Good morning, and welcome to today's program from the Commonwealth Club of California
I'm John zipper the club's vice president of media and editorial and I wanted to welcome you to our program today
What does politics demand of black women? It's presented at the Commonwealth Club by the Michelle me
I'll show and our in forum division now
this is just the latest program that the club has presented online since we all began sheltering in place and
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It is my pleasure to introduce our moderator for today Carolyn Weisinger
She is the host of The CW and is the president of the board of a San Francisco pride Carolyn
Thank you so much John and thank you all for the Commonwealth club for letting the seed up show take over the Commonwealth club once
Again, I am so excited for today's panel and I want to give a warning
I always give Commonwealth Club viewers a warning that this is the Commonwealth Club, but this is the seed up show
I am NOT responsible for any of the shenanigans that happened today on this show and I have an incredible panel of women who I
Adore and I thank you all for being here. I know that Kimberly and Latifah know me very well mayor breathing
You only know me a little bit but you know a little bit about how silly this can get
So I thank you for being here as well
And I want to jump right into the conversation
This conversation was actually started or inspired by an article on the New York Times
About Senator Camilla Harris's run for a US president and the end of her campaign
And it really brought up the question about the electability of black women
So supposedly are from the article
It says the California senators decision to exit the race
before the first round of voting has sparked an emotional reckoning as the small sorority of prominent elected black female officials strategist and
candidates find themselves grappling with what happened and as the three of you know
My life is going to change exponentially sometime in the next two weeks
And so I'm gonna take this opportunity to pick your brain about you know, what that means and what that looks like
So I'm gonna ask each of you first starting with Mayor brie
What was it that when was the first time you saw yourself in politics?
Well, I think it had a lot to do with seeing Kamala Harris get elected District Attorney of San Francisco
I think I saw women before that my first opportunity to visit an african-american woman
Who was an elected official was Willie B Kennedy when she was on the Board of Supervisors? I was in high school
I interviewed her and it was like wow, this is a black woman
It was unbelievable, but I still never saw myself in that sort of position
Especially because I was living in poverty. I didn't think someone like me could have an opportunity like this and
Seeing someone like Kamala step out on faith and run for District Attorney in San Francisco
And when was really unbelievable and at that point it wasn't as if I thought I was gonna run for office
It's just that I knew that if I wanted to do something more than um
You know be active in the community. I could seeing Barack Obama become president was unbelievable for me as well
And I think those two things really sparked a fire in me to step out on faith and to know that
If I put myself out there despite the challenges that may come my way because I saw all the challenges they don't with that
You know if they can do it, maybe I can do it too. And that's really what pushed me into this role
Okay, and I know Latif I know you and Mayor Brie grew up close together here in San Francisco
I am NOT from San Francisco. I am from the city of Richmond, but we are all Bay Area girls
And so we share a similar narrative and Latifi you currently serve as the president of the board of the directors for a BART
What was the first time that you saw yourself in politics?
Up latif we can't hear you. You're a mute
I'm literally doing what I told my mother never to do was she's on zoom unmuted herself
you know when London decided to run for Board of Supervisors, I was like
And then when she won I was like this audacity of black women to
Stay in their moral character and do what we do best to leave when barbara lee
rose up in the house to vote against an
Unjustified war and seeing the world look at her moral character and leadership and so into what the mayor said
you know when when Kamala Harris decided that black woman should absolutely be
Centered in the conversation around safety and that she should in fact, you know lead that space
It was amazing, but a couple of things in this moment, which I think we're all examining
The nation is burning when we think women like
elected and non-elected like Fannie Lou Hamer or
Constance Baker motley or Anita Hill
She wasn't elected but she changed the body politic of how black women's leadership
Should feel it's honest and clear folks like Ella Baker who many people to know who she was but what she said is
So true still now until the killing of black mens
Black men is important as a killing of white mother sons. We who believe in freedom cannot rest
It's all of those women all of those women who make it so clear that black women's leadership
In the politic of this country if you believe in democracy
essential to its moral base and moral future and it's amazing to actually have a
Mayor of one of the biggest and most important cities in the country in the world
Be a young black girl who wrote the bus every single day and went to public schools and who was raised by her grandmother
She is as many of you are
Changing the face of what politics looks like and it's honor to be here today
All right, and Kimberly you are the former executive director of emerge which we are going to get to in just a little bit
You're not from the Bay Area, but we have accepted you in Richmond we still love you
So whoa, what initially when was the first time you saw yourself in politics? Yeah
Well, you know, I I love hearing
this stories of
the mayor London breed and a
president Latifah Simon and congresswoman barbara Lee because
They inspire so many people
and women like myself and
unfortunately, I didn't have the incredible honor like mayor breed and
President Simon to see up close and personal these women these black women role models
Run for and win elected office. I
had to find my inspiration in a book and
literally quite frankly at third grade was the time that
I happened upon an
incredible trailblazing
I think way ahead of her time woman by the name of shirley Chisholm and
It was reading about this woman in third grade, you know for a book report
About her life her legacy
How she was in in so many ways a freedom fighter any justice warrior who fought for?
