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Article courtesy of The Sacramento Observer.
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Dr. Jamillah Moore beamed with joy as well-wishers applauded her ascension to the top spot at one of California’s largest community colleges.
It’s been more than a year since Dr. Moore was chosen to be President of Los Angeles City College (LACC) but her Sacramento colleagues felt February 2009 would be a great opportunity to celebrate her historical accomplishment.
“I didn’t even know I was the first African American president of the school,” she told an intimate group of lobbyist, elected officials and policy consultants at a reception in her honor last week at the capitol city’s downtown Residence Inn, “It wasn’t until a student came to my office in tears. She told me she felt so good to know that she too could rise to that level. When I asked her why, she told me because I was the first. I said, ‘first what?’ She said, ‘first Black woman to be the president of this school.’”
Dr. Moore was astonished at her own significance of history. Her mother and father, Thelma and Douglas Moore both attended the school in the 1950s. Karen Bass, the first African American woman to lead the California State Assembly as the Speaker, also attended Los Angeles City College. February, Black History Month, was an appropriate time to celebrate Dr. Moore’s accomplishment.
“They told my parents that a negro had no place in higher education,” Dr. Moore recalls.
As president, Dr. Moore wants to redevelop LACC into a community of learners like it once was. She talks about rejuvenating partnerships that have proven records of positive return. She implores the entertainment industry and all its studios and actors to utilize LACC as it once did, for the same reason; community college is still the least expensive route to getting an academic degree or specialize in a vocational career choice.
“Its only $20 a unit,” Dr. Moore boasts, “I want to increase access and retention. I want to ensure students have equal success and promote productive citizens while supporting workforce development. I want to get people into jobs and return LA City College to its flagship status.”
After working with Dr. Moore in the state capitol with seminal members of the Legislative Black Caucus, Barbara Lee, Diane Watson, Marguerite Archie-Hudson, Theresa Hughes, Willie Brown, Jr. and others, capitol advocate Jim Lites knows Dr. Moore as a “dig-in” and “get the job done” student of leadership.
“She has shown that a diverse background in politics, policy and education can lead to a substantial position in any career field one chooses,” said Lites, co-host of the recognition soirée. “She is driven and shows a strong sense of purpose. She’ll fill this role with exemplary service.”
As an education advocate, Dr. Moore is more than capable of accomplishing her goals for the LACC. Her past experience in Sacramento politics is long and full of accolades.
Her career began as a Senate fellow in public policy at the state capitol.
She worked for Senator Teresa P. Hughes. In 1996 she served as a senior consultant for the Senate Select Committee on College and University Admissions and Outreach and later became the director of Governmental Relations at the Los Angeles County Office of Education.
She has taught at the college level and written a book on education titled, “Race and College Admissions: A Case for Affirmative Action.”
Prior to becoming president of LACC, Dr. Moore was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as Senior Vice-Chancellor of the California Community Colleges.
Many of her Sacramento friends and family celebrated her drive and accomplishment with her during the reception. Her mom was attendance, as was her friend Margret Fortune, former Education consultant to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and elected officials, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) and Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-Pasadena).
Dr. Moore often flashes a great big smile when things are going well. As Speaker Bass was presenting Dr. Moore with an Assembly Resolution, she beamed that big smile toward her mother, the African American woman who was told a negro has no place in higher education. Now her daughter, an African American woman, is president of the college.| < Prev |
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