Advocacy is a Way of Life for Doctor of Education Angie Barfield

Photo of DRIVE Race Equity Committee Chair Dr. Angie Barfield

Dr. Angie Barfield, DRIVE’s Race Equity Committee Chair, attributes her successful career to her students who inspired her to pursue her education, leading to the completion of her doctorate degree. Dr. Barfield started her educational career coaching basketball at various Fresno County high schools including Hoover, Central East, Clovis West, and Clovis North. While encouraging her students to pursue higher education, they, in turn, motivated her to attain her educational achievements too. In 2014, 24 years after graduating from Hoover High, Dr. Barfield completed her bachelor’s degree, followed by her master’s degree in 2017 at Fresno Pacific; and in 2022, she earned her doctorate at Clark Atlanta University. 

Dr. Barfield has deep ties to the Fresno community, which has cemented her passion for advocacy. Her mother was the owner of a sizable beauty salon in Fresno and trained and educated many hair stylists, igniting Dr. Barfield’s collective community spirit. From the mere age of three, thanks to her mother, Dr. Barfield received a library card, sparking her love for education. Today, Dr. Barfield holds several roles including CEO of E-Squared: Experienced Excellence, LLC, an educational and corporate consulting company; Executive Director and Co-Founder of Black Students of California United (BSCU); wife to Gregory Barfield, City of Fresno Transportation Director, as well as mother; grandmother; and great-grandmother.

As a proud Fresno native, Dr. Barfield hopes to leave a legacy of positive impact for local students of color. Dr. Barfield started serving as an advisor at a student-established Black Student Union (BSU) at Clovis North High School in 2008 to address the overarching inequities she observed happening to Black students. “Witnessing how students of color were being treated at some of the schools and being the product of community advocates, inspired me to dig deep and take a vested interest in what was happening,” Dr. Barfield said. “Learning must have reciprocity; it cannot be top down. We must learn from our young adults to improve our community. They teach me as much as I teach them,” she said. Dr. Barfield, alongside her students, founded the African American Parent Advisor Council (AAPAC) at Clovis North to support parent advocacy and cultivating relationships with school site and district administrators. Debra Watkins and Jacqueline McFadden, co-founders of BSCU, took note of Dr. Barfield’s active student participation in her program and its tremendous impact. Subsequently, they enlisted her to help establish BSCU, which has grown from implementation at 25 to 200 schools from San Diego to the Bay Area, including the Central Coast and San Joaquin Valley. Over the course of eight years, 100% of local students who were BSCU members enrolled in college, and 97% of those students graduated from college. 

Having served as DRIVE’s Race Equity Committee Chair for the past four years, Dr. Barfield notes the interconnection between economic and educational inclusion. “In order for there to be economic equity, there has to be educational equity.” The committee has convened numerous community members to create a more equitable Fresno County. "DRIVE’s Race Equity Committee affords me the opportunity to collaborate with so many different people in our community. Members are bringing their lived experiences and allowing us to look at issues through a clear lens. It is coming from a community voice, not just a singular voice,” Dr. Barfield said.

The challenge for overcoming inequities is people’s inability to be open minded and demonstrate understanding of the cultures of communities of color, Dr. Barfield noted. “Whether we want to admit it or not, there is an anti-Black sentiment — not only in Fresno but statewide and nationally too. When people proclaim, “all lives matter,” instead of “Black lives matter,” they are pursuing the narrative that if they can’t have recognition, no one else can. The Black community’s boat is sinking, and we need its members to be uplifted,” she said.

Dr. Barfield is hopeful for the future of racial and educational equity attainment. She instills cultural consciousness in her students, allowing them to be authentic and honor their roots. “These kids were allowed to embrace their culture, have cultural pride, and confidence that fed a sense of self-efficacy that could not be touched. They knew that they had a responsibility to themselves, their family, and their community to seek knowledge,” she said.

The youth development advocate envisions a city that examines its past to create a more prosperous future for communities of color. “I would love to see the City of Fresno apologize for destroying Black West Fresno and its economic growth and allow this community to revive itself and be a flourishing entity to be a unified Fresno,” Dr. Barfield said. “In order for this restoration to work for everybody, we must recognize the harm that happened and rectify it. I'm a product of this city; this is home, and I want to see it do better. We can do that if we move past our preconceived notions of culture and people and build together.”

Amplifying advocacy is Dr. Barfield’s advice for those seeking to elevate Black voices. She feels that family dinner table conversations are a lost tradition, which has resulted in young people being disconnected from adults. “Advocacy, to me, is community. We have student board members at our school districts, so I’m hoping board trustees are truly listening in a non-performative manner. It will take intergenerational healing for activism to really make an impact,” Dr. Barfield said.

To learn more about Fresno DRIVE’s work toward economic inclusion growth in Fresno County and how you can contribute to creating a more equitable region for the next generation, visit: https://www.fresnodrive.org.