Honorable Cecilia Taylor’s Yonder Years: An African Dancer at San Francisco State University

by Dr. Tiffany Caesar

Honorable Cecilia Taylor created history as the first black woman mayor of Menlo Park City in 2020. She has courageously served two terms advocating and supplying resources for underserved and underrepresented communities. Menlo Park is in San Mateo County joining other popular Bay Area cities including San Francisco and Oakland.

She currently serves on the Menlo Park City Council while working with the Ad hoc Advisory Board for San Mateo County Housing Authority and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). The council member, Taylor, also created Belle Haven Action, a non-profit that provides outreach and support to strengthen the Belle Haven neighborhood.

She joins a cohort of Black women in politics from the Bay making a positive difference, including Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, State Controller Malia M. Cohen, former San Francisco Mayor London Breed, past Vice President Kamala Harris, and Barbara Lee, the first Black woman elected to the state Legislature and Congress from Northern California. Lee is running for mayor in Oakland in the April elections.

A shining star since youth

Taylor has always been a Renaissance woman. Her background includes African dance, mathematics and politics. Even as a young student at San Francisco State University, professors recognized her brilliance. Her former professor of Africana Studies, Dr. Johnetta Richards, shares fond memories, “I remember her … vibrant, smart and determined. She reminded me of a young Ida B. Wells – committed to community advancement.”

There is plenty to share about the political powerhouse, Cecilia Taylor; however, this article will reveal her early years as a student at San Francisco State University and the impact of cultural activities such as African dance on her journey.

African dance at San Francisco State University

African dance pictures – Photo: Honorable Cecilia Taylor’s archives 

The young change-agent, Cecilia Taylor, entered San Francisco State University in 1993, the same school her father, Moses Walker, attended. Most people know her dad as Mel, a name given to him in the army.

She recalls him being on campus during the 1960s when there were challenges. Her father was also an early member of the first Black Student Union on the SFSU campus. He received a stipend to attend SFSU after graduation from Ravenswood High School in East Palo Alto. Originally going to school to become a teacher, he instead chose to work for IBM due to the racial violence he experienced as a Black man in education.

Taylor shares that her father is still concerned that “the needs of the Black community are not prioritized.” In her brief discussion surrounding her father, she recognizes her family’s rootedness in Black upliftment and civic engagement.

Honorable Taylor emphasized, “San Francisco State was a place for me of growth, learning, and I probably wouldn’t be in office now if I had not gone there.” During her experience at SFSU, she was rooted in African dance.

 African dance and community pictures – Photo: Honorable Cecilia Taylor’s archives

She reveled in the time she learned various dance movements, “I just kept taking the same dance classes over and over again because I enjoyed the instructor. There was a combination of movement in the class, but also history. I learned the Katherine Dunham technique and had an opportunity to actually meet Katherine Dunham.”

Katherine Dunham was a world-renowned dancer, choreographer, humanitarian and social justice activist. She is a legend – and for Taylor to meet her as a student was a once-in-a-lifetime encounter.

While at San Francisco State University, she was taught by many great dance professors like Dr. Albirda Rose Eberhardt, who taught Afro-Haitian Dance. Dr. Rose was a former student of Katherine Dunham and a master teacher of her technique.

Honorable Taylor mentioned her favorite teacher, Ms. Alicia Pierce, “She brought everything to the Afro-Haitian dance classes, along with songs. We learned it was a journey. You got a story. We had ceremonies at the end of our class.”

She remembers making important artifacts for her dance recitals, “(W)e would make these things called vèvès, and a vèvès is like a macrame on the ground, but you make it with corn, masa or flour. It’s almost like when you see women wearing cowrie shells. Just very, very beautiful, I still have pictures of it.”

Taught by Dr. Malonga Casquelourd, she recalls, “He was famous from the Congo to Oakland, San Francisco, and even East Palo Alto … He taught drumming and dance class and taught you how to drum on your legs before he put you to the drum.”

Malonga was considered an ambassador of Central African Dance from the Republic of Congo participating in the National Congolese Dance Company and Le Ballet Diaboua in Paris. His later years were rooted in the Bay Area as a creator of the CitiCentre Dance Theater in Oakland. Later the Alice Arts Center was named the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts due to the African dance classes he had there.

Art and politics have many connections, and yet we try to separate them. In the case of Honorable Taylor, the former two time mayor, now council member of Menlo Park – African dance at San Francisco State University greatly impacted her. It contributed to her strength and fortitude to continue to fight for the Menlo Park community, one beat at a time.

