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Roy Clay Sr. - Godfather of Silicon Valley

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 17:58:49 GMT

Roy Clay Sr., ‘Godfather of Silicon Valley,’ remembered as pioneering, selfless

By Ashwini Gangal

Palo Alton Online, September 30, 2024

In the late 1950s, back when Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were toddlers, Roy Clay Sr. was busy programming and developing computer software in the Bay Area, well on his way to making history as a pioneer in the world of technology.

Clay died on Sunday, Sept. 22, at the age of 95.

A true multi-hyphenate, Clay is credited with not just leading the computer division at technology company Hewlett-Packard in the mid-1960s and helming the team that built HP’s first minicomputer, but also for shattering the glass ceiling for himself — and other Black students and professionals down the line — in the world of technology back when it was predominantly a white dominated industry.

As is documented in his book, “Unstoppable: The Unlikely Story of a Silicon Valley Godfather,” Clay came from a markedly humble background and grew up in the segregated town of Kinloch in Missouri. He later went on to become the first African American to graduate from St. Louis University in 1951. He worked as a math teacher before beginning his career in tech.

Clay is also credited for his involvement in the formation of companies like Intel and Compaq, among others. In the late 1970s, Clay started his own electrical-safety test equipment manufacturing company Rod-L Electronics at Menlo Park, where he created job opportunities for thousands of Black employees.

“Mr. Clay was an inspiration to so many, an example of Black excellence breaking racial barriers, opening doors, and being the first — we stand on his shoulders as he helped to build Silicon Valley to what it is today. Growing up in Palo Alto and in the Clay household I (was) fortunate to have him as my role model and mentor,” said André V. Chapman, president and CEO of Fostering Promise — a nonprofit that works to reform the foster care system — who featured Clay in his book “Roses in Concrete: Giving Foster Children the Future They Deserve.”

When Brian Tippens, now senior vice president and chief social impact & inclusion officer at Cisco, came back to Silicon Valley, Clay was “incredibly generous with his time and counsel and connections to his network,” Tippens said. “He was truly a selfless mentor and confidant.”

Clay also broke racial barriers beyond the world of tech. He made history as the first African American on the Palo Alto City Council and later became vice mayor of the city.

“Roy Clay Sr., proud to say our Dad, opened political doors and made policies that had the best interest of the City’s most underserved,” his son Chris Clay, who is a SAP executive, told the Weekly in an email. “At HP, Dad made sure that he was not ‘the first and only’ person of color. He opened the doors for many, leading the way for HP to recruit Black engineers from historically Black colleges.”

According to Chris, his father was determined to succeed against the odds. “Despite being rejected from jobs based solely on race early in his career, he was determined to succeed — driven primarily by his mother’s advice early in life to never let racism be a reason why he doesn’t succeed,” he told the Weekly in an email. “Combining his education, with a strong work ethic, genuine concern about people, and an unstoppable spirit, he was able to trailblaze the way for himself and others. He succeeded wherever he worked, breaking through barriers and opening doors for others.”

He attributes his father’s success in work and life to his upbringing and core values. “Our father’s upbringing demonstrates the value of family. Growing up in a segregated Black town with limited resources, there was love in their small house of eleven people (9 brothers and sisters),” he said. “Father’s life showed the strength of love, caring, doing one’s best with the resources at hand, never letting outsiders or outside forces to define you, never stopping, and above all helping others along the way. His parents also instilled in him the value and importance of education. Nearly all 9 of his siblings have college degrees.”

Clay loved playing golf. He became the first Black member of the Olympic Club, one of the oldest athletic clubs in the country, and went on to become club president down the line.

He valued his family above all else. “Success was enabled by unwavering support of (his) wife. That said, family was always his highest priority. Turned down many lucrative offers, just to make sure he had the flexibility to spend time with family,” said Chris Clay.

Carl Wiseman Story

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 17:38:55 GMT

Opinion: In rich Silicon Valley, a former foster child dies homeless

By Andre Chapman

Mercury News, November 13, 2009

How does a young man - full of life, a beautiful smile and a deep compassion for others - end up dying tragically at age 24, lonely, jobless and homeless?

