A People’s History of the Inland Empire Digital Archive

This is an oral history interview with Reverend Benita Ramsey conducted on January 10, 2024. This interview covers Benita's childhood in Liberty City (a suburb in Miami, FL), her religious upbringing, her educational journey through law school at the University of Miami School of Law, and her continued involvement in LGBTQ advocacy and community work as a minister to the Unity Fellowship Church, based out of Riverside, California.

This is an oral history interview with Judge Virginia Phillips conducted on February 21, 2024. In this interview, Judge Phillips shares her childhood upbrining in Orange, California, and how she studied at UC Riverside before pursuing a law degree and eventually becoming a judge. The main highlight in this interview was Judge Phillips sharing her story on how she struck down the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy in the United States military, altering the way that the LGBTQ+ community serves in the military today. Phillips also reflects on her active role in the community within Riverside and the Inland Empire and her commitment to her service within the community as a judge.

This is an oral history interview with Gabriel Maldonado conducted on April 4, 2024. In this interview, Gabriel shares his life story starting with his childhood as a bi-racial African American and Latino boy in Compton, CA. He emphasizes his work as an LGBTQ+ advocate in the Inland Empire, his connection to Riverside and the community he's built, and all the moments that led him to become an activist. He also emphasizes his role as the CEO of TruEvolution, an organization based out of the IE that is dedicated to fighting for health equity and racial justice. Maldonado mentions his work in spreading HIV awareness through his work both in the community and on the Advisory Council on HIV/AIDs for the Obama administration.

This is an oral history interview with Connie Confer, conducted on December 15, 2023. Connie, whose full name is Carolun Confer but is commonly known as Connie, shares her life story from her childhood in Milton, Pennsylvania, her family background, her education at Penn State where she majored in broadcasting and theater arts, and her career as a social worker, her path to law school, and later becoming an activist for LGBTQ rights with her long-term partner/wife Kay.

This interview with Robert Bland was conducted on November 8, 2023. In this interview, Bland discusses his early life growing up in segregated Virgina and his experiences as one of the first African American undergraduates at the University of Virgina in the 1950s and eventually moving to California in the 1960s. Bland describes his community activism in Riverside as one in which he was an active member for the local NAACP chapter, where he served as the education chair and collaborated with other local organizers to create Freedom Schools as an alternative to the public school system during a boycott. Towards the end of the interview, Bland discusses his current involvement in issues of public safety and criminal justice reform and expresses hope that the next generation will continue the fight for equality and justice that he and his community have championed.

This interview with Dr. Deborah Wong, conducted on May 8, 2024, explores her life and work as an ethnomusicologist and social justice advocate. Born in New York City in 1959 to a Chinese-American father and white-American mother, Dr. Wong reflects on her multicultural upbringing and the racial dynamics she experienced while growing up on the East Coast and in Richmond, Virginia. Her academic path began with a love for music, leading her to ethnomusicology, which allowed her to study music in its cultural and social context. After earning her PhD, Dr. Wong taught at Pomona College before joining UC Riverside in 1996, where she focused on Asian American performance and music as tools for community building and racial justice. Her research includes documenting Riverside's Asian American history, preserving the city's Chinatown, and serving on the Riverside Coalition for Police Accountability following the 1998 police killing of Tyisha Miller. Dr. Wong emphasizes the power of music in shaping identity and social change, especially within marginalized communities. She continues to champion public-facing research and activism, hoping her work will inspire future generations to build on the legacy of community-based justice and equity.

This interview with Rose Mayes was conducted on December 5th, 2023. In this interview, Rose shares her life journey, growing up in Millville, Louisiana to moving to Riverside and establishing multiple organizations that advocate for social justice and fair housing. Rose begins by sharing stories of her childhood, being one of fourteen childreen and growing up with a close-knit family. She moved from Louisiana to Texas where she graduated high school and eventually started her own store, "Rose's Record Store" which became successful in Houston. It was during this time she navigated racial discrimination in business. After selling her business, Rose moved to Riverside where she earned her bachelor's and master's degree in business, worked for the Wall Street Journal, and became involved in activism. Rose became the executive director of the Fair Housing Council in Riverside County, fighting against housing discrimination, organizing out reach programs, and providing education on home ownership. Rose also founded the Eleanor Jean Grier Leadership Academy in 2007 to train community members to servce in leadership roles, such as city boards. Rose is still committed to serving the city of Riverside, citing the Dr. Martin Luther King monument site as another project she is currently working on.