the underrepresented for the poor for women for children for families that
I decided that I wanted to be just like her and I think for so many of us women black women
especially who are and thank you Latifah for for
Calling out in this moment. What I think is a really important piece and part of this conversation
And that is the morality of all of this
Moral character moral compass black women have for so long
Played that role and I think even more so today and so having someone like a shirley Chisholm who?
Stood in her morality in her integrity
I was a beacon of light for so many of us to follow and it but for the Shirley Chisholm's the barber leaves
that Carla Harris's they have laid the ground for
the incredible success of a London breed Latifah Simon Malia Cohen
so many who have come behind them and so in this moment, I think it's really important that we as like women individually and collectively
Remember our ancestors and the shoulders upon which we stand and because this is another moment
I think in our in our history that is calling for the fierce
unapologetic bold
moral leadership of black women
So then the question becomes that of this myth of electability
we and we talk about the different myths and stereotypes that black women face when they go into public office and
Kimberly I'm gonna ask of you a question that Mayor Breed posed in the article and that question is when we talk about
This I this issue of electability. I was on Wyatt see next problem areas on HBO last year
We talked about young black girls being disciplined in schools, and they asked me well
Why do you think black girls have the highest discipline rates and I said well because usually when they go to the principal's office
They're saddled with all the different stereotypes of black girls black girls are too loud black girls are too dramatic
So when we start talking about electability and can a black women win the presidency in Louisiana
Can they win the Iowa caucus we're talking about can they go up against white men? Mayor Bree posed in the article?
Why is it more natural for America or the u.s. To accept white male elected over black women Kimberly?
Why do you think that that is?
well, I think there are many reasons why but I think one of the biggest ones is that
we have a
preconceived notion because of what society feeds us all day every day of what leadership looks like and what leaders
look like
and so when we talk about the electability of black women
I think that we need to expand that and understand that the electability really quite frankly of anyone
Who is other than a white?
anglo-saxon
Protestant
Taller than average male presenting individual will have a harder time
being seen as electable being seen as credible being seen as
viable and so I think really what we need to talk about is
this concept of
What leaders look like and understanding that?
Black women not only are electable and can win
but the research and if we actually care about what the research and the data tells us the research shows us that not only
do
Women win black women as well, but they win at similar or higher rates as their male
Counterparts the problem is not that women can't win and the problem is that women aren't running
And so we need more women to run in order for us as a society
to see that as normal number one and then to start electing them and so
The electability question is they force it is it is a myth
You know that that black women that women in general can't are not electable and it's something that we are proving time and time again
to be false and I look
to folks like Lauren Underwood
to
Folks like Lucy Macbeth who won in non people of color majority districts
The research is also very clear that black women specifically black women
Are have a higher percentage of winning elections and non people of color majority districts?
So we need to just get more black women to actually run
Support them when they do decide to run with time and talent and money
And start bringing about the change that so many people are craving in this country
black people white people all people across the board
I'm glad you brought in that that concept of the data because the data does show that black women
have the higher voting record black women are are involved in stress and strategists as
Consultants and all the things we've been elected all the way up to Congress
But for some reason we do still have a hard time getting young black women involved in politics. I know Tia
I know I saw you give the keynote speech at the she ready event. What do you think is going to take for us?
I feel like there's a gap in the proverbial bench, right?
So what do you think it's gonna take for us to get more young black women involved so we can start filling in that gap
Unmute yourself. I'm new to self armor
This is like did again I'm never gonna live this down
I'll be quick because I'm actually really interested in what the mayor has to say about this because
Very few people when we decide that we want to run
Their folks who support us with their very few people who I really think it's big positions. Can she really win?
you take Emily's point structural racism is
Structural and there is a misconception of who can lead and who should leave who's ordained to lead?
and so racist ideas strength elate the possibility of
What can be and our work is to knock down those like in my day to day life?
