robin swick is with us this evening. >> [applause] >> and when i say this name people stand wave and we all know who the former it's hard to say farmer, mayor willie brown. >> [applause] >> i have been around the university for a long time. too long. what has been too long but it's been a long time. i can of course number the events of the civil rights movement. i was actually on this campus the day dr. king died and we all cried. you know, in those days all was on university were trying to do our thing. if we wanted to do we could do the big things we did our little

things. on this campus i was the first chair of the psu. in many ways oh well. >> [applause] >> we must have some dsu members. now you know who started this whole thing. in those days we were trying to do what we could to be part of the movement. the movement that was all the adults and then there was a whole bunch of youth were involved. last sunday on a radio show i had a use spoken word artists that came on. [inaudible] all these adults in the program it's a use for such a big part. you've seen those old videos. when dr. king finally said, look, we need young people out here to oppose move this thing forward. so representing all the youths

were involved in movement at this time i want to bring forth a young spoken word artist from youths these, ms. monet boyd will be a piece representing young people. monday, come forth. >> [applause] >> hi. my name is mono monet boyd. i'm 16 years old. i go to el cerrito high school and a been writing poetry since i was like 11 years old. it was a way for me to write down how i felt. [inaudible] what things i saw around. i even well when i get involved with youth speaks, an organization to have youth speak. i put my pen and paper

to life. i did spoken word and i was able to relate to others in my humble testimony. this piece i'm about to read for you guys is called dark skinned girl. i wrote it because sometimes being dark skin is like a burden. as if it's not okay to be dark skinned or to be lighter is better. so i hope i display that. >> i was told as a child never to dark skin with pretty white teeth. because they allow [inaudible] usually good look when i grew up to be. see i am far from these things still put in this category not because of my ethnicity but literally the color of my skin. as if my god was not pleased with making. as if i should put my because the society and world around me should i buy substrate myself of my skin color to the color world can look upon

[inaudible]. i promise i didn't ask for the skin i just wear it. when my friend said, i don't begin out if i was monet skintone. that night i sat in the mirror and wondered god would make me so darn [inaudible]. i'll be forgotten and the lights go off here's what the lolo stared at my own people. why would he do that? i thought that i was was made in harmony made in the image of my god. maybe i am? i must be. as everyday i am [inaudible] other insecurities. you have to [inaudible] my sky. he knew my pain before i felt good in my greatness [inaudible]. he knew people would try to take. my god [inaudible] in a dark place like the intensity of 10,000 [inaudible] knowingly clarified for me. thank you. >> [applause] >> i just had a flashback.

everybody remember black is beautiful, all right monet. i welcome to the stage the dean of the school of law from the university of san francisco, john jovita. >> [applause] >> thank you so much dr. joseph marshall. i know new kid on the block because i'm the one [inaudible]. it is an honor. it is an honor to be dean of the school of law and it's great to be home in san francisco. i'm

grateful to father and the law school community or the opportunity to lead the law school forward. i had my special welcome to our students. we are your law school. we will be taking special efforts to be a more visible and present member of the university community and i welcome you to include us in your usf experience. a special welcome to all of you who come from outside arkansas or are visiting this evening. we take seriously our mission to be the university of san francisco. today we look back half a century ago. idsa the vast majority of the people in this room assembled here today were not present then. increasingly, when i asked students about whether their parents were involved in the civil rights struggle of the 1960s, becoming their grandparents were. in order to make real are increasingly multicultural

nations promise as a beacon of hope for freedom, for freedom loving people the world over, and the progress we have made it is important to go back to those days five decades ago in front of majestic lincoln memorial in washington dc. the march on washington was an assemblage of people in power converging on washington dc, our nations capital, only occasionally seen every few decades. a quarter of 1 million americans march on washington that hot summer day. each representing thousands and thousands of americans were standing up for both racial equality and job opportunities. across the nation. now i will defer to our main speaker, the man who is there and whose words you will soon hear them up but this was the largest public gathering in washington dc until that time in our nations history. only surpassed by some of the antiwar marches that followed later in the 60s.

african-americans, teachers, students, union workers, 30 of all creeds and people of many walks of life, came together to appeal to the conscience of the nation and demand action that would enable the patient to live up to our constitutional ideals. that would free african-americans from the shackles of poverty and discrimination and free all of us from the reality of segregation that was as routine as was immoral. in many parts of the country. in 1963. just eight weeks after the martian washington, college students right here in san francisco engaged in a massive sick and of a tiger on gary boulevard, for its utter failure to hire african-americans invisible jobs at the restaurant. so students won that fight and carried it onto retail stores throughout downtown san francisco and students from northern and western cities put their lives on the line for the cause in towns across the south a year later in freedom summer

time making 64. the cause in 1963 was both economic opportunity and racial equality. racial equality was then and is incomplete today. without economic opportunity. economic opportunity is incomplete without racial equality and fairness. the power of the people unleashed in 1963 how to bring about action in washington and a five-year span of civil rights victories and progress unparalleled and long overdue in our american history. in 1964, the civil rights act urgently title vii, as that was the opportunity equal employment opportunity commission and prohibited race, religious or national origin and gender discrimination in the workplace. in 1965, pres. johnson signed into law the voting rights act to end literacy tests and then told boxes. [inaudible] is

