>> now, from abc7, "beyond the headlines" with cheryl jennings. >> welcome to "beyond the headlines." today's show looks at topics and concerns affecting our local black and african-american communities. the u.s. office of management and budget defines this racial category to include people who have origins in any of the black racial groups of africa as well as afro-caribbean countries. the black community makes up the largest minority group in the country. the most recent u.s. census in 2010 reports more than 42 million people make up the black community, or 13.6% of our total population. in california, african-americans make up almost 6.2% of the population, and in the bay area, it's about 6.7% of the population across our nine counties. abc7 news anchor ama daetz is here with local black leaders to talk about important issues affecting our bay area communities.

>> cheryl, thank you. it is great to be here. i am excited to introduce you to our panel of guests today. we have sheryl davis, who is the executive director of the san francisco human rights commission. david harris -- he is the c.e.o. of the oakland-based nonprofit urban strategies council. and finally, zahrah farmer -- she's a professor at laney college and the host of "days with zahrah," which airs here on abc7. so, thanks to all of you for joining us today. >> thank you. >> thank you for having us. >> now, before we get into our discussion, let's take a look at a recent abc7 news story focusing on challenges facing san francisco's african-american community. some church leaders want san francisco mayor ed lee to declare a state of emergency to keep blacks from being pushed out of the city. abc7 news was at third baptist church in april as faith leaders pointed out the african-american population of the city is now below 6%. they say housing is a big factor. the group cites a traditionally black senior housing facility

that's now less than 15% african-american. >> if it were just a matter of economics, other groups would not be able to make it here. but it's only black people who are being pushed out. >> the faith leaders also want the mayor to ramp up its gang task force in the bayview and ingleside areas and address the high rate of black students suspended from school. so, clearly, we have a lot to talk about today. and, david, i'd actually like to begin with you because you moved to the bay area only about a year ago. so can you share with us some of your first impressions of african-american representation in the local community here? >> sure. well, thank you, ama, for having us here today. i began working with the urban strategies council back in 1994 while i was in philanthropy, and i had quite a bit of relationships develop with folks in the community here, so i had a bit of

experience working out here before coming here. it's always, to me, representative of a very progressive, a very proud, and a very strong community out of which a lot of ideas and energy that's been started here has affected black folks all around the country. >> okay. now, actually, zahrah, in contrast, you grew up in san francisco. >> i did. >> yeah. what was your experience like growing up here, and how is the black community different now in your eyes? >> it was so wonderful growing up here, i mean, for all kinds of reasons, but one of the things i remember the most is how diverse it was, you know, and it was true to the terminology of being a melting pot. i mean, other than maybe new york or a few other cities, san francisco was the city for that, and it's changed a lot. i mean, you drive through the fillmore, or the fillmo, as we

used to say, or the haight or the mission or -- and they've just changed a lot, you know. i'm kind of torn. i mean, i think there's an upside to justification when you see it's safer or things like that, but we're missing the core of what we had growing up here. it was the diversity, and it was beautiful, and so, you know, it twists my heart a little bit. >> yeah. but, sheryl, so how do we best address this mass exodus of african-americans from san francisco and really the bay area as a whole? what do we do? >> well, it's funny. i was just in a meeting earlier this week with some folks to talk about this push-out and what we see happening, and if we have local hire ordinances or if we have neighborhood preference ordinances, it doesn't really benefit us if people are pushed out, right? so we really do need to start thinking about a regional approach and whether people that are living outside of

san francisco who still consider san francisco home can actually still benefit from san francisco, whether it's employment, whether it's housing, whether it's even school and education because a lot of times people can't live here, but they still come back here, and they don't get to take advantage of the resources, so i do think we need to start thinking about how we make sure that people who call san francisco home, especially people of color, still get to benefit from the resources once they can afford to be here. >> right. and, david, actually, your organization has some research that really speaks directly to the struggles of home ownership in the black communities of oakland specifically. we're going to look at some of these statistics and maybe you can walk us through them. >> sure. first off, we know the impact of the great recession on the assets of black people all across the country, and for the most part, especially for black women and female-headed homes, they lost most of their assets,

