who were the people that lived in the western addition and came up and made it the rich community that it is today? and right now, they are actually working on a bigger plan for buchanan mall. they are actually working with reckum park. they've said, and the city has said what can we do to make this a better place, where people want to walk there, where people want to ride their bikes? and when i say buchanan mall, this is like going through the panhandle. can you imagine the panhandle if no one used it? this is what buchanan mall was like until these young women, and men, stepped up and said we're going to make a difference. this is our community.

so today i honor you, because it's black future month, and this is our future. these are our community activists, they are our leaders, our next politicians standing here where we all are making decisions for community and the city. and so i want to thank you and honor you, and i'm going to give you a few words, because you have -- i don't know what time it is. but you have a few words and i'm going to give you the floor. >> thank you, supervisor brown. okay, so, hello, everyone. so i would like to accept the award that we're about to receive on behalf of jasmine, sasha, and silo, who couldn't make it here today. i'm wittia, and we're part of the buchanan mall youth community leaders. so the buchanan mall you see today is a result of our footwork. we were talking to residents along the mall and we conducted the survey so that the mall

could be representative of everyone who lives there. we, the youth, are the vessels, so we the youth are the vessels that carries the change that you wish to see, so the question that i had after the buchanan mall activation was, how could you build on your assumptions of what's best for the community if you aren't really out there? so this is why we're here. so an example of what -- we're an example of what it means to build the right way, all while being exposed to new experiences, such as collaborating on events, being a part of film productions and, like, preserving the fillmore history and uplifting the local and unsung heroes that are here. [ applause ]

>> president yee: next up will be supervisor haney. >> supervisor haney: thought i was after. first of all, thank you, president yee and thank you supervisor walton for putting together this celebration of black futures. i want to recognize everyone who's going to be honored today. i think this is a fantastic thing that we're doing, honoring the tremendous contributions of black leaders in our community, of black excellence, not just today, but moving forward. i am going to be honoring one organization, but i also wanted to give a shout-out to the many black leaders in district 6, who contribute to our community in measurable ways. district 6 has a black population that is, and not everybody may know this, that is three or four times higher than the city average, and many of

district 6 black residents have been unjustly displaced from other parts of san francisco. and i want to thank them for being able to lead our community in district 6 to become safer and affordable and a better place for everybody. when we talk about black futures and the future of children in our city, we must acknowledge the epidemic of displacement in our city and the history of antiblack policies in city planning and policing. these are issues that are further compacted for those community members who must navigate multiple layers of oppression. black women, black trans women, formerly incarcerated black trans women face unimaginable hurdles in building lives for themselves here in san francisco. we see numbers like 21% of trans women having been incarcerated and among black trans women the

number rises to an incredible 47%. as a comparison, the general population has an incarceration rate of 2.7%. additionally, california trans prisoners are 13 times more likely to be sexually assaulted while in prison, likely for survival crimes like sex work and drugs. but it isn't exclusively relegated to the confines of prison. 2018 saw 20 trans women murdered across the nation, one of the murderers, bubbles, happened less than a mile from where we are sitting today, and of the remaining murders, nearly all of the victims were black trans women. in spite of all of these hurdles, it is the resilience of spirit, the power of the activism, and specifically the labor of black trans women which has contributed so greatly to our collective liberation, and that is the work that i want to acknowledge today. it's work that is carried out every day, despite incredible

obstacles. it's work that has deep history and legacy in our community. black trans women like marsha johnson and ms. major griffin gracie were on the front lines of stonewall and compton, so today, with that, i want to acknowledge and celebrate the fact that over the last 15 years, the transgender gender variant intersects justice has built the futures of trans people who come to san francisco looking to build a future. it started in 2004 by trans activists and lawyers tgijp, an organization led by black trans women continue to center the experiences of trans women of color and has been there to provide legal services, peer-based advocacy services, support groups, case management, and job readiness training programs to all trans women exiting incarceration. the advocacy work has helped inform prison reform policies and initiatives across the state and changed the lives of

countless individuals who have come through their doors seeking support. i want to thank tjijp for all their incredible important work. their executive director, janetta johnson, honey mahogany from my staff, and serenity and portia taylor for the work you do in our office. we're lucky to have you and have tgijp in our district. thank you. [ applause ] >> hello, good afternoon, everyone. my name is serenity romero, and i'm here to represent tjijp.

