Oral History

Sherry Zalika Jordan (Sykes) Interview

Themes:
Subjects:
Renee Glover, Condoleezza Rice, Stanford Black Community Services Center, EPA Rent Stabilization Board, Sherry Zalika Jordan (Sykes), EPACANDO, Shule Nikasemu Emu, Faye McNair-Knox
Date of Creation or Publication:
7/18/2025
Creator
Meda Okelo
Donor
Sherry Zalika Jordan (Sykes)
Language
English
Copyright Statement:
Interview of Sherry Zalika Jordan (Sykes) by Meda Okelo. Topics include: moving to EPA in 1982 when she was a junior at Stanford; what EPA was like then; Faye Knox’s influence at Stanford's Black Community Services Center; trouble with neighbors around her daughter’s safety; working for MidPeninsula Citizens for Fair Housing and Stanford; joining the EPA Rent Stabilization Board and its director Renee Glover; work as EPA’s Housing Director; notable EPA people in housing; what the Rent Board did; moving to the east side in 1987 and what it was like; her children’s schooling at the Shule Nikasemu Emu, run by Nozipo and Vulindlela Wobogo and various afterschool programs; why she left the Housing Department; her work with the Family Math and Science Program; working with Condoleezza Rice and the Center for New Generation; notable people; becoming the first Executive Director of EPACANDO, its challenges, and redevelopment efforts; why EPA is special to her; why she moved away when she was 33; final thoughts; and other topics.

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