Community Spotlight: Momma Crys
This year, for Black History Month, we want to uplift and highlight stories from Black changemakers in our community. Today, we’re speaking to Crystal Calhoun, fondly known as Momma Crys, a prominent community organizer here in San Jose.
Amzi: Hi Momma Crys! Please start by telling us a little about your journey to San Jose.
Momma Crys: I was born and raised in South Texas in 1956 during some of the worst racial injustice, around the time of Dr. King.
They had all of the colored signs; it was supposed to be separate but equal. We got the books about ten years after the white kids got them. How could it be separate but equal if we’re ten years behind? I told my grandparents and my mom that I’m not living in Texas anymore and that I want to move to California. And one year later, they gave it up. I didn’t think California was the promised land, but I knew I had a better chance here and we moved up here to San Jose in 1973.
Amzi: What was it like in San Jose back then?
Momma Crys: Oh man it was wild, so much fun! We had all of the movements going on and everything. We had the crazy Vietnam war and the Black Panther Movement. Before I came here when I was a child, I was in the middle of that racial mess in the South around the time of some of my favorite leaders: Dr King, Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela.
I went to an all black school up until 5th grade. And then it was forced integration and that was just like the stuff you see on TV; I was actually living that. I lived that as a child and I was treated very, very harshly by the white teachers and principals. They were allowed to discipline you with belts, straps, and paddles. I’m a little Black girl and they would take me into the office and beat the edge out of me.
Amzi: Why?
Momma Crys: Because of integration. I didn’t want to integrate. Nowadays, you hear people saying “I’m woke, I yell at white men.” And I’m like,
“I was woke in 1956, where was you at?”
When we integrated, none of the white kids wanted us there and I didn’t want to be there. The teachers and staff accused me, a ten year old girl, of being a Black Panther. I hadn’t even heard of the Black Panthers. The white kids would call me the N word and to this day, I don’t use that word. It just hurts my heart. So when white folks would say that, I’d clock them, beat them up. I got some harsh treatment but I learned that I was strong enough, no matter how much they beat me. I didn’t care how much it hurt. I was so strong, I would stand up and ask them “Are you done?” I wouldn’t cry.
Amzi: How’d you get into organizing?
Momma Crys: From the time I was a child, my grandma was big in the Civil Rights movement. So my entire life, I was already into organizing. And when I got to the mid 70’s, I had my eldest son Demone.
Amzi: He’s a community organizer too!
Momma Crys: We laugh and call him the male me. He was like me ever since he was a little kid. When I became a parent and had to send my kids to school, I had to watch over them and make sure they were getting a fair and equitable education. Don’t tell me about that Reagan and Nancy “no child left behind” nonsense. They were full of it. It was a whole plan to leave all the little Black boys behind. By the time a Black boy was in the third grade, they’d know how many prison cells they’d have to build. They were already prepping them and I knew that. So I was staying involved with the schools. I was the leader of the Black PTA. I moved into organizing. It wasn’t like I decided to be a community organizer. It was something that needed to be done and I found my place. And it was very inspirational with my sons, all three of them. Demone has twin brothers. When they were growing up, my house was the safe hangout for everyone growing up. So when I spoke up, I wouldn’t only speak up for my children but everyone’s children.
Amzi: What were some of your biggest wins in Organizing?
Momma Crys: My biggest wins?
Amzi: What are you proud of?
Momma Crys: I’m personally proud to be a mom. That’s the best thing I ever did. And to be a grandma. And then, to be respected in the community by young people who look up to me. They can say “that’s one of our leaders, she loves us, she cares, she doesn’t put us down.” So the love I have for my community, not only for my children and grandchildren, but all of my extended family, I guide them. Because my house was the hangout, kids got a lot of love, hugs, and advice. I know you heard about Traxamillion passing away. So he was one of the kids hanging out at my house in the eighties and nineties. Two weeks ago, we did the service and people kept coming up to me and saying they remember hanging out at my house, and it was a real cool space. So that’s some of my biggest wins.
Amzi: What do you have to say to people who want to get involved in Community Organizing?
Momma Crys: People need to stand up and stand strong, especially for our kids—kids of color. We need to stop the school to prison pipeline. Get involved and don’t just take what the teacher says. You have to make sure the teachers are treating your kid the same way they treat that little white boy. Now, more than ever, we need to organize and come together. It’s more than just Black or white or Latin or Asian. Everyone is coming together and when I see that, I’m like “we’re all on the same page and we want a better life for our kids.” We have to stay involved. I’m seeing the urgency of it with my grandkids especially. I was one of the first generations that lived through Dr. King’s dream to see a better life and stand up for ourselves. So get involved!
Amzi: You mentioned you’re retired. What do you do when you’re not organizing?
Momma Crys: I’m an urban health coach. My name is the Afro Lady Urban Health Coach. I teach gardening, healthy cooking, and exercise. I also teach Dancing Fun! People ask me what Dancing Fun is and it’s just moving your body. I make blankets and give those away too, I’ve made over 800 blankets in the past 20 years.
And when I’m not doing that, I’m at every event I can go to and every beach from Maui to the Bahamas; I love to travel. I got the opportunity to travel with my family and take lots of photographs. And when I’m not doing that, I’m a big walker! I love walking, I’ve walked thousands miles around America. Five years ago, I broke my leg and they said I could never walk again. I prayed that I could dance and walk again, and now I can. Everywhere I go, I want to entertain people, dance, and have a big smile.
Amzi: Thank you so much for meeting with us Momma Crys. I know all our supporters will be so excited to hear your story.
Momma Crys: Thank you and Happy Black History Month!
Momma Crys has a deep love for San Jose and is fiercely protective of the people—especially people in our most vulnerable populations. Some of the groups she volunteers with include African American Community Service Agency and the San Jose Unified Equity Coalition. Both of these organizations work to enrich the lives of people of color here in San Jose, especially our Black community members. Last year, Momma Crys received a grant from San Jose State University to teach healthy cooking with an emphasis on racial justice. She was also awarded a grant from the Black Leadership Kitchen Cabinet and has used those funds to start her businesses: the Afro Lady Urban Health Coach, Simply Healthy Cooking With Momma Crystal, and the Dancing Afro Lady.
In all that she does, Momma Crys looks to take care of her community; she uplifts others simply by being herself and she works tirelessly to make sure that her legacy will continue to have an impact on future generations. Many of us here at Sacred Heart have had our lives touched personally by Momma Crys and we can’t wait to love and support her through all her future endeavors.
To keep up with Momma Crys, register for her upcoming class, Ancestral History of Simple Health Cooking through Black Leadership Kitchen Cabinet (Feb 19th), attend her TEYA Talk: Centering Students With Celebrations and Traditions (Feb 9th), or catch her at Art in the Park: Black History Celebration (Feb 26-27).