Preserving Black culture In Menlo Park through policy

Taylor now uses her creativity to find ways to preserve and promote Black culture in Menlo Park in San Mateo County, she asserts, “We have gone from being 96% Black in 1975 to roughly 6%.”

Menlo Park has the second largest Black population in San Mateo County, she mentions, “The preservation piece is about successorship and mentoring the next leaders.”

She affirms, “We’re really looking at how to do policy and preservation that is permanent … It’s not a temporary fix.”

Beyond advocating for housing, political inclusion, education and equality – Honorable Cecilia Taylor’s organization, Belhaven Action, created the first Black History, and Juneteenth Celebration in Menlo Park. The institution has also participated in oral history recordings of community members. When it comes to the preservation of local history, she asserts, “We don’t need to look abroad. There have been so many people, hundreds in our community who did something good that either never got the recognition or no one knew about.”

The longtime community advocate also mentions obstacles in Black preservation efforts as well, “Preserving has been challenging because I don’t have control over the school district … That is really where it needs to happen in our education space, making sure children are learning about their own legacy.”

Taylor has worked with many educational institutions, including some in early childhood education, and extension programs at San Francisco State University through EOP (Educational Opportunity Programs). She also benefited from student programs at SFSU like AMP (Alliance for Minority Participation).

She recalls, “The goal was to strengthen our math skills so that we were a success in our classes.”

Honorable Cecilia Taylor later received her BA in Mathematics, her only Black professor in AMP and later advisor, Dr. Ellis, told her, “Go and do good with it.” Advocating for her community and preserving education and culture has always been a high priority for her.

Words of wisdom to Black women leaders

Honorable Cecilia Taylor– Photo: Honorable Cecilia Taylor’s archives

As mentioned, Honorable Cecilia Taylor joins a legacy of Black women leaders from the Bay Area. Though there is much joy and esteem surrounding the great feat of Black women’s leadership, it is not without its issues.

The woman of strong purpose gently reminds us, “157 Black women die every day in America … So, my advice is to take care of yourself first!”

She further explains, “Too many of us have died because we didn’t take care of ourselves at 40 years old, at 20 years old … And it’s because we have constantly put someone else above ourselves.” Taylor affirms,

“The movement will be here. It ain’t going nowhere.”

Taylor shares that this too has been a personal struggle that she is striving to overcome, “And that has probably been my biggest challenge … I’ve sacrificed so much, it’s hard to stop. It’s an addiction because you feel like you have to do it. You have to do it. And we’re not compensated a living wage for our work at all.”

She continues, “Giving away labor … voluntarily this time. It’s not even forced … So, take care of yourself financially, spiritually, emotionally and physically. Take care of self.”

The next move

Politics in San Mateo County has been an “uphill battle” for her. Constituents have questioned her credentials and capability by asking her to post her SFSU degree publicly – yet she continues to push through.

She mentions the moments that encourage her, “I see the appreciation in my elders’ eyes that I am there … and the young faces happy to see me because I look like them.” She looks forward to her role as the first vice president of the NAACP branch in San Mateo and continuing her support of the current mayor of Menlo Park, Drew Combs.

Honorable Cecilia Taylor encourages everyone to visit her at the Belle Haven Action Office or the recently opened Belle Haven Community Campus. You can witness all the work Belle Haven Action does to sustain itself and advocate for marginalized people on their website – https://www.bellehavenaction.org.

In addition, she encourages, mentors and supports others in reaching similar or higher heights in political advancement, community development and leadership.

Lastly, take an African dance class at the Malonga Casquelourd Center in Oakland. That is one way Honorable Taylor will always advocate for you to take care of yourself.

Honorable Cecilia Taylor reads a book in the Belle Haven Community Campus library. – Photo: Dr. Tiffany Caesar 

Dr. Tiffany Caesar is an Oakland-based writer, scholar, artist and activist. Her work emphasizes the preservation of Black cultural heritage institutions, Africana women and leadership, pan-African political movements, reparations and self-care. She is currently an assistant professor of Africana Studies at San Francisco State University, where she teaches African American History and Black Lives Matter: Race and Social Justice Movements. Dr. Caesar also serves as the SF Bay View Student Internship Coordinator. She can be reached at [email protected].

The post Honorable Cecilia Taylor’s Yonder Years: An African Dancer at San Francisco State University appeared first on San Francisco Bay View.

Source: https://sfbayview.com/2025/04/honorable-cecilia-taylors-yonder-years-an-african-dancer-at-san-francisco-state-university/