Changemaker Spotlight: March 2021
Jairius Matthews
Project Co-Lead, Embers Project, est. 2020
In one sentence, what do you do?
I am the Project Co-Lead of the Embers Project, incubated by the Edge Collaborative.
What drew you to the work you are doing with Fathers & Families?
I was introduced to Stockton by serving as a Stockton Service Corps member. As a Corps member, I had the privilege of serving low-income, first-generation Stockton college students at Stanislaus State by meeting their academic, financial, and personal needs. Many of them struggled with their familial responsibilities at home and finding jobs and internships that were compatible with their field of study. I am seeing that both my students and other Stocktonians face similar issues. I believe that community development organizations are a tool worth exploring to help Stockton residents invest in their future. I wanted to learn more broadly about the challenges that Stocktonians face and figure out how community development could funnel investment dollars into communities that need them.
What inspires you about Stockton?
Stockton residents are true changemakers and want to learn how to build and sustain community wealth. For the past six months, our community advisory team members and core team members have dedicated over 50 hours to learn about community development strategies and case studies from other cities as they set a future vision for their neighborhoods and communities. They willingly share their personal experiences and frustrations with racial discrimination and inequitable traditional economic development practices in Stockton. They actively participate while also doing vital community work within their respective organizations. They are an incredibly tenacious and passionate team of Stocktonians who are honest about systems that haven’t served the community well. Through this process, they learn from other community development practitioners as they equip themselves with the knowledge to build inclusive models and undo the damage those systems have caused.
What advice do you have for those looking to make change in Stockton?
Listen to the community and let them shape the change-making process. Both teams will tell you that the first phase continuously shifted. For example, we initially envisioned that both teams would set development priorities that a new community development entity would advance. However, team members expressed that they wanted to hear from more practitioners from the field and analyze case studies together. We took their feedback and executed learning experiences where practitioners could answer their questions, and the teams could reflect on different community development models. My team and I work hard to cultivate a space where community members feel encouraged to give meaningful feedback about this process and shape meetings based on their needs.
You're an innovator in your field. With the world rapidly changing around us, how are you adapting and what support can Third City Coalition members offer?
We would like more Stockton youth leaders represented on our community advisory team (CAT). We’re looking for those who: (a) are passionate about civic engagement and advancing inclusive economic development, (b) represent the ethnic, racial, and gender diversity of Stockton, and (c) represent perspectives that often go unheard in the community. If you know any Stockton youth leaders who are community-oriented, equity-minded, and ready to learn, please connect with me via email (jairius@embersproject.org). If you would like to learn more about the Embers Project, please visit embersproject.org.