YLS and Anniversary Recaps, Spotlight: Benita Gordon, BWOP Training
YLS and Anniversary Recaps, Spotlight: Benita Gordon, BWOP Training

 June Newsletter

Oakland Youth Leaders-in-the-Making


The Youth Listening Summit on Workers Memorial Day was hugely successful, with over one hundred youth showing up to participate in a day of learning, collaborating, and sharing! It was a long and packed day, with multiple organizations showing up to share their missions with the 11-20 year old students, who then presented their views and solutions to Council and Assemblymembers, the Cal/OSHA chief, the Labor Commissioner, and the District 2 Council President.
We were very pleased with the way the youth engaged in these conversations and stepped into the roles of group facilitators and presenters, and the insight they brought into the ongoing conversations about how to solve our most tenacious problems. Oakland District 3 Council Member Carroll Fife posted about the impact of the event here.

New Team Member Spotlight: Benita Gordon


Benita joined the Worksafe Team as our Administrative Coordinator in February 28th. Please join us in welcoming our already indispensable colleague!

What sparked your interest in worker health and safety?

BG: I never had much of an interest in health and safety particularly but I knew I wanted to be a part of something bigger than just paid labor. After being a part of the Worksafe team, I knew that I had landed a position that really checked almost all of my boxes. It reminds me that everyone, including myself deserves to feel safe when it comes to their place of employment and I want to be a part of providing that to others.

What attracted you to Worksafe in particular? 

BG: I have worked in environments that were not "ideal" and you are trained to believe it's just "how it is" or that you cannot really do anything to change it; or even feel like you can speak up for yourself without some form of repercussion. After meeting with Stephen and the team, I realized that everyone has a voice that should be heard; the health and safety of each employee should not only be mandatory but a priority.

What do you do for fun?

BG: I love to read and spend time with family and friends. In the summers we grill a lot and spend as much time as possible in the water, either in a pool or on a boat just cruising. Speaking of cruising, I also enjoy taking long road trips with the windows down and the music blasting (by the way, I take the scenic routes).

42nd Anniversary Recap


The Anniversary Event on June 5th was a lovely evening, and very successful. We raised over $30,000 dollars, beautifully honored the Health & Safety Heroes, and celebrated the work with our community. Several current and former board members were in attendance, as well as the majority of the Worksafe team. 

New additions to the event (poetry, dance, a DJ and an emcee) were well-received, and will likely continue to be integrated into future events.

Thank you for coming out to celbrate with us!

Black Worker Outreach Project:

Fundamentals Training, Cohort 2


Worksafe and the BWOP outreach team held their second Black Worker Fundamentals Training on June 9th at Chapter 510 in Oakland.

The training focuses on reviewing the basics of workplace health & safety specifically for black workers. The goal is to create a series of training sessions with multiple cohorts. The trainings so far have been interactive, and participants were enthused and engaged.  
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