Disparities that exist in the Africanamerican Community. Later on down the line, when gavin newsom served as mayor, he agreed to work with us and create a task force which produced a report that really highlighted the challenges that continue to persist in the Africanamerican Community despite changes, despite investments, the same problems that we are talking about today, were problems that were highlighted, yet there werent significant changes made. In growing up in San Francisco, i cant help but wonder, where did we go wrong . What worried the mistakes that we made, and how are we going to push forward the kinds of policies necessary to fix it . One such policy im really proud of that i helped to produce when i was on the board of supervisors, people try to fight is on it, people told us it couldnt be done, but thanks to our late mayor ed lee, former supervisor melia cone, we were able to finally get neighborhood preference legislation passed. [cheers and applause] let me give you an example of what a difference that makes. We know the challenges that exist with access to Affordable Housing. Time and time again we get asked if to support Affordable Housing in our community. But when the time comes to move into that housing, the people who grew up there, the folks so crowded up in their houses and living with their mamas and grand moments could not get access to those units. The first project where we were able to use neighborhood preference was the willie b. Kennedy apartment. Because of our efforts, 40 of the 98 units was the people who lived in the Community Community first. In fact, roughly 23 of those residents were africanamericans from that community. [applause] we understand that it may seem like a small number, but in comparison to the number of africanamericans who would get access to Affordable Housing, it is a big deal that we were able to accomplish this, but we know that there is so much more work to be done because when you look at the disparities that exist in San Francisco, sadly the numbers are clear. High school dropouts, disproportionally africanamericans are in the higher numbers of dropouts and suspensions, but less than 6 of the population. You look at the Homeless Population, you look at the challenges with Mental Health, disproportionately africanamericans are impacted by that. You look at access to housing and a number of other issues. The list goes on and on. I get that we are looking at an office of Racial Equity for the purposes of dealing with challenges that exist with minority communities, but lets face the facts. Sadly, time and time again, we have seen, on many occasions, the africanamerican communities lose time and time and time again. We cant just keep talking about these statistics and saying that we care about what happens to this community, and then also criticize me when i deliberately put money and resources into supporting and targeting this community so that we can really provide the change that we need. We need action. We need consistency. We need a change like never before. The office of Racial Equity is really about making that investment. It is about saying that we are tired of the reports, we are tired of the promises, and we need to start putting our money where our mouth is. On this issue and so many other issues. So i just want to take this opportunity to thank again supervisor sandy fewer and supervisor vallie brown for their courage. [cheers and applause] for their courage. For being leaders. For being unrelenting. For consistently talking about this, talking about the need to make real change. The Africanamerican Community may be less than 6 of the population of this city, but guess what . We are still here. We still matter. And it is time we come together and make real change. [applause] it is time we come together and hold one another accountable, but also lift one another up. Here is the opportunity to work with an office to provide that change. I went over my time, but i am excited about this. It is why we put money in the budget to make sure positions are funded. Nobody debated whether or not it should be, and now it is time we continue to work with this office so that policy is brought forward, so that more investments are brought forward, and so that everyone in this city, and all city departments understand that when i say we are going to look at everything through a lens of equity and make the kinds of deliberate changes and investments to address what we know has been a problem, then thats exactly what we are going to do. [applause] at this time, i would like to welcome up to provide remarks, supervisor sandra lee fewer. [applause] thank you, mayor breed. Im so proud to stand here today with the mayor and supervisor brown, and also my colleague and all of you as we sign this legislation to create an office of actual Racial Equity into law. Im a fourth generation San Francisco and san franciscan and chineseamerican. I remember growing up in a San Francisco where there was more opportunity for everyone. I remember when we had an africanamerican population of over 15 here in San Francisco. I remember the time when we had nader neighborhoods with Small Businesses that were owned by africanamericans. This is a very important moments today because, quite frankly, this is one of the reasons, the main reason that i ran for supervisor. I think that [applause] it is so delightful and refreshing that we have a mayor that actually impress it embraces this. We need an interruption and we need to interrupt what is happening and how can we get back to the San