. >> okay. welcome, everyone. my name is kathy rispard, and i'd like to welcome you to the very first black history month celebration, hosted by the black american affinity group. without further adieu, i'm going to have katie willard come willard -- kenny willard come on up. [applause] >> first of all, want to give a round of applause to kathy and all she's done to make this

happen. [applause] >> so good afternoon, everyone. so it sounds like -- everyone has had their coffee this morning, so let's do that again. good afternoon. i'd like to welcome you to our first annual black history month celebration. this year's theme is looking back while moving forward. honoring those who led the fight for justice on transit in san francisco. today we're recognizing charlotte l. brown and mary ellen white. brown was the first to legally challenge racial segregation in the united states when she filed a lawsuit against san francisco street car company in the 1860s after she was

forceablely removed from a street car, and this was a segregated street car here in san francisco. she sued the company, won, and was awarded the sum of $5,000 in 1854, which i imagine was quite a bit at that time in our country's history. mary ellen also attacked racial discrimination in san francisco after she and two other black women when ejected from a san francisco street car in 1956. she took the omnibus street car system to court twice, in which the second case was taken all the way to the supreme court. the court ruled that street car exclusion based on race was unlawful. in 1893, the california state

legislature enacted legislation on strebanning street car segregation. >> so now, i'm going to have mary allen come up here to speak to you. [applause] >> good morning. my name is mary travis allen and i am from the seneca band

of the allegheny on my father's side. i want to thank you for inviting me and allowing me to give recognition to the people on whose land we are standing. welcome to the homeland of the ohlone. this land was named for the cherries that grew here and provided food to the people and animals that lived here. the creek was clean water that fed into the other water ways throughout this hour to nourish the land where plants and animals lived. the only original people who lived on this land are the ohlone people. they lived on this land before it was taken and the people

forced to leave or forced into slavery. i live thanks to this land and our ancestors and to all who still fight today. [applause] >> hello. my name is adrian hyme, and i'm here to introduce one of my favorite co-workers at the agency, lolita sweet, who will come and sing "lift every voice." it's also known as the black national anthem. so without further adieu, lolita sweet. [applause] >> thank you. i'm lolita sweet, public

information officer at san francisco m.t.a. many of you know i am an entertainer by the weekend. we're going to do the black national anthem that was written by james wilden johnson and rosa johnson. ["lift every voice"]

>> okay. so up next, i'm going to have irella blackwood. we have a schedule change because we're going to have the mayor speak because she had another engagement, but as soon as she walks in, she's going to speak. irella? >> good afternoon. something that i tell my kids when i'm explaining the civil rights movement, and explaining rosa parks and martin luther king, i tell them it's not right, so they had to fight, and that's why they had to

elect new people, right new laws, get organized. and that's what we did here at the m.t.a., the black and african american history group. we are protesting in a way because we are getting ourselves together, getting ourselves organized. you guys have seen the public hearings in racism in -- on racism in city hall. most importantly, the mayor created a personal he can quit framework that really helped us to feel like we have a foundation to have this group. we were alarmed when we saw this department in human resources showing the m.t.a. is the leading department where we have the highest percentage of blacks that are subject to m.t.a. discipline. for example, we had 162 disciplines. 56 of them were against black

employees. so we got together, and we said our mission is all about recruitment and retention for black and african americans in the agency. we are working to ensure that we create an environment that is equitable, inclusive for all the black and african americans in the workplace. we ask that you support the personal and professional development of our members, and we are working with executive staff like tom mcguire to make sure our voices are heard. it's one thing to talk about the problem, but it's another to talk about solutions and recommendations and giving solutions for a better workplace because we all want the same thing, a better work environment. when you see the history books, you want to know where did you stand? were you on the side of

complaceancecy or were you on the side that fought? i see the mayor is here, and i'm going to cut my remarks here. thank you so much. [applause] >> thank you, irella. and without adieu, we have san francisco mayor london breed. come on up. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: hello, everybody. i thought you all was gonna feed me first. well, first of all, i'm really excited to be here since this is the first time you are holding an african american history month event for the sfmta, so i'm really excited and honored to be one of your first speakers at this incredible event, so congratulations to the committee and the people who put this together. thank you so much. [applause]

it's also really nice outside, sunny, and i want to just go outside and hangout and enjoy the sun. but let me just start by saying, really, how much i appreciate the workforce of the city and how much i'm aware of the challenges that we know still continue to exist, especially as it relates to our african american employees. i know when i first started as mayor, i was basically getting it left and right from the folks that worked for this department. we know that there were real challenges, and we were able to bring folks in to deal with a number of the h.r. issues and put this department on the right path, but we know this is a large department, and some of the issues that have existed in this department have been kind of embedded in the culture over many, many years. and i'm here to tell you it's a new day, and we're going to change that culture.

