has had a devastating impact on the morale of just, i think, women in general, because here we are trying to push for equity and make sure that we have an seat attr the table and a number of othere issues. now we have to go back and fight a battle that we fought and won in the 1970s. it's like we're going back to the dark ages here. i just wanted to know your thoughts about what's going on with this and your -- just where do we go from here and how do we push this thing back? >> you've said it exactly right. of course, you put it in a frame of pay equity. i always like to be hopeful and

my hope springs from the fact that so many people understand this s threat and are willing to stande up and advocate against this threat to a woman's right to choose. this is a moment because not only are they passing these bills which are so harmful, but they are going into other relatede fields like stem cell research. all things that relate at the moment of conception where life begins. without going into it, for 25 years, my first 2 25 years in congress, it was so unbelievable that people are like, i don't believe that and ifle i believed that i would never vote republican. they don't believe in birth control. they don't believe in family

planning. nowthey have reproductive health initiatives for women all over the drive. so until they defund planned parenthood, which is not exactly what they did, but the effect was to defund planned parenthood, people got all arouse and lost that fight. now we have to again make sure, they lose that fight. so women have p to speak up in theirr community, respectfully. if their faith-based.

most of my family not pro-choice. i don't ask and they don't tell and i don't think they're cray about my exuberant because this is fundamental. believe what you want to believe and live your life but don't decide politicians will exact thatc on somebody else. [cheers and applause] ent to

decide the timing and size of her family, if she even wants to have one, then they have to pay a price at the polls for thinking that way, for thinking that way. [applause] >> but this is fundamental. it's fundamental. and again, women of color pay a

>> this is the budget and finance committee. we are reconvening and i am going to recess until 4:00 today right back here in this room. thank you very much. statues -- one of the most visits statues in the capitol, rosa parks, sitting -- that's the way the community wanted her -- her statue. it's fabulous. but then, when we did rosa parks -- by then, when we did rosa parks, president bush was president. when we did sojourner truth, barack obama was president, and we had a new emancipation in

the wing of the building. and our speaker was michelle obama. and she gets up, talking about sojourner truth, and talking about how she was an amazing mom, and suffragette. and she says, i can see how happy sojourner truth would be to see a woman standing there as speaker of the house, but i can't imagine what she would be thinking as me, michelle obama, the first lady of america. [applause] >> we've come a long way, but we have much more to do, much more to do. >> the hon. london breed: yes. and i just want to touch on so many of the amazing accomplishments that you've had throughout your career.

we know you've spent a lot of your time getting democrats elected to congress, and we appreciate that, and it's one of the reasons we have the majority in the house of representatives because of your hard work and a lot of national policies around pay equity. but you also take care of your home. we also appreciate the support that you provided for the hunters point shipyard, and the accountability, and the issues that we've experienced this. thank you for your neighborhood preference and that you fought side by side to make sure that people have access to the affordable housing in their neighborhoods. a lot of the work that we've been able to do, that we get funding from the feds, and the california electrification, the support that you've given as

you deal with the bigger challenges of the country, it means so much to have you in this leadership position. what really stands out to you as something -- a moment in time or a situation or policy or something that you were just so proud of, and maybe share -- share that with us today. >> well, i'm so -- as i say to my colleagues in the congress, all the honors you bestay upon me as leader, now speaker of the congress now twice is wonderful, but nothing is more important to me than stepping on to the floor of the house as a representative of the people of san francisco. that is the most -- [applause] >> and we have a beautiful agenda here that in most cases would be a model to the country, so it makes me -- it easier for me to get resources for what we need to have done here, and also helps to be speaker of the house.

but i will say that the -- most -- let me just say about san francisco, you know, they always -- san francisco values. they spent -- they had 137,000 ads, the republicans, against me in the election of 2018 as a san francisco values person, 137,000 ads, san francisco liberal. yes, proud to be. however, it didn't work. we won 40 seats in the most gerrymandered voter suppression you can be. i said, you know what we are? we are the people of st. francis, the patron saint of peace. bring us hope, light, faith.

you will share in our san francisco values. but the most proud thing in addition to representing san francisco every minute of every day is the passage of the affordable care act. and when there was a time when people thought it was never going to pass, the press said to me, what are you going to do? why don't you give up and make it smaller or something? i said no, this is our moment. it's social security, medicaid, medicare, this is the moment of our generation, and we're going to pass the bill. and i said it looks impossible. there's so many barriers to it. and i said if we see a barrier too high for us, we'll go push open the gate. and if that doesn't work, we'll climb the fence, and if that doesn't work, we'll pole vault in, and if that doesn't work, we'll push our way in. and after it happened, the press said well, which one did you do?

