Episode 4: “Always More to Learn” with Judy Abdo
Episode Description
In this week’s episode of Youspeak Radio 2024, Milo (he/him) speaks to Judy Abdo about the importance of community-building and political participation for making change at the local level and beyond. Abdo reflects on the influence of lesbian role models in her youth, her work uplifting vulnerable women and children through social services, her efforts to establish cityhood and rent control in West Hollywood, her leadership as a Santa Monica Council Member and the city’s first openly lesbian mayor, and her advice for LGBTQ+ youth today.
Trailblazer – Judy Abdo
Judy Abdo (she/her) grew up in Inglewood, California, moving to West Hollywood, California at the age of 11. Abdo was elected to the Santa Monica City Council in 1988, alongside a slate of progressive candidates, whose priorities included rent control, environmental protections, and early childhood education. She became the first openly lesbian Mayor of Santa Monica in 1990, one of the first lesbian executives in the nation. In 1991, Mayor Abdo funded the Santa Monica HIV/AIDS Project, and in 1994, led her city’s recovery from the devastating 1994 Northridge earthquake. Prior to seeking office, Abdo served as a Council Deputy for Councilwoman Helen Albert in the newly-created City of West Hollywood and assisted the then-Mayor of Santa Monica, Jim Cohn, in passing rent control. Before seeking office herself, Abdo was an elementary educator of 13 years, and was active in the feminist movement of the 1970s, where she met formative figures to her identity as a lesbian. Her civic efforts have also included co-founding Santa Monica’s Sojourn Shelter for women experiencing domestic violence as well as Santa Monica Climate Action, Santa Monica Forward, and the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corp. She has served on numerous steering committees for public education, childcare, climate justice, and renters’ rights. Prior to retirement, she served as the Administrator of the Church in Ocean Park, Executive Director of the Ocean Park Community Organization, and Director of Child Development Services for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Abdo earned her bachelor’s degree from U.C. Santa Barbara in Early Childhood Education and has completed graduate studies in Human Development at Pacific Oaks College.
Youspeak Fellow – Milo
Milo (he/him), 17, is a recent high school graduate from West Los Angeles, who plans to study nonprofit management with a focus on healthcare. A transman, Milo has led the Trans Awareness Club at his high school, organizing trans-centered Pride events in collaboration with the Queer Student Union and working with school leaders to develop more inclusive policies around restroom access and physical education for transgender students. He has also served on the Rainbow Labs Bright Minds of the Future Youth Council. Milo finds joy in sports, traveling, reading young adult novels, gift-giving, and language-learning.
This Youspeak Radio project is made possible with generous support from the Dwight Stuart Youth Fund.
Music: “Living Life” and “Think BIG” by Scott Holmes, Creative Commons licensed (CC BY-NC 4.0) on FreeMusicArchives.
