Welcome to the AFCC California Annual Conference – Practical Solutions for Complex Family Law Challenges.
Thank you to the Conference Co-chairs Deborah Wald, Sacramento’s own Angelina Ray and Frank Davis.
Also, thanks go to the sponsors of this conference for their generosity and support:
Platinum Sponsor – Soberlink
Silver Sponsors
- Flicker Kerin, LLP
- David Lawrence Blacker Family Law PC
Bronze Sponsors
- Insalaco Sucherman
- Hoge Fenton Jones Appel, Inc
- The Wald Group
Thank you again, sponsors, for your generous support.
So, I FIRST want to acknowledge that we are on land where the Nisenan, Miwok, Patwin, and Maidu, among other peoples, have made their home for many many centuries, if not millennia. These sorts of land acknowledgments often get criticized for being “performative.” I would argue that the act of acknowledging our history is not performative, nor is it political. It’s acknowledging something important. It’s historical and respectful. It forced me to find out what native peoples lived here and I learned something. Without understanding our history in all its complexity, we lose a critical tool for making decisions about our future.
Moreover, the “performance” is ultimately modeling. Parents teaching children how to say thank you, teams shaking hands at the end of a tough game, parents after a bad breakup learning how to communicate for the benefit of their children come down to modeling – modeling gratitude, grace, empathy, compassion, understanding, de-escalation, collective action, respect, cooperation. This is what AFCC and the California Chapter have been focused on for over sixty years.
Our mission is to make children’s and families’ lives better as they go through a system that is not ideal for their needs. We get together to share ideas.
- We work to put on educational events like this conference and webinars.
- Leading lights in the field, many of whom can be found in California, continue the research that furthers our understanding.
- We innovate to help families experience less stress and to put more agency in the family’s hands.
- We create guidelines to ensure best practices.
- With our emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion, we ensure more voices are heard and engaged. (Please come to the diversity equity and inclusion open forum tomorrow night at 5:30.)
AFCC and the California Chapter represents the best of us.
When we pull back and take in a broader view, AFCC and the California Chapter stand for so many things that are being attacked. Once again, children are being separated from their families. The most vulnerable are being targeted (and I’m not talking straight white men). Programs to improve diversity and equity are being dismantled. Violence and intolerance is off the charts. Expertise is sidelined – I mean, measles? Really? Discourse is coarse. It’s all algorithms and silos and group-think which lead to ignorance and “othering” and intolerance. The ability to see the humanity in somebody who is different from you or who has different ideas or beliefs is eroding. We are being told to ignore what we are seeing with our own eyes!
We can’t be silent. In the last few years, AFCC California has put out statements regarding the murder of George Floyd, separation of immigrant families, violence against the Asian and Pacific Islander community, the Skrmetti decision allowing states to prohibit medical treatment of transgender youth, and termination of deferred action for children with special immigrant juveniles’ status. And most recently we issued a statement supporting continuation of virtual appearances statewide as an access to justice issue and an issue of safety for domestic violence survivors and non-citizen litigants.
We as individuals must use our voices. We as an organization must use our voice to call out what we know is wrong. I am hopeful we will continue to speak up and speak out.
To shift gears, I want to say a little something about the as yet revealed logo. I had hoped to have the logo on merch at this conference but given the timing of things it was not meant to be. And it still needs some tweaking.
Long time member Rhonda Lindsay from Santa Rosa had the winning design. Let me paint you a picture. It’s the majestic California Grizzly as seen on our state flag imposed on the AFCC logo (house and family inside) astride … a surfboard. The bear is solid, majestic. The surfboard is playful. But when I think about surfing, when I watch surfers which I do frequently at Ocean Beach (I myself do not surf!), I find it a perfect representation of what AFCC California represents. First, surfing is happening up and down California’s coast. But more importantly, even if we don’t surf, we in this room have many of the same skills: the dedication, the perseverance, the calm, the openness to changed circumstances, the ability to face and ride real challenges. We sometimes get flipped over by a wave – of emotion, of heartbreak, of conflict – but we get back on that board to do it all over again.
And I want to let everybody know about the passing of a truly fine man who was instrumental in getting the logo done. Carlos Olivares was the chair of the logo committee. More, he was just such a mensch. A gentleman. Love and kindness flowed out of him. He was somebody who had overcome so much to give so much back to children. He battled cancer with grace and humor but ultimately succumbed to the disease. He was the embodiment of what AFCC and the California Chapter stand for: Integrity, empathy, good work, decency. Carlos Olivares will be sorely missed.
It has been a challenging yet illuminating and rewarding experience being your president. And you will be in great hands with Susan Rempel at the helm (Susan by the way isn’t here this weekend as she is recovering from surgery). Don’t forget about the open forum tomorrow evening and the general membership meeting on Sunday morning. Thank you and thank you for your support. Have a great conference.
