Upcoming Monthly Volunteer Action Meeting: Wednesday, August 18th, 6-7pm at Karen's house (for those who are vaccinated) or via Zoom. The in-person meeting will start at 5pm for a social hour, bring a munchie or a beverage. Zoom will start at 5:45pm.

Email us for the address or Zoom link.

Sister District Barbership Interview Series

Interviews are broadcast on Instagram Live. To access the event, log on to www.instagram.com/sister_district

Join Sister District for a series of Instagram Live interviews with some of the most thought-provoking and inspiring Black men leading the civil rights and social justice movements today.

August 12: Reverend Al Sharpton, Erasing the School to Prison Pipeline

More guests coming soon!

All interviews are hosted by Organizing and Political Director Jarvis Houston. Transcripts are available after air date on our blog: https://sisterdistrict.com/blog

Wine & Garden Party Fundraiser: Saturday, August 28th, 1-4pm
Please Register: https://bit.ly/wine-register
And then Donate: https://bit.ly/donate-wine

What We’ve Been Up To

• Candidate Chris Hurst joined the Zoom. He shared that he is fighting hard to keep the seat, and has had a key vote on issues in VA like banning the death penalty and expanding healthcare. He has a goal to bring broadband access to every home and business in his district in the next 2 years. He said a key way for Sonoma West to help in addition to fundraising will be phone banking in the final weeks of the race.
• Madison Thomas, our new Sister District Organizing Manager, joined the Zoom. She worked on Sara Gideon's State Senate campaign in rural Maine, as well as on the Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossof Senate run-off campaigns in Georgia.
• The Outreach Committee has enrolled 9 new members in the past 2 weeks.
• Garden Party fundraiser will be on August 28th from 1-4pm. Appetizers and food helpers still needed. Email flyers will go out July 26-27. Members are encouraged to send event Postcards to your friends that are not members, who may have an interest in attending the event or bidding on raffle/auction items. Please send your post cards after you receive your email flyer. Remember, this is our biggest fund raising event this year.  Our success is dependent on having a full house of 120 attendees and raising as much money as possible through the raffle and silent auction!
• Walk it Blue in-person on Saturday, September 25th at Forestville Community Park.
• Catherine Lipson is supporting those interested in throwing house parties-- see the minutes for contact info.
• For details see our July 21, 2021 meeting minutes here.

Katherine lives with her husband and two daughters in San Diego.

Current or past professions:

I grew up in the restaurant industry working both the front and back of house. My love of food, environment and equity led me to my current career at a global food service company. I lead performance management of their sustainability and corporate responsibility commitments.

Hobbies and passions:

Exploring new places, meeting new people, and experiencing different cultures. I used to travel extensively, but between work and kids, I now seek out these experiences closer to home. 

Genesis of  political activism:

Protesting a housing development in Forestville during the annual town parade when I was 6; my mom made a ‘Keep our Town Tiny’ sign for me to wear as I biked in the parade. In high school, I was a student leader of the West County Health Center’s Teen Clinic and helped provide free, private, and safe sexual healthcare and education to teens in the area.  

What keeps us up at night?

The challenges my daughters will experience as black women. They will grow up with similar benefits that I enjoyed, but will encounter many more roadblocks, setbacks, and discrimination. While I actively work to help change the systems and viewpoints that will affect them, the unfortunate reality is that we will have to teach them how to navigate a world that often devalues their worth.

How did you hear about SDP?

My mom, Karen Walker, helped found the Sonoma West County chapter. Come to think of it, she keeps getting me roped into her passion projects. 

What appealed to us about SDP?

That I could participate in political activism while chasing after my kids! But seriously, the ability to contribute to this work without meeting in person, attending fundraisers etc. has been crucial for me. 

How were we involved with SDP during the last election?

Designing event flyers, organizing registration for events, managing our member list, managing our communications and anything else than can be accomplished behind the scenes.

What have you learned?

That activism doesn’t always mean being on the front lines of protests. Every skill can be useful for positive political purposes. We all have a role to play and we all are the best at something! 

Goals for 2021:

Training members to take on some of my responsibilities and seeing them improve my processes. 

One thing about you people would be surprised to learn?

After doing a semester long research project on Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, including getting her to record an interview with me, I was able to meet her in person during an eighth grade class trip to Washington DC. Although our politics don't completely align, she is an incredible woman, committed to encouraging young girls.