Episode 13:
 The Rose That Grew From Concrete

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Michael Tubbs - City of Stockton Mayor and City Councilman

In this episode we feature the voice of Michael Tubbs. We have broken the episode down into two parts. Part one takes place back in the summer of 2016 when we caught up with Michael Tubbs who was at that time the youngest City Council member in Stockton history and one of the youngest elected officials in the United States. Part two takes place in the fall of 2018 and we revisit all of the work Tubbs was doing in 2016, his campaign promises and his vision for the City of Stockton.

Michael Tubbs

My hometown of Stockton is a city with a challenging past and a promising future. Stockton is making strides with coordinated efforts to address crime, stabilize our municipal fiscal health, and grow the population. Reinventing Stockton means having a willingness to take a different approach to solving systemic problems. We have an opportunity to shape our city for generations to come. Collectively, there is no challenge our community cannot match. At this pivotal time in history, we have a real opportunity to serve as a model for the nation from education, to public safety and economic development.

Michael Tubbs is the first African-American Mayor of Stockton, California, and the youngest mayor in American history of a city of more than 100,000 people. Before being elected Mayor in November 2016, Michael served as the City Council-member representing Council District 6, the district where he grew up. He is the youngest elected official in Stockton’s history and one of the youngest elected officials in the nation.

Born and raised in Stockton, Michael attended Hamilton Middle School and graduated with the International Baccalaureate diploma from Franklin High School. After Franklin, Michael attended Stanford University graduating with a Master's degree in Policy, Leadership and Organization Studies, plus a Bachelor's degree with honors; he is a Truman Scholar and a recipient of the highest university award, the Dinkelspiel.

While in university, he began to advocate for students and founded The Phoenix Scholars and the Summer Success and Leadership Academy at the University of the Pacific to increase access to higher education for underrepresented students.

As a Council-member, he championed the creation of the City's Office of Violence Prevention, founded the Reinvent South Stockton Coalition, and led the South Stockton Promise Zone planning efforts. Tubbs also served as a college course instructor for Aspire Langston Hughes Academy and as a fellow and lecturer at the Design School at Stanford University.

As Mayor, he is working tirelessly to reinvent Stockton into a community of opportunity for everyone by focusing on violent crime, economic development, collective impact strategies, and partnering with school districts to improve education, the Nonprofit Social Justice All Star Collaborative, STAND as well as other nonprofit organization and community groups to bring his vision to life.

The impetus behind Tubbs' experiences and accomplishments is his desire to create opportunities and positive outcomes for his community. A true son of Stockton, Tubbs welcomes the daily challenges and is humbled by the opportunity to serve the Stockton community as Mayor. More about Michael Tubbs.

Donation / Fundraising

In his effort to reinvent the City of Stockton Michael Tubbs has had a hand in creating the following organizations to execute his vision of providing a hand up to fellow Stocktonians:

Reinvent Stockton Foundation - expands opportunity and build hope by attracting resources into Stockton and investing in our city's people.

Stockton Scholars -is dedicated to supporting students in their pursuit of higher education and supporting innovative ways to address poverty and violent crime.

The Student Success and Leadership Academy - trains and equips Stockton’s most undeserved youth with the skills that they need in order to be change agents in their community.

The Phoenix Scholars - recruits low income, first generation, and minority high school seniors from some of California's toughest communities.

Get Involved in Michael Tubbs Campaign

The Rose That Grew From Concrete:

The inspirational poem from Tupac Shakur that is the metaphor of the Reinvention of The City of Stockton and its community members:

Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature's law is wrong it
learned to walk with out having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared.

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