and i said actually, we pushed open the gate because we not only had the votes of the house democr democrats to do that, but we had the outside mobilization, and i come back to you. it was the people who cared whether it was for all of the things, preexisting benefits, being a woman no longer being a preexisting condition, protecting a woman's right to choose, all of those things, so a child staying on your policy, the list goes on, but everybody was there pushing open that gate with us. it would not have happened without the outside mobilization. i tell you that because it is true for everything that we do, and i always say particular thank god for the nuns as opposed to the bishops, to the nuns who were so helpful to us, another element of women power. so i say to women, know your

power. the best advice i ever got running your office is be yourself. don't let anyone diminish who you are and what you bring to the table. and they'll try to do that, but you don't let them do it. you know why? because you're invincible. thank you. >> the hon. london breed: thank you. ladies and gentlemen, speaker nancy pelosi. [♪] [applause] >> the most powerful woman in san francisco, and the most powerful woman in the country, yeah. right here.

[applause] >> you know, in my 22 years of running the national center for lesbian rights, when i first started at nclr, the idea of same sex couples having the right to marry was ridiculous even to me, and yet early on, we had champions like nancy pelosi, who again and again understood the importance of our relationships being treated with dignity. it wasn't just about marriage, it was about employment, it was about our place in civic life. and over and over again, when i would contact speaker pelosi's office or as a congress woman, her office, or we would be in meetings with her, she would do that thing you always need allies to do, she would deploy her privilege in power to do what we needed. she would risk her political capital to say this issue matters to me.

lgbtq people matter and need to be treated equally under the law, and she did that again and again and again, and she's done it on the range of so many issues. and that's how you -- that's the difference between a situational ally or an ally when it's convenient or throw down, and that's the difference. we are so lucky to have nancy pelosi as our own. [applause] >> i'm so excited to introduce our next individual who will introduce our next speaker, and the woman i'm about to introduce is one of my very favorite longtime friends and colleagues. you don't stay in a position for two decades if you don't have a posse around you of people who protect you and support you and are your kitchen cabinet that you can rely on, and serina kahn has

always been that for me. when i first met serina -- you can clap, sure. [applause] >> when i first met serina, she was the new executive director as what was then the international gay and lesbian rights coalition. after that, she moved to philanthropy, truly making her mark at the ford institution and many others, and she's currently the chairman of the women's foundation in california. in every role, she has brought along others, in every role, she has elevated the role of young leaders. in every role, she has been that honored partner, confidante that i know you can trust. so please welcome my friend,

serina kahn. [applause] [♪] >> wow, thank you for that. kate kendall is one of my she-roes. hello, san francisco. [applause] >> how are you feeling after this incredible day? let me hear you. [cheers and applause] >> you have to be feeling invincible after that conversation between our mayor and our speaker, nancy pelosi. now that is some leadership. we are so fortunate to have women like that who are advocating on our behalf. i am serina kahn, i am the c.e.o. of the women's

foundation of california, and i am so honored to be here with mayor breed and the summit organizers today because the women's summit was founded right here in san francisco in 1979. our founders broke new ground in 1979 by creating one of the first foundations in the country led by and for women and girls. they imagined a new feminist fi philanthropy to distribute resources to transform our communities. i stand before you as a proud lesbian, as an immigrant, as a woman of color from a pakistan muslim family, we recognize all

cisgender and transgender women and girls in all minorities. we believe that those problems that are closest to our communities are closest to the solutions of our communities. we are living in times of crisis, and we need community-led solutions. our golden state is a tale of two states, just like san francisco is a tale of two cities. we have incredible wealth in california and here in san francisco, and yet, california has the highest poverty rates in the nation despite being the fifth largest economy in the world. a single woman in san francisco especially in california's 58 counties spends more on child care than she's bringing home

every month. not only is she going into debt every month, but she doesn't have money for basic necessities, like food, clothing, transportation. that's why over the past four decades, the women's summit of california is committed to community-led solutions. through our institute, we've trained more than 500 community leaders from across the state who use their lived experiences, their powerfully unpoli unapologetic voices to pass 35 bills into law. i know you've heard about the workers rights bill in california. that happened through our fellows in the california policy institute, domestic workers who need help