but we can look at, in a case study, oakland between 2007 and 2011 at the height of the foreclosure crisis. we see the blue dots there represent all of the homes that were foreclosed on in oakland, and you see where that's concentrated, in east oakland. but then to throw real salt in the wounds, the red dots represent homes that were investor-purchased after the foreclosure crisis. most of these were homes that were built not for people to reside in but to rent out. and furthermore, coming out of the recession, and this is [clears throat] -- excuse me -- some work we've done with the greenlining institute to show how access to capital for

mortgages are being disparately provided. so, in 2014, you had almost $1.3 million in loans for whites whereas you had barely had $200 million for blacks. so, in oakland and in the east bay and in the bay area in general, we're hemorrhaging our black population, and as far as where people are going, they're being pushed out all over. in fact, we like to talk about how mass incarceration for black males was impactful. well, eviction is becoming the same kind of force, disruptive force for black women and families and communities. >> all right. well, we were actually gonna talk more about violence in our black communities coming right

up, but i think now is a good time to take a quick break. when we come back, we are gonna explore the issue of violence and its impact that it really has on the bay area's black communities. stay with us.

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impact on the black community. so, sheryl, i actually want to start with you because we have some information to share -- a little statistic you see at the bottom of your screen for everyone at home. sf human rights commission has identified that 57% of the people in the san francisco county jail are african-american. what does that statistic really mean to you, and, really, what should it mean for all of us? >> right. i think -- you know, i recently had a conversation with the sheriff, who said, "it's not quite 57% anymore. it's maybe like 50%, 53%." >> still up there. >> it's still pretty high. i wrestle with this, right, because then some people will say, "well, they're in there because they did wrong," right? but then others will say they're in there because they've been targeted at a higher frequency than other people. and we have this debate back and forth, and my concern really is about what are the pathways, what are the opportunities, what are we doing to actually show people or give them the tools that they need to not be incarcerated, and what do we do outside, because there's a high

recidivism right, as well. so what are we really doing to be intentional? the stigma that comes with that i think -- you know, i've wrestled with my own son. he'll be like, "what does it mean to be black in san francisco? does it mean that you have to have had some kind of criminal-justice experience? does it mean that you have to be low income?" i think there all these general statements that people make and there's this assumption about what it means to be black. i think it's really about changing the narrative and really getting a better understanding of why people are in jail and if we are really disproportionately incarcerating people, right? like, it's not about that african-americans are doing more crimes, but that they are being picked up for more crimes -- not necessarily that they've done more. they're just targeted more. and that's one thing that we have to kind of get to. i think sfpd is trying to do some things now with looking at their stop policies and what that looks like and if they are actually doing higher incidents of stopping african-americans and trying to be aware of their

own bias. >> and whatever the reason, we obviously want to keep this from becoming a cyclical problem. >> exactly. >> david, your organization really created a powerful graphic to highlight the impact of violence on young black males. and as we can see -- we're gonna show you all at home -- i mean, this just -- i was shocked by this. >> mm-hmm. >> more than half of black males in the fifth grade have at least one friend or family member who's died violently, while a third of them have experienced two or more such deaths. i mean, that's just sad. how is this fact shaping the lives and future of our bay area children when they're dealing with this? >> well, it highlights the trauma that exists, that our kids are living through every day, the disruptive forces that are in their lives -- not just in terms of just the pure health issues, mental-health issues, dealing with that, but, also, with the quality of the housing they're dealing with, the

quality of the schools that they go to, the stresses that families are under economically. i mean, when we have tech workers making six figures, writing in the paper about how they're low-income, imagine how a family that's living off of $40,000 is getting through. but on the other hand, there is something that we can learn from that, too, because there must be some assets and strengths in our community that it's our responsibility to help lift up. because there's no cavalry coming. the only one that's gonna take care of our community in many ways will be us. >> yeah. zahrah, you actually have a son, a young black male in our community. how old is he? >> he's 8½. >> wow. >> [ laughs ] >> [ sighs ] i mean...

