Aramenta Hawkins is an experienced community and campaign coordinator with a passion for racial and social justice, and a successful track record of working for nonprofit organizations. She was raised in Southern California, where she was involved in creating outreach programs for the inner city youth of Los Angeles through her family’s nonprofit organization, Sports Spectacular. Later, she attended Chico State, received a BA in Communications and worked as a coordinator for several local grassroots organizations, such as Frack-Free Butte County.

The Board

My name is Ann Polivka. I have served on the Advisory Board of CPJC for about 8 years, on the Executive Board of Directors for 1.5 years, and as Board / Executive Director liaison for 21 months. Volunteering in this way has been incredibly challenging at times, and also rewarding above and beyond my expectations, as we move forward together, teamed up with the wider Chico community and beyond, to work for peace and justice in our time, and in this special place. My growing up years were spent between Paradise (up on the ridge northeast of Chico), Israel, and Mexico. My father taught at CSUC. My mother was an artist through and through. We lived 5 years abroad, due to my father’s employment with the United Nations. Those formative years still drive my passion for human rights, cross-cultural understanding and preservation of our planet’s natural beauty and abundance, to be shared fairly by all its living creatures. I have chosen to do ongoing work with CPJC community allies — Palestine Action Group and Martin Luther King Unity Group. When I am able to, other CPJC allies get my attention — Chico Housing Action Team, Chico Peace Vigil and the Beale Air Force Base drone protests. Weekly, I lead beginning Spanish conversation at CPJC. I deeply appreciate that I am able to walk this path towards peace and justice with other like-minded souls.
Rain Scher was born in occupied Palestine (Israel) and grew up mostly in occupied Gabrielino (Los Angeles) and Ohlone (Bay Area)territories. Their ancestors came to Turtle Island from Sweden, Germany, England/Ireland/Scotland, Golitzia & Russia by way of the Jewish Diaspora. They became an activist in high school with the post 9/11 invasion of Iraq. They moved to occupied Mechoopda territory (aka Chico) in 2004 and have lived in Chico off and on since then. They are a full time community organizer and volunteer with many different groups and causes. Over the years they have been a part of groups like Food Not Bombs and Safe Space, and organized events like the Women’s March on Chico. They are a passionately intersectional queer anarchist feminist. They currently focus most of their activism on the Justice for Desmond Phillips campaign, SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice) Butte County, and the Stonewall Alliance Center.