themselves, came up with the policy idea and worked with legislators themselves. we are fundamentally transforming the halls of power in our state, and they are each connected to thousands of people, which means that we have the power to activate millions of people across california for progressive policy change, and that's a good thing because california is providing hope to the rest of the country in these dark times. [applause] >> we're so -- we're so fortunate to have strong leadership in our city and our state, leaders who are responsive to community-led solutions. we applaud mayor breed who just this week announced, along with sheriff vickie hennesey, that victim will stop charging people in our city jails for phone calls. [applause] >> and stop marking up items in

the jail store. [applause] >> that will put $1.7 million back in the pockets of families of incarcerated people and it will make it easier for them to stay in touch with their incarcerated loved ones. and again, this change happened because of the advocacy of the incredible, the invincible young women of the young women's freedom center, along with so many others. and the young women's freedom center is an organization that started right here in san francisco, and they got their very first grant in 1994 from the women's foundation of california, and i couldn't be prouder of that. [applause] >> so community-based leadership led by women and girls is our hope for a better future. so today, i want you to be the first to know about another ground breaking initiative.

our bay area young women's initiative is a partnership between the women's foundation of california and alliance for girls, and together, we support girl-led research, communities-driven -- community-driven research where the girls learn to do research, listen to community voices, and form policies to solve problems in their communities and the solutions that they see. it forces young women of color to identify barriers and solutions so that they can reach their full potential. and i want to sign up about our updates so you will hear about our next big announcement that's coming soon that i can't tell you about now. but please, please stay tuned because we're going to take this work across the state. so now i'm so excited to introduce our next guest, and

let me tell you why, because i love pop culture. it's how i relax. i go home, i watch netflix. and how many people do you know -- our next guest -- how many people do you know that can say they were so good at their job that it inspired a hit t.v. show produced by shonda rimes starring kerry washington. well, our next guest can. she's worked at the u.s. attorney's office and the white house, and she's the inspiration for character olivia pope on "scandal." it's my pleasure to invite judy smith to join me in this conversation, so please well

come judy smith. [applause] [♪] >> what a treat. >> this is great. look at -- i need to put my glasses on so i can see all these wonderful women. [applause] >> oh, this is so amazing. >> amazing. >> oh, my god. >> we're so happy to have you here. >> thank you. >> so for so many reasons, not just "scandal," your career has been incredible. you're the founder and president of your own strategic advisory firm. >> yes. >> and you have offices in d.c., l.a., new york, communications, crisis management, media savvy, legal and political strategies, and you're working with clients on a wide array of issues. you're a former federal

prosecutor. you served in the white house as deputy press secretary to the senior bush, president george herbert walker bush. so tell us about your career path. how did you get her today? is this what you wanted to be when you were ten years old, saying, when i grow up, i want to be. >> yes. well, i've all planned this out since i was four -- no, no idea whatsoever. i would probably say two things about it. the thing that when i look back on it and think about it, it is all for me about taking risks, and people always say this, but it's true. it's about stepping out of your comfort zone. when i do things, whether it was the white house or the u.s. attorney's office, those were all things that came based on the work. there would be no reason why a

poor girl from northeast washington, d.c., who had no political contacts, parents had no money, that i would end up working in the white house or in the u.s. attorney's office. and it was just really sort of based on -- you know, based on the work, which i think is important. the other thing i would say, as well, is that people always say to find your passion, and i sort of hate that sometimes because, like, how do you really do that, right? how do you actually do that? and i was talking to a friend of mine. i've known her since i was four. her name is michelle, but i call her beanhead, because i can do that, and she calls me pocahontas. and we've been friends for decades. your question was how did we get into this. she called me up one day, and

she wanted me to go out for drinks, and i said i can't. i'm writing this book and i've got to tell them how i got through crisis. and she said look, is that all that's strong between us and a glass -- standing between us and a glass of red wine? and i said yes. and she says you've been doing this since you were five years old. and she reminded me, there was a playground down the street, and it was going to close, and it was going to close because there wasn't any money. and we said, how do we find the money? where are the money people? really true. so i organized the neighborhood -- we were about, like, 12 then, and we saved our lunch money, and we took our lunch money, and we made, like, little protest signs, and we snuck on the bus, and we got on

