The League of Women Voters of Santa Monica hosted their annual award ceremony, Women Who Shape Santa Monica, on Wednesday, Mar. 19 at the Brookdale Ocean House to honor Carla Fantozzi, Shari Davis, Ana G. Jara, and Joanne Berlin with the Yellow Rose Award.
The League has had a presence in Santa Monica for 90 years, promoting civic engagement and, while they don’t endorse specific campaigns, they do promote causes and propositions. The Yellow Rose Award stems from the suffragette symbol used in the fight for women’s voting rights. The award is presented yearly to local women who influence the city.
The theme of this year’s event was Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.
“Many of the teens I worked with at the Teen Center are now parents themselves with children in the programs at Virginia Avenue Park. I was also lucky to work with so many parents who are here tonight, who've become dear friends while we establish programs and partnerships to support the community at Virginia Park. These experiences and friendships have enriched my life, broadened my perspective and understanding in so many ways,” said Fantozzi. She went on to highlight the influence that supportive legislation has on the youth.
As the League is an advocate for equity and inclusion, there were mentions of current or coming policies that oppose this view. Robbie Staenberg, representing the office of Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur to commend the honorees, spoke on the inspiration that local events like these bring when federal policies are so contrasted. Jara, an honoree, also emphasized her belief in the importance of coming together for minorities.
“I have a call to action for all of you, other leaders in this room, those that are in political positions, those of you who have chosen the employment of leadership, and mostly all of us in this room that are in this work together–focus on the most vulnerable,” she said. “They have little energy, little capacity, little resources and very little will to ask for the help that they need, but we all know that they need it.”
Jara has worked to improve the juvenile justice system and advocate for youth. All four honorees of the night have pushed local political policy in the direction of inclusivity in Santa Monica.
While the theme of the event was futuristic, the four recipients of the Yellow Rose Award were honored for their forward thinking.
“Very simply, education is both formal and informal. We all know this, and we also all know that it is something that is a lifelong thing, and that is because as long as every one of us is paying attention to what's going on around the US, listening and curious and willing in a way, to do some work to make the world a better place,” said Berlin, who was described by Janet McKeithen as a critical and independent thinker. Berlin dedicated over a decade to racial justice and antiracism.
Education was a central point of the ceremony. All women honored took on education as a job, whether it was in schools or to the public.
“We are a fairly small team of regular folks who became education advocates who have organized parents, leaders from across the city and the political spectrum, educators, students and just members of our community to mobilize around education. Education really is the great equalizer and the cost that unites us,” Davis said. She is currently a director of the Public Policy Institute at SMC, as well as a professor of political science.
The actions of these women helped push current local policies forward and they have contributed to much of the City’s awareness and advocacy for minorities and underrepresented individuals. The women received honorary certificates from the City of Santa Monica, California State Assembly, California District 36, and LA County.
Mayor Lana Negrete presented commendations for the women at the event and said it was important to recognize the women as individuals and the value of their efforts. Negrete spoke to the Daily Press and shared her hope for her administration.
“Communication is one of the things I want to do as a mayor, as someone who came here, as you know, first generation in the country, I think making sure that we're doing outreach, which means going to people and not communicating in a way that requires people to come to us, meaning not just putting it on a website, not just doing a social media blast, not just going to the City-ran events, but going out in the community when we're not asked to be there, so just being at the park, being around the neighborhood,” she said.
Left to right: Shari Davis, Ana Gioconda Jara, Carla Fantozzi, Joanne Whitcomb Berlin, Lana Negrete
