From Civil Rights to Space Exploration, a Century of Accomplishments Honored in San Mateo County

Redwood City -The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors marked 100 years of Black History Month on Tuesday by honoring civil rights attorney Dr. Clarence B. Jones and astronaut and physician Dr. Yvonne Cagle.

Supervisor Lisa Gauthier said the centennial is both a celebration and a reminder that progress requires intention.

"Black history is American history," she said, calling the month a time to recognize "the stories that shape our nation's conscience, character and future."

Supervisors recognized Jones as a civil rights leader and close legal adviser to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., helping to draft the 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech and advising King at critical moments.

In the decades since, Jones has served as a professor and author, writing extensively about the civil rights movement and its lessons for future generations.

Speaking by Zoom, the 95-year-old Jones said the foundation of leadership is simple.

"You have to deeply care about the people you serve," he said. "You can't fake it."

The legal and social gains of the civil rights movement opened doors in science, government and higher education that had long been closed to Black Americans. Dr. Yvonne Cagle grew up during that era of expanding opportunity.

After earning a degree in biochemistry from San Francisco State University, she trained at NASA's Johnson Space Center, qualifying as a mission specialist and contributing to astronaut health research and space telemedicine.

She traced her path to July 20, 1969, when she was high in an old oak tree in Northern California, playing hide-and-seek, unaware that astronauts were walking on the moon.

When her father called her inside and she saw the images on television, her "dreams took wing," she said, setting her on a path toward science, medicine and space exploration.

But her dreams were shaped not only by that historic moon landing. She reflected on the power of another defining American moment.

"I remember being a young girl listening to the 'I Have a Dream' speech, and it is what allowed me to dream and launched me into space," she said, underscoring the enduring influence of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s words, crafted with the help of Clarence B. Jones, on the generations who followed.

For Cagle, the connection between past and future is inseparable.

"The amazing power of dreams is that it doesn't just live in the individual, but when shared and nourished, it becomes a community reach that reaches across our planet and all the way to-and beyond-the stars," she said.

As she spoke to the Board, Cagle transported the audience beyond the chamber walls and into space, weaving together history, science and possibility. She described the sensation of floating in space, the quiet awe of weightlessness, and explained that at orbital speeds, even a single blink carries you nearly 10 miles farther from Earth. In that moment, it felt as though the room had lifted, carried by her words into the vastness above. Her reflections on dreams, collective and personal, struck a powerful chord, culminating in a standing ovation.

Honoring leaders like Jones and pioneers like Cagle, Gauthier noted is as much about looking forward as it is about remembering the past.

"Progress is possible, but it is never automatic," she said. "It requires courage, intention and leadership."

After the presentation, Cagle posed for photos in her blue flight jacket as Supervisors and audience members gathered around her. Outside the chambers, several community members stopped to take photos with her, asking about her path to NASA and her hopes for future missions.

Cagle said she dreams of putting her boots on the moon - and eventually Mars - studying how the human body adapts to new environments.

"Just like that little girl at the top of the old oak tree," she said.

Black History Monthtraces its roots to 1926, when historian Carter G. Woodson launched "Negro History Week" to spotlight the accomplishments of African Americans and encourage their inclusion in U.S. history - a commemoration that grew into the monthlong observance recognized nationwide today.

A century later, the San Mateo County branch of the NAACP is marking its own 100-year milestone.

"There's a tremendous amount of weight that comes with being the president at this time," said Maurice Goodman, president of the local NAACP. He said the anniversary is both a reflection on those who came before and a reminder that community leadership still matters.

While the issues facing communities evolve, Goodman said, the organization's mission remains steady: ensuring that when residents seek fairness, opportunity or support, "there's someone there to hear them."

Proclamation honoring Dr. Clarence B. Jones: Link

Proclamation honoring Dr. Yvonne Cagle: Link

Joshua Caspillan
Legislative Aide, Sup. Lisa Gauthier, District 4
650-542-1222
[email protected]

Effie Milionis Verducci
Interim Director of Strategic Communications
650-407-4915
[email protected]