difficult times and that you stay safe and your family stays safe. thank you so much for listening. [♪] >> are we ready? you guys ready? are you excited? all right. who is going to help us out?

>> a round of applause. (applause). >> top of the morning to you. let's hear it from you. top of the morning. good morning, everybody. it looks great to see all of our not old friends but long time friends that have been with us since the early days of san francisco and also, of course, with our sister city that is 36 years old today. [applause] now we are blessed to have so many irish americans that have

made san francisco what it is. we have one that is very special to us, and that is our in house irish american. that is shawn, the chief of staff to the mayor, and we have something that is going to help you because you need help, right? >> a shot of whiskey? >> no, no shot of whiskey yet. >> there is an old tradition of an irish stick, thush shillelag. it was something that a well-dressed man had as a walking stick. then it became sort of a weapon because we only have weapons of love and not of fighting in san francisco. then it was a sporting vehicle

to use. now you can buy them with a flask at the top with christi. -- whiskey. we thought you would need this. as you know this is march 6th. i always thought the irish day was the 17th, right? our irish americans in san francisco want to celebrate early. we thought that this irish stick, shillelagh, would be helpful to keep people in order. it is a stick of friendship. we can't shake hands. you are going to shake a stick. then you are going to walk in the parade aphave your walking stick, and then when you do the irish jig, you will have it. here is the presentation. (applause). >> look at this.

shape up. you are ready, right? just in case, you know, the mayor is always in a good mood. in case she wants to talk about something serious, what you should do is bring this out. 500 best irish jokes and walk in and tell her one of these jokes. i am sure every day you walk in you have one joke after the other, right? >> absolutely. >> you have got your stick, your jokes, now the floor is yours to present all of these wonderful things we have happening and the first of all, is going to be the best, right? >> got it. >> good morning. welcome to my favorite day of

the year at city hall. charlotte, it is great to have you here. you have been doing this many years. we are lucky to have you as our hostess. am i allowed to use this in my conversations with the board of supervisors? okay. speaking of the supervisor from the sunset district gordon mar is here today. from the marina, catherine stefani. thank you both for being here. this is always dangerous. i have been told that i will be in trouble if i don't introduce the commissioner. angus mccarthy from building inspections commission is here. somewhere in this crowd is from the immigrant rights commission.

i don't see her, but i know she is here. our sheriff could not be here. under sheriff free man is here somewhere. our fire chief is here, jeanine nicholson. golden gate bridge long time member john mow land is here. former grand marshall of the st. patrick's day parade. good to have you here, john. the first person i get to bring up is our mayor. we will tell you she is having a difficult time today because she is now no longer grand marshall. her term as grand marshall has ended. there have been moments when we had a number of long boring meetings in the office. she gets frustrated and tells us stop telling me mayor, i want to be called grand marshall. she pulls out the sash.

here she is for paps th -- perhe last time. grand marshall london breed. >> mayor breed: my merchandising is once a grand marshall always a grand marshall, right, director? that is why i pulled it out today for this special occasion. i want to take this opportunity to also acknowledge the president of the university of san francisco, paul fitzgerald. thank you so much for being with us today. also, just to say charlotte, that is an amazing outfit. thank you so much for continuing to coordinate all of these incredible events to bring so many communities together. many of you have known shawn for a long time. i work with him every day. i never hardly see him leave his office. i am glad you convinced him to

be the mc today to welcome you all here. the fact you serve whiskey has something to do with it. today we are celebrating what is just an amazing friendship that continues to exist between the irish community and san francisco. in fact, we know that the legacy of this city has everything to do with our incredible irish community, many who i am grated here to san francisco often running from discrimination in the east coast, and many settled here and started their businesses here, raised families here and created what we are so very proud of. who has the best water anywhere? san francisco. it is because the dam and the water and power system created here many, many decades ago that we enjoy what is some of the best water anywhere in the world. we also know that many irish men

served as mayors of this city. it is time for an irishwoman to step up for a change. we know that the rich history and legacy is why in 1984 then mayor dianne feinstein established the sister city relationship between san francisco and cork, ireland. thank you for continuing your leadership as one of the co-chairs for that sister city relationship. so much history and so many incredible people, and, yes, i have the privilege of serving as the grand marshall. when i committed to being the grand marshall of the parade last year, i committed to showing up to every event, mr. lions, now that you are the grand marshall, if i as mayor

