Community
2014 ATHENA Award and ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award Recipients
The Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce announces the selection of Joelle Gomez of the Women Center – Youth & Family Services as its 2014 ATHENA Award recipient and Shelby Riley of Central California Safety Council as the 2014 ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award recipient.
The ATHENA Awards will be presented to both winners at the annual ATHENA Luncheon on November 20th at 11:30am at the Stockton Golf and Country Club, 3800 Country Club Blvd.
Gomez is the Chief Executive of the Women’s Center of San Joaquin County with Family and Youth Services, now known as Women’s Center – Youth and Family Services (WCYFS). The agency offers services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and to homeless and at-risk youth.
During the past year, WCYFS has provided counseling, shelter, advocacy, parenting and crisis intervention services to over 21,600 women, children, youth, and men. Gomez strategically identifies partners, forms alliances, and fosters positive change. Her dedication to the professional development of WCYFS staff enables them to perform at their very best. She offers opportunities for leadership training and encourages employees to explore their own potential.
Currently, Gomez oversees a staff of 75 people and a $4 million budget. She even secured substantial funding and support to establish a new shelter for domestic violence survivors in Tracy that opened September 9th.
Shelby Riley is the Director of Training and Program Development at the Central California Safety Council. She has developed a step-by-step process for training, monitoring and mentoring those under her supervision to provide the support and guidance needed to allow them to grow and achieve. She leads a team between 8 and 10 counselors and instructors and interviews, hires, trains, monitors, and mentors them to achieve their highest level of excellence and to meet the council’s high expectation levels for employee performance.
Riley holds certification for a Registered Addiction Specialist II, and Specialist Certifications in Women’s Treatment and Co-Occurring Disorders. In 2013 she was 1 of only 5 supervisors nationwide to receive the 2013 Excellence in Supervision Award. She is a Leadership Stockton Class of 2014 graduate, a program of the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce and has an extreme passion for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
She uses her skills as a counselor to provide invaluable support to recruit and prepare victims to one day share their stories in hopes of preventing future victims and works as a Victim Advocate for MADD.
Tickets for this high-profile event are $40 and are available by calling the Greater Stockton Chamber of Chamber at 209. 547.2770.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

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Remembering George Floyd
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OP-ED: Oregon Bill Threatens the Future of Black Owned Newspapers and Community Journalism
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Nearly half of Oregon’s media outlets are now owned by national conglomerates with no lasting investment in local communities. According to an OPB analysis, Oregon has lost more than 90 news jobs (and counting) in the past five years. These were reporters, editors and photographers covering school boards, investigating corruption and telling community stories, until their jobs were cut by out-of-state corporations.

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
President and CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association
For decades, The Skanner newspaper in Portland, the Portland Observer, and the Portland Medium have served Portland, Oregon’s Black community and others with a vital purpose: to inform, uplift and empower. But legislation now moving through the Oregon Legislature threatens these community news institutions—and others like them.
As President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), which represents more than 255 Black-owned media outlets across the United States—including historic publications like The Skanner, Portland Observer, and the Portland Medium—l believe that some Oregon lawmakers would do more harm than good for local journalism and community-owned publications they are hoping to protect.
Oregon Senate Bill 686 would require large digital platforms such as Google and Meta to pay for linking to news content. The goal is to bring desperately needed support to local newsrooms. However, the approach, while well-intentioned, puts smaller, community-based publications at a future severe financial risk.
We need to ask – will these payments paid by tech companies benefit the journalists and outlets that need them most? Nearly half of Oregon’s media outlets are now owned by national conglomerates with no lasting investment in local communities. According to an OPB analysis, Oregon has lost more than 90 news jobs (and counting) in the past five years. These were reporters, editors, and photographers covering school boards, investigating corruption, and telling community stories, until their jobs were cut by out-of-state corporations.
Legislation that sends money to these national conglomerate owners—without the right safeguards to protect independent and community-based outlets—rewards the forces that caused this inequitable crisis in the first place. A just and inclusive policy must guarantee that support flows to the front lines of local journalism and not to the boardrooms of large national media corporations.
The Black Press exists to fill in the gaps left by larger newsrooms. Our reporters are trusted messengers. Our outlets serve as forums for civic engagement, accountability and cultural pride. We also increasingly rely on our digital platforms to reach our audiences, especially younger generations—where they are.
We are fervently asking Oregon lawmakers to take a step back and engage in meaningful dialogue with those most affected: community publishers, small and independent outlets and the readers we serve. The Skanner, The Portland Observer, and The Portland Medium do not have national corporate parents or large investors. And they, like many smaller, community-trusted outlets, rely on traffic from search engines and social media to boost advertising revenue, drive subscriptions, and raise awareness.
Let’s work together to build a better future for Black-owned newspapers and community journalism that is fair, local,l and representative of all Oregonians.
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., President & CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association
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