[applause] >> the hon. london breed: starting with a new director, who has really assured me in every meeting that we've had, because this comes up in every meeting, that he is going to continue to work to dismantle what we know are the challenges with the culture that have led to disproportionally african americans not only being disciplined by also being released -- but also being released at higher rates. so we are not unaware of those challenges, but we are excited about new leadership and a new opportunity to make a real change. and as we celebrate black history month in san francisco, i can't help but think about just the historical significance of this department and what it has represented for the african american community in this city.

in fact, many of the people that i grew up with, the first opportunity for them to get employment was driving for muni in this city. the first opportunity for them to get employment was as mechanics and doing the work that exists in sfmta. my uncle norman not only retired many, many years ago, but even after he passed away, his wife was still able to collect his pension in order to take care of herself. my aunt, my aunt lorenia. and i just think about my family and so many people's history in this city that have had the opportunity to benefit from the employment here at the sfmta. but we also know that there have been challenges in this city as a whole. and even though my aunt lavinia and uncle norman and others were able to work at muni drivers and doing many of the various jobs in san francisco back then, today, doing those

same jobs with higher pay still don't lead to the opportunity to be able to afford to live in san francisco. so we know we have work to do. many of you know san francisco, i am born and raised. i know you remember plaza east, 300 units, they were torn down, and only 200 units were built. and many of the people that i lived in plaza east with were move today vallejo and other cities. we were barely able to get an apartment with my grandmother and my aunt when i was in high school. it was very challenging, but we saw the entire community change with those -- those bad decisions. so where did we think the other 100 families that lived in plaza east were going to go?

in fact, many of the other 200 families weren't offered opportunity to go back. when my grandmother wanted to go back into plaza east, there were a lot of complications, so there were a lot of mistakes made. and one of the things that is important to me as mayor is that we change what we do now so that those mistakes don't continue. and part of that is, number one, supporting our workforce and doing a better job at encouraging, uplifting, expressing appreciation and acknowledgement -- [applause] >> the hon. london breed: -- and breaking down of the divisive culture that has put us in the position in the first place. everybody here, you all serve

such a critical role to the success of this city, and we need everybody here to be happy in the work that they're doing, and supporting, because it's so important to the city. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: but when given the opportunity whenever i'm invited to talk to employees for the city, if i'm available, i will show up because you show up for us every single day. and even sometimes when you're sick, we don't want you to do that, but we appreciate it. you all matter because of the work you do. and now as a result, we also have to understand that the responsibility of the leadership of this city is to start thinking about how we continue to support the workforce. and what that means is how is san francisco going to look ten years from now if we don't

build more housing? how do we make sure that when we're looking at opportunities, we're more creative and we're making a direct connection to the workforce, the people who are commuting two and three hours to get to san francisco who are serving their city that they might have been born and raised in but can't afford to live here anymore with pride? how do we make a real connection between all of you and your service to the city and make sure that we're just not issuing paychecks, that we're issuing opportunities? that we're providing the level of support that you need so that you thrive and that your family thrives? that is what my mission is. i want to change san francisco. i want to change who lives in san francisco. i want people who used to live

in san francisco to move back to san francisco. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: and so when we're talking about -- i think i went off on a tangent. i know it's black history month. but the reason why this is important is because when we talk about it, black history month, it's a time to acknowledge the failures of the city to the african american community, the failures around housing and affordability, the failures around employment and how, as we said earlier, disproportionately african americans are released from their positions than others. how disproportionately african americans are overrepresented in homelessness by 37%. over represented in a lot of categories, and not in a good

way. so no matter if you're african american or not, you have to pride yourself in a way that we're a member of this diverse city. you take a lot of pride in saying that, because what happened to the african americans who helped build this city in [applause] >> the hon. london breed: we all have a responsibility not because i'm african american. it's not because i'm the first african american woman to be mayor. that's not enough. it's because we have failed over the years, and so what that means is that we have to be deliberate about the changes that we make, the investments we make in housing, the investments we make in employment and training and providing opportunities and helping our workforce, how we continue to support and lift up the people who take care of this city. it's so critical. so when we talk about housing, and jeff will tell you that

we've had this conversation about what you hear about one of your yards and housing opportunities that are being discussed. and my push back is well, what about the people that work for sfmta? how do we make sure they have a right of first refusal when it comes to the housing that's being built on the property that's owned by sfmta? how do we make those connections? [applause] >> the hon. london breed: i want you to know that this may sound good, but it is hard as hell. it is not easy when you are trying to fight to do the kinds of things that you know are going to make a difference.

