes that give people a safe place to learn new skills and receive emotional support.
“Janina Turner’s passion, dedication and commitment to advancing climate justice is inspiring. From knocking on doors for voter engagement, to climate policy, to youth climate organizing, Janina boldly does what needs to be done to create genuine systems change.”
Janina Turner
Janina Turner, an organizer with the Sunrise Movement in Sonoma County, works with a team of passionate young climate activists fighting for a Green New Deal that secures a livable future while creating millions of good jobs in the process. Originally from Los Angeles, Janina relocated to Sonoma County to attend Sonoma State University to pursue a degree in Environmental Studies. She currently works at The Climate Center as the Energy Programs Coordinator.
The Creators
Eki’ Shola
Eki’Shola’s music is “Half-time electronic soul for the mind” - Resident Advisor. Featured in PBS, NPR Tiny Desk Contest, KQED and most recently selected Best of the Bay 2020 Editors’ Pick, Eki’Shola’s music transcends genre, as she seamlessly draws from jazz, electronica, and soul music to create a sonic landscape all her own. A vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and physician, Eki’Shola uses her music as a conduit for healing.
Born in London to Jamaican parents, Eki’Shola was raised in a musical family. She emigrated to NY in ’87 and later as a pre-med student at Cornell, she performed in the jazz ensemble. Now based in Northern California, ASCAP Plus winner and four-time NorBay Music awardee, Eki’ Shola completed her Essential Virtual Tour in January 2021, performing and giving talks across the world.
In 2016, fueled by grief, she was inspired to release her debut album, Final Beginning. Subsequently, after a traumatic escape from the October 2017 wildfires, Eki’Shola was further moved to focus more on her music and she composed Pieces, a trilogy. Each album portrays a particular stage of reflection. Possible (11/11/19 release) symbolizes a moment characterized by hope and a determination to not give up after losing so much. Drift (2/2/20 release) represents the subsequent period of wanting to be cocooned within a movement that was comforting, and healing. The newly released Essential (9/9/20 release) envelops you in instrumentals, spoken word, and lyrics that share hope, inspired by periods of contemplation among movements of climate change, coronavirus pandemic, and Black Lives Matter advocacy. Completing her virtual tour and inspired by observing the need for amplifying the voices of underrepresented creatives, Eki’Shola was moved to create and launch Unmute Magazine, a digital publication by and mainly for BIPOC artists.
Support Unmute Magazine —> Here
Follow Eki’Shola —> Here
Cassie Goodluck-Johnson
Cassie Goodluck-Johnson is a Navajo American filmmaker. As a teen, two of her short narrative films aired on HBO Family Channel, officially launching her film career. Cassie graduated with a B.A. in the Moving Image Arts at College of Santa Fe in 2007. Her past production work, a mix of both television and film, includes: Renovation Nation, Yohan: The Child Wanderer, 53rd & 54th Annual Grammy Awards, BET Hip Hop Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, 39th People’s Choice Awards, Queen Anne’s Lace, with post-production in reality television's Jersey Shore and Co-Editor of Queen Anne’s Lace, Hike the Divide (Documentary), Chemawa Indian School's A Home Away From Home (Documentary) and Fundación BAI A.C's Virtual Mérida Showcase of Homes (Documentary).
She was a mentor for Native American youth in The Superfly Filmmaking Experience in Seattle, WA (2013-2014, featured in Seattle International Film Festival) and for Paper Rocket Productions' filmmaking workshop at the Navajo Reservation in Shiprock, NM (2015). She taught narrative and documentary filmmaking to Native American youth at Chemawa Indian School in Salem, OR (2016-2018). Cassie owns Goodluck Productions and Designs, which specializes in narrative and documentary filmmaking, promotional video, and portrait and event photography. She also co-owns Native Nomads Vlog, a Youtube Channel and Blog Website focused on travel through Mexico and indigenous culture with her husband. She is currently in the development phase as director of Faces Of The Modern Maya, a feature length documentary in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.
Follow and Support —> Here
Anthony Jimenez
Antiphony Productions is a videography company located in West Sonoma County, servicing projects throughout the Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino County area.
Anthony Jimenez, the artist behind the lens and editing of this company, specializes in wedding, promotion, and music videos. Anthony strives to create gorgeous and dream-like visuals . He combines his clever eye for composition and light, with an imaginative and musical approach to produce beautiful pieces of work, that combine a cinematic and storytelling sense of style.
Antiphony Productions -- https://antiphonylifeproductions.com
https://www.facebook.com/antiphonylifeproductions
The Musical Artists
Niko Otis
A local Sonoma County rapper and songwriter creating magic with his music.
Follow Niko on Instagram —> @niko_otis
Erica Ambrin
Erica Ambrin is a singer/songwriter from Northern California who captivates the audience with her soulful voice and dynamic style. She has shared the stage with Nappy Roots, The Wailers, Martin Luther, Anuhea and was a contestant on American Idol. Erica has performed throughout California and Maui, and hopes to perform all over the world.
