good, they have the cosmetic liberation, right? cosmetic change, cosmetic liberation, but when you look at who owns most of the city, right? who is in control of the power in the city? it may be marginally better for black votes in some other places, but there are still fundamental issues with the school system. look at the endowment of emory compared to some of the black universities and colleges in atlanta. entrepreneurship is a big part of it. i did not understand and nobody told me what is involved with buying your own home until i was in my second law school, where is the my counterparts, the white students i was in class with, they had had that information coming up. it was just second nature. i asked the guy across the hall from me what his folks did.

but told him my mom was a nurse and my dad was a teacher, a soldier before. he said his father was the deputy prime minister of jordan. i was like, "ok." minute court partner -- my moot court partner, he said his father owned three swiss banks. i think even before entrepreneurship, it is financial literacy. we need to educate ourselves about what these resources are. it is financial literacy and really wealth literacy, understanding that there are different kinds of wealth beyond just monetary wealth, but you need to understand monetary wealth, spiritual well, the social capital we have and understand how to cultivate those things and invest them properly. those are important skills. at the same time, i do not think black capitalism is the solution

to the problems of black folks who have been the victims of capitalism's boot. >> making sure that that kind of information becomes available. that could be the subject of what we deal with in black history month. you know? hal the wealth is developed. who developed it. loans what? how one gets to own it. we could do that. it could be touchy, but it could be useful. i'm just saying that we could use occasions for teaching about things that could make a difference. so i just say raise questions, and sometimes, raise hell when you raise the questions. [applause] >> i wanted to know if there was an african-american district attorney working in texas to review some of the cases that were -- i guess, tried, and some of the evidence was not valid.

looking through investigating some of those cases to find out if they should be released because of the false information that was acquired. >> the attorney who has been the lead on the team that i have been in communication with is a guy by the name of morris moon, and he would be the person i could ask to find out the answer. there is actually a be a working on that, but i know there have been so many cases -- there is actually a d.a. working on that, but i know there have been so many cases that have been exposed, especially with dna testing. it is almost like every other week. there does need to be somebody looking into it from that angle. of the top of my head, i do not know, but i could definitely get that information. >> how can we make it not just black history day, not just black history month, but every

day be black history and honor that? thank you. and how do we really teach our children, our students really not what the media portrays, not what -- but really, what happened? i did get a chance to experience "eyes on the price" and i thought that was just the tip of the iceberg -- experience "eyes on the priceze." >> i do not know how to go about it, but what i would suggest is the reason why i did what i did, why i was brave enough and courageous enough to not give up my seat, because so much history was in my mind, and one of the things they were always asking me was why i did not get up when i was asked, and my answer would

always be history had me glued to the seat. [applause] i think that what is left out of american history -- you should not be ashamed to say that we enslaved these people and mystery these people, a race of people. it should be included in the american history, and it would be every day. [applause] >> really quickly, it jolla i went to school with named sol williams said, "stealing as was the smartest thing you ever did.

too bad you do not teach the true to your kids." that line says so much. -- a scholar i went to school with. it is not just about changing lives of black people, but changing the lives of everybody by teaching true history, which includes jim crow and slavery before it -- but before that, the first people to walk the planet and develop situation -- civilization came along the nile river valley. if we teach african history as human history, history will require that you incorporate our story and tell it the right way. [applause] >> just to say that in terms of how teaching history can make a difference to these test scores that we are also obsessed with, i had a piece of news from mississippi where the book, "putting the movement back into civil rights" -- are you familiar with that?

the superintendent has agreed -- and your piece is in it, awele -- the superintendent has agreed that it be used districtwide. just this week, i was hearing that the rigor and relevance of the material actually got students engaged and got the score is up. while the score is being up is not the only thing, i do want to say there is real value in making curriculum relevant, truthful, and rigorous, and one of the ways of doing that would be to embed all of this into all subjects all year for all the students. [applause] >> if i could just show that on friday, ms. colvin spent the whole day at alameda county juvenile hall, and i think we saw eight different units of young men and women, 14 to 18, medium-security, and they were

riveted to their seats. when we were looking like we were running out of time, we were told not to worry about the time. they shared poetry. one young woman suggested how -- they share how they are trying to transform their lives, and listening to her story and transformation, and it was a very powerful date. >> this is for one of my heroes, claudette colvin. and a local hero of mine, because we have freedom fighters right here in our midst, and we do not always celebrate them. francisca sanchez, who is seriously about her business about getting the shackles off. i want to do this to honor them, and to thank you for being here. give yourselves a big round of applause.

