luther king jr. to make this a tangible reality. it heart ens us to no e that this past century has made many gains. united states is a very different nation from what it was in 1963. many of the egregious disparities no longer exist. it's very common to see african american people and many colors. in less than a span of a lifetime, our president is a man of african decent. it's clear that the struggles for civil rights in the 20th century transformed the legal status for african americans and others who justice was denied. however it is the enforcement and spirit and intent of these laws that challenge this century. we have much work left to do. 50 years ago, ending segregation was a

dream for african americans throughout the country. education was the gateway. access to education would provide a better future for the children. today that belief remains the same. education is a pathway for future success. however access to high quality education still remains an illusions to many children. too many african american and other people of color remain segregated in other schools and determined desperate and in later life. a huge gap in problems across the country. add to that the concept of unconscious bias, low expectations and high expulsion and suspension rates and it's so many reasons why they fall below the bar. even in san francisco where we have the highest performing schools we

have the highest achievement gap among african american and latino students. we need to invest more in the future of our young people. in 1964, dr. king said, the richest nation on earth has never allocated sufficient schools to allocate teachers. we squander funds on highways, on the pursuit of recreation, on the over abundance of over kill arm meant but we pop rise education. even those these words were 50 years ago, the truth remains the same . we need to invest in the future of our children. educational equity meansen insuring that every child has an at some point for success. it's taking

a stand on unfair policies. educational equity also means fighting for policies that help promote educational opportunities like affirmative action and practices that recognizes the values of each child regardless of race, income or immigration status. it's no wonder that our work at the lawyers committee is far from obsolete. we remain pragmatic by providing direct legal services an impact litigation and policy advocacy. we do this in the company across los angeles and all of san francisco. in support with david and staff at human rights commission, we have been able to launch the san francisco clinic to help people of color in san francisco. today we come

together to remember the march on washington. we must remember this march was a call for action, a call for justice and equality and better future for all. the lawyers continue to reach that call to protect and promote civil rights. as we move forward today, we must remember the sacrifices made by those to create one for us and remember our duty to future generations to continue to fight for equity and civil rights for all. thank you. [ applause ] >> so, the youth commission did want to share with us that they have several resolutions that have been issued regarding summer jobs and urging the city to do more employment for youth and they have been doing a lot of work and wanting to make

sure the youth center has the at some point to go outside and have recreation and have access to the yard and to also urging jpd to e equip the yard so there are things for the youth to do when they go outside in the yard. we thank the youth commission, the lawyers committee and also want to thank and recognize the san francisco public utilities commission for the work they are doing to continue the legacy and to ensure that there is still a movement for jobs, there is still a movement around freedom and making sure that everyone has the tools and resources they need to have access to jobs and equality. thank you, madam secretary. next item. >> item 6. 2013 hero awards. >> the nominees will be recognized for the

presentations. but first i would like to note that we are fortunate to have with us in the chamber tonight a number of people in the community who are previous awardees of the hero award and the number of people in the chamber are the grand ladies and grand gentlemen of the civil rights movement here in san francisco. we have with us tonight eileen hernandez, [ applause ] >> we are fortunate to have spinola jackson with us tonight. [ applause ] >> who has commissioner noted

looks like a million dollars before taxes. and we are honored to have doris ward with us tonight. [ applause ] >> and i can't emphasize enough how critical and how influential and how just fundamental these three people have been and are to the work of civil rights and human rights in san francisco. [ applause ] i would also like to recognize someone who is very special to us, the commissioners, forward hrc commissioner who was present at the 1963 march on

washington. she is here with her husband. flees join us in honoring frankie jill e t and maxwell. >> before we go to this year's nominees and awardees, i would like to recognize the nominees for this year's awards who were ultimately not selected but who because of their tr work were nominated by their contemporaries, their contemporaries in the community. dr. caesar churchwell. [ applause ]

officer fred crisp. [ applause ] >> mr. michael mcenolate. [ applause ] >> so at this point i will ask miss polk who is a staff member for the hrc who is fundamentally responsible for tonight's proceedings to assist us in distributing the awards. >> so, first, we have the hrc hero ward for individual leadership in civil rights and economic justice advocacy. our first awardy paul day in management and communications for the university of