>> i mean, how do you deal with the questions? how do you respond to when he asks about the disproportion of violence that's faced by the black community? >> i think... it's really hard. i mean, especially with black lives matters and all the things that have been happening across the country, it's such a delicate and very... i mean, i don't even have the word to express how hard it is. because every time something happens or a young black male gets shot, you know, we're like, "what do you say to your child?" and at the end of the day, there is -- "if you get pulled over, you know, look, there are circumstances where things happen, and there's other circumstances where you know you just got to be on point with how you communicate. you do exactly what they tell you to do." so those are things, you know, that we have to talk to our kids about. because there are great cops out there, you know, but if you're in that situation, you just -- and so talking to our kids, it's like, "what are we gonna do?" just got to try and talk to them. but i also teach -- as part of

laney, my first two years, i taught in sobrante park, which is deep in east oakland. it's like right off of 98th and edes. the crime rate, the murder rate -- extremely high in east oakland. and these kids, they go to bed hearing the helicopter. they wake up hearing the helicopter. their friends have been shot, they've seen them shot, or they've seen somebody shot or, you know, they're worried about getting shot on their way home or they're getting approached by gang members to join a gang. that's not happening in montclair. that's not happening in pacific heights, you know? and so we're responsible for these neighborhoods to ch-- they have to change. the environments have to change. the schools have to get better. we have to do something. in castlemont, it's not fair that castlemont in oakland almost got shut down, you know? so these are things that -- something has to get done, and that's what i think is gonna help our community, if we can change their environment. and then don't get me started on food and access to food and stuff like that. >> and, sheryl, you actually have a son, too, who's about to go to my alma mater. >> yeah! >> so must be very proud. >> right. >> talk about some of the

programs, as well. because, zahrah, you were talking about how do we change this. and your organization actually works with police and people in the community so that they know how to relate to each other better. >> well, i think it's to zahrah's point. it's that i worked for many years in private school, my son went to private school, and, to that point, it was like his experiences are very different than where we live. and how do we take -- i was living in the heart of fillmore, like right there, and it's like, "how do i take the experiences he's getting in school and bring them back to my community?" how do we make this -- how do we normalize that everybody should have the opportunity to go to college whether they want to or not? everybody should be expected to get a job and to be able to walk into any business and feel welcome there. and those little things like that make a difference, and that's part of what we've been doing with this program, is people should have relationships, right? businesses should not come into fillmore and not know the community there -- they shouldn't go into bayview. so how do we build those relationships with police, with business owners, and with

homeowners so that we begin to think of ourselves in that same light? >> yeah. absolutely. all right. well, we do need to take another break right now. next, we're going to talk about the importance of educational opportunities for african-americans across the bay area, so do stay with us. much more to come. food. water. internet. we need it to live. but what we don't need are surprises, like extra monthly fees. i see you, fee, played by legendary actress anjelica huston. you got me, mark. we just want fast internet for one, simple rate. for all the streaming and the shopping and the newsing, but most of all... for the this. internet for one everyday simple price and no extra monthly fees.

>> welcome back to "beyond the headlines," with cheryl jennings. i'm ama daetz, sitting in for cheryl, as we discuss issues facing black communities across the bay area. recently, high-school students in the east bay have found offensive, racist graffiti on their campus. it happened at castro valley high school just as they entered finals week, just days before the summer break. abc7 news reporter laura anthony brought us this story. >> we won't show the entire message, but these pictures taken by students show the second incident of racist graffiti at castro valley high school in two days -- in this case, scrawled on a bathroom mirror. >> i was disgusted. like, it was hard to be walking down the hall and see a -- hate

towards me. >> on thursday, junior sakinnah brown was the first to see the same phrase written on a locker and across some poles. >> it said "f [bleep]" >> classmate will sualua was walking with sakinnah. >> we were walking down the hall, and she noticed that there was lettering on the poles and by the snack bar. >> i feel like, since our president has been elected, it's given people more of an opportunity to say hurtful things to people of my kind and other minorities. >> superintendent parvin ahmadi says the district has sent a letter home to parents and won't shy away from the issue. >> it isn't something that's isolated to one school, one student, one classroom. i think it's something that we need to address all the time. >> and the "n" word brings up a whole lot of history that they're uneducated about. >> these students jump-started the conversation with a lunchtime public forum and some messaging of their own. >> this definitely needs to be talked about. it needs to be heard. people need to be educated on