threatened today keller. also in 1965 immigration act was our message to the world that for the first time in our nation's history we would admit people on a 1966 1967 but about the first meaningful federal aid to education in the form of head start and bilingual education programs. in april of 1968 the nation's response to the assassination of dr. king, pres. johnson again, moved a drag your feet congress with the fair housing act on his desk to sign it into law that was against federal law for the first time to deny buying renting or lending opportunities on the basis of race, religion, national origin or color. we stand before you and you will take your steps forward in a better place than our mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, because of the courage and tenacity displayed on august 28

displayed on august 28, 1963. but the reverence for the past must not equate with passivity today. or in the future. our journey continues. dr. king had a dream on that august day. today many immigrant students have another dream to remain and be reunited safely and legally with their parents here in this country could to contribute to our future in the same way the friends they've grown up and are able to do. the downturn in the economy in 2008 stripped away billions of dollars of wealth and ambassador starting to come back but we must resolve that the damage to families done by the doctor must never happen again. it begins today. on this campus by the year 2029 with the year that marks the centennial dr. king's birth, most of you in this room will have attained the age of dr. king did when he gave his

famous speech. your education here at the law school and throughout this university must and will empower you with the ethical values and analytical mind to shape the arguments and city halls, court rooms and boardrooms to empower people and end poverty and discrimination. the university of san francisco of today looks like tomorrow's california. the school of law more than 55% of our students are women. over 52% of our incoming class of students of color. we are preparing all of you to be successful contributors to your future employers, and communities, and strong and caring leaders. ethical professionals. you are preparing each other. we all change the world from here. in the year 2029 children who are starting kindergarten this week will be your age now. will they have benefited from integrated quality schools and be ready in the science and technology or

other fields of that era? will they be able to interact, appreciate and love and more diverse setting than we've ever seen before? our job today is for the answer and 2029 to be not just, yes we can, but yes, we did. it is now my honor to introduce the mayor of our great city and county of san francisco, and lee. i've known him and admired him since his days as a civil rights attorney at the asian law caucus. mayor lee has worked hard to keep the economy and economic recovery on track. to create jobs for our residents. mayor lee keeps his focus on making san francisco a city that celebrates diversity and leads the way in job creation innovation, education, healthcare, and the environment for future generations. mayor lee began his career in civil rights as a community activist. he later

served as director of our san francisco human rights commission fighting for people who weren't able to have their voices heard. now as mayor, he continues the fight closing people i implement programs and services that help our most vulnerable communities. we are where honor to have you as you carry us for tonight and because ford is one city, merely. thank you. >> [applause] >> thank you, john. i mean dean just enough. thank you for that introduction and also for all the things that you're doing here. un proposed turbine are going to be helping the students we learn about not only our history but you'll be helping a lot of students in this city succeed so thank you very much for your work. to my

honor, to be here tonight. good evening, mayor brown. good evening father private and all the administration here. it's really exciting to be here to be part of tonight's celebration. that recognizes the historic 50th anniversary of the march on washington. certainly a very critical movement towards equality and the struggle for civil rights in america. just a few minutes ago i had the pleasure again of meeting my good friend dr. clarence jones and reliving those years, 50 years ago we still marvel what we were doing 50 years ago ourselves. trying to give and i know he'll be up here in a minute explaining perhaps some key moments that we should all try to

understand. because as intravenous said joe said earlier as well, the struggle continues. it is with us. we look back, who could have imagined it years ago that we would have had today a first african-american president of the united states. >> [applause] >> who could've 50 years ago have imagined we would have the first african-american mayor of san francisco in mayor brown. who could have imagined % >> [applause] >> who could have have imagined we would have the first chinese american mayor in san francisco? >> [applause] >> these events of course, just do not happen by themselves. he

digs great sacrifice. ultimately, it takes american heroes to allow those situations to exist. it also highlights the great leaders right here in san francisco who continue to improve the quality of life for all of our residents. celebrating diversity and equality for all and shape our nation's history. as i look around the room, of course, dr. clarence jones is here tonight, but also many other leaders reflected in our city administrator naomi kelly. in our san francisco commissioners including joe marshall, michelle davis, and susan christian from her human rights commission. who you later here this evening, and also of course, again, don to zia and jennifer to peter for their great work. one of the highlights i have in my own

personal history is that moment where i was serving as the director of the human rights commission, and i went to mayor willie brown at the time. it again i indicated to him that, yes, i've had many years of advocacy on behalf of people but i really wanted to do something more direct. so he asked me what was that. i want to get into the real business of the city where people get hired, contracts get awarded, the real business of the city. he said, why do you want to do that could i said because i believe we'll civil rights movement is an economic justice. and i felt women-owned and minority owned businesses could be key to that and that as i grew in these positions there was something else that i wanted to do. something that i