can show up to all of the events and do all of the vo volunteer k required to wear the sash, i want to be sure you are filling my footsteps with pride. congratulations. we know that you immigrated here to san francisco, met your wife on geary street, raised four incredible church and have a rich history and legacy in san francisco. thank you so much for being with us today. congratulations. we are going to see you at the parade for sure. with that i just want to take this opportunity to recognize our treasurer jose who is here as well. and finally to commemorate this moment, yes, the parade is amazing and all of the dance performances, all of the

volunteer activities. this is a time of pride, celebration, a time of coming together, and part of that includes the friendship that continues between san francisco and ireland, and in particular our sister city committee. i want to ask the council general of ireland to come forward. robert has been with us many years. he is incredible. on behalf of the city and county of san francisco, i would like you to accept the certificate to honor our relationship and friendship for generations to come. thank you. [applause] let's celebrate in san francisco. thank you. i would say happy st. patrick's day. that is the 17th.

happy early st. patrick's day. >> thank you, mayor breed. to continue we will begin with a performance led by the amazing principal of saint phillips, marry mckee. we have both the adults and youth choir. come on up. on your seats some of you may have the lyrics to a song that i would assume none of you need the lyrics to. you will all know this song. welcome celtic voices.

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♪ when irish eyes are smiling ♪ ♪ when irish eyes are smiling, they can steal your heart away ♪

♪ when irish eyes are smiling, it is like a morn in spring ♪ it is the tilt of irish laughter you can hear the angels sing ♪ ♪ when irish hearts are happy, all the world seems bright and gay ♪ ♪ when irish eyes are smiling,

they will steal your heart away ♪ (applause) >> thank you, celtic voices. i can't help myself. the beautiful young woman with the red hair is my goddaughter. go job. since they just arrived, san francisco has a great history of a number of department heads of irish american descent. i would like to recognize mickey callahan, department of human resources, and bill scott from

the san francisco police department, and his assistant chief mike redman over there. thank you for being here, gentlemen. it is now my privilege to recognize the council general of ireland robert o driscoll who has a tremendous connection to san francisco because his son was born in san francisco. no matthe matter where his cares him, san francisco will always be his son's home. >> thank you very much. i think he is here today. this is his first st. patrick's day event. i am excited. if you see a green ball, that is mine. distinguished guests, mayor breed, and supervisors and

department heads and everybody, very happy t to be here today. looking back for this event wondering what to say. it is 169 years since the first st. patrick's day parade. 170 years since the first mayor got appointed. how in the fliers year of a mayor was there not a st. patrick's day parade? the first mayor was appointed in may 1850. in january it would have been a parade that year, too. i have been reflected on my thoughts about the parade and first parade, and what were they doing? they were celebrating irish heritage. these are people who left under huge duress, typically in famine

times and reached the east coast and no overly welcome home. california offered the promise of prosperity and good life for them and their family. they were celebrating they would never go back to ireland but never forget ireland. there is a grave yard from 1854. all of those had the names of people there and names from ireland but what county in ireland is listed. i thought that was in the last days when they were thinking how to be remembered. it wasn't enough to be from ireland. they had to be from cork and dublin. that connection to home was still as strong at the end of life as it was when they left. i am proud of that. i think the other thing they were doing that day, they were looking forward to what they would achieve because they had

achieved a lot to get that far but they had a lot of work to do. the theme of this parade this year serving our communities, i think probably reflects the greatest achiev achievement of t community. that is what we do. that is the irish story in the city. the police in the city administration, politics, in the fire department, in the schools. marry mckeever is here, principal of saint phillips, or all of the people who take leading roles. our community serve. we should celebrate that for the next week over the course of the parade. particularly they are so reflective of that.

they are all some part of the story of service. as grand marshall you reflect the sense of community, that ethos. look at the story. it is not just service to the community but the irish american community through youth gaa. when we look back at your legacy, and i said this at the grand marshall's dinner in your honor. what a legacy for our culture to be passed to the next generation. it is very special. you have had a huge role in that. everyone in the community here wants to celebrate on your special day. please give him a huge round of applause.

