In a Time of Discord, Dr. Weber Says Civic Engagement Is Our Lifelong Duty

On June 12, California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber participated in the Public Policy Institute of California’s (PPIC) 2025 Speaker Series in Sacramento, where she joined a panel of civic leaders to discuss how to build stronger civic education and engagement systems across the state.

By Ray Harvey and Regina Wilson | California Black Media

On June 12, California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber participated in the Public Policy Institute of California’s (PPIC) 2025 Speaker Series in Sacramento, where she joined a panel of civic leaders to discuss how to build stronger civic education and engagement systems across the state. 

By week’s end — on June 14 — she stood before a hometown crowd in San Diego, launching her 2026 re-election campaign against a tense national backdrop: the violent murders of two Minnesota state officials, escalating political unrest, and a wave of coordinated protests across the country.

That morning, Americans woke to the shocking news that two state senators in another part of the country had been shot — one fatally — along with her husband in what has been reported as politically motivated violence.

“My heart is very heavy this morning,” Weber told the crowd. “At my age, I’ve seen so much — assassinations, uprisings, and civil unrest — but I thought we had learned. I thought we had grown. And yet, here we are.”

Despite the somber tone, the moment was also one of reflection and determination. Her remarks echoed themes she had emphasized on June 12 during the PPIC event in Sacramento, moderated by Tani Cantil-Sakauye, president and CEO of PPIC. Panelists included Mark Baldassare, PPIC’s survey director; Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez (R-Indio); and Presiding Justice Judith McConnell of California’s Fourth Appellate District.

“We’ve failed our young people,” Weber said. “This failure isn’t new. It’s generational. When people in their 40s and 50s don’t understand how their government works or why it matters, we see the results in today’s civic crisis.”

According to a June 2025 PPIC report, only 11% of California K–12 public schools rank civic engagement as a top educational priority — well behind basic academic instruction, life skills, and college prep. 

 Justice McConnell emphasized how that gap is most severe in low-income and rural areas.

“We spend time with teachers and administrators across the state who are trying to teach civics with almost no support,” McConnell said. “We show up any time we’re asked — because democracy depends on it.”

At the San Diego launch, Weber was introduced by former Assembly Speaker and Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins, who is currently running for Governor in 2026. Atkins delivered an impassioned endorsement that framed Weber’s campaign as a fight to preserve core democratic values.

“We’re not just here to support a campaign,” Atkins said. “We’re here to defend a principle — one that is under threat like never before. In moments like these, we don’t retreat. We rise. And we rise with leaders like Dr. Shirley Weber.”

Atkins praised Weber’s journey — from the daughter of Arkansas sharecroppers to California’s first African American Secretary of State — and her leadership in expanding voter access, protecting election integrity, and standing up to voter suppression.

“She is a trailblazer, a tireless public servant, and a fierce guardian of the ballot box,” Atkins said. “Her life and her leadership are exactly what this moment demands — principled, courageous, and unshakably committed to the people.”

Weber also shared deeply personal stories that shaped her civic identity, including how her parents — denied the right to vote in the Jim Crow South — opened their Los Angeles home as a polling place. 

“My mother served pie and pound cake to voters in our living room,” she said. “That was her way of standing for democracy.”

Now, as Secretary of State, she said she’s fighting a constant stream of legal and political attacks aimed at undoing that legacy — from attempts to restrict vote-by-mail access to efforts to purge voter rolls and shorten voting windows.

“We’re fighting lawsuits every day,” Weber said. “And we will not back down — not when others gave so much to secure the rights we now have.”

She also announced that her office will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 with a year-long campaign to educate Californians on the law’s history and the ongoing threats against it.

“This isn’t just a commemoration. It’s a defense,” she said. “We must remind the next generation that people sacrificed everything for the right to vote. And that sacrifice must never be forgotten or undone.”

Weber made it clear that her campaign is not just about re-election, but about preserving the integrity of California’s democracy.

“This is not a moment. This is our life,” she said. “Defending voting rights, protecting access, and empowering our communities isn’t something we do once every four years. It’s something we do every single day.”