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Workshop Summary
Experience one way to raise awareness in majority white, self-identified liberal communities about the lasting legacy of residential racial segregation in housing. We’ll explore how laws, policies and practices that racially segregated America continue to affect the city of Menlo Park, CA today; and we’ll help you customize the model for your community.
Panelists
Color of Law, Local Edition: How the laws that segregated America affected our region
Karen Grove chairs the Grove Foundation. Karen’s parents are Holocaust survivors who found safety, support, acceptance and opportunity in the United States, and the Grove organizations seek to make their experience universal, with particular focus on women, immigrants, and people of color. Karen organizes, connects and mentors and serves on boards such as Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, Groundswell Fund, and the California Donor Table. She serves on the Menlo Park Housing Commission where she advocates for equitable, inclusive policies. She co-founded Menlo Together to build cross-issue and cross-neighborhood support for equity in Menlo Park.
Karen Camacho, Partnership for the Bay’s Future Fellow, works with the City of East Palo Alto, EPACANDO, and other local organizations on housing preservation efforts. Prior to this, she worked as an organizer at the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County and at the ACLU of Northern California. Karen grew up at the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park in Palo Alto and in 2009 moved with her family to East Palo Alto. She saw first-hand the impacts of segregation, and the importance of building equitable, inclusive communities. She holds a bachelor’s in political science and a master’s in latin american studies from Stanford.
Heather Hopkins is a co-founding organizing member of Community Equity Collaborative, which launches, connects, and supports initiatives for educational equity by creating resources that support equitable education, convening local organizations to elevate conversations about equity in education, and connecting on-the-ground partners to maximize the impact of their work. Heather is also an active housing advocate with Menlo Together and Peninsula for Everyone. A closet history buff, Heather thoroughly enjoyed getting lost in the dusty archives of her local library in preparation for The Color of Law: Menlo Park Edition.
Pamela (Pam) Jones, grew-up in East Palo Alto, and has lived in Menlo Park since 1972. She is a retired community college professor and health care professional dedicated to promoting civic engagement. Pam believes equity in democracy begins at the local level. She works to demystify government and encourage people to recognize their power and responsibility to create change, and she advocates for “truth in history” of the racial dynamics that shaped (and shape) her community. Pam is a member of several local organizations, including Menlo Together, League of Women Voters, Menlo Park Historical Association, Cañada College President’s Advisory Group.
Michele Tate is an economic opportunity specialist who is a founding board member of the Belle Haven Community Development Fund (BHCDF). BHCDF funded the expansion of OneEPA’s Sponsored Employment Program into Belle Haven to provide summer employment to youth 14-24 years of age. Michele represents Belle Haven on the Menlo Pank Planning Commission and previously sat on the Menlo Park Housing Commission 2013-2019 serving as Chair for two terms. Michele has also represented Belle Haven on the Menlo Park Bedwell Bayfront Park Oversight Committee and the Menlo Park General Plan Advisory Committee. Michele has been a member of Menlo Together since 2019.
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