Follow Her Music —> Erica Ambrin - Paper Crown Official Music Video
Tru Lyric
Born and raised in Santa Rosa, CA, Tru Lyric has come a long way from making music with friends while attending Analy High School. He found refuge in writing lyrics while battling his depression and anxiety and was able to grow as a musician helping others who battle with the same disease. In July 2018, Tru Lyric released his album “Beautiful Imperfections”. Since then he has performed at venues and festivals across California, and toured though Arizona and New Mexico, before returning home due to the pandemic. In 2020 Tru Lyric began working on a new sound for his most recent EP, “Black Kids Like Emo”, an alternative album with a Hip-Hop fusion. “Black Kids Like Emo” was released in June 2021. Now as things begin to reopen, Tru Lyric is working on new projects and is excited to see where his music takes him next!
Follow on Instagram —> @trulyricofficial
Marelle
Music created with love.
Follow Marelle on Instagram —> @marellemusic
The Storytellers
Kayatta Patton
Kayatta is an educator, with a strong personal interest in youth and community engagement, her offerings consist of poetry, music production, songwriting, and education. Kayatta is a luminary, sharing words of wisdom with students and strangers, threading powerful messages into a creative tapestry for all to experience. A friend, teacher, artist - she spreads her wings wide, embracing those around her, sharing her story and inspiring others to share theirs. She is a current resident of Penngrove and proud to call Sonoma County home.
Learn more and follow Kay —> Here
Sunali Sikand
Sunali believes the impossible becomes possible through the imagination. She helps fan the flames of those imaginings - a world where all entities can thrive in harmony. Through entrepreneurial artistic storytelling - she lives and loves, contributing towards that vision… of a better world, a forever land for all!
A magical muse of life’s elixirs, she crafts and creates beautiful happenings, be it in a cup of tea or a room full of beings, this mama right here is a treat for everyone to enjoy - she embodies love and joy and radiates compassion for all to experience in their unique way.
Follow her on her journey at Healthy High Drinks
Love Ablan
Love is an artist, photographer, filmmaker, storyteller, curator, conservationist, meditation teacher, archer, and friend.
She creates visual narratives and interactive experiences for work and pure joy. She believes the world is a magical place and everyone's a hero on an epic journey. She is here to bring light, magic and voice to these journeys, and help these stories come to life. Wherever she is in this Universe, she is here to co-create with you.
Follow Love @ LoveLovesYou.com
Chelsey Therese Kolbeck
Chelsey is a queer artist and writer, foster youth advocate, shepherd, farmer, and production manager working at the intersection of conscious activism and community organizing. She weaves connections with justice work, land-based solutions, mutual aid networks, access to food, medicine, and connections to the natural world. She believes in the power of community and surrounds herself with amazing people who inspire her everyday to show up. She likes to stay hidden and behind the scenes doing all the little things to help a project or production come to fruition. When struggling, she asks the bees for help, they always answer!
We Are The People
Artwork by Melissa Jones
It is critical that as our community strives to rise up to the challenges that are we face today, that we root ourselves in the strength of our diverse resilience, that we do so in a way that uplifts and connects those at the front lines of climate impacts. Inspired by the Just Transition Framework, we recognize how important it is to design an inter-sectional community convening that honors the true narratives of the people, bringing awareness to the injustices, and activating inclusive planning strategies, and equal opportunities of transformative action within this regenerative movement of nurturing resilient communities and ecosystems. By involving leaders from an array of sectors, campaigns, and backgrounds we believe this project will positively benefit individuals, families, groups, and organizations, elders, youth, and those in between. We continue to build alliances and coalitions of leaders from a diverse spectrum of community-based organizations, working together to integrate and cross-pollinate the many efforts throughout the North Bay, California, the nation, and planet earth.
In October of 2016, the coalition hosted a voter-engagement gathering titled Future Visions through Music, Art, and Politics, held at the Arlene Francis Center. During our de-brief of that event, we were asked “what is needed” and the response came forth, The North Bay Community Engagement Fair, where over 100 local non-profits and 5,000 community members engaged in a one-day participatory volunteer fair held at the Santa Rosa Fair Grounds in January 2017. What came from that fair, was a request from community leaders that they would like to spend more time together, collaborating and connecting - we were invited by the Sustainable Enterprise Conference hosted by Sonoma State University, to guide a Leadership Engagement Breakfast and an interactive discussion across the One Planet Principles in April 2017. When the October 2017 Wildfires swept throughout Sonoma County, we circled back around as friends, community organizers, and concerned citizens to form The Just and Resilient Future Fund; gathering donations we raised over $300,000 and helped guide these funds towards vulnerable populations in need of direct assistance and to community organizations working to create a healthy, just, and resilient future for all. The Second North Bay Community Engagement Fair and Film Premiere will highlight the every day actions of locals doing extraordinary things and how you can get involved in building a better world.