i want to thank shawn. i am scared of shawn with asia e shillelagh. happy st. patrick's day. thank you, council general. i don't know if you saw what happened over there while he was speaking. the president of the residential builders was yelling that i hadn't introduced him. shawn over there. welcome. glad you are here, shawn. i can't help. we also vointroduce supervisor matt haney. he has a great connection he studied at the university of galway, and he is the supervision or mar is the

landlord of the center. he is the landlord of the krb. supervisor haney on the mission street. we can't have a flag raising without dancing. it is a privilege to introduce the dancers from murphy school. welcome. [applause]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪ .

>> i just want to introduce one of the dancers. this is mary who just this week received her irish citizenship. congratulations. well-done, murphy dancers. thank you. all events celebrating st. patrick's day we could not do without the united irish society. they are doing all of the work. the president is not here today, but i would like to bring up john lynch, the vice president

to address everyone. come on up, john. >> i hope i am half as exciting as the last performance. good afternoon everyone. welcome to the 169th st. patrick's day season serving our communities. i am the vice president of the united irish society of san francisco and member of carpenters 22. thank you to the mayor for hosting us today for hosting us. welcome to the general of ireland and vice council. thank you for coming today. i would like to thank the san francisco irish pipers, murphies school of dance and the dance

academy and the beautiful sounds of the voices. thank you for your continued effort working with the mayor in coordinating this event. thank you to the supervisors for hosting the post reception event, i think. a tremendous amount of work goes into the st. patrick's day season. thank you to the united irish society board and volunteers and sponsors that make this all happen. thank you. also, thank you to the city agencies supporting the many events. the san francisco parks and recreation, san francisco fire department and paramedics, san francisco police department, san francisco sheriff's department, the san francisco public works, and the san francisco m.t.a. a round of applause for those agencies. thank you. i would like to thank and

congratulate our 2020 st. patrick's day grand marshall, mr. con lions. thank you, con. also, the families of our honorrary grand marshalls. (applause) it is a tremendous honor to be selected as the grand marshall, as well as a lot of work. based on his track record he is up to the task at hand. thank you, con. the st. patrick's day season consists of visits to friends throughout san francisco as well as civic events commemorating the contributions of father peter york and kate kennedy. in conclusion, we are not new york, boston, chicago, or

atlanta. we are san francisco, and we put on one heck of a st. patrick's day celebration. embrace this and go out aptry ty to have some fun. thank you. at this time i would like to present the certificate of honor to con lions, our grand marshall 2020. [applause] our honorary grand marshall william bill. certificate of honor to john cassserly.

she said it was a great honor. it absolutely is. thank you. certificate of honor to joseph teenrjosephine. >> certificate of honor to the family of agnes monaghan. thank you. it is good to see the valley represented up here. thank you, john. >> i see spying over the side of my left corner the former district attorney susie loftus standing over there. the mayor said she wanted to see a woman irish mayor of san

francisco. we don't have that yet. we do have a woman chair of the irish sister city committee with cork, noreen, thank you for being here. you know charlotte has not been as successful without being diplomatic. you cannot have just the murphy dancers performing without having the wee land dancers. i would like to invite them up to do a little dance for us. [applause] ♪

♪

(applause) >> thank you very much. one last announcement if you get a chance to drive by city hall tonight, the mayor instructed the building be lit up in green. that is tonight and i believe the mayor is saying green, white and orange. okay, mayor, whatever you say. also on st. patrick's day as

well. thank you, mayor breed. i would like to ask the dancers to come up to receive their certificates of honor for coming today to perform for us. make sure you coun count to fivr 10 minutes. go over to the office to continue the celebration. thank you everyone for coming. >> hi mayor. >> good afternoon. my name is dr. emily, the director of the san francisco

department on the status of women, the only department on the status of women in the nation. since 1975, san francisco has been the home of the strongest commission on the status of women in the nation. it's my pleasure to welcome you to the annual women's history month celebration. this year we celebrate the national theme of valiant women of the vote. we honor the brave women who fought for suffrage rights for women and those who continue to fight for the voting rights of others. i'm very pleased to say we're joined by many members of the family. if you could hold your applause, we'll give them a big applause after. carmen chu, board of supervisors norman yee, catherine stephanie, sandra lee fewer, and fire chief