the bus, and we said we're the money people. we didn't know, and there was a security guard. and he said, you mean city council? and i said, do they give people money? and they said yes. so it was literally 12 little scrawny little girls, we need money, we need money for our playgrounds. and somebody came down, and there was also like a camera crew, and beanhead pushed me right up there, and i said we need money for our playground. and if not, we're going to become bad people and we might get into trouble. and let me just say, we got money for that playground. [applause] >> so you're a problem solver,

and you know what to ask for when you want it? >> yes. and beanhead said, you've been doing it since you were little, it's in your blood. >> so what advice do you have for us, for those of you that have problems in our homes, in our communities? you're strategizing all the time, so give some advice for those of us that might find it difficult. >> these are tips for both personal problems and work problems. i think the first thing is you want to look problems, like, dead in the eye. by that, i mean, most of the things that we think are problems or unpleasant, they're going to go away. they're not, right? they're still going to be there. i think that's one. i think the other thing that's important is when you're dealing with a truth, you want to stand in your truth. so sometimes when we have problems or issues, we try to view them in a way that's not

actually accurate, right, sometimes from a point of view. so i think you should really look at the problem and really what are the root causes of the problem, right, so they won't come back, you won't face this issue again. because you see behind any issue or problem, there's always something standing behind it. you've just got to pull the curtain back a little bit. >> have there ever been things you can't fix? >> oh, there's lots of things i can't fix. my kid's still on the payroll. i can't fix that. you know, i'm trying hard -- no, there are some things you can't fix. some things are unfixable. sometimes, people come and want to rehabilitate their brain and

then their reputation, and sometimes, it it-- it's too fa down the line where you can't shape the narrative. it's sad, but it happens. >> i feel like we should be drinking red wine and eating popcorn. >> we should. you guys are so unprepared, there's no wine, there's no popcorn. >> so tell us about your favorite type of wine and give us a few metaphors and descriptors about it. >> well, let's see. i don't think i have a favorite brand, but just two days ago, i had a very nice light rose. it's a little sweet, and that's nice.

popcorn is always nice. i'll tell you a little story about that. usually, when the show comes on, i'm on the road because i travel. and i'm just so excited, i get to see the show at the exact time, right? so i got home, and i put my jammies on -- not what olivia would wear, a ripped-off top, and a bottom that didn't match. and i sat down, and i said oh, heck, i forgot the popcorn and the wine, and that's true. i like that, as well. so i'm sitting down on the sofa with my popcorn and wine, and i'm, you know, cutting on the t.v., ready to watch it. and when i cut it on, olivia is sitting on her sofa with popcorn and wine. it was just one of those, like, crazy moments, do you know what i mean? what are the odds of this?

she was looking fabulous, i was looking like heck. >> so art does imitate reality. >> it does, it does. except for sex with the president, let's be very clear about that. i don't want anybody to be confused about that one. >> so tell us, how did the show happen? we just don't hear that many stories like yours where you inspired a t.v. show because of your success. >> well, i wasn't really trying to -- to pitch a show. i'll tell you the things for me that were really important about the show that were -- was one, as i said, i have kids, right? and so it was important to me

that the woman who was going to be inspired by my work look like me. that was nonnegotiatable from -- nonnegotiable from me. [applause] >> and the first one, was a lead on television was the first time in 35 years. really, you guys are clapping for me, you should be clapping for yourselves, and i tell you that, and it goes back to what we are all talking about here at the conference, is that people underestimate the power that each and every one of us have in ourselves. the show sent a message to the people that produce television and films that okay, a show

that is -- that stars an african american woman can be successful and can make money. so without all of you watching it and supporting it, there would have never been that change, and it would have never been that door opened, so thank you, all of you, honestly. without you, it wouldn't have happened, wouldn't have happened. [applause] >> and what -- and you know -- a vision and image to provide for the next generation. >> yeah, and it was important that that person be a strong woman but also somebody who is good at what she does and unapologetic about it. oftentimes, when we feel that we are good at what we do, we feel like we have to hide it or -- do you know what i mean? >> yeah. >> or don't show it. why not? >> well, many years ago, i guess five or six years ago, i was living in new york for the

ford foundation, working for a strong, successful, african american woman. and i think it was -- "scandal" had just started. and i told my boss, you remind me of olivia pope. and she said, go on. >> that's great. that's great. >> so what's next for you? >> what's next? i don't know. i mean, i'm not a big -- when i say this, just sort of planner, basically. we are expanding internationally, so excited about that, but i want to find a way to provide advice and to help more people, so that's what i'm trying to figure out. any suggestions, let me know, guys. >> and do you have a secret ambition of another career?