people want to make a difference in their neighborhoods, and what i say to people in those places especially with you know you have single-family homes. i say how many of you have been here 50, 60, 70 years? a bunch of hands go up? how many of you were born and raised here? a bunch of hands go up. how many of your kids live in san francisco? hardly any hands go up. just keep that in mind. san francisco has changed, and i don't want to look back ten years from now and wonder why didn't we do more to change? why didn't we do more to help support our workforce and provide opportunities for housing? why didn't we make the connections?

that is my focus as mayor, and you're an important part of that, as well. i want to thank all of you for the work that you do and also take this opportunity to acknowledge -- i know we have one of your -- some of your commissioners who are here today. i think they've already been acknowledged, but some of you also know that san francisco now has an office of racial equity, which i'm really excited about. shakira is director of that office, and she's joining you today because it's not enough to talk about the data. we need to make changes, and we need to make changes for the african american community. every year, black history month, i'm invited to speak at a lot of things, and i'm speaking about the same things. i'm speaking about equity for the african american community,

equity when it comes to housing access, equity for the things that will truly allow us as a city to be proud of our diversity, to be proud of what makes san francisco an incredible city. i am taking every opportunity to remind people that although we have come a long way -- and yes, it is great being known as mayor and being known as the first african american woman mayor, but it's not enough, and it won't be enough until we provide the kinds of changes that allow each and every one of you to live and thrive in this city that we call home. thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. [applause]

>> so today, everyone heard about how we're honoring charlotte l. brown and mary ellen pleasant. and let's not forget the challenges, ridicule, and racism that they endured while standing up against persecution. next, i want to acknowledge you, director tomlin. one of the first things you wanted when you came to the agency was to meet with the group, and that was the catalyst to allow black and african american voices to be

heard. now i would be remiss -- i don't see tom mcguire, but i want to acknowledge him for helping in when he was acting director prior to jeff's arrival, and he created a comfortable space to invoke the dialogue. after our very first meeting with director tomlin, there was just this greater sense of hope that rebuilding was going to happen, and this journey would require our help, as well. it was very obvious that director tomlin knew if he wanted to make a difference, he had to go to the epicenter of equity, and he came to us. i would like to acknowledge that kimberly ackerman, who's here, the director of san francisco's h.r., she came in to us to create an action plan to change outcomes.

director tomlin, what sealed the deal, when you asked us what you could do to seal the deal on this change? i told you that february was right around the corner, and you said -- i said i'd like to do something to make 2020 have a totally and completely different outlook, one of hope and progress. you said count you in. now as we stand here and witness the progress that is being made in so many areas, it speaks volumes, but what's more important is the fact that you just showed up. you didn't just tell us what we wanted to here. you listened to us, you shared your ideas with us, and you have been transparent with you, and you have been committed to working with us. i want to say thank you, thank you, thank you. without further adieu, director

tomlin, please. [applause] >> when i spoke up this morning with my eye swollen shut, the first thing i did was cancel most of my meeting and convert the others to conference calls. but i also knew that i had to show up here because it is here where we are coming to honor our heros. our charlotte brown and mary ellen pleasant are our heros. they fought hard in the 1800s because it was right. and they secured the right for everyone -- african americans, yes, and everyone to access public transportation because public transportation is for everyone. these women are heros.

these women were also supported by lawyers and paralegals who did the hard work, underpaid, that was necessary to take their case all the way to the supreme court. these women were also supported by their families who did the work at home, the cooking and the cleaning and the thankless tasks. when charlotte brown and mary ellen pleasant were ready to give up because the fight seemed hopeless, they were told no, fight on. the cause is just, and we're going to win. all of these people are heros. i'm also here to support and honor the heros in this agency. those of you who are in this

room -- it is not in your job description to do the quantitative research that's not in your job description, and you are not required to sit down with me and develop a strategy for moving this agency forward on a path of healing. so of course, even though my eye was swollen this morning, i'm here to honor this work, and i'm deeply humbled by all of you who are here. i am eager to play whatever support role i need to play in helping all of us heal this agency. public transit is for everyone, and this agency is not going to be able to deliver on this message of public transit being for everyone if we're not able to support this agency being for everyone, for all of us.