tjijp works to challenge and end the human rights abuse committed against transgender, genter variant, and intersex people, particularly against transgender women of color. in california prisons, jails, detention centers, and beyond. tgi justice project is celebrating the 15-year anniversary in 2019. the past 15 years we have been successfully providing leadership development, as well as legal and social support services to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated trans people. this includes our highly successful re-entry program, which i am a part of, providing housing support, employment, and re-entry services to formerly incarcerated trans people. in addition, we are working to support the leadership of black trans leaders to build a national movement fighting back against racism, criminalization, and transphobia.

thank you. >> president yee: thank you. [ applause ] thank you. supervisor mandelman. >> supervisor mandelman: thank you, president yee. could i invite julius pikes prince to come up? with lyric staff. hi, julius. julius is a prep youth leader at lyric, one of the first lgbtq centers located here in san francisco, where he's leading in the fight in hiv and aids epidemic. julius works to break barriers to access and destigmatize hiv and aids prevention.

julius has led hiv prevention retreats and launches lyric's first-ever prep youth campaign, let's be real about it, which used ads around the city to raise the visibility of youth of color accessing prep. at age 20, julius is empowering queer youth of getting to zero efforts. we know african-americans make up a disproportionate number of hiv infections, while making up just 5% of san francisco's population in 2017, african-americans represented 17% of new infections. with julius and his peers leading the way, it's my hope we can reverse that alarming trend. in addition to his advocacy as a lyric youth leader, julius is a proud city college student, majoring in fashion design. go rams. in the near future, he hopes to open his very own queer resource center for youth. he says harvey milk is one of his greatest inspirations and

has shaped the leader that he is today. i'm sure that harvey would be proud of julius and the way he's continuing work that harvey started 40 years ago. i am proud to recognize julius today, and i want to thank his family, who's here in the chamber, i think, as well as jody schwartz, executive director at lyric, for working with my office on today's commendation, and now i would like to invite julius to say a few words. >> i just want to say thank you, all. y'all, i'm vibrant, i'm not boring. this has impacted me a lot, and it changed me to become the better leader i am today. i feel like -- i feel like this is what i was put on earth to do, is lead this young generation and the hiv-free -- generation -- i'm so nervous,

y'all. but, yes, i feel like, honestly, i'm doing what's right in the community. thank you, all. >> supervisor mandelman: thank you, julius. [ applause ] >> president yee: okay, next up, supervisor mar. >> supervisor mar: thank you, supervisor yee, also thank you supervisor walton and percy birch and your staff for leading this accommodation of african-american youth and their voices. i want to keep my remarks short, because i want to give most of my time to the amazing honorees

that i'll be talking about, but for black futures month, incredibly excited to commend the youth and young adults of a star records, which is a program of sunset youth services. sunset youth services provides young people communities for creative expression, healing, and leadership. upstart records honors the often-negligented accomplishments of youth of color, especially our black youth. you are amazing, resilient overcomers. you move the needle on society's expectations, and you are artists who speak truth to power. you are also a vital part of the sunset community. thank you, desiree, deshaun, ruben, abdale, giovani, desmond, christie, anglo, also cofounder don stuckel for being here.

lastly, i'm really excited to have dina rowe and des mac perform two short pieces entitled "dreams" and "don't shoot," so let's give them the floor. [ applause ] >> thank you. my name is kazina, known as dina, you already know, i'm with sunset youth services and i'm an artist here and we're performing a song for you guys called "dreams." a little bit about that song, my family and i, born and raised in san francisco, and growing up in the city was hard, especially with the gentrification, so my family and i became homeless, and through that hard time i wrote a song and inspiration for myself and for anybody going through a hard time, that if you're optimistic and if you keep going, the hard times will push over and your dreams can come true. >> hello, my name is desmond mcroy from youngstown, ohio. i moved to the bay area to pursue music and launch an app with my brother. i started writing the song

"dreams" around 2013, knowing one day i would perform this and pursue this. thank you. also a big thank you to sunset youth services and mr. mar. >> hope you guys like it. [ applause ] ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ [ music ] [ rapping ] [ music ] [ applause ] thank you guys so much!

