Sold-out Sacramento crowd honors latest Black, Latino and AAPI Change Makers
Terry Moore sat back in a brief moment of reflection as hundreds of people floated throughout the Sacramento State University Ballroom taking photos and congratulating one another.
Moore’s teachings and mentorship as the director of adult services at the Center for Fathers and Families in Sacramento for more than two decades have spanned from support groups for single fathers to self-esteem workshops for young girls, all with a focus on strengthening families.
This work earned him a spot alongside 59 others as part of the 2024-2025 Change Makers composed of the Top 20 Asian American and Pacific Islander Change Makers, Top 20 Latino Change Makers and Top 20 Black Change Makers.
Moore joined his cohort and guests Friday as he and fellow honorees were celebrated at the sold-out Unity Change Makers Celebration event at Sacramento State.
“When you’re at this event, and you’re seeing how many other people are doing this work it’s calming,” Moore said. “It makes me feel like I’m part of a team. It helps my energy as an individual. It wraps a blanket around my heart and makes me want to do more work.”
The Change Makers series, a collaboration between The Sacramento Bee’s Equity Lab and the nonprofit Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program, spotlights diverse community leaders across the capital region. The series is a collection of profiles that highlight the innovative work of local leaders who identify within the Black, Latino and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities who have made strides in uplifting historically marginalized groups. Since 2022, the project has honored 195 individuals.
Friday’s event focused on the latest 60 designees, which include a range of public health officials, criminal justice reformers, educators, artists, entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders. Honorees gathered with friends, family, coworkers and each other to connect and network at the third annual event of its kind.
With a mission to “democratize the tables of access,” as noted by Scott Syphax, founder of the Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program, NELP and the Change Makers series have established a growing network of leaders invested in the celebration of difference as diversity, equity and inclusion efforts face significant federal and private cuts across the county.
“It’s an honor to be nominated and to have this recognition, especially in the face of what’s happening at the federal level,” said 2025 AAPI Change Maker Khydeeja Alam, the executive director of the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. “We’re celebrating our diversity in such a meaningful way.”
Celebrating the latest cohort were organizations from across the region, including sponsors such as Sacramento State, the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, Sierra Health Foundation and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. The crowd included 450 registered attendees.
Honorees are first brought to light through community submissions. Nominators share the work and contributions of their friends, coworkers, family or leaders they admire through a brief form submitted to The Bee. Selection committees convene to assess the merits of each application. From there, Bee journalists sit down with all 20 leaders to produce the final product.
But Change Makers say that is just the start — it’s not just an honor, but a title to live up to.
American River College President Lisa Cardoza, a 2024 Latino Change Maker, spoke of what that title has meant to her during the last year. She said the title uplifted her both professionally and personally and opened her eyes to what Change Makers have in common.
“Us Change Makers, when we see a problem, we want to find a solution,” Cardoza said.