Celebrating 35+ years of Friendship and Service in the East Bay

Who We Are

About The Links, Incorporated

The Links, Incorporated is an international, not-for-profit corporation, established in 1946. The membership consists of more than 17,000 professional women of African descent in 299 chapters located in 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and the United Kingdom. It is one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of extraordinary women who are committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry. To learn more about The Links, Incorporated, click here.

About Alameda Contra Costa Links (ACCL)

The Alameda Contra Costa (CA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated is comprised of women of color residing in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The chapter is informally referred to as “ACCL,” an acronym for Alameda Contra Costa Links. ACCL was chartered in 1985 and supports local service agencies serving primarily low-income, inner-city youth and their families through volunteer and fundraising efforts.

ACCL member Dr. Glenda Newell-Harris served as the 16th National President of The Links, Incorporated. To read more about Dr. Newell-Harris click here.

Learn More About ACCL

WELCOME!

Ingrid Moore
President, Alameda Contra Costa (CA) Chapter

Welcome to the website of the Alameda Contra Costa (CA) Chapter of the Links, Incorporated. As the chapter embarks upon celebrating 40 years of service, we are not only thankful to Margaret Rosell Hawkins and Sarah Strickland Scott co-founders of The Links, Incorporated but to the 25 women who were thought leaders 39 years ago and chartered the Alameda Contra Costa (CA) Chapter.

Over the years, the chapter has engaged and served communities in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties where needs are identified which range from STEAM education to addressing food insecurity needs. In all that we do, we strive to embody the Links, Incorporated core values which includes friendship, integrity, service, commitment, courage, accountability, and respect for self and others.

I am honored to serve as the President of such a dynamic chapter, with women who are intergenerational, continue to be thought leaders and whom I not only call my Link Sisters in service, but also my friends.

Take your time to get to know the Alameda Contra Costa (CA) Chapter. If you have any questions, in need of additional information or would like to provide support, complete the contact us form and we will be in touch with you.

OUR PROGRAMS

Delivering Impactful and Sustaining Programs in Service to Our Community

The Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the San Francisco Bay Area include 33 cities and over 2.7 million people. The Alameda Contra Costa (CA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated (ACCL) supports various communities throughout Oakland and the youth who live there as its community service program area. A needs assessment conducted in 2011 showed ACCL’s community service program area had a significant disparity in high school graduation rates among African American boys and girls; low test scores in science, math, health, and technology fields, and an obesity rate of almost 30% in elementary school children. The decision for our five facets to focus on STEAM education and workshops was made clear based on these disparities and continues to be the current focus. ACCL has also established two unique transformational ongoing community service opportunities, the “Respect Yourself Symposium” and the “Food Insecurity Taskforce” Learn more here.

Our programs are sustained by our institutional leadership affiliations and relations. Each year our chapters’ strategic planning process aligns our objectives with the needs of the target audience through a review of both their needs and our national initiatives. This annual exercise allows for integrated involvement, strong partnerships, and focused community service. We use a service delivery model to build a comprehensive approach to solving a problem or addressing a need within our community via our programs, strategies, and services. With this consistent needs assessment and evaluation, we can grow our long-term impact and connection to thousands of individuals and families across our community while also aligning with our organization's national priorities.

Our community partners include:

The Berkeley Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated assists with our annual Respect Yourself Youth Symposium.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School in West Oakland, a public school serving kindergarten through 5th grade students. This school's population is 60% African American, and 82% of the students are eligible for the free lunch program. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School has been a community partner since 2014.
Money Wise Financial Groups, a financial literacy partnership of Consumer Action and Capital One, assists with our Financial Literacy Program.
Saint Leo the Great School, a pre-kindergarten to 8th grade school serving families of which 20% live below the poverty line and a sizable number of children require tuition assistance. Saint Leo the Great School has been a community partner for a decade.

Learn more about our National Programs here.

