SGC Blog Cassandra Little and her BIG Impact on Environmental Justice: A Q&A with one of Central Valley’s Community Champions

Published:

Leticia Palamidessi, Lead Information Officer, Communications and External Affairs

Casandra Little stands in front of a Biz-Werx Innovation and Mobility Hub sign

Inspiring. Passionate. Community-driven. Demure. Mindful. These are words that many use to describe Cassandra Little, Executive Director and CEO of the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce. Ok, the last two words were meant to get your attention but could very well describe Dr. Little and her “very demure, very mindful” work to provide cleaner, more sustainable transportation options to underserved communities in the Central Valley.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Little (doctorate in Counseling and Educational Psychology) while making site visits to Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) projects in Fresno, California this summer. From the moment Dr. Little walked into the room to introduce the Biz-Werx Clean Shared Mobility Program [gobizwerx.com/ev-werx], her dedication to her work, and her community were evident. Please take a few moments to read our Q&A with Dr. Little and be inspired by her passion and commitment to the Central Valley and environmental and transportation justice.

Leticia: Tell me about YOU! Where did you grow up? Who were your mentors?

Dr. Little: I have lots of stories from my childhood that have shaped me to be the stubborn, self-driven, overachiever I am today. I am the eldest of five girls. I grew up in East Palo Alto, California… My childhood was traumatic, but memorable. We lived back and forth between my paternal and maternal grandparents. When I was not dealing with the fallout from my mother’s addiction and my father’s absence, I spent most of my time playing basketball. I loved (and still love) basketball. It has afforded me the opportunity to meet all types of people, travel to different neighborhoods, and attend and graduate from college. I attended two colleges to play basketball: Cal State Fullerton, and California Baptist University. I did not have so-called mentors, until college. Prior to that my people were my teammates and my sisters. During undergrad, my college basketball coach, Dave King, became a father-like figure for me. Till this day he is my Guy-dude! When I attended graduate school to receive my Masters, I took a class called “Structural Oppression,” which was being taught by a white lady. My first thought was, “what is this white lady going to teach me, about being oppressed?” Well, she taught me a whole lot. Not only did she become one of my mentors, but she is also one of my closest friends. We just surprised her with an 80th birthday party last year!

Leticia: What drives you? Shapes you to be the person you are today?

Dr. Little: My childhood has definitely shaped who I am and drives my passion. All I know how to do, is to try and win. However, that is defined in the moment or experience. That does not mean that I have won my entire life, because I most definitely have not. I grew up in a neighborhood where Programs would come, and the Program leads would suck the life and money out of the Program and then leave. They would leave us, with minimal impacts. I don’t care if it is on a small level, whatever I do, I must make an impact.

Leticia: How did you get involved with the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce and the TCC Program?

Dr. Little: I got involved with the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce when I moved to the Valley from Reno, Nevada. I have a consulting business and wanted to network with other business owners. I started talking to the then CEO, Tara Lynn Gray and we hit it off. As time went on, she found out that I was a grant writer and we wrote and won a grant together. I later became the Secretary of the Board. In 2019, right before the COVID crisis, Tara was appointed by the Governor's Office to be the Director of the California Office of the Small Business Advocate, and I was asked to be Interim CEO. I initially said no, because I also teach five classes at Fresno State in the Criminal Justice Department. And… nearly five years later, here I am, Executive Director and CEO!

“Those closest to the problem are closest to the solutions, but farthest from the resources. TCC and other SGC projects brings us closer to the solutions.”

In Fresno, and many similar regions, low-income and minority communities often face greater exposure to pollution, lack of green spaces, and limited access to affordable,efficient, public transportation. This creates barriers to economic mobility, health, and overall well-being. I am dedicated to addressing these systemic inequalities through Program’s like TCC and our TCC funded project, the Chamber's Bizwerx Clean Shared Mobility Program, which aims to provide cleaner, more sustainable transportation options to underserved communities. We are also creating a pathway for our youth and other community members to truly benefit from TCC. My goal is to continue to create resources that are there for the community by the community. It is not an easy chore, one of my friend’s quotes is always in my head. Glenn Martin says, “Those closest to the problem are closest to the solutions, but farthest from the resources.” The TCC and other SGC projects brings us closer to the solutions.

This work is important because I know how it can, and will, impact the community now and in the future. Many people may not understand the impact that the environment has on communities of color. Environmental and transportation justice is important to our communities because of the disproportionate impacts that environmental degradation and limited transportation access have on marginalized communities, especially Black and underserved populations. I have lived in areas where there are no canopies or green grass. Being a youth who had to walk for miles to a bus stop, due to the historical inequities in red lining and its proximity to transportation inequity. This work is important to me because I do not believe there will be another opportunity like this in my lifetime. We truly have an opportunity to make a tangible and sustainable impact.

Dr. Little talks to summer Executive Fellows about the Bizwerx Clean Shared Mobility Program.

Leticia: Speaking of impacts, tell us about the Bizwerx Clean Shared Mobility Program.

Dr. Little: Since 2018, we have been working with the City of Fresno on this TCC funded project that brings more affordable, green transportation options to residents in our area. Our Clean Shared Mobility Network operates a fleet of 40 electric vehicles and 200 e-bicycles, providing carsharing, vanpooling and bike-sharing in Downtown, Chinatown and Southwest, Fresno neighborhoods, along with a rural vanpool service for underserved residents in rural areas. At the core of the program is a 34-vehicle carsharing program with below-market rates for underserved residents. The vehicles are available by the hour or by the day. In addition, an electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and a Mobility Hub Customer Service Center provide a physical location for people to engage in-person with the program. The biggest joy for me is knowing that we own the vehicles and the operating system. So, when a consistent Bizwerx member calls and says they are having a rough month financially, and wants to check out a car to do some Door Dash, because we own everything, we can make some allowances. We truly put community first.

Leticia: You recently hosted the 2024 Clean Mobility Summit. Tell me about it!

Dr. Little: Simply put, in our communities, clean mobility is essential for enhancing economic sustainability, fostering healthier communities, and addressing historical social inequities… Being in the Valley you hear mostly about the work that is being done in the Northern and Southern parts of the State. My little team here in the Central Valley, along with many community-based organizations, and small business owners have been working tremendously hard to bring issues of environmental justice, electrification of California, and the EV Workforce to the forefront. The Summit brought together a variety of organizations that are all committed to lowering GHG and building out infrastructure to support the future electrification plans for California. The Summit was my bright idea to let everyone know that there is a strong ecosystem here in the Valley and we are ready to get it done!

About TCC

SGC’s TCC Program empowers the communities most impacted by pollution to choose their own goals, strategies, and projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution. Communities like, Dr. Little’s. The Program funds development and infrastructure projects that achieve major environmental, health, and economic benefits in California’s most disadvantaged communities. TCC is one of many California Climate Investments programs, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing GHG emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities.

In 2016, SGC selected the City of Fresno as one of three cities in the state to receive funds from Round 1 of TCC to create Transform Fresno. That program then funded 12 community led projects, including the Chamber's Bizwerx Clean Shared Mobility Program. Projects developed and implemented by neighborhood-level coordination that work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide local economic, environmental and health benefits to disadvantaged communities.

SGC is proud to empower and partner with communities and people like Dr. Little. A woman making a big impact on her community and bringing environmental justice to the Central Valley.