About ISOJI

ISOJI community meetings are held every first Friday, 11:00 – 1:00, currently on Zoom. (Previously in-person at the Marin City Senior Center, 640 Drake Ave.) Meetings are open to the public. Contact us for info on how to join the monthly Zoom meetings.

Introduction

“Isoji” is Nigerian for renaissance, revitalization or rebirth. Since 2000, ISOJI has been a forum for Marin City residents, community leaders, and friends to gather, discuss, and strategize next steps toward greater community well-being, social equity, and self-empowerment.

Mission Statement / Purpose

Our mission, as a neutral strategic catalyst, is to facilitate, coordinate and  implement strategic actions that embed equity building features into marginalized social, health, and economic systems that translate into more efficient systems, collective impacts, visible accountability, and higher degrees of public trust. A prime motive of our mission is to increase the level of trust and accountability between leaders, the services and programs they oversee, and community members: residents, families, and employees. 

About Ricardo Moncrief

Ricardo, a retired Air Force Vietnam Vet, community activist, and artist, has been a resident of Marin County since 1981. From 1959 to 1980 he worked overseas and domestically for the National Security Agency. He moved to Forest Knolls, Marin County, in 1981.

Since 1985 Ricardo has been an active Marin City community member, working as an administrator, facilitating recreation programs, and serving on various community boards. Ricardo eventually transitioned to become the director of ISOJI (e-so-gee), a community activist organization. One of ISOJI's early successes was the establishment of the Marin City Health and Wellness Center, currently an $8 million dollar operation.

Ricardo, although a retired military manager, has been actively engaged in over 20 social equity projects, as well as being a performing jazz pianist, creative writer (art-is-health poetry-verse), and avid swimmer. (From personal experience, he heartily recommends swimming as a way to manage diabetes.)

Priorities and Strategies

ISOJI’s major strength is it’s regular open meeting format at which a diversity of voices are heard in a public form designed to help bring good ideas to the surface and address challenges (see Calendar and email us to receive monthly agendas). Over almost two decades, several important projects were birthed and took on a life of their own beyond ISOJI.

ISOJI Accomplishments

The seeds of the following projects were tended early in their lives at ISOJI. Some were supported directly by Ricardo and the ISOJI monthly forum for long periods before they became independent projects.

  • Marin City Health and Wellness Center - a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC)
  • Southern Marin Multidisciplinary Team - training behavioral interns and coordinating social services
  • Marin City Newspaper - 1986 to 2008, and small special editions up to 2012
  • Doing Things (DT) - a youth personal management program
  • Facilitated discussions to change inadequate school nutrition at Bayside MLK to a nationally noted program serving 100% organic foods

Current Projects

  • Ongoing monthly convenings, first Friday of the month, 11:00 – 1:00, Marin City Senior Center. Lunch provided.
  • This website: In partnership with Systems Thinking Marin and Etienne Douglas at the Marin City Library and his Web Stars, providing a publicly available list of community resources and a community calendar.
  • CDFI: Seeking partners to establish a Marin City branch of a Community Development Financial Institution.
  • The Chronicles of Madam Floodpuppy is a fun-focused, "Art-Is-Health" public awareness communication tool that reaches larger, cross-cultural, cross-generational audiences. (www.madamfloodpuppy.com)
  • Social Equity Accountability: Participating in county-wide social equity initiatives to advance racial and socioeconomic equity in Marin County.

ISOJI Partners

The following individuals and/or organizations have provided significant and often on-going support to ISOJI. Thank you for your partnership with ISOJI, and the Marin City community!

  • Marin City Community Services District
    • Provides space at the Senior Center for monthly ISOJI meetings. Specifically, thank you ISOJI team who provides the great lunches!
  • Marin City Library
    • Etienne Douglas of Web Stars for ongoing community calendar and website support.
  • Systems Thinking Marin
    • Brainstorming, strategy, systems efficiency, and communications support.
  • Lisa Bennett of Indivisible Marin, Etc. Social Justice Groups
    • Strategic and moral support.
  • Social Justice Center of Marin (SJCM)
    • Fiscal Management
    • Political activism regarding multiple social inequities
  • Organizations that actively contribute to the ISOJI equity agenda
    • Sausalito Marin City School District (SMCSD)
    • Marin City Health and Wellness Center - health and education issues
    • Women Helping All People and Golden Gate Public Housing
    • County Health and Human Services - various departments
    • Marin City Community Development Corportion (CDC) - economics, jobs, training, land use
  • Elected Officials and Candidates
    • Congressman Jared Huffman
    • Senator Mike McGuire
    • Marin County Supervisor Kate Sears
    • Senator Kamala Harris' Office (via Lisa Bennet's community groups)