Carl Wiseman, who entered the child welfare system at 4 years old, became like many of the 20,000 teenagers leaving foster care each year in our Nation: Abandoned to the streets at age 18 or 20 with the nonsensical expectation of miraculously surviving the path to adulthood with no support or stable family connection.

Every day in our nation we continue producing the fastest growing homeless population in our society, youth aging out of the foster care system.

It’s a travesty that we remove these children from neglectful homes only to raise them in an underfunded, dysfunctional biased system. While the hope is they will become productive citizens most of these children end up populating our adult prisons.

Carl’s life exemplified that reality. I met Carl when he was 10 years old as a bi-racial foster child coming to church with “Mother Francis,” a local woman who is a saint to many needy children. Carl was sweet and energetic - a typical kid running up and down the aisles. However, like many foster children bouncing from home to home and school to school, Carl had a burning desire to be loved, wanted, and with his family. Both of Carl’s parents had died – his father in prison and his mother of AIDS – and the result was trauma and loneliness.

At 14, Carl came to a program I operated, having gone from the child welfare system to the juvenile justice system; an all-too-common path for many foster youths. During Carl’s stay with us, he was able to stabilize and graduate from high school. At 18, he elected to move to another state to live with his cousins in hopes of filling the emptiness of a family connection. Unfortunately, that move was unsuccessful, and eight months later he returned to our town homeless.

Carl began his journey to adulthood bouncing between homeless shelters and the County Jail. By age 21, he was too old to receive foster care services and slept in his car, the park, our front lobby, and the shelters, all while attempting to find a job and some sense of his own personal self-worth and trauma.

Sadly, on Oct. 11, after contracting pneumonia, he ended up in a coma on life support. After nearly three weeks, Carl died of congestive heart failure. While we struggled to care for Carl in life, after his death an extraordinary community effort led to his burial. In less than a week, $4,000 was raised for funeral costs through contributions from county social services staff, foundations, non-profit agencies and his former church.

Nearly 50 people attended his service, including many youth who shared Carl’s circumstances. One young person told the gathering: “I came from the gutter and that’s all I know, but Carl inspired me and I’m going try to get out.”

Assemblyman Jim Beall, an advocate for foster youth, introduced Assembly Bill 12, legislation that would tap federal funding to extend foster care in California beyond the age of 18 to 21. This is a start, as this was a preventable tragedy because if we as a community were able to raise $4,000 dollars in five days to bury Carl, imagine if we had that same amount to pay his rent for a year. In from the cold treacherous streets, Carl could well have been with us today so let’s be intentional to ensure no young person leaves foster care to homelessness.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): More Than a Trend, a Necessity for Effective Boards

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 13:54:32 GMT

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): More Than a Trend, a Necessity for Effective Boards

Republished from PrivateDirectors.org

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in many circles has all become a dirty word over the past few years. Companies have responded in varies ways – ranging from doubling down on DEI commitments, dismantling DEI, putting their head in the sand and completely avoiding the topic all together.

Yet, study after study has proven that diverse teams improve performance, creativity, and stakeholder value. Diverse teams bring fresh perspectives, reduce group thinking, and better mirror the diverse markets and communities’ organizations serve, ultimately driving improved financial and operational outcomes.

As a former CEO with over 30-years leading a California based housing and mental health organization served over 65,000 youth and families, I’ve spent my career building high performance diverse teams, training institutions on the value of diversity and how to successfully engage their constituents – those communities of color.

Historically, each time racial tensions have surged between institutions and communities, the root of the issue is often clear: the lack of diverse voices in decision-making spaces like boardrooms and C-suites. Without individuals who bring lived experiences to these discussions, critical perspectives are missing, heightening the risk of unintentional but damaging missteps that erode brand reputation and public trust.

We don’t have to look far to see well-known brands backpedaling and apologizing for avoidable errors stemming from the lack of diverse voices in development and oversight. These “rookie mistakes” underscore why diverse representation is not just beneficial but essential – such voices drive responsible innovation and enable companies to authentically resonate with their consumers.