[applause] all i've got is some fish and a few loaves of bread. and a whole lot of folks have got to get fed. but seven seats were made in under seven days, the first man was forgiven when he missed the hague, the branch was taken by a dove to a book that was built before a flood, if a rainbow sent out a sign, if someone was told to sacrifice his own son and told to hold up before he was done, then the fish and bread that i just said is all that i've got, is all that i need for me to get fed and for me to feed a whole lot of folks in need because they set me on fire. when they look back, i was chilling. i had to fight like 10 older brothers, and because i had this dream, so they sold me out to a band of bandits and one day was

commanded to stop, drop, when i got this fish that i found while fishing around, under water with the daughter of the pharaoh, the child was chosen to force the pharaoh to free his folks from a foreign land, repair everywoman, prepare every man, prepare every child, all you've got is that right in your hand. all i've got is some fish and a few loaves of bread, and a whole lot of folks have got to get fed, but i believe. i believe i can part the sea now and then, and then put it back together again. i believe i can kill any giant dead if i believe in my heart. back when we were kings, back when we were able to see processes. when a whole woman with no vote because she conceived immaculate, and a good baby

daddy was something even got to be, where we could heal the sick and make the blind see. we believe in believing, so i believe in believe, and i believe they can come in the night like a thief and knocked out each of uncertainty's teeth and take away all your disbelief because the fate that lived through leprosy is a fate that will live through a chevy, a fate that can make amounting get out of bed is a phase i believe that i believe can spread fish and a few loaves of bread. i believe i can make wine out of tap water, and i believe i can go break dancing and walk on water. i believe i can fly. i believe i can soar. i never thought i could be so free, but i believe on flying away on a wing and a prayer, and

who could it be? believe it or not, it is just me. believe it or not, the fish that we got and the bread i just said is all that we got, is all that we need for us to get fed and for us to feed a whole lot of folks in need. thank you. [applause] >> let me ask the audience to thank our two guests on stage. [applause] and then, i'm going to invite

awele to come up. thank you for your questions today and your participation. >> you are very welcome. >> before we go, i have one announcement and thank you, and then, we want to acknowledge the sponsorship for today's program. i want to give a big thank-you to linda brooks burton. [applause] because linda brooks britain last march invited me to plan this program, and i want to thank helen, who i work with in san francisco unified because she introduced me to bryonn bain, and she always introduces me to the various artists that come in to work in the school

district. as i learned about bryonn and experienced his presence and i was thinking about putting together this program, it just clicked -- why not bring the two together to bring this link from the past unsegregated jim crow to what is happening in the 21st century and that has been happening? i think i was inspired by michele alexander's booke." >> it is my pleasure to say, ms. colvin, without you we would not be where we are. [applause] thank you for sharing your story, and keep telling your story because we need to know, and our children need to know, and our children's children need to know your story. and we want to thank our sponsors today. we have the san francisco unified school district.

we have marked as bookstores, who will be selling this -- ms. colvin's book, written about her, by philip house. we have sponsorship from the african diaspora, and the friends of the san francisco public library. i serve as part of the african- american interest committee that helped put this program together, and i want to thank all of you for coming, and i want to thank sfgtv for taking the program today. we want to thank the department here at san francisco public library, and we are having a reception in l58, and we want to thank read your catering for providing some delicious food for us to nibble on today, so will you please join us and say thank you again to mrs. colvin

and also to byrin bain for telling his story, but thank you for coming so that we can say thank you to miss colvin for being a living history maker. join us. thank you. ♪ lift every voice and sing

>> i want to thank everyone for coming. we aren't trying to do a lot to restore the luster of the uptown historic district. in the past couple of years we have installed the store? . we have a landmark sidewalk program that we want to institute. we also want to restore some of the historic advertising signs, which developed the

neighborhood's character. in order to get this money, there is a challenge grant program. when we applied for this grant, the person in charge of the program was ultimately a cao named ed lee. so the mayor had to decide whether or not to fund this project, so i am glad that he did. we had support and additional financial support from the people that run the organization. jon dugan as well. you can see that great historic pedestrian lighting, which we only have on taylor street and a small part of golden gate. i did not know this, but when he

was a cao, ed lee got those installed on taylor street. the mayor also has a plan that would restore 135 historic street lights to the tenderloin. that is an incredibly important thing for them, from an aesthetic and from a safety point of view. we are also one of the darkest neighborhoods. this is important. you can see how nice those are. imagine how nice they would look through the neighborhood. i also want to introduce leroy looper who goes back to the 1980's with us in the tenderloin. nothing that any of us are doing would have started without leroy's vision when he bought the cadillac.