Francisco values that we are all so proud of and we all love. When you come to San Francisco, you expect to see diversity. When you come to San Francisco, the selfproclaimed, most progressive city in the United States, you expect to see people of color thriving here and yet we are not seeing that. I would like to take a moment of appreciation to really think my legislative aide for doing this work. [cheers and applause] and also district five legislative aide. [applause] and from the Human Rights Commission thank you. This is the hard work of determined women that we will write this and we will write it good. Historic race discrimination has manifested as exclusionary and destructive policies like creating obstacles for chinese residents from owning businesses the racial segregation to neighborhoods, and the internment of japanese americans and the destruction of historically black neighborhoods in the name of urban rule. Now racial it is not disclosure neri policy, but rather in the inaction of government to address and protect these past harms done. It is more insidious, and more harder to address. We see now incredible Racial Disparities in so many areas of life but also let specific islanders we see these disparities showing up in employment, our schools, housing , and the Healthcare System and more. These disparities prevent people from color in our city from leading lives that are happy, healthy, and economically secure today, we are taking a stand in San Francisco to say we will not stand for systemic racism. This legislation is a critical step in acknowledging the history and the Current Conditions of communities of color and making strong and concrete commitments to address those conditions. Thank you, supervisor fewer. At this time, the coauthor of the legislation, supervisor vallie brown. [applause] thank you, mayor breed for your support and your kind words i want to thank supervisor fewer intimate director davis for your fierce advocacy and hard work on this, but i also really want to appreciate the people behind us. A lot of times we push them in front that have really got into the weeds to work on this. Might aid, thank you my aid, thank you. I know supervisor fewer already thank you, but i have to thank you, too. You have to have a doublethink here. District 18, chelsea, and then Human Rights Commission, i want to thank brittany, raise your hand, brittany. Thank you. Everybody wants to know who she is. And other than the other h. R. C. Stuff that worked really hard on this. They really went deep and really drafted some amazing legislation for us to move forward. I really want to thank all of you for joining us here today for this historic signing of this office of Racial Equity. This office where we will work we will build and work on the legacy of the Human Rights Commission, and it is a powerful tool to break down years and years of structural and institutional racism. Our work has just begun, though, but we cant do this alone, and thats why we are all here today we need the support of each of you to repair past harms and work towards a brighter future. Its all about time, its all about time. I am so proud to stand on this land that we are here on and organize on behalf of the board. When i think about the native American Community in this city, the highest population of women that are murdered are american indians. Think about that. When they say we are 1 , why . This is something that i know we will dive deep into because these are things that matter to our community, matter to the city, matter to the elected officials, and as the years when i was a legislative aide, we used to do policy, we used to do funding, thinking we were really going to help a community, but we didnt know if it would work or not. For me, this office of Racial Equity will work with the community and bring things to us this is isnt that what we want . Dont we want the community to bring the policy, bring the funding suggestions to us . They have to come from the community, not from us telling you what you need. I am just really proud to stand here today and be part of this. Lastly, i want to make an important distinction. Equality means treating everyone the same. Equity means ensuring everyone has what they need to be successful. Thank you very much. [applause] thank you supervisor brown. Now a few words from the director of the Human Rights Commission in San Francisco, cheryl davis. [cheers and applause] this is quite an emotional day for a lot of different reasons. I want to first recognize the commissioners that are here. They are here from the Human Rights Commission. This work, i was just telling someone, it is actually just the perfect storm in terms of how it came out. I remember when mayor breed was president of the board. We had a conversation with james bell from the Burns Institute in oakland about the needs of doing something around Racial Equity. She was committed then and we were really try to figure out what it is that we wanted to do. What did we need to do, how did we work to build allies to move this forward. When supervisor fewer came into office, one of the first thing she said to me is we need to do something around Racial Equity in the city and she specifically said, i want to know what we can do to do better by africanamericans and black people in San Francisco. That was unusual, right . This idea that somebody who wasnt black was interested in doing right by black people was new for me. And then supervisor brown, they developed an Equity Program with the office of economic and Workforce Development