people of all backgrounds, fulfilling a promise in hunter's point and giving us hope that we can go forward, i get the privilege to let you know that when i walk through the hallway every single morning to my office i am looking up at those pictures and i often say that i am walking in today and i get it done, i will get it done. s these are all reminders of the great may ors before us who set the foot prints to us to fill and i am so happy. i honor someone who is continuing to give us a voice even in the laughing way, we are and we look forward to

reading his column, even when i dread what he is going to say. the pure enjoyment of the angle is what we all say and i did not think of it in that way, that gives us great pause to again, celebrate, his achievements, his accomplishments, and his continued love for this city and for everybody in it. so, mayor brown, thank you very much, to you, to your friends, to all of your supporters for being here. happy, african american history month. and more than a month, let's continue celebrating, let's keep doing this. this is a great enjoyment for all of us. thank you for being here. thank you for giving the insight for what you two share and not too shab by to have

willie brown and now it is time to acknowledge and recognize our special guests stand and be recognized. david chiu? are you here or are they still in session? we want to acknowledge district five london breed, and district ten, supervisor, representing my hood, cohen. san francisco first african american city administrator naomi kelley. the mayor's office deputy chief of staff, for public safety. paul henderson. >> san francisco treasurer, sisneros. >> san francisco port commissioner kimberly brandon. commissioners south east city, toya moses.

>> oakland port commissioner, brian parker. director of workforce development office of economic workforce department rhonda simmons and president jack and jill of america incorporated san francisco chapter and former soul service commissioner karen clopten. thank you all so much. well, we are so thrilled that our most distinguished keynote speaker was able to work us into his schedule today. welly has a way again of folks to show up. you know? he attended the american conserve torrey theater in san francisco and went on to appear on the big screen and the big

stage. give a big warm welcome for the great amazing delroy lindo. can everybody hear me? >> i have to say that after agreeing to be here this afternoon, a few or some short time after i was sent a schedule, and on the schedule, i saw that i had ten minutes from my keynote address. and then, some while later, they sent me another schedule and i had 15 minutes, and then, they sent me another schedule and i had 20 minutes. and i get here this afternoon, and they give the brother ten minutes. >> so, now, i got something to show you all.

this is the speech that i brought when i had 20 minutes. so now you all are going to have to sit here and listen to this. so, so when crista asked me to do this, to be keynote for this address, i asked her immediately and i entered emphatically yes, i would do it, truth be told. i was not sure quite why i was answering so quickly and so emphatically in the affirmative. and as i thought about it, it is not as if, there is any great public or private connection, between mayor brown and myself and even though like other people, i have always admired and respected mayor brown, albeit from a distance.31

willie brown is a game changer. a brief look at his career corroborates that. as an attorney in san francisco at a time when there were few black

attorneys this man routinely defended the defenseless and taking on cases the most prominent lawyers refuse to take on. mario, on his first disobedience arrests and then he became involved in civil rights movement to protect housing discrimination after a local real estate office refused to work with him because he was black. then there were a very significant first. first african american elected to san francisco in the california state assembly. the first african american speaker of the california state assembly. and as we all know the first african mayor of san francisco

[ applause ] >> first, the first, the first. and a speaker of the assembly he would also become the first and the only politicians to hold that position for 15 years. longer than any other individual so much so that a new paradigm was created with prop 140 which instituted term limits. had that not happened and all likelihood, willie brown might still be speaker had he so desired the. [ [ applause ] >> it's worth noting that willie became speaker of the state assembly after the coalition of republican and democrats. 28 republicans, 23 democrats. some say this goes back to a period of more

consilt tree and less contentious part of american policies. i would a tend that it's his way to address people in a willful and supremely effective manner. let's examine willie more closely. it seems he and i have some parallel difference. that's why i felt i needed to be here. i always considered that my life started on a very new trajectory when i came to san francisco to study. in that sense, my career then was born in san francisco. could i get some water. my mouth is very dry. some water please? clearly, willie brown's life and career has taken on an

extraordinary trajectory. we both graduated san francisco state. for me graduating san francisco state in 2004 was a water shedding moment. i hope that is the same for you. i'm sorry. i'm a diva. all right? it seems that way. what can i say? [ laughter ] willie worked for a time as a janitor to support himself as did i. while many of us must be dazzled when we first encounter some of the fabulous and prestigious black historians --

just kidding. while many of us must be dazzled when we first -- encounter the fabulous san francisco, it very much mirrors how moved and excited i was when i first got here. i was mess morzed. i feel as a direct connection between his career in law, his work in the civil rights movement and that of his political career beyond which demonstrates an inherent and deeply felt caring and concern for people. but also, he has the talents and the gifts to translate that caring and

concern into political and social action. a gift. he makes time for people. this is evidences not only by examining willie's record in public life but i can a test to this personally. when it was a long line of people waiting to see him. a long and varied line. some people -- it struck me we have a very broad cross section to see people who willie had made time for. i saw this every time i came to city