>> and one last thing, i just wanted to perform one verse off of my new album that i just released in january. it's called "don't shoot." i just want to be me. tired of seeing another dead man laid on the streets. we need to spread the peace, remember gandhi when he wouldn't eat? carrying heat, like the big three all for the same thing, trying to get a ring of the stripes, in and out like a cobra strike, that's a massive bite and when i write, i'm at peace. we need our own police, got people patrolling where they never beat. hands up and he still got struck, now there's puddles everywhere, puddles of blood that is. that man can't even give his mother a hug again, they get paid leave. flowing, different emotions, wait until they hear this. hey, i'm stacking chips with my head to the ceiling. we going to have millions and make a killing. we going to give back to the children, so don't shoot.

officer, please, don't shoot. don't shoot. officer, please don't shoot. we all on our grind. hey, what if it was you or somebody you knew? [ applause ] >> president yee: okay, next up is supervisor peskin. >> supervisor peskin: thank you, president yee. for black futures month i really wanted to highlight the grassroots leadership of residents who are reshaping the future of public housing. yes, come on up, twanna, ms. granger. we all know that public housing has had a checkered history in san francisco, and i think many members of this body actually

voted to remove justin herman's name from that plaza at the bottom of market street. twanna lives as we affectionately call them at the pings at chinatown on pacific, and she has really done incredible work in building community and in building a coalition across racial and cultural lines, so today, i would like to honor ms. twanna granger, who brings an energy and joy to her community work that we are here to celebrate. i will say, she is not, supervisor walton, a native san franciscan. she hails from st. louis, missouri, but she is homegrown in as far as she grew up in the fillmore and lived -- >> since the age of 2. >> supervisor peskin: since the age of 2, and lived through the

battle days of redevelopment. and despite growing up in a neighborhood that was tough, twanna faced it all down with zeal and perseverance, and she thrives at st. paul's catholic high school, where she was a member of the girl's athletic association, varsity basketball team, and served as vice president of the peace club. outside of school she volunteered at mt. zion hospital and at the golden gate chapter of the red cross, and ultimately after graduating from college, entered into a noble, honorable profession of nurse, where she is a registered nurse, and i can honestly say, that is a job that suits ms. granger quite well, because she can make anybody feel at ease and carries her bedside manner in an incredibly beautiful way. she later found her calling in chinatown, as i previously said, and helped organize the ping u.n. tenants as a member of the

ping u.n. residents improvement association, which we all in the neighborhood call pirea and she did that from the late 1990s until today, and she has done incredible work to bridge the divide between the african-american and chinese-american communities, and with that, thank you for being a role model, thank you for what you're doing for our neighborhood and community. you are the future, twanna granger, the floor is yours. >> thank you, and i love you, aaron. you are fabulous. as he said, i grew up in fillmore, like the other young ladies, but i moved here. my mom and dad moved here, and i moved in fillmore on buchanan and mcallister in 1967. to this day, my mom's still there. i am the original buchanan mall kid. i can look out my window and see

vergo's. i was there before the store vergo's was mentioned and got popular because of the trug drugs. i'm not going to go too much, because we don't have time, but i just have a speech, also, i'm a me too victim. i shared my story with my black history last week for the first time. this happened at -- when i was 18. i'll be 54 in may. and it took that and a lot of other women coming out sharing the story, and my story is very, very tragic. but to move on, community to me is understanding experience and common problems, the common letdowns, the goal, the gang, the love, the support to someone