nicholson, and police chief william scott. so let's give them a big round of applause for showing up today. [applause] >> i also like to recognize women's commissioner sophia and julie from the commission on the status of women. [applause] >> also joining us is president linda calhoun, and lisa of the friends on the commission of the status of women. [applause] >> and i just want to thank my associate director carol for her exceptional support for today's event. we are also joined by many women department heads, raise your hand if you're a woman department head. [cheering and applause] >>, as well as many women leaders serving on our commissions and boards. can we have a wave from our women's commission and board members.

[applause] >> so we mark 100 years since the passage of the 19th amendment. it's important to remember that as the sixth state to ratify the 19th amendment, california has played a major role in the suffrage movement. newly uncovered historical sources put together by the neighborhood history project indicates that san francisco was a site of the first ever suffrage march in 1908. over 100 years ago, suffrage leaders picketed the white house, went to jail, endured intense personal suffering in order to secure the vote for women. i do want to note, this is my last women's history month as the department head. i will be leaving my position at the end of the month, after 15 years of service. i had the honor to serve former mayor now governor gavin, the

late great mayor ed lee, and the first african-american women and the second woman to be elected to be the mayor of san francisco, the one and only london breed. she has made equity for all, including gender equity a hallmark of her administration. she's working everyday to achieve a vision of san francisco that is inclusive, fair, and compassionate, one that stands up and supports all its residents. she has a great team and i want to thank two members of her exceptional staff, senior policy advisor nicole and appoint secretary who helped with today's program. [cheering and applause] >> finally before i bring the mayor out, i want to thank the hard working staff of the mayor's office of neighborhood services who makes these celebrations so special for the entire city. so, please join me in welcoming mayor london breed and happy

women's history month. [cheering and applause] >> thank you emily. i don't know if you all heard emily say this is one of her last women history month events as director of the commission on the status of women and she has done an incredible job leading this department for so many years. let's give her a round of applause for her service. [cheering and applause] >> and thank you to all the women who are here. they are not just women commissioners from the commission on the status of women, they are women commissioners who serve in various capacities in this city that has joined us here today to celebrate women's history month in san francisco. we know that there are still a number of inequalities that still exist for women. in fact, as a woman mayor, i

still believe it or not, experience some of those when i'm even in meetings, even today, dealing with the challenges of the city. questions that i get asked i know if i was not a woman, i would never get asked. the fact is that we made a tremendous number of gains. i look around and i look at the fact that so many of you serve in so many capacities. even think of the history of our police department and we see now deputy chief and the other leading women who are basically running the police department in san francisco. [cheering and applause] >> we see members of our board of supervisors, our fire chief, jeanine nicholson and so many other incredible leaders who continue to lead this city as the director of departments, commissioners, president of the commissions, and we also know that it shouldn't take 30 years to have the second female mayor of san francisco.

so while we come a long way, we know that there is still a long way to go. as emily has said, we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment giving the women the right to vote. it is time ladies that we exercise that right to vote. we know there is power when we serve on boards and commissions. we know there is power when we are at the table making the decisions that impact our lives. just think about it. the fact that we are even discussing in the year 2020 a woman's right to choose and we have to get out there and defend that, even in 2020 is absolutely insane. it means the work that we do now is important, more than it has ever been. i mean think about what san francisco has done. significant policies that the rest of the country is following, including our paid parental leave which people are

still excited and talking about today. [cheering and applause] >> things that address the challenges of motherhood that people who may not have babies understand what mothers have to do in the workplace to of course make a living and take care of their families. there is still work we need to do. today's honorees represent san francisco values at their very best because the work they do highlights the need to do more, to get people to register to vote, to get more people interested in causes and policies that impact women, to help understand how our voices are important. when we come together and we vote, we make magic happen. we make change happen. we make the kinds of policies we know need to be here, even when we're no longer here.

