Napa Insider
A walk to remember
By Christina Julian
A s a later-in-life feminist, I’m I was raised by staunchly Republican Catholics, who didn’t embrace alternate viewpoints, and preached that my only respectable paths forward were to become a teacher or housewife. It wasn’t until my mid-30s that I started to buck their rigid rules and mindset, and it’s been a work in progress ever since. The first rally I attended was right after Roe v. Wade was abolished, with my daughter and son at my side, waving signs and walking for women’s rights. Urgent and unbelievable all at once. We were visiting my niece Claire’s memorial bench in Washington Square Park in Manhattan on the morning the decision came down. As we delivered pink and yellow flowers (her favorite colors), and embarrassed to report that I have only participated in two rallies in my lifetime. A status I will gently blame on the fact that
we walked by and said, “I want to donate the proceeds from tonight’s bingo night to the campaign!” Others shared stories of mental health struggles and asked how they could get involved. Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley said, “I can't look into the eyes of a mother and promise her justice because by the time that I'm involved, it's too late. I can’t bring back babies and I can’t single-handedly scoop up the fentanyl that has already found its way to our streets. But I can do this: I can create a culture where those who traffic drugs know that it’s not going to be tolerated here in Napa.” Another speaker, NOSC co-founder Dr. Colleen Townsend, spoke about how Napa Valley is not immune to the fentanyl crisis, and noted that what is being seen on a national level is not unlike what is happening in our county. In 2023, 15 people died from opioid overdoses and nearly 50 emergency department visits related to opioid
Christina Julian and kids at the fentanyl- awareness rally in Napa.
overdose were recorded in Napa County. Vine Transit buses and shelters across the valley are running ads that display the “Fake and Fatal” campaign slogan and present the statistic that seven out of 10 fake pills contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. When I present to students, this is a point I drive home: “The statistics are not in your favor.” It’s a truth that no parent wants to hear, but it is the reality of the new drug landscape with fentanyl in it. Campaign ads are also set to run at the Department of Motor Vehicles and at the Cinemark Century movie theater. Another aspect of the campaign was the “Know the Risks, Save a Life” youth video contest that called upon all Napa County youth to create a 30 to 60 second PSA to educate peers and the community about the dangers of fentanyl and fake pills. All of the films will be screened at the Cameo Cinema in St. Helena, on Dec. 16 at 6 p.m., and winning films may be used in upcoming campaign ads. As I type this column, the United Against Fentanyl Rally and the broader NOSC campaign is one of unity—people coming together from all sides of the political lines that divide us, and across our community, to show support, raise awareness and, hopefully, save some lives. u
shared memories and tears, the crowd steadily thickened with protesters that would eventually amount to thousands long after we were gone. There were many questions from my then 9-year-olds about what was going on in the park and in the news. My husband and I answered every last one, in age-appropriate ways, which was the same approach we took when I had to explain how their cousin died the year prior, from one fake, fentanyl-laced pill she thought was Xanax. Both were difficult conversations to have with young children, but at once urgent and necessary. While I grew up in a family where tough conversations were avoided and openness between parent and child were not the norm, this was not an approach I would adopt in my own home. The second rally I was a part of came this fall when I spoke at the United Against Fentanyl Awareness Rally and Memorial Walk, held in Veterans Park in downtown Napa. The event was the official kickoff of the countywide fentanyl awareness campaign: Know the Risks, Save a Life—protecting the youth and community of Napa County. The initiative was a year in the making, and represents a true community collaboration with multiple organizations behind the campaign, including Napa County Public Health, the Napa Opioid Safety Coalition (NOSC), Aldea Children & Family Services, the Michael Leonardi Foundation and the fentanyl nonprofit I work with in my niece’s honor, Song for Charlie, which created the family resource portal The New Drug Talk via a partnership with the California Department of Health Care Services. The event, which was deeply personal for my family and the other bereaved families in attendance, seemed to strike chords with the more than 80 in attendance, who marched along the Napa River signs held high, with messages including “Narcan Saves Lives” and “Fentanyl Is Killing a Generation.” Someone from Downtown Joe’s ran out as
After years in the technology and advertising trenches, Christina Julian traded city life for country and unearthed a new philosophy— life is complicated, wine and food shouldn’t be. Her debut novel, a romantic comedy called The Dating Bender , is now available. Learn more at christinajulian.com . You can reach her at cjulian@ northbaybiz.com.
December 2024
NorthBaybiz 39
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