else. me and mayor london breed grew up one block from each other, both enduring the community at the toughest times. in her community, i supported her, voted for her, because community is family, and once we get this about each other, greatness, like never before can happen. i have a speech. being a black woman, i wrote this, everything i'm saying is originally from me. being a black woman is hard as hard can be. knowing that your men don't respect you and love us like they used to, like when we were in slavery. the world and the government don't respect me either. at times, my kids don't either, too. how do i -- how do you think being soft and weak that our race is still here without us

being there and being what we've been? saying we're bitter and angry and mean, but no, look and feel what a black woman so has endured and reach, but still in all, we're still here, for jesus is the one for me. i wish everyone can just, for one month, walk the shoes of a black woman. the responsibilities, the demands, the problems, the pains, the letdowns, and the games, but through it all, we're mother earth. we're the first, and we're going to be the last to walk this earth. thank you for spirituality, because it keeps me focused. because without it, we're still slaves to this world that's trying to destroy us. [ applause ] this is my poem, it says "what am i." when i look into the mirror, what do i see? do i see race, sexuality,

gender, creed, belief, the same as men see? or what the world and the people want me to be? or what people say and know about me? tradition is the only thing that separates us. no, no, no. i believe, look forward, practice, move close to me, and the only way i do that is to see the jesus in me. plus, the will he has for me. one thing that we all don't get, no matter where you're from, no matter where you come from, no matter what you believe, no matter how you feel, this world is a rainbow, and it started off as a rainbow. it's going to end as a rainbow. and if you take one color out of that rainbow, it's not a

rainbow. so as us, seeing we're human beings, let's focus. let's get it right. let this rainbow shine super bright. not two, not three, but let's see if we can get four rainbows in the sky at one time. i just want to say a prayer, and i'm done. father god, please bless us with the love and understanding you have for us. let us really hear one another. share our likeness, more than differences. let us see each other's spirit and not our shells and not our shells. let us unite as one, because the beautiful rainbow you made is us to be. be not one color, be left out, because then it's not a rainbow.

so let us all see. amen. and i thank aaron. i thank cdc, and one thing i can tell you guys, i've been here for 27 years, and i'm from western addition, you're still in chinatown? you're still in chinatown? of course, because i'm black in the east. [ applause ] >> president yee: supervisor ronen? >> supervisor ronen: thank you. i am very pleased to introduce najari turner, our district 9 black futures month honoree. if najari could come up. where are you? here she comes.

yeah, if everyone can give her a round of applause. [ applause ] thank you so much. najari grew up in the heart of the mission district. she is the youngest of four siblings. i hope i'm pronouncing this right. please help me if i get this wrong. tajricka, lucerne, and tajari. her mom, melvia, is with us today, as well, as amy avaro came to support, john, wilbur ramirez from mission graduates. najari attended kit bayview academy for elementary school

and is now a senior in the mission. when supervisor walton suggested that we focus this year on exceptional black youth in our community, we were thrilled and immediately reached out to mission graduates and other adults we know who work at john o'connell high school in the mission to tell us about which young people at o'connell stand out to them. this is when we learned about the incredible leadership of najari turner. najari's involved in an impressive number of activities, both in school and beyond. she has a number of leadership roles within the student body and is constantly working to improve the school community. she is the sports chair of the associated student body leadership team, she is an amazing emcee at nearly all of o'connell's school assemblies and rallies, and she plays on the basketball team. in addition, najari is a proud member of both the latinx club and black student union and also the president of the yearbook team. outside of school, she somehow

finds time to work at the exploratorium, where she's not only learned to do seven magic tricks, but how to dissect a cow's eye. i can't wait to hear about that from you, more about that. throughout all these activities, najari displays an open-hearted commitment to bringing together students at o'connell to celebrate their cultures and diversity. she is a kind and empathetic mentor to underclass girls and boys, and she's constantly pushing other students to do well in school, support each other, and give back to the community. najari, i'm so proud to honor you here today. you exemplify what is best about young people, not only in the mission, but in all of san francisco. you are a rising star, and we wish you the very, very best in your -- as you pursue your dreams in college and beyond. congratulations. >> thank you. [ applause ]