This is an oral history interview with Justice Richard T. Fields conducted on November 15, 2023. The interview covers his childhood memories from growing up in East St. Louis, Illinois and his experiences with racial discrimination growing up in a racially segregated community. His interview also covers the impact of his role in the community from being a lawyer to become the Associate Justice on the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Two.

This interview with Bernell Butler was conducted on March 27, 2024. In this interview, Reverend Bernell Butler describes growing up in the Belltown neighborhood of Riverside, California, his military service, and eventual calling into the ministry. He recounts the tragic circumstances around the death of his niece, Tyisha Miller, who was killed by police in 1998. Butler discusses the community's outrage and protests and the challenges he faced in mobilizing support and seeking justice, as Tyisha's story made national headlines and garnered the support of African American leaders like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Butler organized multiple actions for his niece, including a freeway nonviolent protest, and became the spokesperson for the family and continued to advocate for police accountability and community care.

This transcription of Lalit Acharya gives a detailed account of his experience as an immigrant in Riverside, California and his involvement with the community. Lalit is the president of the Ghandi Foundation in Riverside and board member of the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California. Lalit shares the process of getting the Ghandi monument to Riverside, while also sharing the history of the Harada House, another notable historic site in Riverside that was the home of Jukichi and Ken Haradan and how the house was involved in a longstanding legal battle with the city of Riverside to reclaim the property. The rest of the transcription has Lalit describe his personal journey with his involvement in the Riverside community and community involvement.

This interview with Congressman Mark Takano was conducted on March 15, 2024. Takano's interview covers his childhood growing up in Riverside, his family's history of Japanese incarceration during World War II, and his journey into politics. Takano shares that he grew up in the La Sierra, Arlington side of Riverside and his mom worked as a school secretary at North High School. It was through his high school experience that Takano grew an interest in public service and cites that as the beginning of his political journey. When running for State Assembly in 1994, Takano was outed by his opponent. Since then, Takano discusses the progress made on LGBTQ+ rights durings during his tenure in Congress. The rest of the interview discusses one of Takano's major legislative accomplishments, the PACT Act, which expanded benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances, the Blue Water Navy Act, and the Compact Act for veteran mental health services.

This interview with Dr. Judy White was conducted on April 10, 2024. In this interview, Dr. White talks about her childhood being born in Los Angeles in 1955 and growing up in San Bernardino and later attending Occidental College, Cal State San Bernardino, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, and Azusa Pacific, where she received her doctorate. Dr. White details the initiatives and projects that she was instrumental to like the Asterisk Project, AAPAC, and others that have shaped education across the state of California.

This interview with Eloise Gomez Reyes was conducted on March 22, 2024. Reyes is a California State Assembly member representing the Inland Empire region. In this interview, Reyes talks about her upbringing in a close-knit Latina/o/x community in Colton, her love for education, and how that led her to become the first in her family to attend USC and eventually pursuing a career in law and becoming the Assembly Majority Leader for the California State Assembly.

This interview with Katie Greene was conducted on December 5th, 2023. Greene is primarily known in the community as co-founder of The Group, a Riverside-based organization that was founded in 1999 to address issues affecting the African American Community. As the longtime chair of the Issues and Actions committee, Greene has been a long-term community advocate, building with the Riverside African American Historical Society and the Eleanor Grier Leadership Academy. In this interview, Katie recounts her life, from her childhood in Millville, Louisiana, to her military service as a medic, nurse, and nurse practitioner. While serving in the military, Greene also describes some of the challenges she faced due to her race and gender. One example is her being chosend to model hairstyles for the military's new affirmative action policies. Despite these challenges, Greene also went on to pursure a law degree and volunteered for 23 years with the Public Service Law Corporation which helped those who could not afford legal services. Both Katie and her sister Rose Mayes are a powerful postive force in Riverside, and Katie's interview reflects that.