so thank you to all of you at the black and african american working group. i'm not sure who i hand the mic over to next. thank you. [applause] >> next up, we'll have kimberly ackerman, the director of sfmta human resources. [applause] >> good afternoon. this is wonderful. it's a great opportunity to be here, but more importantly, it's a great honor to be speaking to you. in h.r., we are committed to a diversity. culture diversity is all about population differences that are well represented in the workplace. as of last week, we implemented

a recruitment process based on diversity. as part of that effort, there was a lot of input from employees and managers alike. the reason we thought that was important is because we want to make sure our hiring process is thoughtful, it's fair, and it's accountable. we are committed to increasing workforce diversity. some of the things that this workforce policy recognizes is that we're heard from in terms of employees being qualified for positions, there are minimum qualifications for people. we actually started a few of our jobs last week to have that engagement, that process with managers, so we can dialogue about, you know, why do we have the necessary degree? let's review the minimum qualification. that's important because that way, it opens up the possibility for and opportunities for employees to

recruit for various positions and also for promotional opportunities. the other thing that we've done in our policy that we identified is have a diverse panel when scheduling interviews. we are committed to it in our policy, and we are continuing our commitment to have diverse interview panels and a structured interview process. the other thing that we're doing in terms of hiring and retention and diversity is we are including workforce diversity in our interview progress. glass door found that 67% of job seekers used diversity as

an important factor when seeking job offers. we're going to add diversity questions to our employment questions. that way, we're going to show people applying with sfmta that diversity is important to our culture. we also seek candidates that contribute to diversity, as well. often times, jobs are publicized with the city and county of san francisco. we want to go beyond that. we had a recruitment --

[inaudible] >> -- and encourage promotive opportunities for our employees. we still have a lot of work ahead, but we're committed to it. and as mayor london breed said, it's not easy, but we're moving in the right direction, and together, it will take all of us. but i want to share a few viewpoints from a tedtalk that i just listened to. it was a black african american woman who was c.e.o. of an institution. she said employers have coined a term called color blindness. she said she argues and says it's not good because when organizations -- because what happens is when people do not see color, then they miss the opportunities to have

discussions about race and equality. she says that discussing race makes people uncomfortable, and they don't want to talk about it. discrimination is a huge problem. she says that organizations should not be color blind, they should be color brave. color brave organizations are those that talk about it, they want to have the tough conversations. we need to talk about racism. we need to have the tough conversations to solve problems. so i encourage us not to be color blind, but to be color brave. in the words of dr. martin luther king, it is never too late to do the right thing. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, kimberly.

as we follow along through the program, next up is kimberly anderson, the acting chief of staff. welcome. >> good afternoon. i'm the other kimberly. kimberly ericson, the acting chief of staff, and i have to tell you that i'm humbled to be a part of this. thanks for having me here today. my supervisor had a very aggressive travel schedule, but he asked me to pass along his best and hopes to see you soon in this beautiful city of ours. on behalf of the director, i want to tell you how much we appreciate the celebration of black history month. i've worked in transportation

for 20 years now. i know you can't tell, but it's been 20 years. so naturally, i loved spotlighting some of the highlights. i'm going to take us back and talk a little history. i'll start in 1893 in nationalville, tennessee. there -- nashville, tennessee. there, elton jackson patented a safety for street trolley to keep them from rolling downhill. keep streets clear in the era of horse drawn carriages was probably very important. much appreciated by the folks

in 1896, right? now, they didn't stop there. brooks' design allowed for the truck's front brushes to be interchanged with scrapers in the winter to assist with snow removal. later, 1938, minnesota, frederick joans designed a portable cooling by an air unit. this design especially became important in world war ii for the transportation of blood and food for use by our troops on the battlefield. and lastly, mr. meredith verdeen was a prolific inventor and c.e.o. in the latter part of the 20 century. he employed 150 individuals, and among his inventions was an

exhaust purification system for cars today that's referred to as the catalytic converter. so these examples of history that we hear too little about in my opinion are ones we need to celebrate. no doubt, there are more to come, but a major message that i and the director wish to share that all investors share with our agency. we know that in the last century, transportation planning didn't always include communities when designing projects for the transportation system, but this is now our major commitment from caltrans, engagement. this is not just california's transportation system, it's