california san francisco. [ cheers and applause ] and mr. day, if you would like to talk to us about the work that you do for a few minutes. >> sure, yes. i just have to, i'm so honored to be mentioned in the same breath as all of you civil rights pioneers and our other 2013 awardees. i humbly thank you for choosing me for the work that i have done. i have always been a civic minded individual. i get that from my grandparents. i was thinking about this this afternoon and i remember the exact moment where the switch went off. i was a youth representative for the general assembly in presbyterian church

in 1989 where they allowed gay ministers in the church. i sat there in the convention center that was as big as -- and through my own issues of being a gay man and when the debate the -- and when the final vote was they were not going to allow this, a spark, that was the moment for me. i stood up with maybe 20 individuals and walked to the center of the room and silently walked down in protest towards the front of the podium where the leadership of the church was and silently walked out. from that moment on, i have always wanted to do the right thing. the work that i have done for marriage equality in san francisco and california and the work that i

do at the university of california san francisco for fighting for individuals and students and under represented minorities, it's my passion and my life. i would also like to thank chief navarro and chief of staff for nominating me for this award. i'm truly honored. thank you so much. [ cheers and applause ] >> our next awardee for the individual leadership award is linda evans who is the organizer for legal services for prisoners with children. she's retired from that position. [ cheers and applause ]

>> i just want to say thank you so much to the human rights commission. i'm deeply honored and really humbled to receive this award and to be present in the presence of so many civil rights heroes. i appreciate this recognition, not just for myself, but for the collective efforts of all of us and all of our members of legal services for prisoners with children and all of our allies. in 2003 we began over a decade of partnership with the human rights commission. when we launched or band a box to reform hiring practices and

employment. since then this has spread all over the country and now over 50 cities and counties have adopted fair hiring practices to eliminate discrimination for people with records. san francisco was one of the first. with the support of the human rights commission, the reentry council of san francisco and our community allies like the national employment law project, the lawyers committee for civil rights, the community housing partnership and the council of community housing organizations, this year in san francisco, well further expand protections against discrimination for people with records. the 1963 march on washington was built on purpose. just like the people attending that march, all of us are connecting formally incarcerated people across division of race, gender and

class and geography with a common purpose of winning back full restoration of our civil and human rights. [ applause ] >> we have received support from allies from all over the nation and yet our collective march toward jobs and freedom is floundering. they are still illusive. access to the right to vote is under attack. the unemployment rate is higher now than 50 years ago and the adjusted minimum wage is $2 lower than it was in 1963. in san francisco, and in the criminal justice system, human rights abuses are rampant and yet invisible. racial profiling and disproportionate arrest rates plague our area. the

population of african american is only 6 percent. the sheriff proposes building a new jail even though crime is down and jail cells are empty. 250 women were involuntarily sterilized in the california prison system between 2006-2010. these abuses are still continuing. as of today, hundreds of people are suffering in california prisons through years of long-term solitary confinement. today is day 52 hunger strike of california's prisoners demanding their own human rights in the face of daily torture . these are today's

urgency of crisis. the march on washington is a moment for all of us to reflect and to recommit ourselves and our communities and our resources to winning civil and human rights for all and to building the unity necessary to achieve this goal. thank you so much to the human rights commission for your support, for building and including the voice of formally incarcerated people, in policy decisions that affect our lives and thank you to friend and allies. the future calls for all of us to be human rights heroes. thank you. [ cheers and applause ]

>> miss evans, if you would stand up and accept your award. got it? all right. thank you so much. >> well have photographs taken of all the awardees and the honored guest before we go to the reception. next in the individual leadership category we have don marco who is the executive director of mission hiring hall south of market employment sector. [ applause ] >> good evening, commissioners,

chairperson. when the staff told me i was supposed to report to city hall to get an award, i said, yeah right. when i looked at the person and property, i noticed -- person, i noticed he was serious. when i asked what kind of an award am i getting and he said hero award. i said yeah right. i was thinking maybe community worker of the week might fit me better. i didn't know way i was feeling that i was a hero and i never connected the event with this moment until this morning when i saw president obama making his speech before i stepped out of the house and as i got closer to this moment i

connected everything and i'm very appreciative an honored to have this award. i'm an extension of the men and women that work at mission hall. i also accept this award in their honor. mission hall finds jobs for people, people that don't necessarily have the contacts, the resources to get a job. 12 years ago what we do was called affirmative action. that was stricken from all the documents and it was replaced by diversity must match the diversity of the city or something like that. that didn't last too long. currently, it's called low income residents. to make it more generic, i suppose. but we

all know it's the same thing. if you are a person of color, if you are a person whose orientation doesn't fit the status quo, if you look or talk different, there will always be potential for inequality. it's always the same thing. it's equal rights. as long as there are dreams of equality that are not fulfilled, we all need to deal with what happened 50 years ago and keep the march going. thank you. [ applause ] >> now to the final award in this category of individual leadership we have tamaya tucker of magic zone.