This interview with Jane Block was conducted on November 10, 2023. Block is a 94-year old community and environmental advocate and activist from Riverside, California. In this interview, Block recounts her life story, from growing up in a rural Catholic community in Idaho, to moving to Riverside where she became a prominent figure in the local women's rights movement. Through her advocacy, Jane played in active role in founding and leading several organizations in Riverside like the County Childcare Consortium, the Women's Resource Center, and the Commission for Women in Riverside County. Jane also mentioned her work in environmental activism through protecting natural areas like the Santa Rosa Plateau and how she's connected environmental issues and women's rights.

This interview with Chani Beeman was conducted on April 10, 2023. Chani Beeman is a prominent community activist that advocates for LGBTQ Rights and police accountability. Born and raised in Riverside, California, Beeman shares her experiences growing up in the Inland Empire and coming to terms with her queer identity. After studying at Riverside Community College, UC Riverside, and Cal State San Bernardino, Beeman discusses her work in community activism, specifically with the Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC) and her involvement with the Riverside Coalition for Police Accountability, where she worked to ensure transparency and accountability with Riverside law enforcement.

This interview with Elvis Zonoroza was conducted on July 12, 2024. The interview covers Elvis's earlier life memories within Mexico and America, and the challenges he faced as a deaf individual. These include challenges with communication with other people and the challnges in aclimating to the new lifestyle he experienced when arriving in the US from Mexico. Elvis discusses his education at the California School of the Deaf. After his highschool graduation at CSDR, Elvis innitially sought to persue a cereer in Physical Education, and so he attended Galaudat University in Washington D.C, but had to leave early due to becoming a young father. Elvis recalls his experience first working with community advocacy, which gave him a new perspective on how to help deaf people. After graduation, he got a job as an ASL instructor at the Holy Names Highschool in Oakland which gave him a more in depth understanding behind ASL and its intricacies. Later on down the line, Elvis worked in the Center on Defeness in the Inland Empire (CODIE) where he advocated on behalf of others with the same condition as he. He advocated for their employment, education, and accimation and acceptance within communities. He continues to advocate using his youtube channel which focuses on sports and sports education as well as deaf education.

This interview with Vivian Stancil was conducted on May 7, 2024. Vivian shares her life story, including her challenging childhood in foster care, her diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) that led to vision loss, and her perseverance in pursuing education and becoming a teacherin Long Beach. After retiring from teaching, Vivian was told by her doctor that she would not live to 60 if she did not make significant life changes. From that point, Vivian made a major life style change through swimming as a sport. Through her love for swimming, Vivian dedicated herself to community service, founding two non-profit organizations - Christian Intercessors of the Nations and the Vivian Stancil Olympian Foundation. The Olympian Foundation focuses on drowning prevention, providing free swimming lessons and water safety education, especially for underprivileged children and adults. Vivian herself learned to swim as an adult and went on to compete in the Senior Olympics, winning numerous medals.

This interview with Ben Jáuregui was conducted on December 12, 2023. In this interview, Jáuregui shares his upbringing as a child of migrant farmworkers, and how witnessing their challenges eventually led and inspired him to become a disability rights advocate. After taking sign language classes in high school and volunteering at a disability advocacy organization, Jáuregui discusses his work at the Inland Empire Health Plan where he helped make healthcare more accessible for people with disabilities. Jáuregui also talks about his leadership roles in initiatives like the Inland Empire Disabilities Collaborative and the Inland Coalition on Aging, which aim to improve services and support for seniors and individuals with disabilities in the IE.

This interview with Phyllis Clark was conducted on May 10, 2024. Clark is the founder and CEO of the Healthy Heritage movement, a non-profit organization focused on eliminating health disparities in the African American community. In this interview, Clark shares her experience growing up in a military family, her educational career in fashion and business, and how that eventually transitioned into health advocacy work. Through the Healthy Heritage Movement, Clark shares more about programs like Broken Crayons Still Color that showcase a holistic approach to health advocacy amongst the African American community.

This interview with Pete Benavidez was conducted on January 12, 2024. Benavidez recounts his life as someone with low or no vision, being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) at a young age and how this experience influenced him to become one of the leading disability rights advocates and activists in the Inland Empire. After moving and settling in Riverside, California, Benavidez eventually founded Blindness Support Services, a nonprofit organization that provides servides and support for individuals with low or no vision.