>> i just want to say thank you guys for recognizing me for this award. i'd like to thank my counselors who help me every day after school helping me on scholarships for college, who helped me complete my fafsa application, helping me write my letters of rec for college, and i want to thank my mom for pushing me even sometimes when i don't want to do anything, and making sure that i stay on track and that i'm pushing myself each and every day to make the best out of every situation, and just helping better my community as best as i can. thank you. [ applause ]

>> president yee: okay, next up is supervisor safai. >> supervisor safai: thank you, president yee. so today i'm honored to tell the story of a rising hero in my community, in the lake view community, young man by the name of kendrick martin. i'm going to wait until the door closes. a lot of laughter and hugging. that's okay. today's a joyous day. so kendrick is a strong, compassionate, dedicated young man who's committed to honoring the legacy of his hardworking family and change the outcomes for young black men in his community. in the midst of adversity, he's

become the only young man within his social group and his peers to go on to college. more importantly, he's dedicated to changing the face of who's represented in technology and is currently pursuing his degree in the mechanical engineering at san francisco state university. as you know, we are at the heart of the technological revolution here in the bay area, and yet and still the representation in that workforce does not reflect the overall representation in the united states. so kendrick is in so many ways a trail blazer, and we're so proud to be honoring him today. he's 23 years old. he's a second-generation san francisco native, and his story begins with his grandparents who migrated here from the south, like many of the families in san francisco in the 1950s to provide a better opportunity for their children. his grandparents, rowland and shirley, had a very strong

influence in his life and instilled within him the importance of a good education. now this is even harder than my mother and parents were on me, but they even required him to attend summer school every year until the end of middle school. right, so they were focused on helping him achieve in math and science. so getting that early foundation in math and science has led him to where he is today. he attended balboa high. go, buccaneers. >> go bucs. >> supervisor safai: where he got involved with the football achievers that provide mentorships and scholarships to young african-american men and women in sfusd. through this program he went to washington, d.c., where he met dianne feinstein, jackie speier, and other leaders from the bay area to share ideas and talk about how he wanted to make his community better. he went on to attend city

college before being admitted to san francisco state, where he's studying mechanical engineering with a minor in microeconomics. he stayed committed to improving his community and worked hard to elect leaders like our own mayor breed most recently. he is driven by all the people who have ever had a chance to make it, as he likes to say, a driving motto for him, times are hard, but they can get harder. he will one day, one of the goals he has is to own his own engineering firm here in san francisco and will be a role model for young man to follow in his footsteps. he hopes to support organizations that will build community and bring people from diverse backgrounds together, because the more we understand about one another and each other, the stronger our communities will become. kendrick, thank you for your hard work and resilience and your leadership. we're happy to honor you today, encourage you in this moment,

and look forward to seeing all that you accomplish in the future. >> thank you. >> supervisor safai: thank you. [ applause ] if you'd like to say a few words, please. >> yeah, i'd like to thank you, ahsha safai, for the opportunity, and i'm just glad to be here, you know, there's a lot of people, you know, in my neighborhood, lake view, what not, who didn't make it or didn't get the same opportunities that i've had. and i just want to speak through -- speak for them, you know, this is a great opportunity. and i also want to bring light to two more rising heroes, who, you know, i felt deserve an award, too. my good friend jimmy fells, who just had a documentary "the last black man in san francisco," won a sundance film festival award and another man, michael evans, who's in that, and tells jokes around san francisco.

if it wasn't for good friends like that, from lake shore, city college, you know, throughout my journeys, because i grew up in and spent most of my time in lake view, but bayview, visitation valley, all throughout the bottom half of san francisco, and i am just thankful for the opportunity. >> supervisor safai: you have someone special here with you today, right? >> yes, i also have my father here with me. my grandparents couldn't make it. [ applause ] >> supervisor safai: i'd also like to give a special shout-out to one of your mentors, gwen, and it is her birthday today, so happy birthday. >> it definitely is. happy birthday to ms. gwen. [ applause ] >> supervisor safai: thank you, president yee.

