Charles Toombs: A Legacy of Transformation and Commitment to Anti-Racism and Social Justice

“I told this to Cecil when we started the anti-racism and social justice (ARSJ) transformation in CFA: once we’re on this path, we could never turn back.”

This path has defined Charles Toombs’ CFA presidency. While Cecil Canton, then-chair of CFA’s Council for Affirmative Action and emeritus professor at Sacramento State, helped forge CFA’s anti-racism and social justice movement, Toombs anchored the vision and brought it to scale. As he prepares to conclude his third term—a total of six years—as CFA president this June, his legacy of deep structural change will continue to shape our union long after his departure.

“The president sets the tone and production of the organization,” Toombs said, and his tone was clear from the start: CFA could not maintain its systems of inequality from within. Although he occasionally jokes about wanting to tear down the entire organization and rebuild it, as well as the CSU, he also understands that change takes time and must happen from within.

Toombs understood the value of a union and joined CFA as soon as he began his tenure-track position at San Diego State, but it didn’t feel like a home for him. At that time, CFA had very little diversity, with roles held predominantly by white men. Consequently, Toombs felt very little motivation to get involved.

That perspective began to change when he was recommended to serve on their chapter’s Faculty Rights Committee. That experience sparked a much deeper commitment to faculty advocacy, and it ultimately led to his role as vice president and then president of his chapter.

It was his involvement in the Faculty Rights Committee, however, that brought him to the unionwide Black Caucus, then known as the African American Caucus. “It became a different CFA. I found connection. I was able to talk with colleagues who had similar concerns that weren’t being addressed. There was a sense of camaraderie… of kinship.”

Toombs ran for the caucus’ leadership position, and he and Leslie Bryan, a lecturer from CSU San Bernardino, were elected as co-chairs.

Bryan reflected on their relationship over the years, expressing her profound gratitude for Toombs. “We were two newer faculty activists striving to create better working conditions for Black faculty. Those were engaging and rewarding times where I learned a lot about organizing and leading by closely working with Dr. Toombs.

“As past Associate Vice President of Lecturers, South, and now tri-chair of the Disability Caucus, I have had the pleasure of not only working with Dr. Toombs in a more formal capacity but have been fully supported in the current work of the Disability Caucus. It is a relief to know the person ‘at the lead’ of this union is in support of the work one is trying to accomplish, and they have your back! This is Dr. Toombs! He has always been my rock of support and I have thoroughly enjoyed our time together.”

Starting in 2015, along with other CFA leaders, Toombs began to push for transformation beyond the caucuses. “There were concerns that needed to be addressed, and it couldn’t stay confined to the caucuses. We needed to challenge the entire union to address these issues,” Toombs said.

“Racism is a part of our experience. It infiltrates everything we do from elementary school forward,”

– Charles Toombs, CFA President

These issues were deeply personal for him, as his own vision for racial and social justice has been rooted in a lifetime of confronting racism. His parents shared stories of resistance. Toombs’ father was born in Chicago. His father’s lineage is from Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, and then Illinois, which is a record of the enslavement of Africans and the Great Migration in his family. Growing up, his Black teachers, his church leaders, and even his family dentist who lived next door shared stories of Black history. Toombs’ own identity was discovered in the people around him and by learning what his ancestors and family had to endure, and the agency they exhibited to resist and fight unfair systems. His mother, a great storyteller and resister of oppression, fostered in him his love of language, literature, and creativity.

“Racism is a part of our experience. It infiltrates everything we do from elementary school forward,” Toombs reflected.

In high school and college, Toombs saw much of that history erased in American history. “I had to do my own work and go to the main public library in Indianapolis to find information. I kept thinking: Where am I? Where is my story?”

At Purdue University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, two master’s degrees, and his doctoral degree, Toombs faced constant barriers. “What made education particularly challenging was looking at everything being presented through a white middle-class lens. I had to fight for almost everything. Although I was an honors student, many of my professors still brought with them their stereotypes, not processing the fact that a Black student could be the top student in the English major,” Charles lamented.

As a single parent while an assistant professor at the University of Georgia and living in Athens, Toombs also had to advocate for his daughter, one of only two Black children in her gifted program, despite half the student body being Black. “I had to advocate for other Black children, not just her,” he recalled. “I had to attend Parent Teacher meetings and school boards and address all sorts of concerns.” Additionally, the racism his daughter experienced was troubling but unsurprising. Even as a primary student herself, his daughter might be called derogatory names by white children as young as two years old, who were just learning to speak.