[ cheers and applause ] >> wow. okay. i'm a little shaky. i'm not used to being recognized for doing what i'm supposed to do let us not wallow in the valley of despair. i say to you my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, i still have a dream. it is a dream deeply rooted in the american dream. dr. martin luther king jr., thank you dr. king, because you shared your dream, i'm able to dream beyond what generations before me could even imagine. that is what fulfills my dream from my youth and my young adults. i truly just thank god that he allows know wake up everyday and do not only what i love but

do what i feel i'm purposed to do. i want to thank the san francisco human rights commission for selecting me as the 2013 hero award recipient. i want to say thank you for nominating me. i don't think you will ever understand that the nomination means more than the actual award. if you only knew. i would like to briefly acknowledge a few heroes of my own on this day that marks the 50th year of the march on washington. wilhelm wundt -- one of the most profound speeches that we have heard. simply because i did not receive this award on my own. the first of my heroes are my parents. thank you for your support and love since the day i was born. it will allow me to find my purpose in this crazy

thing we call life. i knew you would always be there to catch me. lose -- also to my baby brother, love you. to my family in general, i love you guys. when i got the call about this award, my grandfather came to my mind. i have been meeting a few people who know him and i'm learning more how much of a legend he was specifically from the bay view point community. to my grandfather, thank you, your impact has lived beyond your figure -- physical. now, to all of you who i love the same, i'm so blessed an honored to be part of your lives. you guys motivate me to be a better

person so i can try to be a better example for you guys. thank you for letting me into your lives. last but absolutely not least, she's going to kill me, is cheryl davis. your work thicken -- ethic encourages me. thank you for being an example and thank you for letting me find my own creativity and pushing me. you are not only my hero but to so many others. you are appreciated and shot out to my whole magic team. it is trul y an honor to be in this space and secure the youth with you. thank you for this award. it has given me the extra push to do more. my hope and dreams is that the youth and young adults of this generation taps

everything within them and the community agencies that support them go that extra mile to ensure that this happens. it sound cliche but this generation is truly our future. what we sew into these youth and adults is a community that we will live in now. and from that michael jackson son, -- song, heal the world, make it a better place. there are people dying. if you care about the living, make it a better place. i hope everybody here makes it in their own way as well. thank you. [ cheers and applause ]

>> it commissioner davis's turn. i'm going to jump in here and say a couple of things. just towards the end of miss tucker's comment. i'm truly honored to work with miss davis. she does so much incredible work in this community and works with our future and she handles it with great love and care. i want to join miss tucker in recognizing. >> i also want to recognize miss tucker's family because the youth she works with and represents here tonight are our future and they are our legacy. as so many people have said leading up to the celebration of this commemoration of the march, this is not a time for us to rest on our laurels or to be occupied with what has

happened in the past and what has been accomplished in the past. we need to move forward in supporting in bringing forth the youth and community. thank you to her family. now i will give it to cheryl davis. [ applause ] >> i have to say this is such a humbling experience tonight to hear all the speakers that have gone before speaking with paul henderson but each of the speakers, their comments have resonated. it's an amazing opportunity to celebrate and recognize that the work is still going forward and there is still hope. i'm going to move into next section and category we are going to move into advancement into economic justice. this is asian american

justice asian law caucus. [ applause ] >> good evening, my name is chris. i'm the codirector of asian american justice. i'm honored to receive an award and want to congratulate our fellow awardees. 50 years ago when our advocates marched on washington they listed demands and one was for federal minimum wage. that minimum wage would be just over $15. however that is just today

$7. we can see the economic justice and for equality in the workplace are unfulfilled. as asian american justice, we see the bravery of so many workers, from all backgrounds to come forward to fight for their workplace rights, to fight for minimum wage, to be paid over time and be granted meal and rest breaks. i'm proud to say that over the last several years our organization has recovered $1.5 million in under wages for our workers. i want to acknowledge one of my colleagues amy bond who is in the audience. she meets with workers everyday to inform them of their rights and to bring wage claims before the city an