we don't want 20 years from now the next generation fighting for a woman's right to choose. we don't want the next generation fighting for the same policy that should already exist in this city that protect and support women. so today's honorees represent, as i said, incredible women who really have focused on advancing the rights of women, who are spending a lot of their time trying to get women registered to vote, to address what we know, even in san francisco as we see a lower voter turnout, we know disproportionately that it impacts people of color and women. so getting women registered, getting them to turn out to vote is important and having organizations that are dedicated to that cause is also significantly important. our first honoree is a local american woman of color who is a

child of immigrants who came to the united states. she worked tirelessly to engage women, register them to vote, and connect them with volunteer and civic opportunities. have you ever come across people who say what do i do? how do i get involved? what's the next step? people have no idea what to do. nadia has been doing this work to help motivate and get women, especially women who have not been actively engaged, engaged. she volunteered a lot of her time during the 2018 midterm elections, traveling and california, speaking with people across the state and educating communities on how to get involved and how to register to vote. she has been working to bring women together and to take action. so please ladies and gentlemen, help welcome nadia roman and

she's this year's woman i'm honoring for black history month. [cheering and applause] >> thank you so much mayor breed. thank you for being a pioneer and modeling leadership in every way for girls and women in san francisco, especially for girls and women of color. mayor breed's work to cut red tape in city hall, take on the city's housing shortage, and end homelessness in san francisco ensures that this city can truly be a home for everyone. thank you for everyone who came out to participate today. it's great to see this balcony be full and see many familiar faces in the crowd as well.

thank you for participating in the celebration of women's history month. 2020 is such an important year in so many ways and there is a lot to celebrate and look back on, including 100 years since the 19th amendment was added to the u.s. constitution, finally giving women the right to vote. so securing that right to vote, we heard a little bit about everything that went into that. so the formal women suffrage movement start in 1848, 72 years before that amendment was adopted into the constitution. 30 years after that, in 1878 was actually one of the 1st amendments that was introduced and it failed. finally in 1920, a 100 years ago, it was adopted. women and their allies secured the right to vote. so as we look ahead into the rest of 2020, we're already in

march now. i ask that we all be attuned to the time that we're in right now. mayor breed did a great job of talking about how our civil liberties are under attack and that's particularly affecting women and also women of color, specifically. so let's be intentional on how we choose to spend our time this year. it's of critical importance that we pay attention and do the work of winning elections for people that share our values. san franciscan values of equity, inclusiveness, and radical acceptance. if the suffrage that worked towards their goal for decades, for 72 years in a formal way across multiple generations of women and men, we can commit to eight months to get us to november 2020, right?

yeah. [applause] >> so i'm going to conclude my remarks with and ask of you all. please push yourselves harder this year. pay more attention, be more informed, push yourself to whatever your personal commitment to civic engagement looks like. that can be calling a friend or a relative tomorrow to remind them to vote in the california primary. that can be canvassing for a candidate that inspires you in a swing district in california or a swing state somewhere in the united states. let's all commit to being as informed and engaged as possible this year and let's hold on to that beyond november 2020 so we don't find ourselves back in this place ever again. if you ever think about tuning out or turns off this year or in the future, please think of

those who worked for decades for the right to vote. thank you. [cheering and applause] >> thank you. so, the next honorees for today are a group of incredible, inspiring women who decided after the election in 2016 when the other 45 was elected, i don't know about you, but that night i was campaigning for my re-election for supervisor district five and i was walking around the neighborhood and i ran into a young woman who basically was in tears and so many people were hurt. i mean i won that election, but i was still devastated by the results of what happened as a result of that election.

as a result of that, these incredible women got together and they said you know what? we're going to do something because i don't eastbound -- even want to talk about what we all know that this president has done, that has not only been offensive to women, but continue to roll back many of the gains we have made. they came together and they really started a movement. the women's march has really been a place that has brought so many women together for inspiring speeches, to connect with other women, and yes there are some men that show up too. they're always welcome with open arms, but what i notice about the men that show up, they're showing up with their daughters. they're showing up with their moms. they're showing up with their family members in solidarity for what we know we need to call attention to the challenges that