For example, in October 2024, The Kraft Heinz Company faced significant backlash over advertising campaigns around their ketchup brand that were criticized for perpetuating negative racial stereotypes. In response to the criticism, Heinz issued an apology, acknowledging their ad could have "unintentionally perpetuated negative stereotypes" and expressed a commitment to "listen, learn, and improve to avoid this happening again in the future."

Similarly, in October 2024, Bath & Body Works introduced the "Snowed In" candle, featuring a snowflake design that some customers felt resembled Ku Klux Klan hoods . The company swiftly removed the product from stores and issued an apology, emphasizing that the resemblance was unintentional and committing to reviewing their design processes to prevent future issues. Let me remind readers that they made a similar misstep in 2022 with the company responding by donating $500,000 to the National Urban League.

These examples remind us of the critical importance of diverse voices at the table. When companies commit to DEI not just as a checkbox but as an ongoing mission, they foster genuine connections with the communities they serve and build a foundation for sustainable success.

Insights from 100 Black Voices Project

As a graduate of Santa Clara University’s Black Corporate Board Readiness (BCBR) program, I had the privilege of honing my board service skills under the guidance of industry leaders and advisors like Barry Lawson Williams. A veteran of 14 public boards, Williams created the Black Corporate Directors Time Capsule Project to capture seasoned Black directors' insights for future leaders. His 100 Black Voices project further underscores the essential role of diversity – not just for equity but for resilience, innovation, and long-term value. Drawing on Williams’ insights and research, this blog highlights key takeaways from his work, offering valuable strategies for building strong, diverse boards that contribute to long-term organizational success.

The Importance of Board Diversity in Technology Companies

In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, the need for diverse leadership in boardrooms has never been more critical. As businesses face unprecedented challenges and opportunities, having a board of directors that reflects varied perspectives, experiences, and skillsets is vital to driving innovation, addressing global markets, and creating shareholder value. Barry Lawson Williams, a leading voice on corporate governance and diversity, provides compelling insights into why diversity is not merely an ethical goal but a strategic necessity for technology companies.

Diversity Drives Innovation and Business Success

One of the most significant takeaways from Williams’ interviews with Black corporate directors, as detailed in his 100 Black Voices project, is the undeniable link between diversity and business performance. In the technology sector, where companies must consistently innovate to stay competitive, diverse perspectives are essential. As highlighted in the interviews, diversity helps combat "group think," which can stifle creativity and lead to poor decision-making. Boards that include members from varied cultural, gender, and professional backgrounds are more likely to explore new ideas, question assumptions, and make decisions that reflect a broader understanding of the marketplace.

In a world where technology touches every aspect of our lives, from healthcare to education to finance, having board members who understand the needs of diverse customer bases can significantly enhance a company’s ability to serve these markets effectively. As Williams and his interviewees emphasized, diversity on boards leads to better decision-making, fosters innovation, and ultimately contributes to increased shareholder value.

Overcoming Challenges: Persistence, Collaboration, and Advocacy

Williams' findings also underscore the challenges minority directors face, particularly in today’s socio-political climate, where diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are sometimes met with resistance. Despite these headwinds, directors from diverse backgrounds must remain persistent and vocal advocates for change. Williams highlights the importance of collaboration and mentorship, both from minority directors and their allies. For technology companies, where rapid growth often outpaces the development of inclusive cultures, having a board that champions diversity can create a ripple effect throughout the organization.

Sitting directors, according to Williams’ research, play a crucial role in advocating for diversity not only as a moral imperative but as a business strategy. Technology companies, in particular, stand to benefit from directors who understand the intersection of diversity and shareholder value. Studies have consistently shown that companies with diverse boards are more likely to outperform their peers, partly because they are better equipped to address the complexities of a globalized, digital economy.