The Arts

Objective: Increase and expand art activities throughout our communities, including creating and supporting art-related educational opportunities and supporting performances for our youth and accomplished professional artists. The goal is to produce and uplift programs to enrich the quality of life of our youth and communities through educational and engaging art experiences.

ACCL conducts a biennial National Poster Arts competition with guided workshops at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School and Saint Leo the Great School. The competition includes monetary prizes. In past years, the Arts Facet has partnered with the Oakland Ballet and hosted a “Discover Dance” performance at both schools. During the holiday season, bicycles have been awarded to students who have perfect attendance. The committee provides after-school art workshops to students at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School where they create vision Journals focused on their dreams and goals for their future. Art activities lead to better skills in social interactions, emotional regulation, and problem-solving techniques, which help them to see the world in new ways, and provide access to creative ways of thinking.

National Trends and Services

Objective: Effectively empower the communities and families with whom we work and to eliminate disparities by reducing barriers to services through advocacy, education, and service. Over the years, the program emphasis has been modified but the overall goal of creating and supporting environments to empower African American families has remained constant.

ACCL conducts financial literacy and anti-bullying workshops at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School and Saint Leo the Great School. Through Ally Bank’s Wallet Wise financial literacy workshops, students are taught a variety of finance topics to develop smart money habits.

Health and Human Services

Objective: Address health disparities in the Black community. The goal of HHS is to promote and facilitate programs that support the maintenance of good health and the elimination of chronic health disparities in communities of color through education, health advocacy, and optimal utilization of health resources.

For 28+ years, ACCL HHS has organized a Walk for Healthy Living annual Walk-A-Thon for our sisters and community members. HHS in partnership with the National Dental Association hosts an annual Colgate Dental mobile clinic at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School to examine and support the dental health of students. HHS presented modules on dental health, social communication skills, and physical health to students at Saint Leo the Great and Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School. The Facet also created the HHS Passport, distributed within ACCL to organize and record the healthy lifestyle habits of our Link sisters. Other activities are aligned with the Links national health initiatives: Breast Cancer Awareness, Heart Health, HIV-AIDS, Childhood Obesity, and Mental Health Awareness.

Services to Youth

Objective: Uses an integrated approach to prepare young people to succeed as healthy citizens in the global workforce and to promote healthy lifestyles within families and communities. This facet is focused on closing the achievement gap from pre-K through college (with the intent of preparing our youth for the global workforce as healthy citizens), developing training modules for local pre-K through college mentoring, expanding and supporting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and promoting and supporting historically black colleges and universities.

ACCL has led a monthly Reading Links to Living book club at East Oakland Youth Development Center for over 20 years. It is a popular club for girls ages 8-12 and serves as a place to develop the love of reading, writing, journaling, and public speaking. The book club is visited by local authors and the committee also sponsors field trips to area museums and libraries to expose and expand the knowledge base of the girls.

International Trends and Services

Objective: Preserve the culture and improve the economic plight of persons in African

countries and the wider diaspora. The goal is to develop programs that provide humanitarian outreach related to education, healthcare, advocacy, and basic human needs for people from developing nations who are of African descent. We also promote global awareness among the youth we mentor.

ACCL conducts workshops at Saint Leo the Great School and Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School to help students become better citizens and community contributors. The workshops focused on world geography with an emphasis on history, art, natural resources, cultural practices, and socioeconomic and political systems across three countries - South Africa, Jamaica, and Haiti. Country-specific workshops also reinforced geography skills using cartography, art, and writing. Student-led fundraising projects led to gathering resources to share with these countries.