women continue to face in this country. it's clear that no matter what political spectrum you are on, there is a sincere need for women to come together for the purpose of talking about the things that matter to us the most. so this has created a platform, the women's march has just really taken on a whole other dimension. it's not only expanded to other cities throughout the country, where they even had a women's march in napa. i was thinking because i love wine, i was going to join them. i was already committed to san francisco. they're not just focused on a women's march, they're focused on advocacy and support year round, in helping to outreach, to get more women registered, to get more people actively engaged, to make sure they're turning out. so they are all volunteers spending their time in order to

provide a platform for women all over the country. the people here in san francisco. they do it with a lot of love and lot of complaints from other people. [laughter] >> but they still try to provide the opportunity for people to be heard and to be recognized, and diverse community, and i know it's a lot of work, but you still do it every single year, even though sometimes it may feel like oh, i don't want to do it again this year, it's a lot of work. we're with you, we appreciate what you're doing and as long as we're here in san francisco, we'll be there to sported -- support the work you continue to do. ladies and gentlemen, at this time i want to invite up one of our commissioners from the commission on the status of women. sophia andari and ann to say a

few words and to really thank them along with there's a bunch of women who helped to coordinate this event every single year. so after these ladies say a few words, we're going to ask them to come up for a photo. [cheering and applause] >> good afternoon. my name is sophia, i'm a founding member and cochair of women's march san francisco. i'm joined by founding member elizabeth, kelly, martha, heath heather, janet who is here in spirit, she's working, and cochair ann. we have other leads of women's march san francisco as well. we're all right here. on behalf of women's march san francisco, thank you mayor breed

for this incredible honor. thank you so much. a group of 10 women came together right after the november 2016 election, not knowing the impact that we would have on each other and our communities. over 100,000 marched on january 21, 2017, in the pouring rain. >> pouring rain, yes. >> to affirm our commitment to women's rights, human rights, civil liberties, and social justice for all. since then, we have partnered with numerous community organizations to continue that work through events, marches, and action to keep our communities civicically engaged. stressing the importance of voting, getting involved in local and national campaigns, and empowering women to run for office and take on more

leadership positions. commissioners, more commissioners, now regardless of the outcome of the upcoming election, we cannot afford to be idle anymore. we need to show up with our votes for our most marginalized, elect more women, especially women of color, run for office, and take on more leadership roles so that women take 51% of seats in local government in the senate and the house, in boardrooms, and in all rooms where decisions are being made. [cheering and applause] >> thank you again for honoring our team to the mayor and the mayor's office and the commission on status of women. i'm going to hand it over to my

cochair ann. [cheering and applause] >> again, thank you so much for everybody who's come out today. i'm the co-chair of the women's march with sophia. as sophia highlighted, none of the women's marches accomplishments over the last four years would be possible without the volunteers and the partners we had working an organizing on nights, weekends, and any other moments of time we could find. i would like to thank our leadership team that we have here today. crystal, robin, ariel, and all the talent and hard work you bring to this organization. i also like to express our deepest thanks to the partners that helped us put this together. this includes planned parenthood of northern california, the women's building, the js c.f.s., glide, care f.s., and the league

of women voters in san francisco. [cheering and applause] >> our mission is to empower everyone that stands for human rights, civil liberties, and socialing -- social justice for all. we will continue to organize to march because the most marginalized among us is defending all of us. in 2020, this marks 100 years of women gaining the right to vote. the women that demanded this right were extraordinary in their conviction and ordinary in the fact that it was a critical mass of people coming together to demand more. to all the women that marched for us, who were arrested for us, who gave their lives for women to have their voice and votes be heard, we honor you today and we promise to humbly continue in your footsteps to all among us achieve equity. thank you all for having us to celebrate. thank you mayor breed and happy women's history month.

[cheering and applause] >> so thank you. as the women who are on the board for the women's march come forward so we can take a photo together. i just want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for coming out today to celebrate these incredible women, to kick off women's history month. tomorrow, the board of supervisors will be hosting their owner is moan -- ceremony starting at 2:30 where i know they're going to be honoring some phenomenal women like we are today. so thank you all so much for being here. after this photo, i also like to take a photo with all the women commissioners and women department heads that are joining us. i want to take advantage of this incredible opportunity. you know, i know that it feels