Eric Payne and Mia Raquel

00:04 My name is Eric Payne. I'm 35 and today is Friday, February 28th, 2020 and we are in the breadbasket of the world Fresno, California, and I am interviewing with my new friend Mia Raquel, and I'm looking forward to a exciting conversation.

00:32 Hi, my name is Mia Raquel. I'm 24 years old today is Friday, February 28th, 2024 in Fresno, California, and I'm here with Eric Payne and he is my new friend and I'm also very excited to get to know him better. So the first way that I'll do that is by asking when your family came to Fresno or if you've been here your whole life. So my family came to California, I'll start with my dad's parents. They came to this country from Haiti because they were fleeing the war on the island and they settled in New Orleans, Louisiana and he's one of eight and so I'm even as a young boy it was at the height of kind of like integration of public schools in

01:32 The 60s and it was just a really tumultuous climate in the south at that time. I'm in so they fled New Orleans and came to what they hurt so much about was California and they move to a community in Southwest Fresno, and then my mother's parents and grandparents lived in rural, Tennessee. They grew up on a farm and they were I seeking the best soil in America and they ended up coming to Fresno in the late 50s in Southwest Fresno and my parents grew up together and went to high school together and boom

02:31 Here I am. And do you have siblings?

02:35 I do. I have two brothers both older and out one is an educator and the other one is special needs. He is our very rare form of autism, and I'm the youngest.

02:56 Can you describe a typical evening in your family when you were growing up? My community is really unique in a sense that.

03:10 We ended up in our neighborhood because of the effects of redlining in the 70s 60s and here in Fresno. I'm kind of like through institutional processes documents that really formalize that specifically like African-Americans and Armenian families could not purchase homes on this particular side of the tracks. And so I'm what you saw was like a very robust community of African American in Armenia and families in Southwest Fresno and over the decades. You just saw like a huge level of disinvestment like in the in the aid late 80s early 90s.

04:10 So

04:11 The neighborhood just really drastically changed it ended up becoming I lived on in a community that many refer to as the dog pound. It's heavy gang infestation of lots of drugs. Lots of blight in the neighborhood a number of systemic issues. I mean like it was like the number one most homicidal Street in America in 98 lots of food insecurity, right? Like when you look at Fresno as being like one of the the most agriculturally rich communities in America and knowing that the people that sustain and live in this community are suffering from food apartheid.

05:04 Yeah, that definitely gives me a different kind of view of Fresno, especially when you were growing up. And how do you feel that that affected your family in particular or did it affect your family reticular? Yeah. I think I'm it presented like a number of challenges. I just think with you know, we saw freeway 41 plow through our neighborhood in our community by the federal and state highway department of transportation. And we saw a large number of like Industrial Development pop up in our community and in our neighbor had from rendering plants to food processing plant and you saw more diesels coming through the

06:04 Her head into me at felt like even as a child that they were investing more in Industrial Development than they were in the quality of parks in my neighborhood and playgrounds. And I think you know, my brother had asthma really bad. So I think even to a degree like that could have played a huge part in his quality of life. I think that ivran not recognizing maybe at the time right like the state had come in and put our school district on high alert. So we were essentially and eventually under State receivership are public school was in our neighborhood.

07:01 I think you know lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables made it challenging at times or you no adequate bus service in our community. And I think that that has an impact on the quality of life for people that live south of Denson some people might call it forgotten west Fresno.

07:28 Where your parents were they kind of fighting against this or were they doing anything to teach you and your brother is about what was going on or where they kind of not engaging with what was going on. I know my mom was very involved. She was on the PTA at school. She was actively involved in community meetings around some of these very issues that were impacting our community.

08:06 I think you know everybody was doing what they could to provide for our family and create a quality of life. That was Equitable to maybe what we saw in other parts of our community like North Fresno.

08:26 One of the words we've only been here for a few minutes of one of the words that I've heard you say the most so far as community and I'm interested to know how you define your own Community now and how maybe you would have defined your community, you know when you were growing up and if you see similarities now as an adult

08:45 Yeah, I think that the similarities that that I see both then as I relate to now there is just a sense of Rich diversity in our community. The people are Dynamic and amazingly talented and they have a lot to give to society into this world. No matter how often our neighborhood is mischaracterized.

09:19 I think that there is more good than than there are Daenerys bad as some might say

09:30 Can you walk me through?

09:34 While we were talking earlier you you were talking about getting black folks in African American folks involved in the 2020 census and just getting out there and spreading their words. Can you tell me about how like. Develop into something that you do now from from when you were younger? I think that

10:00 Often times. I was in a space of being the only right the only person of color in AP classes and in in high school or the only person of color is specifically of African-American dysphoria in student government. And so for me, even though I was one of two people in my high school to pass the governor's to receive the that my AP examinations with high distinction, and I had a very sufficient like high GPA above a 3.0 and I was told that like, you know, you should look at maybe becoming a truck driver or there was not this belief given to me that I could achieve.