I have the privilege of running a foundation the knotty foundation where our sole principle is
supporting movements and leaders to knock down structural racism why I say this if
for all of your life whether you're living in a small town in the Central Valley or
North of Sacramento or even in San Francisco and you've never had a black woman teacher or you've never seen someone in a position
of power
How do you develop the hubris to say not only should I leave but I can actually make structural change why it's so
important for us to be
nagging on women of color on black women to say you may not win but you have to step up and run you have to
Figure out how to have a strong voice in your community, but then that's not good enough
We have to stand right beside and right behind one another because in the rooms that we are in
let's just be very clear our
Colleagues even and I'm going to go there even progressive colleagues
Don't believe all the time and most of the time that we deserve to share space or that we're qualified
Enough or that our own policy ideas or implementation methods are astute enough and so for the black women
Who are thinking about running and they see how hard it is for us?
We we're in these phases whether you're running or you're elected we have to also let them know it's not going to be easy
But it's absolutely true that it is our ordained
responsibility to lead in our communities
so then mayor Breen I'm gonna ask you since Kimberly told me to ask you and I add they
It's important that a lot of people hear your take on it because so many of black girls
Here's a similar narrative, you know to yours
Especially those of us who grew up in the Richmond's in San Francisco's and Compton and Ninth Ward and in Louisiana
What does it take for us to get those young girls who grew up in those circumstances to understand the importance and see themselves?
Running for elected office. I
think first of all it starts with
remembering who we are
Remembering who we are and whose shoulders we stand on those people who in the civil rights movement
Put their lives on the line in order to make sure that we even had the right to vote our our ancestors
Who came to this country on slave ships the things that the folks of the pass had to endure?
Gives me the strength to do this work and why not me? Why not you I
Grew up in some of the most challenging of circumstances
In San Francisco. No one in elected office right now can even come close
to
Experiencing what I had to endure
Not by choice, but living in the conditions people talk about the mayor grew up in public housing
Yeah, but I had to endure the conditions. I also had to endure
the
lies that came from leaders and politicians and other folks who made promises that completely destroy the
african-american community and so when I
Decided that why not me and I stepped up and faith it had everything to do with
being tired of
Making promises and also non
african-americans who felt they knew what was best for my community and people who had my
experiences and so the problem we have here in the world of politics is
sometimes the truth hurts and also
What has happened in the past is?
Not something we should continue to repeat in terms of how we make decisions
You may not like the decisions that I make
But what I will not do is exactly what I couldn't stay
And other leaders and politicians for doing and that's why it's so important like, you know
I'm so salute IVA was an activist and I'm so I was so excited when she said I'm gonna run I'm like yes and
All of those same people who in some cases rallied around her then became
You know the most challenging people to deal with because they wanted to control her
They wanted to tell her what to do Latifah knows what to do. She's a leader
She's fierce and she grew up in these kinds of circumstances and even with Kimberly Alice
It's like we got these incredible leaders and what we have to remind people
about the fact that look I mean and and people think I use race a lot but slavery is over and
We are not here to be told what to do
we are here to take our
experiences our strength and everything that we represent and
use that to make different and better decisions so that we can change the outcome of what's actually
happening with black people not just in San Francisco
But all over this country and we cannot be afraid to call it out just like congresswoman barbara Lee
Thank you for doing that for all them
It's not about being black
It's about the fact that there is something wrong when you see
disproportionately even in San Francisco when less than 6% of the population
Is african-american and you still see the largest number of homeless
People are black the largest number of kids who are dropping out of high school the victims of violent crimes all of the things around
Negativity what's happening in progressive San Francisco? It is not
Okay, and it is time that we start listening to people who live the experience
To help make the decisions collaboratively in order to try and move
forward and we cannot
Let anything stand in our way. We've been through worse
We've been through challenges and we will continue as black women as black people to go through challenges
in our lifetime
But we cannot be afraid our ancestors have endured worse and we have to be the change
We want to see we have to step out on faith and do what we know we are
Capable of doing it's all in us. We just have to step out there and go hard
Well, thank you mayor breeding. I want to take a moment
You already introduced congresswoman barbara Lee, but I want to thank her for taking her time out from Congress sessions
He joined us a little congresswoman. How are you guys want to make sure that we can hear you?
Hear me I can hear you. All right. Thank you so much
I have a follow-up question specifically for mayor breed and I always said if I had the opportunity I wouldn't ask
Specifically you this question as a leader of one of the largest events and organizations in the city of San Francisco
I have made some decisions that people did not like and
I have made some decisions that have caused a lot of people to activate racist stereotypes and tropes and when criticizing their decisions
How do you how do you do it? I know you specifically as a leader in the city have dealt with that
How do you deal with that specifically knowing that people?
