YES! Partners in Local Healing and Organizing

The Santa Cruz Community felt the hurt and divide after the murder of 16 year old Tyler Tenorio this October, and in the face of this tragedy, we remembered our partner Shilpa’s reflection that if divide and conquer is a strategy that has been used to destroy, then connecting and self-organizing may be strategies for healing and regeneration. YES! responded quickly in partnership with several local groups including Barrios Unidos, coAction, and Youth in Focus to host a community forum that served as a healing and coalition building response to the racially-charged murder. The dialogues that were already underway between these local orgs around collaboration for cross-race programming for youth laid the foundation needed for us to be able to mobilize quickly for a community need for unity and dialogue.

On November 4 a racially and generationally diverse group of over 100 people participated in “Call for Peace,” a dialogue with an emphasis on listening to the voices of young people, to respond to and heal from the recent violence, discuss solutions to violence, and move towards a more racially-just Santa Cruz county. The event helped to unite the community in healing and partnership and to critically analyze the racial realities that surround the tragedy.

Responses to the “Call for Peace” forum in November have been overwhelming, with a call from the community for more dialogue. The partnerships that were formed this fall will continue to deepen as we evaluate our work so far and plan next steps, which could include additional local programming and serve as a foundation for a Local Jam in Santa Cruz. If you live in the Santa Cruz or the Bay Area and would like to talk about partnering locally, please contact Julie.

- Julie Pennington, YES! National Community Coordinator