what we have to go through as students -- not only as students, but being african-american students. >> school officials have yet to identify those responsible for the graffiti incidents. in castro valley, laura anthony, abc7 news. >> kids are in school to learn. that's just a hateful distraction. education is a critical factor in building opportunities and bright futures for bay area children and young adults. so the question is, are black students facing challenges in school that others are not, and how do we address these inequities? and, zarah, let's talk to you first because you're a professor at laney college in oakland, as well as a tv host. >> mm-hmm. >> what kind of diversity are you seeing in the classrooms, and how do you make sure to provide your students with the best opportunities possible? >> well, at laney -- laney's super-diverse. so my classroom, you know, if we have 30 students, it may even be 40% black. so one of the great things about laney is it is almost like a safe haven in some ways. you know, their diversity is

really great for students. i have also gone to a private school or looked at private schools, you know, and there's so many great schools throughout the bay area, but i think, as an african-american woman or a young girl, you struggle when you go to a school and you may be the only one in your class who's african-american. and so it's more of an identity thing of knowing who you are, and it gets harder when you start dating, you know, because your hair is different and you look different and things like that. i think those are all things that kids may go through. and when it comes to racial slurs and stuff, i mean, when i was at davis, there was a lot of stuff that happened on campus, and it's extremely hurtful. >> yeah. what you were describing is a little like my experience, being the only one, you know, feeling like you kind of stick out a little bit. sheryl, the human rights commission that you lead does a lot of work with san francisco students. tell us about some of those projects and why they're so important to the hrc. >> i think, again, we're trying to make sure that everybody feels comfortable in san francisco and what that looks like.

and we have been doing some school groups with students to have them actually think about what are the issues that they see happening, and how do they elevate their voice to become what we're calling equity ambassadors or engineers, where they're going around, they're doing office hours, they're talking about how to make it a safe space, and that really is about sometimes -- you know, in san francisco, i think african-american students are like less than 7% of the school population. and so, you know, there was one school we worked with 1,000 students -- only 60 of them african-american. and so it becomes really hard to feel like you matter, right, because you're such a small part of it, and you think no one cares. so it's really about empowering and having everybody appreciate and respect everyone in the school, whether it's a minority or a majority. and so that, i think, is critical to the diversity of san francisco and being able to celebrate that. >> yeah. and, david, the urban strategies council actually advocates on the behalf of young black students, especially, really, the black boys, to make sure that they have the opportunities that they

need to be successful. what are some of your efforts to make a difference? >> sure. the urban strategies council houses the oakland-alliance for boys and men of color. that is a group of nonprofit organizations primarily, but also representatives of public systems, where together we're looking at policies and systems that create barriers to opportunities for primarily young men of color -- things such as suspension policies in school for willful defiance, for example, if a kid doesn't take their hat off or if they seem a little like they have an attitude. we have black boys being suspended in kindergarten... >> hmm. >> ...which is clearly putting them on a path that's to leave school early.

we call that trying to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. on the flip side, like what director davis was speaking about, we're also trying to build a corrections-to-college pipeline for those who are coming out of incarceration. >> oh, wow. well, we certainly appreciate the work all three of you are doing to help out our communities, and we appreciate you being here today and really giving us some insight on the black communities here in the bay area. so thank you all for being here. >> thank you. >> all right. it has been a great conversation. back to you, cheryl. >> thank you so much, ama. for more information about today's show, go to our website, abc7news.com/community. we're also on facebook at abc7communityaffairs, as well as cheryljenningsabc7. and follow me on twitter @cherylabc7. thanks so much for tuning in. have a great week. ♪

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♪ tomorrow, tomorrow i love ya, tomorrow ♪ ask your heart doctor about entresto. and help make tomorrow possible. ♪ you're only a day away. live where you live. this is abc 7 news. a day for hats and ice cold water. the bay area sweats through a heat wave and it has just been extended. the mercury went up, setting five record highs. a live look outside from the east bay hills camera. it looks hazy, it's a spare the air day and san francisco set a recorded today at 88 degrees. it was nearly hot enough to get in to the water. abc 7 news was at ocean beach as