SPOTLIGHTS

Food Insecurity Taskforce (FIT)

Established in 2021, ACCL FIT has supplied and distributed groceries and food assistance to 200+ Bay Area families across elementary and middle schools by utilizing grants and fundraising. FIT provides food assistance, especially with the increased need after the rise and impact of COVID-19. Our Facets have always partnered with various schools in the Bay Area that offer free breakfast to students. Once shelter in place was implemented and students did not have access to one of the most important meals of the day, ITS established FIT to meet the needs of the families in the local community. The goal was to supply each family with items to prepare a complete, nutritious meal while also sharing nutrition best practices and resources. Monthly, volunteers bagged non-perishables and provided a gift card for perishable items that supplement the meal. The Groceries Delivery Toolkit was created to provide a guideline for purchasing and delivering nutritious groceries to selected community groups. Using a uniform method provided consistency and clarity in our objectives and metrics across all participating Links chapters.

Respect Yourself Symposium

History: The Respect Yourself Symposium (RYS) was developed in 1996 to address an increase in gun violence in Oakland, California. Recognizing that there were many factors contributing to the problem, coupled with the fact that violence had been declared a public health issue, we organized a one-day symposium for middle school youth. The first RYS was held on the Laney College campus in Oakland with approximately 100 students in attendance. Students were invited from public and parochial schools in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

Our inaugural workshops were held in small group settings, led by community leaders, to discuss: peer pressure, how to handle being stopped by the police, the challenges of substance abuse, and the value of financial literacy. Over the years, the workshops have evolved to cover topics related to STEAM, including interactive workshops like brain anatomy and DJing with math.

RYS has received national and area recognition from The Links, Incorporated, and school principals and parents have applauded the symposium for creating such a meaningful experience for their children. In keeping with the advancement and development of programming within our national organization, we broadened the one-day symposium over time to engage many of our students all year long, culminating in this annual Saturday event. An average of 125 students are typically in attendance.

Content: The Respect Yourself Symposium has hosted various workshops over the past 28 years. Our focus has been on introducing students to topics that are relevant to the times and engaging for students. Below is a list of some of the workshops that participants have experienced since RYS began in 1996:

Science: Brain Anatomy, Heart and Lung Anatomy
Technology: Coding, Robotics
Engineering: Designing Shoes, Designing Ski Jumps
Art: Dance, Vision Boarding
Math: DJing with Math
Health and Wellness: Healthy Eating, Mental Health, Conflict Resolution, Sexual Education, Substance Abuse Education
Life Skills:
- Anti-Bullying
- Financial Literacy
- Know Your Rights
- How You Show up in the world, in your community and for yourself: Contributing to Your Community & Creating a Better World, Identifying your Values, Building your Brand and Mapping your Vision

ACCL SCHOLARSHIPS

Alameda Contra Costa Links Scholarship Opportunities

The Philanthropic Committee of the Alameda Contra Costa Links is pleased to present the following scholarship opportunities for high school seniors and college students:

Ann C. Cato Scholarship

Ann C. Cato played an integral part in the founding and organization of the Alameda Contra Costa Innovators, the interest group for the Alameda Contra Costa Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. Her untimely death occurred prior to the chartering of the Alameda Contra Costa Links. In her memory, Alameda Contra Costa Links established the Ann C. Cato Scholarship Fund, whereby a scholarship will be presented each year to a student who is majoring in or intending to major in the teaching or therapist field.

HBCU Scholarship

The Alameda Contra Costa Links created the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Scholarship to promote attendance and improve graduation rates at HBCUs, and encourage studies in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM).

STEAM Scholarship

Developing the pipeline for African American youth to enter the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) disciplines is an important goal for the Alameda Contra Costa Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. This STEAM scholarship was created to encourage and financially support those students who seek an education and ultimately a career in these disciplines.

Alameda Contra Costa Links Scholarship Recipients

RESPECT YOURSELF
SYMPOSIUM

The Respect Yourself Symposium (RYS) was developed in 1996 to address an increase in gun violence in Oakland, California. Recognizing that there were many factors contributing to the problem, coupled with the fact that violence had been declared a public health issue, we organized a one-day symposium for middle school youth. The first RYS was held on the campus of Laney College in Oakland and there were approximately 100 students in attendance. Students were invited from public and parochial schools in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

RYS has received national and area recognition from The Links, Incorporated, and school principals and parents have applauded the symposium for creating such a meaningful experience for their children. In keeping with the advancement and development of programming within our national organization, we broadened the one-day symposium over time to engage many of our students all year long, culminating in this annual Saturday event. In more recent years, the event has been in virtual or hybrid formats due to COVID-19. An average of 125 students are typically in attendance.