Strategic Changes to Board Composition

Another critical insight from Williams' interviews is the need for strategic changes to board composition, particularly in technology firms. While many boards have made strides in increasing diversity, there is still much work to be done. Williams advocates for more frequent board refreshment and the inclusion of directors from non-traditional backgrounds. For technology companies, this could mean looking beyond the typical C-Suite candidates and considering individuals with expertise in areas like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) initiatives.

Board diversity is not just about filling a quota or checking a box. It is about bringing in directors who can contribute unique insights and help companies navigate the challenges of the future. Williams’ research emphasizes that businesses must be intentional in their approach to diversity, focusing on long-term strategies rather than short-term fixes.

Conclusion: A Call to Action for Technology Leaders

In today’s climate, where technological advancements are reshaping industries and society at large, the importance of board diversity cannot be overstated. Barry Williams’ work highlights that while progress has been made, there is still much more to do. Technology companies that embrace diversity at the highest levels of leadership are not only fulfilling an ethical responsibility but also positioning themselves for long-term success.

As Williams and his interviewees conclude, diversity is a vehicle for increasing shareholder value, fostering innovation, and ensuring that businesses remain competitive in a global market. For technology companies, the future belongs to those who recognize that diverse leadership is not just desirable, it is essential.

By following the recommendations from Barry Williams' research, technology firms can create more inclusive, effective, and innovative boards that reflect the realities of today’s world and the opportunities of tomorrow.

Additional Resources & Studies about the Value of Diversity:

Here’s a curated list of studies that provide evidence on the value of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in enhancing stakeholder value:

1. McKinsey & Company – “Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters” (2020)

Demonstrates that ethnically and culturally diverse companies are 36% more likely to outperform on profitability.
https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters

2. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) – “How Diverse Leadership Teams Boost Innovation” (2018)

Shows companies with diverse leadership generate 19% more revenue from innovation.
https://www.bcg.com/publications/2018/how-diverse-leadership-teams-boost-innovation

3. Credit Suisse Gender 3000 Report (2019)

Highlights how companies with gender-diverse boards achieve higher returns on equity and market performance.
https://globewomen.org/globaldiversity/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/the-cs-gender-3000-in-2019-1.pdf

4. Harvard Business Review – “Why Diverse Teams Are Smarter” (2016)

Explains how diverse teams improve critical thinking and decision-making, boosting overall team performance.
https://hbr.org/2016/11/why-diverse-teams-are-smarter

5. Cloverpop Study – “Hacking Diversity with Inclusive Decision Making” (2017)

Found that inclusive decision-making leads to better business outcomes, enhancing business performance by up to 87%.
https://www.cloverpop.com/hacking-diversity-with-inclusive-decision-making-white-paper

6. Deloitte Insights – “The Diversity and Inclusion Revolution: Eight Powerful Truths” (2018)

Suggests that inclusive companies see gains in productivity and innovation, with DEI directly impacting business outcomes.
https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/human-capital-trends/2023/diversity-equity-inclusion-belonging.html

7. Stanford Graduate School of Business & University of Illinois – Study on Diverse Teams (2014)

Found that diversity in age, gender, and geography improves problem-solving by enhancing information processing.
https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/exec-ed/organizations/catalyst-programs/diversity-inclusion-strategic-impact

8. Catalyst – “Why Diversity Matters” (2013)

9. Links gender diversity with increased returns on equity and better risk management, showing how diverse teams meet stakeholder needs.

https://www.catalyst.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Why-Diversity-Matters_Catalyst.pdf

10. PwC – “Global Diversity & Inclusion Survey” (2020)

Explores the connection between DEI and corporate growth, showing DEI initiatives impact innovation and customer satisfaction.
https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/services/workforce/global-diversity-and-inclusion-survey.html

11. The Peterson Institute for International Economics – “Is Gender Diversity Profitable? Evidence from a Global Survey” (2016)

Demonstrates that companies with gender-diverse management teams have a 6% higher net profit margin.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2729348

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

André V. Chapman is a purpose-driven CEO with over 30 years of experience across the private, public, and non-profit sectors, specializing in ESG, organizational culture, innovation, and stakeholder value. A published author, André is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum. As CEO of Fostering Promise, he is dedicated to eradicating homelessness among former foster youth. Nationally recognized for his leadership, André has received numerous honors, including being named one of the 15 Most Influential Black Leaders of Silicon Valley by Spotlight Media in 2022 and the 2023 Wall of Fame Honorary by the Silicon Valley Capital Club.