>> president yee: okay, next up is supervisor stefani. >> supervisor stefani: thank you, president yee. colleagues, today i'm honored to recognize our veterans academy residents from suarez and the presidio for this year's black futures month. if you all would come up.

i don't think it's a secret to anybody that i have a special place in my heart to veterans and have been in awe of their sacrifice to our country. when i was sworn in on my inauguration day my dad was here, as you know, he made himself very known and i told a story about his service in vietnam, his reaction when we went to the vietnam memorial and what i didn't tell is the story about the toll it has taken on him. as he ages and his dementia kicks in a little bit, stories that once weren't told come out, and these are stories that would break my spirit if it wasn't filled with hope for the future that we can make a difference in the lives of our veterans that have endured so much. on january 17 i attended the 22nd annual veterans day dinner and could not hold back the

tears as they honored their profiles of courage awardees. and what they overcame with the help and their fellow vets was just absolutely nothing short of miraculous. i couldn't wait to get to the veterans academy and district 2 and the presidio to meet everyone there, and i was lucky that last friday i got to visit and i was able to talk to a few veterans. the mission is to heal the wounds of war, restore dignity, hope, and self-sufficiency to all veterans in need and to prevent and heend homelessness r our veterans. this should be the future of our veterans that we care for them for generations to come and never leave them behind. the veterans academy is located in the presidio.

the housing site was opened in 2000 and houses 108 veterans with disabilities. the mission is to provide a peaceful location to help senior and disabled veterans heal from their wounds of war and age in place. i was so happy to visit, like i said, last friday and speak with some of the veterans about their experience. with black future month in mind, i am taking this chance to honor the 28 african-american veterans who currently reside at the veterans academy site for their service to our country. today we have four representatives who are joining us, john baker, who served in the u.s. army, michael crain, who served in the u.s. air force, richard hollingsworth, who served in the u.s. army, and robert scott, who also served in the u.s. army. each of these men have incredible stories about their time spent after returning back to civilian life. for instance, since his service, michael worked as a security

policeman, richard worked at the army medical center, which brings his residency at full circle. robert attended classes from both the university of california at berkeley and san francisco state university. he's also featured in the video "taking responsibility," which illustrates the story of how a veteran came there. black history month and black futures month is a time to look at the contributions african-americans have made in shaping our nation. we must recognize that while we do honor and support our veterans and their sacrifices, we need to acknowledge and remember black veterans were more likely to be attacked for their service than honored for it throughout our nation's history. for generations, african-americans returning home from service were more likely to face discrimination, disrespect, violence, and sometimes even death. each of these men have experienced great challenges in

experiencing war battles, losing friends in service, and traversing through an extremely difficult transition back home into civilian life. yet each of these men and their neighbors are working through those challenges and dedicate their time to build a community at the veterans academy helping each other heal. i commend them, i commend you, for your service and dedication to our country and for your continued service to each other here at home. i would also like to recognize one of our guests, kenyan wingo, of the u.s. army and army reserve, who is a staff member at the veterans academy site. we appreciate all you do, kenyon, to give back to this community. so i want to thank soars for your work to help this community, for whom we owe so much. i would also like to thank tramicia garner, associate director for housing and residential programs. i'd like to invite her to make a

few comments and also if john, michael, richard, or robert would like to say anything, please do. [ applause ] >> hello. i am tramicia and work at soars. i work on behalf and in service to the veterans that we held within our programs and those that come within our drop-in center, legal clinic, as well as our training and employment program. soars has been around since 1974 here in san francisco. we've been doing a lot of great work representing the veterans that are living here in san francisco, but throughout the bay area and beyond. so with that, i don't want to take up too much time. i'm not sure if any of our veterans are wanting to speak. we sometimes have a shy bunch. but i would like to thank them for their service. it takes a lot of courage to really put your hand up and say that you're willing to honor and serve the united states of america and to know some of the tragedies that folks experience coming back, a lot of, you know,