The Respect Yourself Symposium has hosted a variety of workshops over the past 27 years. Our focus has been on introducing students to topics that are relevant with the times, and engaging for students. Below is a list of some of the workshops that participants have experienced since RYS began in 1996:

Science: Brain Anatomy, Heart and Lung Anatomy
Technology: Coding, Robotics
Engineering: Designing Shoes, Designing Ski Jumps
Art: Dance, Vision Boarding
Math: DJing with Math
Health and Wellness: Healthy Eating, Mental Health, Conflict Resolution, Sexual Education, Substance Abuse Education
Life Skills: Anti-Bullying, Financial Literacy, Know Your Rights

Our program is sustained by our institutional leadership affiliations and relations. Each year our chapters’ strategic planning process aligns our objectives with the needs of the target audience through a review of both their needs and our national initiatives. This annual exercise allows for integrated involvement, strong partnerships, and focused community service. Our community partners include:

The Berkeley Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated assists with our annual Respect Yourself Youth Symposium.
The East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC), an award-winning 501c3 nonprofit youth center established in 1978, and a community partner for twenty years is the location of our Reading Links to Living Girls book club. This Youth Center provides a safe haven for learning and growth for more than 2,000 youth and young adults.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School in West Oakland, a public school serving kindergarten through 5th grade students. This school's population is 60% African American, and 82% of the students are eligible for the free lunch program. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School has been a community partner since 2014.
Money Wise Financial Groups, a financial literacy partnership of Consumer Action and Capital One, assists with our Financial Literacy Program.
Saint Leo the Great School, a pre-kindergarten to 8th grade school serving families of which 20% live below the poverty line and a sizable number of children require tuition assistance. Saint Leo the Great School has been a community partner for a decade.

Respect Yourself 25th Anniversary Commemorative Video (2021)

EVENTS

ACCL CHAPTER

Chapter History

ACCL had its beginnings in the early 1980s with a small group of talented entrepreneurial and professional women who formed the core nucleus. In August 1983, the women were invited to develop an official chapter of The Links, Incorporated. The group selected the name “Alameda/Contra Costa Innovators,” because the prospective members resided in the two counties. On Saturday, February 9, 1985, 25 talented women participated in the formal chartering of the chapter. A formal dinner dance was held that evening during which the new Link inductees were presented to the public.

Accl Today

ACCL Today

Each member of ACCL pledges and commits to providing substantial service hours per year through the organization’s programs. This time is spent by women with a “heart for service” who are dedicated and determined to make a difference. These services are implemented with strategic and focused goals in five program areas: The Arts, Services to Youth, National Trends & Services, International Trends & Services, and Health and Human Services. ACCL has contributed more than $250,000 to our community while providing other services to families in crisis, youth in varied situations, welfare-to-work agencies and education and health concerns here and abroad.

Our programs of over twenty-five years include services to middle school youth through our award-winning “Respect Yourself” Youth Symposium held each year. We stand 47 members strong and our Links sisterhood continues to deepen as our membership expands. Our current chapter activities continue to advance community service to the Bay Area at the same levels of excitement, impact, and standards of our earliest days as a chapter. With a strong foundation of more than three decades, the Alameda Contra Costa Links are well poised for many more successful years of service and sisterhood.