How can foster kids prepare for life after they leave the system? A new South Bay nonprofit has a plan

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 20:31:13 GMT

Former foster youth Breeaunna Lynn, left, and Aleta Smith are hoping Fostering Promise can provide the support they lacked as teens. They took part in a strategic planning session for the organization at Sobrato Center for Nonprofits in San Jose. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)

Fostering Promise wants to be a hub for planning, mentorship and resources

Republished from San Jose Mercury News: November 2024

Life in the foster care system can be hard. But life after it can be even harder.

Breeaunna Lynn learned that as a nonbinary lesbian teen when after entering the system in the Bay Area at age 7 — and moving several times over the years — their homophobic foster mother kicked them out of her home on their 18th birthday.

In California, more than 1 in 4 foster youth experience homelessness after they transition out of the system. But the challenges they face go even deeper than that; unlike kids who grow up in a stable home, Lynn says, foster kids often get to transition age without learning crucial real-world skills.

“It’s purchasing a car, it’s getting a bank account — all these little things that you need to know that no one is going to teach you,” said Lynn, who was born in Hayward. “Like the first time you go to pump gas. It seems like such a minuscule thing, you know? But if you’ve never done it before, you’re going to panic, or you’re just going to drive your car until it’s on E, because you’re avoiding it. Something so small can mean so much to someone who doesn’t have that support or guidance.”

Smith, 28, listens in on a Fostering Promise’s strategic planning session.(Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)

Lynn, now 26, was lucky enough to find a mentor through Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).

“She became kind of like my adopted family, so I refer to her now as mom, and her husband as dad. They’re wonderful, and they taught me everything that I know about life skills, and I’m very thankful,” she said.

But CASAs are a limited resource, to say the least; according to California CASA, only 16 percent of the state’s 80,000 foster children have support from a CASA volunteer.

Aleta Smith was one of the thousands who don’t. Born into the foster system while her mother was in jail, she lived in San Jose before moving to the Central Valley with her grandmother – and then moved back in middle school when she re-entered the foster system.

“I was down bad,” she said of her troubled life at the time.

When she turned 18, she was looking forward to leaving the foster system. But the Traditional Housing-Plus program, which is designed to offer housing and supportive services to young adults exiting foster care in California, turned out to be even worse.

“I have to say, that was even more difficult than navigating the traditional foster system,” said Smith. “It was a nightmare dealing with the different services — it was the worst experience, because these providers are so unorganized.”

Ultimately, Smith found the San Jose-based nonprofit Unity Care, which helped relocate her to San Diego in 2017, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Sociology at UC San Diego, and then her Master’s at Pepperdine. She then decided to go into cosmetology, and at 28, she now owns her own business.

Using what they learned from their own experiences, both Smith and Lynn – who works at Santa Clara’s Bill Wilson Center, which provides counseling and other services to homeless youth – want to help other foster teens prepare for life after the system. They’ve been working with Unity Care founder and CEO Emeritus Andre Chapman — who left the organization after three decades in 2022 — with his fledgling nonprofit Fostering Promise.

Fostering Promise President and CEO André Chapman (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)

With the new group, Chapman hopes to bring together a network of service providers who can help Fostering Promise provide guidance and resources to foster teens so that they are in a position to succeed as independent adults by the time they turn 18. He expects to launch a pilot program in the Bay Area – focusing on teens from Santa Clara, Alameda, San Mateo, San Francisco and Contra Costa counties – in 2026.

“Let’s imagine a world where no young person is leaving foster care that doesn’t have the same supports that we give to our own kids,” Chapman says of the group’s mission. “People can imagine that, when they think about what they do for their kids or their nephews or their nieces who are young adults. ‘What would happen if there was no one around to support my child at 18 years old, or 20?’ So people can connect to that, and when we bring everyone together in this foster ecosystem, we can do this.”