All of these experiences shaped Toombs’ vision for change. He understood that racism can be blatant, but that it can also operate in subtler ways. For Toombs, the union had to address both kinds of racism and uplift those who share these experiences.

“Charles is definitely a person whom I knew was going to bring it hard and bring it strong. He is direct and honest, but also compassionate and uplifting.”

– Margarita Berta-Ávila, Vice President

At San Diego State, Toombs brings his ARSJ lens to the classroom—a lens that may be unfamiliar to many students. He expresses concern that—while many students know of Black History Month or Martin Luther King Jr.—their K-12 schooling did not prepare them for the vast knowledge that is part of the Black experience in our nation.

Nonetheless, he meets students where they are. If they need help with writing, he teaches them how to write. “This is part of the ARSJ transformation; we can’t make assumptions. This is part of my discipline in Black Studies. It’s not just to get a degree; it’s to go out and change the world.”

For Margarita Berta-Ávila, our current CFA Vice President and incoming CFA President, this is exactly who Toombs was: a mentor and a guide. “Our connection was through stories… how we group up, our shared values, beliefs, and seeing each other’s humanity. Charles is definitely a person whom I knew was going to bring it hard and bring it strong. He is direct and honest, but also compassionate and uplifting.

“Just the mentorship these last two years has been one that I will always cherish, because he was very intentional in making sure that I wasn’t floundering. He made me feel like I was his thought partner in all things, but really, they were all learning experiences that were fostering my sense of confidence, my skills, and knowledge. I’ll be ready to enter as a president because I have a great role model. He’s going to be doing a lot of other great work, but his contribution has made an overall impact on me, particularly as a woman of color.”

The path hasn’t been easy. Speaking to the issue of ARSJ, Toombs noted, “I have found that, over time, it has become, for many folks, performative. It’s often weaponized. But what it’s really about is changing systems and structures.”

At the heart of it all is education, and Toombs recognizes that union work must be educational. Recognizing one’s own privilege and pattern of white supremacy is important, though he believes that some are using these concepts as a way to hide behind the banner of ARSJ to promote individual agendas, rather than collective ones for the common good.

Nevertheless, Toombs’ influence has been etched deeply into CFA. Kim Geron, past CFA Vice President and emeritus professor at CSU East Bay, commented on Toombs’ legacy, stating, “Charles has masterfully led our union to become a more fully formed anti-racist and social justice organization, not just in words, but in our actions. He has guided us through the pandemic, the mismanaged austerity crisis in the CSU, and helped lead several successful contract fights.  Charles is an inclusive and thoughtful leader who has advocated for all our members, particularly those historically marginalized, to those in power. He has built CFA’s presence and visibility in the labor movement and in higher education circles. Charles is the real deal!”

Speaking more to his character, Sharon Elise, CFA Associate Vice President, Racial & Social Justice, South and CSU San Marcos professor, added, “Charles is always urging us to do something in our busy days that would spark joy, but he is also a kind and caring friend, compassionate and understanding.  His is a powerful voice that draws us into the work of social justice unionism, never shirking the struggle on behalf of faculty nor shrinking from the daunting challenges that are part and parcel of our struggle.  He has shown up like this every day for the past several years, starting early in the morning, responding immediately to urgent issues while tending to the everyday work of the union, often traveling the state, and traveling the country to promote the work of CFA.”

Charles plans to leave CFA someday, and when that time comes, he looks forward to pursuing one of his cherished pastimes: traveling. “Ghana is my favorite country because it feels like going home. When I’m in Africa, I realize that—even as a professor of Africana Studies—I really don’t know much about the complex history and complicated cultures of Africa. It’s comforting to be there, and the people—my people—are always welcoming.”

Whenever he returns to the United States, however, he is subjected to discrimination from people who do not look like him. And still, despite the many ugly challenges our country faces and the urgent need to bridge these divides, Toombs remains hopeful.

Reflecting on his journey and with his optimism intact, Toombs offers a final remark: “I’m not worried, because I know that our members will continue their local, state, and national reputation as a leader of ARSJ and keep the work moving forward. Progress will return, because we cannot retreat backward… It’s going to take all of us to keep us going on the right path.”