North State woman recognized after responding with with civility and kindness during widely shared public confrontation
SACRAMENTO – Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-East Nicolaus) honored Jeanie Beeman of Chico as the Assembly District 3 Woman of the Year during the California Legislature’s annual Woman of the Year ceremony at the State Capitol.
Each year, California legislators select one woman from their district to be recognized during the ceremony, which takes place during Women’s History Month.
Beeman came to public attention after a video showed her calmly responding to a customer who confronted her about a Charlie Kirk “Freedom” T-shirt she was wearing while working. Rather than escalate the situation, Beeman remained composed and responded respectfully.
The video was widely shared online and viewed by millions of people. A GiveSendGo fundraiser later raised more than $250,000 in support.
“Jeanie was harassed at work for wearing a Charlie Kirk shirt,” Gallagher said. “She turned a moment that could have gone badly into an example of how we should treat each other. Even when people are rude or we strongly disagree, we can still choose kindness.”
During the ceremony, Gallagher presented Beeman with a legislative resolution recognizing her as Assembly District 3 Woman of the Year.
“I’m grateful and honored,” Beeman said. “A little bit of kindness goes a long way. We could all use a little more of that.”
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Assemblyman James Gallagher represents the 3rd Assembly District, encompassing all of Butte, Glenn, Sutter, Tehama, and Yuba counties and portions of Placer County.