11:00 Academically you feel I think it was challenging but my mom and my neighbors always pushed me to be the best version of myself that I could be and that oftentimes institutions that are created for us are not supported for us within them. And so I graduated and I went to a four-year institution a historical black college and university in the South. I majored in Biology and chemistry I graduated and I went and got my masters in microbiology because oftentimes I heard that African-Americans are under-represented in the stem field and

11:56 My philosophy in life was I can show you better than I can tell you right? And so even though I might have had these naysayers in the space are in my ear. I knew that it was only fueling my passion to succeed and

12:19 I think eventually, you know, I went on to get a really nice. I have a nice career in the stem field as an educator teaching high school, and then I relocated back home.

12:40 In 2010 and I work for a nonprofit doing kind of like stem education curriculum development program development and

12:57 It was within my own neighborhood in it with my own community and I felt like all of my work and the South was something that I could be doing here to encourage and Inspire other young people to achieve and succeed because I don't feel like I necessarily had that from people within the systems that were meant to support me academically and I work for a non-profit as a used Civic engagement organization. And I found it a group called the youth Council for sustainable communities. These were all neighborhood kids mini would have Define them as like high-risk, but these young people were really changing the narrative around community and what Community Development look like in holistic approaches to a quality of life with good schools great places to work.

13:57 Easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables and high-quality infrastructure Investments, and they've gone. They went to Sacramento and and lobbied legislators and eventually through this work. They encourage me they say, you know, we need people that look like you Eric that are in public office. I'm in these young people supported me and I went back to my family and I talked and I prayed and I talked and I prayed and I finally filed my paperwork on like the last day just about to run for public office. I didn't know where I was going to get the money from I didn't know there was a lot that I didn't know but I knew that I trusted the process and we knocked on doors daily. We talked to every

14:56 Body and every part of the district about their that people who felt like their voices were not represented in government and I would do my darndest as I made a commitment to ensure that their voices were not lost. These are people that that I grew up with bad, you know face a number of significant challenges right from that from Young poverty-stricken communities to people who have lost their sons at at 12 from gun violence from walking to a swimming pool to find out that it was closed only to return back home in the be met with a bullet in your head. I think they had their voices are represented be representative of what our government works to transform. And so I'm happy to

15:56 Quarterback that I did when my election not once but twice and in 2012 me and my community made history as I was the youngest person elected to a community college board in America and we have been pushing the envelope to ensure that young people have access to education because when I think it would have made all the difference in the world if there would have been a college in my community in my neighborhood at the time. I was graduating from high school if there would have been that loving caring adult. I'm in that space to say you too can go to college, right?

16:42 And now I'm fast forward 8 years later from my election date in 2012. We now have a new state-of-the-art Community College coming to a community that was that his rooted in deep poverty and it is going to be a hundred-million-dollar facility. We have state partners and federal Partners who have committed to ensuring its completion and its development. We have new infrastructure developments coming into the community. We have single-family housing. I'm this community. There are some parts of our community have not seen new housing stock since the Great Depression in like the late 1930s. And so this is just

17:42 Really a magical time in in our in our community to see this level of transformation and how catalytic these types of projects can be for a community that is been hurt for decades.

18:00 Wow, that is incredible.

18:06 What?

18:08 Throughout all of

18:10 The work that you've done what are some of the things that motivate you to do that work?

18:16 My family my nieces my nephew's knowing that they will have a community that they can grow up in that they can have the community that I envisioned that I didn't have an opportunity to grow up in to ensure that they are healthy and thriving young adults in the future and

18:47 I think that even when it gets hard because it does get hard being in these spaces and things for like a constant fight, but I think the source that gives me strength most is my faith. I think my faith absolutely sustains me and who I am and in doing this work, so the love of family my mom my brothers.

19:20 And your mom is still alive? Yeah. Yeah. My mom is a phenomenal black woman and I say that because she grew up at a Time in America that would many would describe as probably a part of America's darkest days during the height of segregation in our country and I think that her resilience to push through the in justices that she experienced as a black woman in America gives a virtue to who I am as a leader. I'm in that resiliency.

20:12 She has beat cancer twice right? Like I mean, she is amazing. She is in educating herself retired, but she is still doing the good work that that many would expect a woman of her status and her virtue to be doing.

20:33 What are some of maybe you can distill it to 3 or so?

20:39 Lessons are words that you hear her say that inspire you today to do the work that you do.

