Jamela Smith-Folds Ward/Area 1 Trustee

08/30/2026

Week 2 2026-2027
Review

“The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.” -Albert Einstein

Monday 8-24-26
Today, I had the pleasure of celebrating Ms. Maxine. She has been a fixture in the Point Richmond area for over two decades. She waves to cars and has crossed thousands of students and the community at Washington Elementary School. She is treasured and valued.
1. Ms. Maxine’s Point Richmond celebration

Tuesday 8-25-26
Today, I had the opportunity to visit many sites. Olinda has such an amazing view. The amount of outdoor space is breathtaking. At Sheldon, I got to see math lessons being taught at different grade levels. They all had rigor and a focus on math literacy. At Valley View, I got to see and experience a whole room dedicated to kindness. When visiting Murphy, I saw the difference a well organized classroom makes and I saw a fabulous activity around anti bullying. Today was my second visit of the year to Betty Reid at Pinole. I was given a lanyard with the merged name on it and I visited a CTE and English classroom. Both had teachers whose energy and excitement just made the classes so inviting and enjoyable. Students were talking and laughing and enjoying school. I ended my day with agenda review. This is the time where I sit with district staff and ask questions about the agenda. We have our board meeting on Wednesday and I have my review on Tuesday. It’s not a lot of time but it gives me the opportunity to ask questions and give suggestions on presentations.
1. Olinda Elementary site visit
2. Sheldon Elementary site visit
3. Valley View Elementary site visit
4. Murphy Elementary site visit
5. Betty Reid at Pinole Middle site visit
6. WCCUSD agenda review

Wednesday 8-26-26
Today, I got to visit Helms and saw a cross school focus on reading. At Bayview, I saw the most amazing administrator. The students adore her. At Lake, I saw SCOW Reverend Shumake and the new principal. I saw a teacher who had a turtle as a class pet and connected with many students I had the pleasure to read to last year. When at Dover, I saw backpacks overflowing for the giveaway they were setting up. I also ran into the Williams evaluation team. At Richmond High, I observed many pathways. I also got to hear more about the recognized Robotics team from their teacher. I also got the chance to look at the new field at Hercules High School. I ended the day with a board meeting. The meeting was cut short because there was an unforeseen circumstance that required the District’s attention.
1. Helms Middle School site visit
2. Bayview Elementary site visit
3. Lake Elementary site visit
4. Dover Elementary site visit
5. Richmond High site visit
6. WCCUSD school board meeting
7. Hercules High School track visit

Thursday 8-27-26
Today, I attended Tea with Todd where the principal of Pinole, Todd Irving, had an informative and engaging conversation with parents. Parents were introduced to the dynamic CSS team at PVHS and got to experience a passing period. I also visited Stewart Elementary where I talked to principal Lopez and got a chance to learn more about his DLI program. I virtually attended PVHS’s SSC meeting. I ended the night by listening to another DPCCC school board interview. Elections will always matter.
1. Pinole Valley SSC meeting
2. Tea with the principal PVHS
3. Stewart Elementary site visit
4. DPCCC East County endorsement meeting

Friday 8-28-26
Today, I had the chance to visit DeAnza High School accompanied by a parent advocate and shake the hand of a CSS who is making a difference in the life of a particular student and all students. This student has said this particular CSS values him and sees him. He is the reason the student is coming to school and class. I had a chance to implement my “chat with admin.” Where I intentionally go and listen to our administrators. I also had a chance to visit Hercules Middle School where safety is a top priority. I came when the school was having its fire drill. I stayed after the drill and saw a dance class. I had the opportunity to listen to a senior talk about literacy and what high schoolers can do to close the gap. Finally, I ended the night with football. I attended Hercules High School and Pinole Valley High School football games. As always the band was stellar at Hercules. I really enjoyed Pinole Valley High School football game against Berkely. The energy was infectious!
1. Hercules High School football game
2. Pinole Valley Football game
3. DeAnza site visit
4. Hercules Middle School site visit
4.”Chats with admin.”
5. Literacy tutoring model meeting