hall to visit mayor brown. while he was certainly making time for me and he's always been very open with me and i appreciate that, willie. he's never ever not responded when i have reached out adhesion always made time for me. this is a man who made time for people. it represented a very broad cross section of the people of san francisco. that is how it should be. i had no idea of what the outcomes were of those meetings. the fact is mayor brown was giving people access. to him and to city hall

but in the same world in this city we have graced to have a willie brown. a man who is not only a bona fide celebrity. he's a celebrated presence, locally, nationally and also a dynamic leader. one can easily ascribe the words to his career, dazzling. it's a dazzling career full of deeply significant and dazzling first as we've mentioned. his mayoral inauguration included a party to which 10,000 people attended. local restaurants provided 10,000 meals to the homeless. who does that? on

that kind of a scale? willie brown does that. [ applause ] i'm so glad you are applauding. it gives me time to get water. if i were younger, hipper, i would breakout into a rap right now to talk about his virtues and his life and career. if i were to do that, it might sound something like this. you all ready ? when you think of willie brown you want no other, he's the one you count as your brother, what else can i say?

i can't say no more. through the streets of san francisco makes you want to sing. when you think of willie brown we like no other. he's the kind of dude that you like as your brother. i say he's the kind of dude that you want as your brother. he's the kind of dude that you want as your brother. [ applause ] but since i'm an old dude, i'm not going to do that because that would seem unseemly. what i do say is when this is all said and done, willie would seem to be an individual who em bodies the classic american story success of invention and

reinvention. born of talent, skill, determination, brilliance, lots of plain old hard work. and the ability to take one's god given talent, fashion it, shape it, mold it into something quite remarkable and remarkably effective and enduring. willie brown is a game changer. thank you, willie, for all your work, talents, brilliance, heart, your and forgiving a damn. thank you. [ applause ] on that note, i believe i should bring mayor brown to the

stage. is that correct? ladies and gentlemen, mayor willie brown. [ applause ] >> that was remarkable. but then again you are a vocalist. mr. mayor, kristin, vernal, vernal was rather reserved tonight. last week when we were at macy's during black history month, the first thing she

said, "see it?" she has one of those world champions diamond rings. she won't let her husband touch it and she shares with everything and she has two of them now. i thought she would do that again tonight. >> it's your night. >> yes, it's my night so you are being cool. i also noticed that david chew ended up with some friends of his. supervisors. david, would you please take a bow to the rest of your supervisors, malia, campos, the tall man, scottie. stand up scottie. let people see you. mr. farrell?

eric maurd, norman yooe, you've got the whole board. oh, my god!. i am just so delighted, christina that mom's at the mayor's office that you altogether decided to do a closing ceremony for black history month. harlem would disagree with you on that because tomorrow there is another harlem kelly version of black history and he's been doing it for years. it's the most inexpensive event that i have ever been to. i'm going to try to get him to upgrade it,

mr. mayor, now that he's the big man. we just finished the most magnificent chinese new years parade it was and the

lord obviously smiled on the chinese because it didn't rain this year. most years it rains for the chinese new years. this was at an incredible location. it's always the location over the last years or so, an elective family has reached out to include an -- array of people. in january it was chinese new years celebration and now we are doing black history month. in about five weeks we'll be doing the cherry blossom festival which is

japan's town and and then carnival and then we follow that almost instantly in june with this incredible occasion where the whole world see's how san francisco is when you get 300,000 bikes leading a parade of gay lesbians when we have our pride parade in san francisco and we eventually got around to letting the italians do something in october. so it's an incredible city. it's just an incredible city. i marvel he asked me what do you think the republicans call you

black history month? i start to think, republicans, black history month, what could they call it? before i can answer he said february. [ laughter ] but we call it black history month here in san francisco and we mean it's black history month in san francisco and am indeed delighted that i'm being honored and i'm looking forward to the next year to the next person we honor and i really want us, mr. mayor, under your guidance and leadership to elevate the level of black history month in the same way we have collectively elevated

the level of chinese new years and all the other wonderful celebration we do in the city because it gives us a chance to teach, demonstrate and to show exactly who we are and what we are about in the kind of contribution we made to the development of this nation. i am again, honored and delighted. i'm absolutely honored and delighted and delaroi, you performed. i know if they ever do a movie we are going to see if we can cast you as me. thank you again, very much. to all of

you, thank you for coming. i understand there are some interesting food there that if you want to indulge in. i know it's going to be a continuations of just what we've done here in the rotundum. i must tell you that the rotundum is always a challenge to make it better than how i left it. this was one of my projects. harlem was the city engineer at that time. the mayor was head of department of public works at that time and we were really proud to do this city hall in the way in which we did it. i don't remember this fancy lighting being part of what we did. i don't remember this gold carpeting being part of what we d whoever did this, clearly had in mind how i always wanted to

appear. [ laughter ] so i am -- [ applause ] >> i'm really just delighted. but you really should have called me because my tie would have been a different color. >> the one and only willie brown junior. >> we have a presentation for you, sir. christina? >> you want that now? then we shall do that. can we give it up for delaroi? that was fantastic. i bet you didn't think you were going to see him rap today. before we present mr. brown