Robert Mejia

As Black History Month comes to an end and Women’s History Month begins, we wanted to spotlight the work of one of our talented staff members.

Stephanie Jeffcoat is our All of Us or None-Southern California Organizer and team lead for our Advocacy Division. The Advocacy Division is dedicated to fighting for the rights of formerly and currently incarcerated people and families. The past few months have been eventful for Jeffcoat as she was a speaker at our November 2021, Peace and Justice Summit on Family Reunification and actively involved with the Sacramento Rally to reform Child Protective Services, which was held in January during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.

KS: What is your main focus in your activism? What topics in particular do you feel strongly about?

SJ: My focus is to encourage and uplift other formerly incarcerated people who have, like me, experienced barriers to reentry. I am especially passionate about family reunification, voting rights, policies that relate to formerly or currently incarcerated individuals, homelessness, and families who have been involved with the Child Welfare system.

KS: Are there any people who have inspired you in your activist journey?

SJ: Without a doubt, Susan Burton. Ms. Burton has been instrumental in my growth as an activist. Ms. Burton took a chance on me and has been an invaluable mentor. I am always tracking her down, trying to pick her brain to get more information. Ms. Burton has taught me the things I need to know to be the advocate that I am today. I am forever grateful.

KS: What do you think sets ANWOL apart from other social movement organizations? 

SJ: A New Way of Life’s wraparound services, such as housing, advocacy, and civic engagement sets them apart from other social movements. The one-on-one aspect of how we engage with our clients and communities is incredibly important. Being a part of a group of people who have been in similar situations is what drew me to ANWOL and what made me want to be an All of Us or None Organizer.

KS: What does Black History mean to you? 

SJ: As a multi-racial African American, Black History is important for people like me as it helps us to be educated and learn about our roots. My experiences at ANWOL have encouraged me to dive deeper into learning about influential African Americans; many of whom, unfortunately, most people have never heard of and do not know about their work, efforts, and contributions to history.  

America has a history of oppressing the Black community, as Blacks were brought as slaves to this country over 400 years ago. The country has continued to work to keep Black people silent or to keep us down. The country is afraid to let us have any real power. 

This is why learning about our history and remembering it matters. This is why we recently celebrated the start of Black History Month at our last All of Us or None-Southern California meeting. We screened a short documentary viewing and discussion of the significance of the Selma to Montgomery marches for the Civil Rights Movement, along with a presentation on Black History Month. Watching this, it is important as our AOUON-SC participants noted, these events took place not too long ago. Many, myself included, were grateful to learn about individuals who have been omitted from history despite their significance.

One person I learned about during my research for the meeting was Jane Bolin. Bolin was the first Black woman to graduate from Yale Law School and the first Black woman to become a judge in the United States. It was amazing to learn about Judge Bolin as I myself am currently on a similar journey to become a lawyer.

This is the type of history that I want to pass on to my children. I have had to take it upon myself to teach my children these amazing African Americans, as I know they will not otherwise learn about them in the classroom. People such as Bolin, whom I already mentioned, and others, such as Madame C.J. Walker, the first Black woman millionaire in America who was an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist. 

This Valentine’s Day, we celebrate the political power of love. For much of U.S. history, people of color have been denied the opportunity to freely love without threat of harassment, violence, or family separation, and yet we still continue to love one another.

American slavery treated slaves as property and indiscriminately tore Black families apart by selling husbands, wives, and their children to different purchasers. The 1875 Page Act prohibited Chinese women from immigrating to the United States as the U.S. Government wanted to “limit the size of the Chinese population in America by preventing Chinese men from bringing their families to the United States or starting new ones.” And the last anti-miscegenation laws were not found unconstitutional until 1967, with Loving v. Virginia.

This blog entry focuses on that landmark case, so as to illustrate the ends to which communities of color struggled just for the right to love one another.

