Last night, JBAY held its annual gala, a memorable event that celebrated John Burton’s 92nd birthday and JBAY’s twenty-year anniversary. Amid the networking, mingling, and inspiring speeches honoring our Burton Champions, the keynote speech from JBAY Youth Advocate Wednesday Pope stood out as a highlight of the evening. Her words served as a poignant reminder of why JBAY’s work is vital and a testament to the resilience and strength of the young people it supports.
Wednesday recounted being removed from her mother’s care just before her first birthday, only to endure abuse in her foster home. After reunifying with her mother, she lived in a violent environment before being placed with her father. However, when her stepmother forced her out, she became homeless for a year. Subsequent reentries into foster care and reunifications with her mother eventually led to a move to her grandmother’s home, where further abuse drove her to flee and face homelessness once again.
Despite these challenges, Wednesday’s determination never wavered. While her instability made it difficult, if not impossible, to succeed in high school, she nonetheless passed the high school exit exam and secured a job at Target. A final reentry into foster care provided her with additional income, but not enough to afford rent and she used her money to purchase a used Honda Accord that became her home until she was eventually able to secure stable housing.
“I share this story not because I want you to feel sorry for me,” Wednesday explained. “I share it because there are far too many people in my position who aren’t able to tell their stories.”
She described getting involved with JBAY as a turning point in her life. “Although I can’t rewrite my history, I can impact the future of so many other youth in the foster care system. That work has been healing. We are not just statistics. We are people with lived experiences, and our stories have the power to drive real change. I’ll never forget the first time I walked into the State Capitol Annex with Simone for a legislative visit. Sitting across from legislative members and telling them my story—looking them in the eye and being heard was life-changing. These decision-makers, with the power to change our lives, wanted to hear from me.”
And changing lives is exactly what Wednesday is doing. She recently graduated from Folsom Lake College where she was honored as the commencement speaker. In addition to serving as a JBAY Youth Advocate, she works full-time as a Peer Support Coordinator in Placer County, supporting system-impacted youth and was appointed by Governor Newsom as a Commissioner on the Youth Empowerment Commission and subsequently elected as the Commission’s first ever Chair.
Wednesday closed her speech with her signature optimism “Today, I’m focused on the future, and it’s very bright.”