had learned from the civil rights movement. something that ms. obama says consulate and the president says constantly, and that is when you get into these positions it is our responsibility to keep the door open for the next person and that is why today you see, as i've become mayor, you have the director of the public works department, you have the general manager of the public utilities commission, you have the new director of the juvenile justice and of course you have our own city administrator, all people who came from backgrounds that 50 years ago would not have been welcome in these jobs. >> [applause] >> is not enough in those years

where i saw african-americans being laborers, being bus drivers, being mechanics. now, they help me run the city and create opportunities for others. it is now their responsibility along with me to keep the doors of opportunity open and keep alive the dream that we are so charged with and no that to accomplish that dream we have to deliver on so many of the other promises that were made. it is up to us to deliver those promises to the kids. yesterday morning, first day of school. i went to denman middle school, the middle part of district 11 of our city. we delivered for the very first

time, computer tablets to middle school kids. many of whom are african-american and latino. in asian from different countries. who've never had an ipad before. that was the first day they began to load their homework on ipads. they began to understand and sense they are part of today's new economy and new jobs. they will get those skill sets so that the twitters and the zingers and the salesforces were higher than in a few short years. they become part of economic justice in san francisco. they received their very first because in recognition of everything that's going on in education, all the struggles that we had before, our middle schools are not caught up yet. all 12 middle schools now have those

computer sets for the first time in the history of our school district. we're making that commitment. we're delivering on those promises for everybody. we want this city to be the city for the 100% and ultimately, one of those kids will also become the mayor of san francisco. >> [applause] >> as was stated earlier, one of my highest priorities continues to be job creation for so many other people linking our residents and our youth with job opportunities. so it was last year we announced very boldly with our supervisor, supervisor you're not missed this year that she joins with me and the board is signaling to our youth a group of people that i know is at the heart of her agenda and others at the human rights commission that work with me, that we

created 5200 jobs last summer for our youth. were not still satisfied with that. this year we announced 6000 jobs and the numbers will come in very shortly as the summer ends. i hope that those numbers reflect that accomplishment. because jobs and dignity are part of that agenda. >> [applause] >> we are not going to leave it just for the jobs. we are not going to leave anyone behind in our cities. we are forming new partnerships for the very technology industry companies that are beginning and have been locating here in san francisco to help us create the new workforce. because if we don't can certainly create that workforce it'll be created by somebody else for other people. so we formed a training row graham in 19 san francisco

residents of diverse backgrounds to the jobs in the tech sector called tech sf. they've already began to enroll their graduates into the very technology company that are successfully locating here in the city. as i said earlier, were making progress in our public school system. test scores are at an all-time high in truancy is down in our school district, where one of the highest performance entities in the state broadly satisfied with that because we know ours middle schools are not good enough. were going to get the good were going to get to parental engagement in our middle schools. that's where the downfall that the two lindsay is at. we will help them to exceed. we will deliver even more resources and tax. in fact, this year the city of san francisco will help with over $100 million of resources to our san francisco school district. were not going to let

them be isolated anyone. this is the future markets and public education is at the heart of it. we will help them succeed. were also making sure that this very expensive city is more affordable to more people. i know there's a lot of concern about that and we need to work on it. >> [applause] >> that's why i push hard on the housing trust fund that was passed last year creating one and half billion dollars, not million, one and half billion dollars to build more affordable housing in the next 30 years in san francisco. not stopping with that. to give mr. kelly and i are working very hard to re-envision a public housing, to note that sold housing. you know that's isolated poverty. you can't let that happen any longer. we've got to build mixed income housing and keep our promise to the residence. they're going to save housing housing networks,

maintained for generations to come. not only is a promise we were doing that. we are doing that as we speak. >> [applause] >> yes, while were taking care of our residents we are also once again being a model to the nation by welcoming immigrants and empowering new citizens by launching an initiative called, pathways to citizenship, to ensure 100,000 san franciscans who are eligible for citizenship and pursue their new opportunities and be part of building our city's economy. when president obama conference of immigration reform is good for the country we begin by saying, here in san francisco and it begins with citizenship. that's the goal that we have. everybody must fully participate in our economy. >> [applause] >> we continue to be one of the

most diverse cities in the country. that diversity helps us maintain our strength, our voices to be heard and that's why i believe our city becomes the number one model for affordable healthcare, and for housing, and for jobs. as you all know, san francisco city that celebrates and rewards pioneers and innovators. ground breakers and risk takers. our friend, dr. is just that person. dr. jones we are grateful for your contribution to the civil rights movement as not only the attorney, the advisor, and the speechwriter, but your words have been inspiring not only to all of us but to me personally. it inspires me to do more. it creates conditions under which

i do not sit every time we come was something we say what's next because the dream has not been fulfilled for so many people. so, your words continue to inspire me and inspire us. you make the changes that we want to be and we march ahead and we will not turn back until everybody is taken care of. so it is with great pleasure that i celebrate you, dr. jones, and present you with an award on behalf of the city and county of san francisco in honor of the 50th anniversary of the march on washington. please, dr. jones step forward. >> [applause] >> dr. jones, on behalf of the

city please accept this award of recognition for all your words that live on today and will love on forever with us. >> [applause] >> [music] >>