By Taylor Johnson | OBSERVER Staff Writer
What do massages, smudging, waist beading and drum circles have in common? They were all components to celebrate UC Davis’ annual Equity Summit and Social Justice Awards this year on Tuesday, March 11.
Despite this being the event’s 14th year celebrating, organizers pushed for this event to be bigger and more prominent to push back against the federal governments’ anti-DEI rhetoric in schools and colleges.
Patrice Hill, the director of Sacramento Area Youth Speaks, said creating spaces inside of institutions to host events like the equity summit is not easy. She said it takes multiple stakeholders and supporters of equity, diversity and social justice to do.
“This event has always been a vehicle of change and a signal to the region that there is a community of folks that are going to do this work no matter the circumstance…” she said.
Sacramento Area Youth Speak—also known as SAYS— is a social justice movement that empowers youth and inspires them to pursue higher education, teamed up with organizations like Oak Park’s Massage Clinic, Waist Beads by Ayodele and others to host activities for participants to do, which highlights spirituality, meditation and self care.
“These types of activities are centered on holistic healing practices, health and wellness and culturally relevant sacred spaces of gathering and loving on each other,” Hill said.
In addition to the diversity summit, the event also gave out awards for those dedicated to social justice in their communities.
The award winners were chosen from a pool of applicants who were nominated by colleagues, students or people that have been inspired by their work. Self-nominations were not accepted.
The social justice awards selection team reviewed the applications and scored their responses by a range of 0-10.
Around eight people won these awards at the event, which included: Celine Qin, Khartoum Malik Moore, Kelly Sieger, Natalia Caporale, Jameel Pugh, Angileena Hayes, Anthony Finnell, Vickie Gomez.
“This award is deeply personal to me. It’s more than just recognition—it’s a testament to the power of community, resilience, and purpose,” said Angileena Hayes, who won the Ubuntu Award for Inspiring Social Change. “There were times when I was homeless and hungry, and my community showed up for me in ways I will never forget. I was raised in this community, and as I grew, I found my purpose in giving back.”
Hayes has worked in education for over 15 years, first starting out a team leader for afterschool programs. She also worked with youth recently released from juvenile hall at a group home.
“During undergrad, I came across an article about the high suspension rates for Black and Brown children in Sacramento, and I asked myself: ‘Is this what my children have to look forward to?’ That was the moment I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
The event also hosted a panel discussing “Faith Made Flesh. The Black Child Legacy Campaign for Transformative Justice and Healthy Futures.” Edited by Lawrence “Torry” Winn, Vajra Watson, Maisha Winn and Kindra F. Montgomery-Block, the book discusses the experience of educators and social justice advocates in the field of education.
The editors hoped this book would serve as a blueprint on how people continue this fight both in Sacramento and across the country.
“Sacramento matters—not just geographically, but historically and systemically,” said Watson. “The city has been both a site of struggle and resilience for Black communities. …This book uplifts research by uplifting people—educators, activists, and, most importantly, youth. It serves as both a historical record and a call to action, showing what’s possible when we center Black futures in policy and practice.”
Watson urges schools to move beyond performative equity work and commit to systemic transformation by hiring and retaining Black teachers, amplifying the voices of students and affirming cultural identity and community leadership.
“Our research and the work of [The Black Child Legacy Campaign] demonstrate that when we invest in Black students holistically, we are investing in a better future for all.”
Support for this Sacramento OBSERVER article was provided to Word In Black (WIB) by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. WIB is a collaborative of 10 Black-owned media that includes print and digital partners.