our veterans are vietnam-era veterans, so that was not a particularly welcoming time for folks to serve in the united states military. a lot of folks were not treated well, and especially a lot of veterans of color, who endured racism in the military, but as well as when they returned home, so i would just like to say thank you for them and all that they do, and also just to honor and see them get up every day, get up, put one foot in front of the other is inspiration and hope for all of us that work here and work for them. with that, i'd like to say thank you to supervisor stefani for recognizing our veterans and i know we have veterans in many of your districts here for the board of supervisors and just thank you for your time today. [ applause ] >> my name is richard hollingsworth, and i'd like to say thank you all. thanks, that's it. [ applause ] >> hi, my name is robin love and i also work for soars.

i'm very close to 60, but i'm still that 19-year-old marine, and my heart flutters when i see a flag blowing in the wind. i like to see people serving and helping one another. it's my life goal. i didn't really realize that until i became a marine, but like tramicia said, putting one foot forward every day is worth it if you get to serve and you get to be around like-minded people like yourself and so i would like to thank you for being a like-minded person, like swartz, and just thank you for just giving us the opportunity to be here and be recognized. thank you. [ applause ] >> my name is kenyan wingo, i'm one of the program monitors and i want to say to my fellow veterans who i work with, thank you all for your service.

you all make my job fun, simply put. y'all some 49er fans, but, you know, it's fun. thank you. [ applause ] >> president yee: okay, next up is supervisor fewer. >> supervisor fewer: thank you very much, president yee. last but not least, i'd like to invite youth leaders, cheyenne, charles peacock, chante allen

from 100% college prep up to the podium, please, as well as director diane gray and associate director lane. colleagues, i'm honored today -- come on up. thanks. colleagues, i'm honored today to recognize an organization that has been deeply rooted and invested in providing academic resources for students from low wealth and underserved communities to become empowered as college-ready students. 100% college prep, a program a bayview association for youth was founded in 1999 by cousins jackie cohen and diane gray, and i actually had the opportunity to first meet diane shortly after that. 100% college prep began with the goal of supporting african-american students to reach college and has really grown into a powerful organization championing

predominantly black first-generation college students both academically and wholistically. the program has graduated over 120 alumni, who now have bachelor's and graduate degrees. this amazing program promotes lifelong learning and supports students to uplift their academic careers and their communities. they were the first organization to specifically tackle the racial achievement gap at the san francisco unified school district. and 100% college prep forged a strong partnership with san francisco state university step to college program, where students participate in dual enrollment, earning up to ten college credits, getting a jump start on college. i am absolutely thrilled to honor 100% college prep as an organization, in particular some of their phenomenal youth leaders today during black futures month. i know cheyenne, charles, chante would like to share a few words,

so i will turn it over to them. >> hello, hello. i'm a student of the 100% college prep and also step to college, and i've been part of the 100% club since the sixth grade. they weren't accepting sixth graders at the time, but, you know, they accepted me, and i'm very honored. i participated and i am a cofounder for brothers making change, for short, b.m.c., and i'm part of the organization that says "solutions over suspensions," if you're familiar with that. also, i'm a co-facilitator for the board of education, today suspensions for students of color have gone down dramatically, and we are very proud of that. and this is all over the school districts in san francisco, something that we're very proud of. i continue to be the youth leader every day, and i'm just

honored to have this, and i'm thankful for supervisor fewer and also mr. shamann walton here, you know, they are very influential to me, and i hope to be there some day and reach their achievement. so thank you. [ applause ] >> hello, supervisors. my name is cheyenne. i'm an 11th grader at city arts and tech high school. i've been a member of the 100% college prep since the seventh grade. i've gone from being an average student to honor student by attending the 100% after-school program for tutoring and working with my student success coach. i'm also looking forward to attend my second historical college, black college tour. without 100%, i wouldn't be the student i am today. thank you, supervisor fewer, for this award to 100% college prep. [ applause ]