To this end, Fostering Promise has ambitious policy priorities that include creating housing readiness plans for foster youth by age 16, producing more and better-suited housing for youth as they exit foster care and securing a committed mentor for every adult leaving the system. The group’s pilot program will include 50 to 100 adults at transition age, helping them not only with a housing plan, but also with a secure place to store their critical documents like social security cards and birth certificates online, and providing a repository of resources to match them up with housing communities that will welcome them.

The means by which they plan to do all this and more are complex, and involve not only engaging existing foster resources, but also creating new ones with affordable housing developers, property owners and others.

The group’s planning meetings have drawn influential Bay Area figures from the world of social services, technology, venture capitalism, philanthropy and more.

“I think that’s the uniqueness of this,” said Chapman. “We are building a village that is welcoming of everybody and anybody, because everybody and anybody can find ways that they can help and support this effort.”

Erika Dirkse, left, and Kate Durham from San Francisco CASA brainstorm during a Fostering Promise’s strategic planning session at Sobrato Center for Nonprofits in San Jose. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)

In Fostering Promise, both Lynn and Smith see the possibility of providing foster youth with some of the support they wish they’d had. And Smith believes that Fostering Promise can provide foster teens with the wake-up call they need.

“I think it’s really about education, and getting foster youth to understand just how important these transitions are. I think that sometimes we realize too late, and then we’re already in this space of, ‘Oh my God, I don’t know what I’m going to do,’” she said.

The end result, Chapman said, can give kids who may have lived in and out of the system for years something that many people take for granted.

“They have time to feel safe,” said Chapman. “When you see a young person get a key to their own apartment after they bounce around from the system forever — oh my gosh, man. It opens up so many possibilities. It reduces so much trauma. It gives them a sense of ‘I can do this. I can live on my own.’”

Opinion: Newsom reneges on his promise to California’s foster youth

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 22:36:12 GMT

State should raise benefits to young adults leaving foster care to begin new lives, especially in costly Silicon Valley

Republished from San Jose Mercury News: March 21, 2024

As a parent to seven young adults, one of whom was in foster care, and having served as the CEO of a foster care housing and mental health agency for over three decades, I’ve intimately witnessed the struggles and traumas faced by youth transitioning out of foster care. These challenges are only exacerbated by the exorbitant cost of living in Silicon Valley.

Like many of you, I’ve experienced firsthand the financial housing strain faced by young adults, including my own children, with two of them returning home after college due to the inability to afford astronomical rents.

Shockingly, recent data from RentCafe reveals that 25% of millennials (ages 27-42) and a staggering 75% of Generation Z (ages 18-26) in the Bay Area live in multigenerational households, highlighting the immense housing crisis gripping our region.

But what about young adults in foster care who age out at 18 or 20 without the support of families?

Far too many of these former foster youth, especially Black and Brown youth, find themselves homeless as they embark on their journey into adulthood after leaving foster care. A Bay Area Legal Aid Youth Homelessness report shows that 75% of San Francisco Bay Area homeless youth were formerly in foster care and/or involved in the juvenile justice system.

Furthermore, a May 2023 report by the United Way ranked San Jose No. 1 in the nation for homeless young adults ages 18-24. These are appalling statistics — especially here in one of the most affluent and well-resourced regions in the nation.

As a parent, can you imagine allowing your child to leave home at 18 without a safe place to call their own? Yet, this is the reality for many young adults exiting foster care, thrust into adulthood without a safety net, despite California’s reputation for progressive legislation.

In 2010, Assembly Bill 12 extended foster care benefits for ages 18-20 and established the Supervised Independent Living Program (SILP), providing a beacon of hope for thousands of youths. However, the monthly support of $799 remained frozen for a decade, failing to keep pace with the rising cost of living.