20:47 Yeah, when is

20:54 Is always

20:58 Remember who you are and whose you are and that references to me being the person that I am and me having a belief in a higher power that that sustains me I'm even when my back is against the wall in and some of the most public fights but also

21:29 To keep to never give up. I mean things get hard. You might get a lot of knows you might get seven knows before you get that one. Yes, and that's all that it will take is to get that one. Yes, right like that that one neighbor that that will say. Yes. I'm going to go to fight with you on some of the Injustice is that our community is facing. Yes to a regulator around the Investments that are being made in our community and

22:09 I think

22:13 She's always encouraged me to give back because it doesn't make a difference. If you are the first if you're the last and to always make way for new new leadership to always build up on that next generation of leaders, and I'm always mindful of those things that this work cannot be done alone. That many hands make light work, right? And so I think for me this is her Legacy is that I know that that she shares a deep love for me. She shares a deep love for her neighborhood her community and in the people that are there.

23:08 That's beautiful. You must feel very lucky to have grown up with someone like that. Absolutely. Absolutely.

23:18 What are

23:21 What would you say now to a young adult or young version of yourself who is faced with those naysayers that you were talking about earlier to maybe give them hope for their own future that they can accomplish what they want to accomplish.

23:38 Oh, wow, what would I say to my younger self?

23:44 I would say that.

23:49 It's

23:51 It's okay to make mistakes along the way and that time heals all wounds and that you can

24:08 Continue to change perspectives and lift up community. No matter what I naysayers maybe saying right like you persevere even through some of the worst storms in life.

24:29 Beautiful. Can you tell me about?

24:35 One of the specific things that you've done during your time in office that you feel really proud of and kind of the larger impact. It's had on the community. I always say like my legacy project. Is this new Community College campus that's coming to west Fresno because it was not easy to get that level of investment in our neighborhood. What do you think made the difference for people to give that attention?

25:11 It took me telling the story. I think that

25:18 If people are able to not only here but to see the impacts of what is taking place in a community. It can really shift perspectives.

25:31 And you know it it took you no loading up my car with Community leaders and decision-makers and taking them around my neighborhood. Like hey, this is you know at one point in history was one of the most dangerous streets, you know kids can walk across the street for a fear of Retribution of a bullet or being hassled about drug sales of some sort.

26:11 And you know, it was very Turf War oriented and I think that as a policy makers and Community leaders about the elected in the unelected look at the issues that are impacting our community. They can say wow. This is the type of work that we need to be doing in these are generational developments that we're going to be making to improve the quality of life for all residents in Fresno because I think up until now they've only been making decisions that benefit some of the residents in Fresno.

26:57 Can you explain in your own words what you believe makes your community and Fresno like special or what makes it special to you for someone who maybe knows nothing about Fresno or nothing about your particular neighborhood. And absolutely we have some of the best food in America. We have some of the most tastiest produce that you can hand pick fresh off the tree out of the ground off of a bush and we have over a hundred languages that are spoken here and that brings just a level of Rich diversity where you're able to

27:57 Lily try everything that I think the world has to offer in one place and that's Fresno.

28:07 Yeah, yeah, is there anything else that I haven't asked you or I don't know if you have any questions or anything else that you'd like to go over. I think we are my work. Yeah with the nonprofit that I that I found it is the Central Valley Urban Institute and our work is really centered around Equity just in fairing Lucian of those who are marginalized from the decision-making process and giving everyday residence the ability to utilize their voice for systems change and hearing the real stories of maybe like that single parent mom who

29:07 Who is receiving CalFresh or what many might call food stamps and the lack of inaccessibility that she has with our public transportation system to a grocery store or when she takes her kids to the park and how the park in her. Neighborhood might not look like the park in North Fresno or you know?

29:47 Mini might describe it as a park desert, right? Like there's nowhere for her within a mile or two to take her kid, but she's going to take her kid to the closest park that she can get to and I think all of those things are important when you look at accessibility around Workforce Development getting the training and really being able to purchase a home at some point, right? Like I'm being able to have access to all of those same opportunities. And so I'm just really excited and proud that not only can we work on those types of issues, but we can work on issues like the sentence right? Cuz we know that this is probably one of the most important years in

30:47 Last decade with elections in 2020 and with our senses because some things right like that that we know is that like kids who were or 10 and we're told not to open the door when the numerator came to their house in 2010. Those kids were not counted into the government those kids don't exist. And now those kids are 20 now and they're adults and so we want to make sure that all families are counted in the 2020 census.

31:30 Well, although I'm not from Fresno, and I'm not part of your community. I just I feel really lucky to know that you are here and you are doing this work for the community that you come from because that's pretty rare and it sounds like you have really great momentum. So thank you and you're always welcome to move to Fresno and we will receive you with open arms and welcome you and your family. Thank you so much for being here and having this conversation with me. I feel like I really learned a lot. Thank you for coming.