>> good afternoon, supervisors. my name's charles peacock. i attend ida b. wills high school and i'll graduate this year. i just joined 100% this year. the program has helped set future goals with my student success coach and put me on the path to a career in construction. through this step to college class, i am a student at san francisco state and have applied for five scholarships to attend college next year, so i just thank you, supervisors, fewer, for recognizing 100% college prep. [ applause ] >> hello, supervisors. my name's chante allen, and i'm a junior at city arts and tech high school. i've been with the 100% college

prep since i was in the seventh grade, as well, and ever since then i've been attending their tutor programs, and i was a student in their step to college class, and i've earned ten credits for college. last semester with their help i earned a 4.0 gpa, and my career of choice -- [ applause ] -- is to become a ceo of a multimillion dollar company. thank you, supervisor fewer, for your accommodation and recognizing 100% college prep. thank you. [ applause ] >> well, i was just going to let our youth speak, because that speaks for itself, but my name is diane grey, i'm the cofounder and executive director of 100% college prep, and it's certainly an honor to be here, certainly an honor to be recognized, but the work is standing behind us. the real work that we do, and so

we do what needs to be done in our community, and that's how my cousin and i started it, just being volunteers and filling a need. and so that's what we do, and so many of our students have graduated from college, we had our first ph.d last year right there from the community, and so we're going to continue to do this work in partnership with so many other organizations in the community and also throughout the city, as well as government agencies, as well, so we thank you again for this honor and thank you so much, supervisor fewer, that i've known for a very long time. she even did some parent right workshops at our center back in the day, so we are all connected. thank you so much. [ applause ]

>> president yee: okay, thank you. no, supervisor fewer's last but not least. okay. first of all, i want to really thank all the supervisors here for picking, choosing, such great candidates for today's black history month honorees. and for me, today i am thrilled to honor city college student gudu keir, a recent immigrant from ethiopia, gudu's story is one that reflects many immigrants' stories in america. he moved to the u.s. to pursue

higher education and work hard in pursuit of better opportunities and a better life. since moving to the u.s. only a year ago, enrolling in his third semester at city college, he has already impressed his professors and supervisors by his work ethic, attitude, and character. the chancellor's office recommended guru to my office as an excellent candidate for the black history month. several of his instructors and supervisors had many great things to say about him. beyond being a thoughtful student, who is always eager to take new challenges, he also serves as the appointed senator of the associated student council, works the maximum allowed hours for the matriculation team, while being a full-time student. and he also tutors his fellow

students in math at the learning assistance center. he also joined just one, the memorial scholarship, a competitive scholarship awarded to a current city college international student in the basis of economic achievement. expert curricular activities, leadership, and financial need. the purpose of the award is to encourage international students to pursue studying business. faculty and staff describe him as a strong team player, a person of integrity, and a joy to have a class, who works quietly and diligently. finally, i'd like to share a few comments from one of the faculty members at the -- at city college, at gudu. matriculation department

supervisor teresa chang said, "i hired gudu and he came from simple means in ethiopia and never stops pushing himself to be better. everything he does, he does with an eye to making his mom proud. guru never gives up, he's tenacious and can overcome any obstacle. he's kind to everyone and is known for his infectious smile. gudu is an optimistic and is positive even on a bad day. he's supportive and always willing to help. he lives with an aunt and babysits the children in the house and keeps fit with his exercise. he just competed in his first spartan athlete challenge, athletics challenge, and, boy,

makes me feel like i'm a sloucher here. so i want to congratulate gudu on this recognition and we wish you the best as you continue your excellence as a student leader at city college. you really remind us how proud we are to be a city and county of hardworking and optimistic immigrants, and i'm sure you'll follow my footsteps in terms of going to city college, to cal, where you want to go. and i hope to see you there next year. the floor is yours. >> thank you. good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, i'm extremely honored and grateful for this recognition. >> please, speak directly into the microphone, thank you. >> i'm extremely grateful and honored for this recognition. i want to say thank you to city college san francisco for nominating me and president norman yee for honoring me with this special recognition.