Rohnert Park vice mayor attends Biden’s 1st address to Congress

Rohnert Park Vice Mayor Jackie Elward still is in awe that she attended President Joe Biden’s first address to Congress, even though it was over Zoom.

Elward was one of five guests who U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, asked to attend. Although the coronavirus pandemic kept guests from traveling to Washington, D.C., Elward said the invitation itself was exciting and humbling.

“I was so happy for Rohnert Park to be out there, to be seen,” she said. “As a city representative, it was an honor to be chosen.”

For Elward, the recognition from Thompson also sent a positive message to her three children, two of whom were in the room when she was subjected to racist slurs from an anonymous caller in mid-March. She said Thompson’s support after the racist outburst and his invitation to the address showed her family “a different perspective of leadership.”

“Not only for him to speak out about what happened to me and my family but to receive this invitation, to my children, it sent a different message,” she said. “’Yes, he does really care. We are considered.’ ”

“I think it was really cool and it was a great experience to see my mom like that because not many other people are able to do what she did yesterday,” her daughter, Keisha, 17, added.

Elward and her family were able to watch the speech together after she spoke with Thompson and the other guests before the event, she said. Because Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi both are from the Bay Area, her children were singing California-themed songs, including “California Girls,” in the house.

“To be in this historic moment, to have two women — one half-Black, half-Asian ... both from the Bay Area, I couldn’t be prouder,” she said.

But when Thompson’s office initially called to invite her to the speech, Elward ignored the call because she didn’t recognize the number. She decided to return the call, which is when they asked her if she’d want to be part of the event.

“I was like, ’Are you kidding me? I will say yes,’ ” she said.

Thompson also invited Weston Seifert, owner of Saw Shop Public House in Kelseyville; Arnold Pulido, owner of Kehaulani’s Café in Vallejo; Tiffany Grimsley, Hercules City Council member; and Betty Labastida, OLE Health volunteers and board of directors member.

Elward said Biden’s speech touched on issues important to her, including universal child care, protection for the LGBTQ community and combating white supremacy. But what resonated with her most was Biden’s emphasis on unity.

“There’s hope,” she said. “I’m hopeful for our town, Rohnert Park. And that is my mission, to be stronger together, and to build through the hardest discussions with love, unity and empathy.”