In 1958, Mildred Jeter, an Afro-Indigenous Rappahannock woman, and Richard Loving, a White man, decided to get married. They had met in high school, fell in love, and after becoming pregnant, made the decision to get married. Virginia’s anti-miscegenation law, the Racial Integrity Act of 1924, however, made it illegal for the couple to marry in their home state. Determined to marry, Jeter and Loving drove over 80 miles from their hometown of Central Point, Virginia to Washington D.C, where they could legally marry. They did this knowing that not only that their marriage would not be recognized in Virginia but that they would face legal consequences upon their return.

Just a few weeks after their return to Virginia, the Lovings were reported to Sheriff Garnett Brooks and two deputies, who forcibly broke into the couple’s bedroom on the morning of July 11, 1958. The Lovings were arrested and offered a plea bargain of a suspended sentence (1 year) if they agreed to leave the state and not return together for 25 years.

With no other option, the Lovings relocated to Washington D.C., where they had their three children. Desperate to return to their home state, the Loving wrote a letter to the U.S. Attorney General, Robert F. Kennedy, in 1963. They were then referred her to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which agreed to take their case.

The Lovings appealed their case to Virginia’s Supreme Court of Appeals with the help of the ACLU. The decision, unfortunately, was upheld, with the presiding Judge stating that God “did not intend for the races to mix.” Undeterred, the Lovings decided to take their case to the United States Supreme Court.

In a unanimous decision, on June 12, 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court found in the case of Loving v. Virginia that Virginia’s miscegenation laws violated the Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment. “Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual, and cannot be infringed by the state,” Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote while delivering the opinion of the court.

The decision ended prohibitions on race-based marriages and was a significant milestone for the American civil rights movement, as it made existing anti-miscegenation laws in other states, such as Alabama, unconstitutional.

Though interracial marriages remain low to this day—with only “one-in-six newlyweds” married to someone of a different race or ethnicity in the 50 years after Loving v. Virginia, multi-racial families have been able to exist without fearing legal repercussions. Interracial couples and families nonetheless continue to experience discrimination, as 14% of the non-Black U.S. population still “would be very or somewhat opposed to a close relative marrying someone who is Black.”

As a reentry program, the Loving v. Virginia is of significance as it teaches us both that states and governments have a long history of enacting legislation that harms minority families and individuals and that our love is stronger.

Today, laws and regulations such as the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) are rooted in racism and white supremacy. They disproportionately harm Black, Brown and poor families by punishing impoverished, struggling Americans when they are unable to provide for their children.

On this Valentine’s Day, we ask that you remember the historical and modern activists who have and continue to address the challenges and injustices experienced by people of color and other marginalized groups. We also ask that you remember, as Loving v. Virginia teaches us, our love is stronger than their hatred.

On January 18, community activists, families, and government officials rallied on the steps of the California State Capitol in Sacramento to protest the harm done by California Departments of Children and Families Services. 

A New Way of Life, All of Us Or None Los Angeles/Long Beach, Starting Over, Inc, Western Center on Law & Poverty, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, and 14 additional  organizations from across the state were in attendance.

Throughout the day, individuals whose lives have been impacted by family separation shared their harrowing experiences. Many spoke on how the criminal justice system impedes them from reuniting with their families. By making their displeasure known, they listed how the system should be reformed to work with the purpose of helping these families rather than punishing them.

Representing A New Way of Life, Brian Barajas, Brian Tan, and Stephanie Jeffcoat made the journey to support those who have been harmed by Child Protective Services (CPS). As Stephanie Jeffcoat, an event organizer said, “It is important for us to come together and demand a radical transformation of the Child Welfare System including that all families have access to their children, an end to the system’s practices of criminalizing poverty and seeing low-income families as neglectful.” 

The practices of CPS in conjunction with the guidelines set in place by the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), make the act of reuniting families a challenging task in an already difficult situation. 

Since the passing of ASFA in 1997, families have been torn apart and parents have been left with little to no information about the status of their children’s well-being. 

Many spoke of their own experiences with the system; whether they themselves were the child removed from their home or the parent who had their children taken from their care. 

