Francine Oputa understood giving back to her city. Fresno, let’s follow in her steps | Opinion

I first met Francine Oputa in 1993 when she was honored at Temple Beth Israel with the “Social Action Award.” The event took place at night, so in the evening darkness I heard her voice before I saw her face.

I remember how strong her voice was — like someone who understood and lived her words. In her brief speech, she spoke about compassion and boldness in the ways we execute our duties to others. In the 30 years that I knew Francine and counted her as a sister and friend, I associated her with those two words — compassion and boldness.

Later that night, when I finally got through the throngs of people to meet her, I saw a woman, regal in carriage, dressed in an African dress, complete with a head wrap, and she wore it well and seemed more at home in the attire, than I, Nigerian born, ever did. I was sold.

We had so much in common. Her husband, the Rev. Henry Oputa, is “my brother.” We are both Ibo, born in Nigeria, and belonged to the same African groups that met regularly for worship, celebrations or just to deliberate our children’s futures.

The more I learned about Francine, the more I was drawn to her. She and Henry met in college in 1976 and married before moving to Fresno in 1979 for graduate school. They were perfectly synced in their vision and set up their home in downtown Fresno, although they could have lived anywhere they wanted.

She and Henry founded and built The Way Ministries...John 14:6 and Saturday School, a program that taught children ages 3 to 12 about African and African American culture and about self-image. The Oputas ran a one-stop shop, working tirelessly, mostly with underprivileged children — feeding, teaching, counseling, guiding and nurturing. The Saturday School’s curriculum included a lot of African songs, proverbs, dances and everyday wisdom. Francine was determined to meld the two cultures and give the children the best of both worlds.

For Francine, it was about service — the door to the Oputas home remained wide open, both to the youth and adults in the neighborhood. I remember the big yard sales they held periodically to raise money for school supplies for the children or to take the kids on a trip or for special treats.

She opened many doors to the children she so nurtured, advocating for them in school, mediating conflicts, leading walks for a cause or to commemorate memorable days in African American history — Juneteenth or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day. She relished graduation ceremonies — watching her ‘kids’ succeed — because it was evidence the hard work was paying off. Francine’s oldest daughter, CeCe Olisa, told me her mother’s favorite phrase was: “If I can help somebody, then my living will not be in vain.”

Francine’s life was certainly not in vain. She was widely recognized for the same qualities I saw in her. The Temple Beth Israel award, way back in 1993, was for her “dedication to advocacy for women, children and the family, and to fostering respect for cultural diversity.” Other awards she received include the 2020 Trailblazer Award from the African American Historical and Cultural Museum for her dedication to her community and inspiring others to become their better selves; KSEE Channel 24 also honored her as one of the “24 Women of Influence.” There were many others.

Receiving awards, she told the Fresno State Collegian in 2020, “is not why you do what you do; you do what you do because you believe in it and your heart is in it.”

And her heart was in everything she did — in her work as director of the Cross Cultural and Gender Center at Fresno State, for our own African community to which she fully belonged. She bridged the gap between us and America — often representing us in places requiring diplomacy and finesse. Like the preacher’s daughter that she was, Francine spoke with clarity and conviction and accomplished a great deal. While I taught at Fresno City College, Francine was my go-to person whenever we needed a speaker for a Black or women’s history event. And she always said yes, and stole a few hearts, too, with her performance.

It’s hard to believe that Francine is gone, and we won’t see her ever again. I know, however, that we will bury her body, but not her spirit, her energy or all the ways she made our lives better. We will carry on with her work, remembering to carry along those in our communities without access to power or the means to it. Her voice, which first drew me to her, will forever spur me on.

“I hope that people understand how important it is to give back to your community, not for the recognition,” Francine said to the Collegian. “But the recognition is an indication that the community needs us.”

Celebration of life

Francine L. Oputa was born May 31, 1953 and died Sept. 14. A celebration of her life will be held Thursday, Sept. 28 at 2 p.m. at Family Community Church, 2434 E. Nees Ave., Fresno. The family requests that purple & white be the color scheme for the service.

This story was originally published September 22, 2023 at 12:20 PM.