GEN NOW FELLOWSHIP

Jay is an unabashedly Black, unabashedly queer digital media, pop culture, political, and performing arts enthusiast. Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, he received an undergraduate degree in Theatre Performance from Virginia Commonwealth University, which naturally led him to a career in political and digital organizing. Jay’s prior work includes organizing Virginia’s historically black colleges and universities in the run up to the state’s 2017 statewide elections. The 2017 cycle saw historic turnout amongst young people and voters of color, and also led to the most diverse class of legislators elected in Virginia’s history. Jay now serves as Power California’s Digital Strategist and seeks to uplift the stories of queer people and people of color, as well as make civic engagement accessible and even fun.

Hannah Esqueda is a lifelong resident of Fresno, CA, leaving home temporarily to earn her bachelor’s degree in journalism at Washington and Lee University in Virginia. She spent several years after college as a reporter and editor for community and business newspapers in the Central San Joaquin Valley before making the jump to the nonprofit sector. She is currently the Communications Manager for Californians for Justice where she helps craft powerful narratives for social change, racial justice, and educational equity.

Oswaldo is a digital organizer, justice advocate, and Director of Operations for Resilience Orange County. Oswaldo was born in Santa Ana, CA and began his organizing journey in 2012 through his organizing with faith communities. It was in this work, specifically organizing around immigration and civic engagement, that his love for communications emerged. In 2015, he began organizing with immigrant youth and shifted to a direct action approach. Since then, Oswaldo committed to developing bold, youth leadership through a transformative justice framework with Santa Ana Boys and Men of Color (now Resilience Orange County). Here, he has continued to support communities in combating white supremacy (#DefendSanctuary) and in developing narratives of justice transformation. In his free time, Oswaldo enjoys traveling, photography, building community, and developing community tools.

As a young womxn of color living in the Central Valley, Karina’s interest in community-based activities stems from her love of her culture’s food and the kitchen. Karina truly believes that sharing space and food is an expression of community and love of service. She has followed a variety of work paths, but has always gravitated to community engagement especially that which focuses on people of color, migrant communities, the LGBTQ community, and social justice. Through these different experiences, she has come to better understand the need for power-building in the Central Valley, specifically through grassroots efforts and creating safe spaces for our communities. In her adult life, Karina has found comfort in creative spaces, where she can continue to grow more in touch with her surroundings, as well as with friendships with like-minded folks. She enjoys going to local events centered around art and seeing the different outlets that  folks use to uplift social change.

Daniel was born and raised in Ventura County. While attending Fillmore High School, he co-founded and became the first president of One Step a la Vez, a non-profit teen drop in center committed to empowering youth to take part in community organizing in Fillmore and the Santa Clara Valley. During his time as a community organizer at One Step a la Vez, Daniel took part in canvassing to recruit youth and community members to form part of a task force to address transportation concerns in the Clara Valley corridor. He later took back the streets, canvassing to raise awareness about the environmental hazards of the Super Fund site in Fillmore. During these efforts, Daniel coordinated forums with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the EPA’s Technical Assistance Service for Communities, and the Chevron Corporation.

Pamela was born and raised in the Philippines and has been Oakland-grown since 2008. As a high school student, before studying linguistics in college, Pamela was a student leader at Californians for Justice. This was where her passion for community work was catalyzed. She has been working in communications at Filipino Advocates for Justice (FAJ) since 2018, after getting partnered with the organization through Public Allies. She recently completed a term with AmeriCorps and is now a full time staff member at FAJ, currently working in both the low-wage worker support program and communications.

Michael works in communications for Community Coalition, a social justice nonprofit which advocates on behalf of South LA's residents to transform the economic and social conditions that foster addiction, crime, violence, and poverty. He comes to CoCo after time spent working one-on-one with Angelenos at Chrysalis, where he helped to find employment for formerly incarcerated folks, the homeless, and people who've been marginalized from the formal economy. He's long had an interest in economic inequality and understanding how it plays out in the United States. A member of the LGBTQ community, he started feeling truly drawn to mission driven work during his own coming out process as a gay man.

Amy is from Long Beach, CA and is an alum of Khmer Girls in Action where she is now a field organizer. Amy represents the refugee, Southeast Asian, and marginalized communities fighting towards gender, economic, and social justice for communities of colors.

Yvette has been organizing since 2016, when she was a college student in Turlock, CA. Her family has been organizing both in the Central Valley and in southern California ever since she could remember. In Turlock, she organized and mobilized students where they fought against a white supremacist club that had formed on campus. They then transitioned into fighting the revocation of DACA, recognizing the repeal as the attack on their campus and nation that it was. After college, Yvette continued to work with students both on campus issues and by registering students to vote. After moving to the Bay Area, Yvette began working with San Francisco Rising as a field organizer.

Esthefanie (Esthef) is a queer, CaliMexicana raised in Boyle Heights, California. She has been organizing in the Eastside of Los Angeles since the age of 15. As a student at Roosevelt High, she was introduced to InnerCity Struggle’s youth organizing club, United Students. Being raised by a single, immigrant mother, Esthef learned how exploitation, broken immigration laws, and disinvestments in high need neighborhoods took a toll on families’ wellbeing. Organizing became the tool she used to heal, transform and empower her community and herself. For the past 7 years, she has been part of campaigns that have led to a drastic increase in school funding, began to reshape what school discipline looks like, and activated disenfranchised voters to pass progressive policies to decriminalize communities of color and raise revenue for public services. Esthef loves to learn about herbal and traditional ways of healing to incorporate into her organizing work.