>> it's unrealistic. it's unrealistic. i often say that i wish i could sing, but if any of you lived with me and at home, you know that that would not be possible. the only reason why is that there's something very special about music, and it can be very universal and bring people together in an amazing way, but i know that that's not a real possibility. >> yeah. so in the world that we all live in, there's often competing voices, there's a lot of noise. it might be hard to get heard in a room. we still have gender inequity, so what advice can you give us on how to push forward and get our views listened to? >> sure. you know, one of the things that i've tried over the years that's been successful in terms of giving advice and counsel, when you're in a room and you

want to speak about your point of view or opinion, i never start with "i feel that" you should do this and here's the reason why, i always start off with facts. it's not because i feel it, it's because i know it, right? and here are the reasons why -- yeah. [applause] >> and so i always start if i'm going to be rendering advice, particularly if it's going to be starting with you is to point that out in a -- in a factual context, and oftentimes, when i'm talking to, you know, c.e.o.s and giving advice -- and there's nothing wrong with it -- people care about what the bottom line it, and how is it going to affect the bottom line?

is that kind of magically usually pushes the -- pushes it up a little bit. >> well, judy, thank you for being here. it's been so nice to be in conversation with you. >> thank you, thank you, thank you. thank you, guys. have a good conference. [♪] [applause] >> i think somebody should -- i think there should be some sort of a play list for the summit, don't you think? that is some pretty good stuff up here. well, it's about to get better. it's about to get better. this is an artist, and before you be down to the red wine

reception, there's going to be red wine, judy. there's no need about that defamatory talk. but first, i've been looking forward to this moment all day long. ledeci is an artist that's been totally killing it, totally killing it. and what you need to know is you're seeing here before she really, really blows up. but she is going to be in the pantheon of prince and stevie wonder and gladys knight. and i've learned that you can cle -- i've been listening to her, and i've learned that you can clean the house to her, you can

read to her, you can have sex to her, you can drink to her. she is the full service performer. so i want you to give it up for her. you're going to have a wonderful time, and she's going to be in rotation on your favorite play list. please welcome ledeci. [♪]

["come together"]

>> is it too early? it's never too early. here's a song my dad used to sing to me. [♪]

>> when i decided to really get out there, i'm originally from new orleans, louisiana, but i was raised in oakland, california, east bay. [applause] >> 96 and holly, to be exact. and everywhere i went, i was met with resistance to appreciate me and my -- my presence. said i wasn't pretty enough or good enough to make it in this industry, and here i am, ten albums later, 12 grammy nominations. i'm an author, an actress, all these wonderful things, but it

took a woman, one woman, when i was ready to give up, i wrote this next song when i was ready to give up. my mother. it took my mother saying -- i said mama, i think i'm ready to get out of this business, be a teacher. and she said you can do this. and this song is still a song that resonates with me. it was three things that i learned by sleeping on the floor. one, i said lord, if you get me through this, what do you want me to express? he said the first thing, you must leap out in faith and trust and know that i will

provide for you if you have faith. the second thing was you must love yourself by any means necessary. and the best thing about being a woman is we have a walk. even when we feel a certain kind of way, we've got a walk. that's the glory about getting a little walk. you can put a little heel on to get you up a little bit. you might even be feeling like this, but that heel will get you right on up a little bit. and you can hold on to that

walk no matter how you feel. you can take a breath and walk right into a door, you don't know what's going to happen, but you know you belong. so that's the lift that one woman told me. you must love yourself by any means necessary. and the last thing was be careful of who and what you allow in your personal circle. some people, you can love them from afar. far, far away. might even be your family, far, far away. because you have to hold on to your strength, that super power that we have. you know how magnificent we are? we do so many things at one time, it's unbelievable. but the one thing we must never forget is to take care of ourselves first. don't put you last, put you first, so that you can go back in there and conquer the world. that's me moving my cape back so i can see everything. so here's a song called "all right." yes? all right. [♪] ["all right"]

[applause] >> give it up for this band i've never played with from the bay area. aren't they awesome? [applause] >> i mean, i've played with you 100,000. here's a song i wrote for ladies. it's called "pieces of me." [♪]

["pieces of me"]