Members

Active Members

Myeshia Armstrong

Adimika Arthur

Teiahsha Bankhead

Veda Bartlow

Brittany Harris Beauchman

Diana Bell

Glennda Bivens

Erica Bohler

Deirdre Haizlip Celotto

Stephanie Jackson Christmas

Alexandria Cooley

Rozenia Cummings

Christina Deadwiler

Jocelyn Freeman Garrick

Rita Gordon

Deborah Gould

Minjon LeNoir Hall

Angela Harris

Beverly Harrison

Jacqueline Harrison

Quita Highsmith

Stephanie I. Hill

Debra Hill-Houston

Shari Hollis-Ross

Meryl Johnson Jackson

Andrea F. Jones

Jennifer S. Madden

Monica Monroe

Ingrid M. Moore

Glenda Newell-Harris++

Zainabu Oke

Lauren Pitts

Alana Pitts-McIver

Yvette Radford

Desiree Rodgers

Sonya Simril

Melissa Brown Sladden

Victoria Barber Spears

Tiffany Stevenson

Farae Strickland

Dawn Sykes

Julie Waters

Demetriah Webster

Kathrina Weekes+

Lillian White

Lena McAfee Young

+ Immediate Past President, Alameda Contra Costa (CA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated

++ 16th National President, The Links, Incorporated

Alumnae Members

Gale Bell

Stalfana Bello

Andrea Breaux

Vianna Briscoe

Doris Britt

Dorothy Bryant

Myrtle Davis

Theresa Handis

Fern S. Jackson

Myrtle Jones

Saundra Jones

Denise LeNoir

Jacqui Love-Thornell

Joyce Melton

Elaine Needham

Gwen Renshaw-Ovid

Etna Laura Ross

Rose Mary Towns

Velather Weaver

Elouise Wilson

Charter Members

Tommye Kay Armstong*

Beverly Baker-Kelly

Delores Benton*

Odessa Broussard*

Dorothy Bryant

Ulyssine G. Clift*

Myrtle Davis

Grace Driver*

Nerissa W. Jarrett*

Christine Johnson

Gladys M. Jordan*

Osie Lawrence*

Rochelle Lester*

Ruth Lockhart*

Henriette Major*

Bernice McMillan*

Evelyne H. Myatt*

Glenda Newell-Harris

Eloise Norton

Emma H. Pendergrass*

Etna Laura Ross

Carolyn Bush Stuckey*

Gwendolyn Seay Townsend*

Norma Jean Tucker*

Greta Clarke Wims

*deceased

16th National President

16th National President (2014-2018)

The Links, Incorporated and The Links Foundation, Incorporated elected Glenda Newell-Harris, M.D., as its 16th National President in 2014. The election of Newell-Harris marked the first time a medical doctor served at the helm of the organization, and the first time a national president was elected from the state of California.

A charter member of the Alameda Contra Costa (CA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, Newell-Harris stepped into the role of National President after serving four years as the The Links, Incorporated's National Vice President.

At the time of her election, Newell-Harris said “It is an honor of a lifetime to serve as national president of The Links, Incorporated.” Recognizing the importance of her role as national president, Newell-Harris stressed that “My predecessors in this position have demonstrated not only the significance of this role, but also the profound impact it has across the nation and in several foreign countries.”

The theme of Newell-Harris's presidency, from 2014-2018, was “Building a Healthy Legacy: Our Prescription for the Future”. As a physician, Dr. Newell-Harris made individual and community health a key focus of her presidency.

Currently a Regional Medical Director at YesCare, Newell-Harris is a board certified physician in internal medicine and a media spokesperson whose opinions on new advances in medicine and controversial medical issues have made her a valued medical expert. Newell-Harris is a past president of the Sinkler-Miller Medical Association, an affiliate of the National Medical Association, and co-authored a book, entitled “Focus on Your Best Health.” She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors from many organizations including Jack and Jill of America, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Bay Area Black United Fund, John Hale Medical Society and Cinnamongirl, Inc.

A native of North Carolina, and a graduate of Miss Porter’s School, Newell-Harris is the daughter of Dr. Virginia K. Newell and the late George F. Newell. She received her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine and a bachelor of science in Biology from Tufts University. A mother of four children, she is married to Robert L. Harris, Esq.