BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — For the better part of the last two decades, Traco Matthews has been a community leader in and around Bakersfield, working towards equity on socioeconomic and educational standpoints.
Now, Matthews has added health and racial equity in an official capacity being hired by Kern Health Systems as the Chief Health Equity Officer and being appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to the Racial Equity Commission.
"I really never thought I'd see the day where the State of California or any state would actually have a formal equity commission, especially one related to race. And so since I got the call when they said, 'Hey, we want to interview you for this opportunity,' I was — I was pretty shocked," said Matthews. "When they let me know, the governor has signed off on it. 'You've been selected. You've been appointed.' You know, my heart rejoiced."
In his day-to-day efforts, Matthews and his team focus on ensuring Kern County residents are met with respect and receive the help they need. With Matthew's current duties and past experiences working towards equity on many fronts in the Central Valley, he believes his experience, past and present, will benefit the state commission going forward.
"All the work on the Racial Equity Commission is deeply connected to the work that I get to do every day here at Kern Health Systems in service of health equity, and so that's why I think the positions actually go — they marry pretty well because it's all in service of making sure that we get people the services and the resources that they need, where they are."
Matthews will sit on the state's Racial Equity Commission for at least two years, and said in the short term he hopes he and the other members of the commission are able to bring awareness to the lack of racial equity around the state. In the long term, he hopes the commission is able to work to solve those problems.
"At the end of the day, all this work matters if we can help drive different outcomes for people. And so I look forward to a day where the playing field is so level that you don't really need a racial equity commission because folks have relatively equal access. Outcomes are pretty close, no matter your race or no matter your background."