Last year, there was hope and great jubilation with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed increase in SILP funding to a basic rate of $1,129, along with the addition of a SILP supplement aligning with HUD fair market rents by county. This supplement considers the regional cost of living ranging from Merced County at $1,532 to Santa Clara County at $2,381.However, the governor’s January proposed budget fails to honor his promise, leaving nearly 3,000 young adults in limbo. This will also affect countless more who will turn 18 and face the grim realities of homelessness, unemployment, incarceration, unplanned pregnancies and mental health challenges upon aging out of foster care.

It’s a betrayal of our duty to not protect the most vulnerable members of our society and perpetuates a cycle of trauma and despair. If we fail to see these young people as deserving of the same resources and opportunities as our own children, we relegate them to a permanent underclass status limiting their dreams and aspirations.

The proposed budget cuts are not only misguided; they are morally reprehensible. One of the most effective ways to address our homelessness crisis is by preventing young adults from becoming homeless in the first place. The governor should restore his promise and prioritize funding for our foster youth.

André V. Chapman is founder and president of Fostering Promise, a youth-driven advocacy agency.

Ghana - Africa

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 17:26:14 GMT

Ghana - Africa

My experience in beautiful Ghana that was an emotional rollercoaster in connecting to my existence. Understanding WHY the drumming sounds of Torgorme Village connected to my bones, my soul, putting my hands and feet in the soil was a rainforest of tears - receiving my African name, feeling affirmed & honored in my beautiful Black skin. Feeling connected to my Great Great grandmother Nathyhui Smith from Pong Tamale Ghana, who survived the horror of being captured, ripped from her family, paraded through the jungle for 300 miles in chains. Arrived at Elmina or Cape Coast Castle, branded like cows, endured the slave dungeons for 2 to 3 months packed like sardines sleeping & going to bathroom standing on her feet in the most inhuman conditions you can imagine. Then forced thru the Door of No Return (to never return to her homeland) loaded in the belly of a Slave ship, shackled to each other, surviving the 1–2-month journey to America a foreign land. Then sold into slavery where she was raped by the son of her slave master William Phillips that produced my Great Grandfather William Phillips Herring. I am humbly grateful for her strength and fortitude to survive these atrocities as I stand on her shoulders and honor Nathyhui and the millions upon millions who survived and created the brilliance and diversity that makes this Country great.

America’s original Sin of Slavery still haunts this nation as African American’s continue to suffer the most in every life domain (housing, education, employment, health, criminal justice, well-being, etc.) of our society. It is only through God’s love that the heart of man will change and inspire us to imagine an equitable society where every human being is valued.

“If there is no transformation inside of us, all the structural change in the world will have no impact on our institutions.” — Peter Block

“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” — Isaiah 1:17 NIV

My Sabbatical and Renewed Perspective 2022-2023

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 17:23:00 GMT

Washington DC to Israel

I was blessed to have traveled to Israel spending time in the Holy Land, Virginia and Washington DC tracing my roots from Slavery to present, visiting the National African American Museum and being still to hear from God about my next journey. No matter what your faith or belief is, we all share a common principle that children are our future. As many of you know, unfortunately far too many foster youths end up on the streets after aging out, becoming the fastest growing homeless population in the country.

This is a crisis that we can no longer tolerate or ignore and with your help and partnership I am confident we can eradicate homelessness ensuring no youth leaves foster care without a safe place to call home.

The picture above is a bronze statue of a homeless Jesus that reaffirms our work. This was in Capernaum the home of Saint Peter in Israel where it’s believed to have been Jesus’s home and the center of his ministry.

fostering-promise-91faeb1a

Roy Clay Sr. - Godfather of Silicon Valley

Carl Wiseman Story

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): More Than a Trend, a Necessity for Effective Boards

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): More Than a Trend, a Necessity for Effective Boards ﻿

How can foster kids prepare for life after they leave the system? A new South Bay nonprofit has a plan

Fostering Promise wants to be a hub for planning, mentorship and resources

Opinion: Newsom reneges on his promise to California’s foster youth

Ghana - Africa

Ghana - Africa

My Sabbatical and Renewed Perspective 2022-2023

Washington DC to Israel

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): More Than a Trend, a Necessity for Effective Boards