transportation for all californians for all. and as we work to tackle our 21 century problems, housing and equity and economy and all those things that we talk about, we need to proactively engage people in our communities in the 21st century and beyond. now we have people out there that don't have cars, that rely on mass transit, bikes, and walking. and as we effectively leverage everyone's output, we'll improve our transportation system in ways that would make those african american pioneers, charlotte brown, mary ellen pleasant, and all of

californians proud. again on behalf of our director, thank you for inviting us today. [applause] >> thank you, kimberly. i'm now going to introduce our keynote speaker, but before i do, i realize i wanted to make sure that we acknowledged our agency's leadership. we had director tomlin speak earlier, and i released we had a couple of directors here in the audience. if you wouldn't mind standing. we have the vice chair of the m.t.a. board of directors. [applause] >> and we have director cheryl brinkman who's ending her term. so i have a question for you. what if every department in the city and county of san

francisco incorporated a lens of racial equity in all of its policies and programs to ensure that systematic inequities are addressed by our system? well, the next person is charged with making that happen. [inaudible] >> -- was created in july 2019. miss miley was appointed in as the director in january, and she has served here in the city and san francisco as the legislative aide for former supervisor vallie brown in district 5, and prior to that,

she led efforts at the southeast community facility where she was the acting executive director and led the process for designing their new facility that's being built now just down the street at 1550 evans.

[inaudible] >> -- was an important water way and food site for -- for the tribes that preceded us. i also want to thank our ancestors whose memories are alive and well today for the first ever -- excuse me, i got a little brain fart.

i want to acknowledge our ancestors such as charlotte l. brown and mary ellen pleasant. we couldn't be there without their tireless attack on white supremacy in san francisco at that time, and we continue that work here today. i also want to thank director tomlin for your work. nice to meet you, kimberly, and our honorable sfmta commissioners who have been leading the charge against racial equity, as well. and raise your hands if you work for sfmta. yes, i want to thank you. can you give yourselves a round of applause? [applause] >> yes, and special shoutout goes to the african american affinity group. [applause] >> thank you for your

organizing. so i'm proud to stand here today as the inaugural director for the newly appointed department of racial equity in san francisco. we'll work together to root out and address systemic and structural inequities that are present in san francisco city government and also outside, in the city at large, as well. this landmark legislation was passed last year by supervisor sandra lee fewer and supervisor vallie brown and signed by mayor breed. i think it's fitting for me to speak after mayor breed because it makes her legislation clear. it's time to get to work. we know that racism exists here in city government, we know that racism exists here in san francisco. enough with dragging our feet. it's time to start banding

together and address racial equity, and i'm going to help you do that. i'll be your facilitator, your advocate, your fighter. whatever you need me to do, so you can be at the front lines to do this work. i'm a great baby-sitter, by the way. so to talk a little bit about my background, i don't come at this position from a philosophical sense, i come at this position as a community organizer and as a person who has to move through the system every day as a black woman. i was raised in harlem, new york, born to a 15-year-old teenage mom against the crack cocaine epidemic that was ravaging harlem at the time and the h.i.v. epidemic that

ravaged our community at the same time. it was hard, but i wanted to make sure that those experiences, while they shaped me, they shaped our community, as well. we found a way to lift each other up and make sure that we could take care of our own. i see this same grit and resilience in this room, and i see the same grit and resilience in our community, as well. however, we have an obligation as sfmta employees to make sure we're creating a system for everyone, particularly for people of color and the african american communities in san francisco. when these services didn't exist, we had black and african american people in the community stepping up. when they come and work for us

and are embedded in the social fabric of city government, how are we treating them? so these are the sorts of things that i'm thinking about in connecting my history to understanding my work that needs to be done today. one of the things that's also been important to me is i know who i am, i know where i come from, and i also understand that as a granddaughter of a black panther and the daughter of a social worker, that the people who were closest to the pain tend to be closest to the power. and all of you -- and i can talk to some of you, i can see it, i can hear it, and you've been close to that pain for a long time. i can collaborate in my leadership -- and maybe i have listening ears a little bit -- maybe they're closed right now,

but they'll be open soon. eyes closed, ears open, which is fantastic. it's a new day, and it's time to get new work done. each of you work every single day to move this city, right? but how can we make sure that the city is moving fast enough for you? i think we need to make sure that we're on time, and when i'm thinking about this issue, i'm thinking about it from an intersectional lens, so an intersectional lens means i'm looking at it from multiple layers, right? so if we're going to be solving from transit equity, it means real change, particularly for our communities of color. we need greater efficiency particularly to communities in the southeast. we need better reliability, we

need improved access for our vulnerable folks so they can afford to take muni, but also, our folks who are differently abled and disabled so they can get to where they want to go. but in order to have transit equity, we need people. we need people to do this work. we need each and every one of y you. and i know that each and every one of you live at intersections. you're not just a driver, an administrator. you are a black driver, you are a brown professional administrator. you bring these lenses to your work every day, so because you're at intersections, we need to look at those intersections, too, and be real how those experiences are different, and how those help you form and do a better job, and we need to take care of you, too.