for africanamericans in the western addition, fillmore, to help them develop the way to have access to city help. Put money for them to get paid to tell us what to do. When we talk about being committed to the work, i really have a little tolerance for people who just like to talk and i would like to say these three women have been committed to the idea and notion of Racial Equity and getting to the people who have been most harmed by the disparities and putting their money and their mouth where the work needs to be done. [applause] and i say it is a perfect storm because when i look around and i think about Felicia Jones and dante and the folks who have been pushing on the inside to say that we need to make change, michelle and cheryl, the folks that have challenged us, but at the same time, i think about ruth and their work in the mission. And the work that is being done. This idea that we want to transform city hall is not about transforming the work that happens in this building, it is about understanding how the work that happens in this building impacts everybody outside. [applause] so they wont. I am so full right now because i know that there is not just the accountability and the demand to make this happening from happen from communities, but these three women, coupled with the men over here from the board of supervisors, they will make it happen. Nobody here is afraid to be told that it is being done wrong and that we need to redo it. If you want it to work right, you all need to make sure that we are held accountable. I am excited about what is to come and being held accountable and moving this thing forward, and as mayor breed said, bringing the change that we have been waiting for for 50, 60, 70, 100 years. Thank you for being here today. [applause] thank you. As i said to all of you before, as someone who was born and raised here, im so honored to be the mayor and i still cant believe what an Incredible Opportunity this is, but i cant also help but think about the need to make sure that even though there were mistakes that were made in the past, that change the dynamics of our city, in the past, we have an opportunity to make things better in the future. We have an opportunity not to repeat the mistakes of the past and no, i cant turn turn back the hands of time, but what i can do is make sure that the policies and the investments and the decisions that we make now have a better impact on future generations to come. Today is an opportunity to do just that. Ladies and gentlemen, lets get this legislation signed. [cheers and applause] are we ready . [applause] streets. speaking foreign language. i wanted to wish you a best wishes and congratulations the community has shifted a lot of when i was growing up in the 60s and 50s a good portion of chicanoamerican chineseamerican lived in north beach a nob hill community. As part the immigrant family is some of the Recreation Centers are making people have the ability to get together and meet 0 other people if communities in the 60s a 70s and 80s and 90s saw a move to the richmond the sunset district and more recently out to the excelsior the Avenue Community as well as the ensuring u bayview so chinese Family Living all over the city and when he grape it was in this area. Were united. And growing up in the area that was a big part of the my leave you know playing basketball and mycy took band lessons and grew up. speaking foreign language. allergies welcome to the Community Fair it kicks off three weeks of celebrations for the year and lets keep everybody safe and celebrate the biggest parade outside of china on february 11th go best wishes and congratulations and 3, 2, 1 happy enough is enough. I grew up volley ball education and in media professional contrary as an educator he work with all skids whether or not caucasian hispanic and i africanamerican cumber a lot of arrest binge kids my philosophy to work with all kids but being here and griping in the Chinese Community being a chineseamerican is important going to American School during the day but went to Chinese School that is community is important working with all the kids and having them exposed to all culture it is important to me. It is a mask evening. Id like to thank you a you all to celebrate an installation of the days here in the asian art museum. One time has become so many things in the past two centuries because of the different did i licks the immigration officer didnt understand it became no standard Chinese Marine or cantonese sproupgs it became so many different sounds this is convenient for the immigration officer this okay your family name so this tells the generations of immigrants where they come from and also many stories behind it too. And what a better way to celebrate the enough is enough nuru with the light nothing is more important at an the hope the energy we. speaking foreign language. relative to the Current Administration it is, it is touching very worrisome for our immigrant frames you know and some of the stability in the country and i know how this new president is doing you know immigration as well as immigrants fireworks later than you think new year the largest holiday no asia and china those of us when my grandparents came over in the 19 hundreds and celebrated in the United States chinese nuru is traditional with a lot of meani meaning. Good afternoon my name is carmen chu assessorrecorder i want to wish everything a happy new year thank you for joining us i want to say. speaking foreign language. speaking foreign language. im proud to be a native san franci