Saturday 8-29-26
Today was intended for me to take care of myself. It was spent taking care of my family and the community. 😳
1. Self Care Day
2. Answering work emails and returning phone calls

Sunday 8-30-26
Today, I spent the majority of the day at the DPCCC endorsement meeting where consideration was discussed about who our next civic leaders should be.
1. DPCCC endorsements meeting

“If we cannot identify racist policies, then we cannot challenge racist policies." Ibram X. Kendi

08/30/2026

Happy birthday to Fred Hampton, the Chicago organizer and chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party who was born on August 30, 1948. Hampton was only 20 when he joined the Panthers, but he quickly became one of the movement's most influential young leaders. Before joining the party, he had already been organizing through the NAACP Youth Council in the Chicago suburb of Maywood, where he helped campaign for a community swimming pool and challenged racial discrimination. After joining the Panthers, he became known not only for his powerful speeches, but for organizing programs that directly addressed the needs of working class communities, including the Free Breakfast Program and community health initiatives.

One of the most important parts of Hampton's organizing was his effort to bring people from different racial and ethnic communities together. He helped build what became known as the Rainbow Coalition, connecting the Black Panther Party with the Puerto Rican Young Lords and the Young Patriots, a group that organized among poor white Southerners living in Chicago. Hampton understood that communities facing poverty and police violence could find common ground even when racism had historically kept them divided. His growing influence also attracted the attention of the FBI, which was conducting COINTELPRO operations against Black political organizations and viewed Hampton as a significant threat. On December 4, 1969, Chicago police raided Hampton's apartment in a predawn operation. Hampton, who was 21 years old, was killed along with fellow Panther Mark Clark. Later investigations found that police had fired dozens of rounds while only one shot was attributed to those inside the apartment, and the FBI's role in targeting Hampton became a major part of subsequent investigations and litigation. In 1983, the city of Chicago, Cook County and the federal government agreed to a $1.85 million settlement with the families and survivors, with the court finding that the government had conspired against the Black Panther Party and violated the civil rights of the plaintiffs.

Fred Hampton was only 21 when his life was taken, but in those few years he had already demonstrated how powerful community organizing could be. His legacy is not simply about the circumstances of his death. It is also about the breakfast programs, health initiatives, political education, in*******al organizing and efforts to unite communities that he helped build. Hampton's story remains an important part of Black history because it shows both the possibilities of grassroots political organizing and the extraordinary pressure that Black activists faced when they challenged inequality and institutional power.

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08/28/2026

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1627924272034224&id=100044499993715&mibextid=wwXIfr

Emmett Till — August 28, 1955

Let us not forget Emmett Till. On August 28, 1955, the 14-year-old was abducted and brutally murdered in Mississippi. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, made the courageous decision to show the world what had been done to her son—helping galvanize a movement for justice that would transform America. His name, his story and his life must never be forgotten.

08/26/2026

08/26/2026

America was built on Black labor. A project born from bo***ge 406 years ago.

On August 25, 1619, a ship carrying enslaved Africans arrived at Old Point Comfort, Virginia. They were stolen from their homes in the kingdom of Ndongo, in present-day Angola. Captured by Spanish slavers, then seized again by an English privateer, they were sold to colonists in exchange for food. 15 women. 17 men. The first of millions.
They arrived with skills in farming, blacksmithing, and trade that helped a struggling colony survive. They carried languages, music, and traditions that shaped the culture of a nation built on their backs.
What followed was 246 years of chattel slavery, and 160 more years of violence, exclusion, and fights for basic dignity that continue today.

Yet Black people survived. We resisted. We created. We organized. We built.

Enslaved Black people’s labor helped build the foundations of this country, and generations of Black Americans continued shaping America long after emancipation, even while fighting for rights and freedom denied to them.

Black history isn’t a footnote to American history. It is American history.

We remember the lives stolen and families torn apart. And we honor the generations who survived, resisted, and built anyway.

#1619

08/25/2026

2026-2027 WCCUSD Calendar