and the office of racial equity will be a part of that process. i'm looking at this issue from all sides. we talked about pipelines of hiring, recruitment. i'm also thinking about retention and mobility. so how do we get folks to stay? how can we move up in city government? how do we make sure that our leadership is reflective of the folks and communities that we want to serve? and how can we also retire with dignity? one thing i also learned is there are racial disparities in our retirement system, and when folks have given their lives to their employment, sometimes in retirement, they can't make ends meet. that's unacceptable. we can see this in city government, and we can see this citywide. when it comes to issues of racial equity, i always say black and brown people are the

canaries in the coal mine. we can see it, but what can we do about it? i want to think about racial equity the same way we think about climate change. we need to triage, we need to treat this as a natural disaster. what would happen if we had a large earthquake? we deploy resources and people, can we get to where people are, ground zero. when it comes to racial equity, that's a slow, natural disaster, and part of it is man made, too. so how can can we work together to triage and get that the hea of that issue? so i promise you, with racial equity, there's a few things at the top of my list. so we're definitely going to be holding san francisco agencies

accountable to dismantle racism. we're going to lead with race, and we're going to be unafraid. we want to make sure that the city becomes a place that's a home for everyone, from the folks newly arrived to the people who have been here for generations. i want to work with each and every one of you to convene and coalition build around a movement for racial equity. i can't do this alone. can we please not just rely on black women to fix everything for us? i need all of your help. i need all of your help. we need to make sure that we're fighting for collective liberation, and when i say liberation, they feel happy,

they feel housed, and that they're economically secure, and they have the freedom to unlock their full potential. collective liberation is we're reaching the full potential for our folks, and that's what going beyond equity means. that's what i'm fighting for, that is my lens. we need to also make sure we're advocating for successful policies that provide immediate and tangible gains for black and brown folks, and i'm looking at the solutions now on how we can triage. like i said, this is a disaster, so let's get moving. i also want to make sure that we work harder to nurture and make sure that our communities are whole. i don't want you all to feel invisible in this city that is your home, and too often, that's the case. each of you deserves to be treated with dignity and respect out in the world and at work, and we can work together to create that space, that

dignity, and that respect. this year, i look forward to working with all of you as we build our citywide racial equity framework. you'll be having racial equity leaders, and your working group will be connecting directly with this office to build those plans. the sfmta will be completed to finish a racial equity action plan to be delivered at the end of this year, which we'll be reading and scoring to make sure that we're meeting our goals internally and externally. so as you move forward, as we get closer to eating, i want to thank everyone for inviting me here today. we walk along this road together, and i can't wait for all of the things that we'll accomplish. thank you. [applause] >> thank you for coming, shakira. we appreciate it.

before we close, dante king could not be here. he had arrangements a year ago, and he could not change it. so i want acknowledge him and the hard work that he does. before i close, i also wanted to say, like, five years ago, i would never have believed that i'd be standing here and hosting an event like this, and five years ago, i came into contact with my manager, kathleen sacalarus, and she's there. it was the best thing that happened to me. kathleen embodies everything, integrity -- she trusts my work. she acknowledges my presence, not just as a team worker. she inspires me and mentors me, and she acknowledges my work. every time i get, i acknowledge here. when i left home today, i was very proud to be a part of this

because five years ago, i would never have dreamed that i would be here, and dreams do come true. i do believe that. i have new friends that don't look like me. tracey, carly, joel, victoria, and there's a lot more we can do. it all just starts with communicating and getting to know people, because in a sense, we're all alike. we work here, so we should be more like family together, and i thank you for all of my new friends and friends to make, and thank you. and we have food, and enjoy. thank you. [applause]

>> good afternoon and welcome to the regular hearing for wednesday, february 19th, 2020. i will remind members of the public we do not tolerate any outbursts. please silence cell phones and when speaking before the commission, if you care to, state your name for the record. i see the poster boards are up but they're blocking the monitors. so at least the one in the back should be moved so members of the public can view the monitor. appreciate you