Sonoma County leaders of color say they’ve shared Natalie Rogers’ experience of racism
When Rohnert Park Council member Jackie Elward first ran for office in 2020 against a longtime incumbent, she was told she wasn’t smart enough and lacked the leadership skills to win.
Former Cloverdale Council member Marta Cruz said subtle forms of racial bias were one reason she chose not to seek another term.
And Windsor Mayor Rosa Reynoza said during a trip last month to a local classroom, a student told her she didn’t look like the mayor. She wondered if it was her tattoo, her height or because she was a woman.
Public remarks Saturday by Santa Rosa Mayor Natalie Rogers, who said she has been “undermined, disrespected, not allowed the opportunity to speak until decisions have been made” on the City Council because of her race, struck a familiar chord for numerous women of color who are current or former elected officials in Sonoma County.
The women said Rogers’ experience is not unique in Sonoma County.
Her comments reflect some of what they’ve endured in office, from having racial slurs hurled at them to more subtle verbal attacks and actions, known as microaggressions.
“How much more do we have to do to prove that we can do the job?” asked Elward. “We are done pleasing. We are here to work like everybody else and our leadership is as powerful as other people’s leadership so it must be respected.”
She was selected as Rohnert Park’s first Black woman mayor in 2021. She said Rogers’ experience “absolutely” reflects her own.
In interviews with The Press Democrat Monday, Elward and four other current or former elected officials of color said despite a concerted push in recent years to make leadership in local government more diverse, much more work needs to be done to create a more inclusive and accepting community.
Rogers’ comments point to that need, they said.
“We talk about change, we want change, but when it comes to putting a person of color as a leader, then you have a problem,” Elward said. “This is the reality and shame on us for it.”
Rogers, who was elected to the City Council in 2020 and selected as mayor in a contentious Dec. 13 vote over two front-runners, said her leadership as the city's first Black mayor has been undermined and she has been disrespected.
She said she has been ignored by colleagues at events and told her directives wouldn’t be followed “because I, myself, am the mayor.” She’s had to rein in how she expresses herself to not be labeled “the angry Black woman,” she said.
Her comments came during a 20-minute keynote speech at the 45th annual Black History Month event organized by Petaluma Blacks for Community Development.
“I don't have the luxury of my counterparts to talk with my hands, or raise my voice or simply stray from the expected behaviors,” she said during the speech. “These luxuries are given to others. They're just not given to me.”
Rogers didn’t specify in her speech who had wronged her and she didn’t detail other instances where council colleagues, staff or community leaders mistreated or sidelined her. Rogers was unavailable for an on-the-record interview with The Press Democrat on Monday.
Saturday was not the first time Rogers has spoken publicly about her experience with racism in the workplace. But in her speech, she leveled raw accusations at her colleagues and shared new claims about her experience in the community.
Her comments were part of broader remarks about being Black in the U.S.
Rogers said Black people still face racism in employment and housing and have been taught that they have to put in extra work to achieve the same outcomes as white counterparts, and she said Sonoma County wasn’t immune to discrimination.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion are words that are flying all over Sonoma County. But I want to let you know that no matter your title or privilege you believe you have, it only takes minutes to be reminded that you are Black in America. It does not matter how many letters I have behind my name, that madam mayor is in front of my name, because to many, I am just another Black woman,” she said.
She said she decided to speak out because remaining silent wouldn’t lead to change. She ended her speech with a call to action, encouraging Black people to unify and support each other, speak out when someone has wronged them, and to become more civically engaged.
Council member Eddie Alvarez, who has been a close ally of Rogers’ on the council, told The Press Democrat on Monday he had witnessed difficult moments for his colleague but that it was not his place to describe her struggles.