someone would come with a big box of bologna sandwiches at dinnertime and we would all eat these sandwiches and have a bottle of water. but we're on the pickett line taking shifts because, at that time, the contract was a maid or housekeeper was cleaning 17 rooms at minimum for $35 a day. this has been the fight of below and moderate wage workers for decades. this isn't something that is new that we've had to fight for a living wage for low and moderate wage workers all the time. i know how hard it is to be on strike. when i was on strike i would rather have been at work making tips and money more than $50 a week. on the pickett line, i learned a life lesson. i learned about privilege and i learned about the privilege that i have and i also learned about the unity and strength of workers getting together. combined our dedication to actually fighting for not only our own wages but for wages for moderate and low-wage workers everywhere. in particular now, in san francisco. this expensive city experiencing the largest wealth gap we have ever experienced. i see how you are on strike fighting. i

[laughter] i would have my bologna sandwich and i would complain. we didn't even get homework. i was that kind of kid. [laughter] we are not learning enough in this class. how will we make it in third grade? i was a worrier. [laughter] because we had girls that came with us and we were all complaining. this needs to change. we thought she was just listening and humoring us but little did we know she was back up at that school and making some moves. what happened was a few of us got tested out into the third grade because of my mother and the advocacy of other mothers. but i told this story because i knew even at that age i was not invested in as a second grader. and we think kids don't know when they are shortchanged and devalued and i'm here to tell you i knew that in second grade. with a school and a quality. kids know when they are not being valued and that makes them feel some kind of way. [applause]

for supper we ate bologna sandwiches and shoestrings from the greasy metal can. grandma drove us to mcdonald's and told me to get whatever i wanted. she often told me to tell me to get whatever i wanted at fast food restaurants i understood the generosity was because of her hard life she had lived. i ordered a hot fudge sundae. [laughter] back at the new house she moved the television to the corner and then i saw johnny carson it felt like a great adventure to eat ice cream on a hard word floor of the empty house while watching the tonight show eating ice cream. she switched off the tv and the lights. she said you did good work today sarah. i had forgotten that the darkness and quiet are not the same in wichita as they are in the country. the cars seemed bright and allowed like they just opened the front door which opened into the room where we lay. i thought and i thought until i wished my mind had a switch. i felt grandma get up in the darkness she said she had ago. what i like a glass of water quick she turned on the kitchen light and screamed. oh god. get up.

squirreling away a precious grilled cheese or fried bologna sandwich but the hiding places were known to all in the precious commodity was usually discovered and devoured before it got cold entire plots were hatched around swiping food with doublecrossing backstabbing intrigue outright robbery and gobbled evidence. [laughter] . >> that's why it's so easy for me to write about slavery later on. [laughter] . >> hold on one more question. later in life let's back up, all 12 went to college. because she was determined to have the best education she didn't care about money or close or food but education and religious faith. >> that was it. she didn't really want to hear, hear, if she was raising kids now they might put her in jail. she was so adamant like we cannot stay out after dark ever. we were not allowed to bring friends into the house ever. we were not supposed to tell our business to people ever so if they ask you what is your mom work i don't know your dad were? i don't know then the teacher would say and get really mad but it was very a strict way that she raised us we were taugh

refrigerator cabinets we would hide food from one another storing away precious grilled cheese or fried bologna sandwichut the hiding places were known to all and foraged by all and the commodity is usually discovered and developed before it got cold. at the time plots were hatched complete with doublecrossing outright robbery and gobbled evidence. [laughter] that's why it's so easy for me to write about slavery. one more question about your m mom. once you are all gone all 12 went to college because she was determined to have the best education she didn't care about money or clothing or food. if she was raising kids now they might put her in jail. [laughter] because she was so adamant we were not supposed to tell our business to people after co would ask where does your mother work, i don't know, where does your father work, i don't know. then the teacher would say it's james adopted and she would get doreally mad. she raised us to think. there's nobody that's going to care for you other than your family and god. don't even tell me about it because it doesn't matter it only matters what you do. there's