we always need to appreciate them for their contributions. so without further ado, i want to make -- introduced a person who made this possible, mayor ed lee. >> great podium. i am happy to be here. happy to celebrate these wonderful murals that have been restored. we have been working on this for many years. i just love the fact that he is leading this effort with so many of the other community people. this community challenge grant was an easy decision that we made. i see our acting city administrator. she is continuing that very good community-based approach, working in close concert with the people from clean city, who

are doing the sweeping around here, working with nonprofits as well. i want to thank the tenderloin development megacorporation. you are part of our partnership. as well, the tenderloin economic partnership. i want to celebrate these because it is part of our history, but we are renovating them and giving them a facelift. this is an historical part of this district and kids like to the history that we are still trying to make sure that people feel the vibrancy of this community. you have to see the other ones as well. the one that says original joe's -- john is here. there is also a coca-cola one. i want to see them put the old phrase in their "the real thing." i missed that. we are also doing some restoration.

it is all about making sure we pay attention to the uptown tenderloin historic district. we have done this for some years now. ever since the fire that occurred here -- unfortunately, there was a fire here a few years ago. my predecessor gavin newsom asked me to come down here to work with the arts community, come up with every idea that we could, to work with the office of economic development to please key dollars here. we are working with so many organizations working our way up this great street, finding out that there was a lot of history to showcase. we wanted to make sure that we

used our artistic ability, the ability to forge artistic programs, and that is why we invested in this foundation. they are taking over the old theater. now these murals. i want to thank the people who got our two artists here. their work is presented here, in this unveiling of these advertising murals. and we are going to do more of this. we want to do all of this in partnership with neighborhoods. that is what randy is all about. i loved working with him because he and everyone in this neighborhood wants to take pride in where they live and work. we see kids growing up in the tenderloin. they need to know the history of

this area. we also need to make sure that not only are they safe, but that they appreciate the history of this neighborhood. i want to thank everyone is level of cooperation here. we have a piano theater coming in. we have the underground for the clay and ceramics. that will represent the role that part plays in helping us for a revitalization to this neighborhood. we are doing that at central market as well. and we are trying to revitalize this whole street. this is ground zero for where arts and civic minded this come together with local government, to forge a ongoing partnerships to make this revitalization their welcome and new. also, if you go around the corner here, you will see the newest restaurant around.

they are investing in our neighborhood. a great restaurant has come in and they are going to start another trend of great food. you see the revitalization already happening. the inspiration comes from everybody working together and never abandoning our neighborhoods. we never want to do that. so thank you very much for being here. i appreciate everyone's cooperation and thier roles. [applause] >> our next speaker is john dugan. he is a legend. we love that he helped to get these merrill back of on the buildings. >> i know you have a busy schedule, mr. mayor, but before you leave, thank you for your decision to keep this city ticking away that it is. i want to thank many of these people. you have been around here.

thank you. i know it was not easy. but what a courageous decision. we are certainly behind you. randy chopped, what can i say about randy? we have gone back and forth over 30 years, but the mural restoration is just another wonderful step -- and it is a happy step. a few months ago we were here talking about police protection, but this is a happy step. something that the tenderloin residents, the retail community, and property owners, can rejoice in. as long as we continue to work together, this tenderloin is going to get better and better. randy, again, thank you for what you did hear. >> carolyn from the mid market

cbd is also here. there is a story about market and tenderloin, dark past, shared future. now we are going to have some fun hearing from the actual artist, susan cervantes. >> thank you, randy. thank you, everyone, for coming out. i want to thank the mayor for his passionate comments. for our part, we feel very honored to have had this opportunity to do some restoration in the tenderloin. we have a couple of other minerals, one on golden gate and one on the glide, for we have contributed to neighborhood beautification. we love the fact that this is historica.

it was amazing, when we started to do the research on the signs, looking at the walls, how much history there was. we took the one that were the most recent and restored those and even had to cover up some of the others. but it was amazing to see all of the layers. and when you look at the coca- cola sign, you can see that the railway school actually overlapped it, so we left it that way. layers of history. when we started to clean the wall, the crew that is responsible for the painting -- i was just sort of directing them in the process of recreating them, making decisions about the color. but when you get up to the wall, we restore the actual

color. when we were far away, we could not see what color it was until we clean its and then matched those callers. so that is the process of restoration. it is not just going up there and painting them any way that we want to. we really wanted to preserve the history of the signs, when they could work created back in the 1930, 1940's. we want to thank the people here who have put so much into the neighborhoods. like i said, i was not the one that painted them. i have some talented artists that did the work. it is a lot of scaffolding to go up and down. i know that my son is here. come on up.