Ashleigh Albert, a mother from Washington state shared her story. “Losing my children did turn me bitter, but I had to do the work. The internal work: forgiveness, you know, I’m learning how to self-advocate.”

There is a consensus that funds should focus on helping to rehabilitate parents and give them the necessary support they need to avoid family separation. 

Equally important, as Vonya Quarles from Starting Over Inc. points out, the majority of families impacted by this system are Black, brown or poor.

Rather than displacing children from their homes, it would be beneficial to reallocate funds used for the foster care system to these under-resourced communities. 

ANWOL’s staff attorney, Brian Barajas, said, “Instead of money going towards allowing fast-track adoptions to take place, there has to be more money in terms of helping families get the resources needed, so that they can provide for the children and are able to convince the courts that they are fit to have their children in their custody. ” 

A lack of support, services, and funds often leads to the situations that require CPS to intervene. When the focus is on rehabilitation rather than punishment for all involved, families and communities thrive. 

Senate Bill 354 took effect January 1 and removes obstacles in the foster care system that have prevented children from being placed with a relative caregiver who may have a past conviction and is a step towards ensuring children stay with their relatives. State Senator Nancy Skinner, author of the bill, and representative for the East Bay cities was in attendance.

“SB 354 ensures that children in our foster care system have a higher likelihood of being placed with a family member, a caregiver situation that is proven to help a child thrive,” said Sen. Skinner. “SB 354 also addresses the clear racial disparity that Black and Brown Californians are more likely to have a past conviction that can stand in the way of their caring for a family member.”

All mothers, regardless of incarceration status, deserve an opportunity to bond with their children. Many of the residents at A New Way of Life are mothers with a unique journey through incarceration and reentry. A part of that reentry process is reuniting with their children.

Luann is an ANWOL resident who recently reunited with her daughters, one she had not seen since she was three years old. Upon release, her daughters picked her up and they all embraced for the first time in over 22 years.

 

“I was levitated,” says Luann.

Luann has learned that you don’t have to be tough; it’s okay to cry and feel emotions. She is looking forward to creating memories with her daughters and grandchildren.

Tanya, an ANOWL resident, is restoring her relationships with her six children. This Mother’s Day was the first she could spend with her son Anthony in over 15 years. Tanya is committed to self-discovery and self-improvement. This commitment has allowed her to reconnect with her children, get a job and live her best life.

 

Our location in Montebello has offered an abundance of space that allows us to celebrate our residents in significant ways. Many of our staff, former and current residents, and their families gathered at our Montebello safe home for a Mother’s Day celebration on Saturday, May 8.

 

 

Kristen Bell recently launched a new line of CBD skincare products called Happy Dance. Happy Dance promotes the importance of self-care and massage therapists were on site to provide hand massages and products for each resident.

Toni Carter, Susan Burton’s daughter, and a team of chefs prepared lunch. The delicious meal included fried chicken, mac n’ cheese, and her famous chicken salad.

Former resident, Selena, spoke of her reentry process and the importance of reentry programs that reunite children with their mothers. Family reunification is one of the biggest challenges facing formerly incarcerated people. A New Way of Life offers formerly incarcerated people reunification support because we believe that families belong together.

Cheryl Ward, A New Way of Life Housing Coordinator, sang Grandma’s Hands by Bill Withers.

 

Grandma’s hands

Soothed a local unwed mother

Grandma’s hands

Used to ache sometimes and swell

Grandma’s hands

Used to lift her face and tell her

She’d say “Baby, Grandma understands

That you really love that man

Put yourself in Jesus hands”

Grandma’s hands

 

 

The event ended with each resident and their guests picking up a bag of goodies. A New Way of Life filled each bag with scarves, mugs donated by The People Pottery Project, along with slippers and soothing skincare products. In addition, the children were given backpacks with teddy bears and blankets donated by Baby2Baby and supplied by Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis.

 

 

A New Way of Life celebrates currently and formerly incarcerated Mothers every day for their determination to overcome insurmountable obstacles.