I see this not just with you you see this with other mayors other leaders that when they
Disagree with you in the scope of pull it in political scopes, they decide to activate those tropes
How do you deal with that? You pray for them? Okay
I can do I get the messages all the time. I've been called inward
I've been called the B word I've been said it's been said that no one should from the ghetto should be running San
Francisco like all the stereotypes. I've been called a crook. I've been called a liar
I've been called a thief every stereotype that you can think of even by elected leaders in this city
And they are quick to believe the stereotypes
That you know exist and to be clear just so you all know. I've worked my entire life supporting my community
I worked my entire life doing things for other people and not until I got into the heavier
dassit e to get into the political world, then I then start getting attacked and
Challenged in a way that is of course
very hurtful and in a way that you don't see other
People who are not african-american you don't see them getting attacked in the same way and what I say
remember who you are and
stand on faith
Stay true to who you are as a person and pray for
those people who sadly
Have real challenges and respect you can't control what they do
You can only control what you do you can met and curse them out to your friends privately, but ultimately
Because as an elected leader
You know as a leader who's in charge of pride and has to make a hard decision
You're not just representing yourself, you're representing all the people that you're trying to take care of
And so you can't make it about you and you can't get discouraged
Because some horrible person decided to make some really horrible comments. You pray for them
That's what you do and that's what I do every single day
Mayor Breed knows the ring up praying cause he's know that I'm the only person that stood up at her office
Talking about Carlton Pierce and no one has ever done that uh-huh. Congresswoman. Barbara Lee
I'm
Thank you again for joining us and I want to kind of roll back to the first question that I asked a lot of these
Ladies and I think it's important to ask you this question
Because a lot of young black girls saw themselves in politics through senator Harris's run
But you not only saw yourself in politics through Shirley Chisholm's run
you actually got to work on her campaign and I remember seeing the
Documentary about her campaign that ended with you all giving her some sort of prison. I couldn't see what it was
Thanking you her for opening the door for more black women
So what was it in her run and working her campaign that led you to be a congresswoman yourself?
Sure. Well, thank you very much for giving me a chance to be with you to be inspired
DC. We were there for last a couple of days trying to hold it down and trying to address some of the issues that still
Are looming that we have to address code that 19 with our small and minority business, but I want to say to mayor breed listen
In Congress, we say I associate myself with the remarks of the gentlewoman from San Francisco. Let me tell you when mayor briefed
you
And I'm reminded doctor in my hand Ruth when she said and still we rise
and that's your message I think and
also
I just have to commend and
You and thank you and I tell my colleagues all over the country that if it worked for you and you're bold and visionary
actions stepping out there first on koban 19 and instructing
This state and the rest of the country and on how to move forward to save lives and stop the transmission of this virus
I don't know where we'd be there be hundreds of thousands of more individuals dead. So just thank you London breathe
Thank you, Mary Greek because you have been just such a phenomenal leader. And I remember when you first ran for mayor
I know what you're talking about because you know coming from where I'm coming from, you know
I hear this each and every day and so I'm so proud of what you're doing and also
Latifah and Kimberly and whoever else is on this call
You just don't know how proud I am of
the work that you do each and every day and the tape I have to just say I loved
Having you as a student teacher in my class at Mills College
Thank you again, but let me just say one thing about
shirley Chisholm what we gave her at the end in that movie was a
document that I had put together from Mills College that talked about her campaign and the California primary and
Going back to that day. I was unregistered. I was a community worker for the Black Panther Party
I understood political processes and the two-party system, but I
Conscientiously said, you know, I did not want to participate in these charades that were taking place
And so I had a class and so I was working with the Panther Party as the new workers
survival realities
Doing the work and helping put the school together working on the clinic working on free breakfast program
activists and and a student
I was a young single mother on public assistance on food stamps raising two phenomenal young boys coming out of a terrible
Domestic violence situation so, you know all the stuff the black women deal with well, I was dealing with all that too
But I was determined
That it wasn't gonna get him down. So I went back to college and
I had a class in government. Dr
Bran, Mullins and part of her and I really had imagined one class in government in my life her
Requirement in that course was to do field work in one of the presidential campaigns. Well, then it was buck McGovern. Muskie
Humphrey now all those guys, and I said fuck me I've never run to class in my life
But there is no way you go get me involved in
Working in one of these guys campaigns who are not speaking to the issues of black women and black people
So I'm the later for you, so I was gonna flunk it. I was very comfortable in funk in that class
But at the same time I was president Black Student Union and as president Black Student Union
I had a little budget and I have a little budget for a speaker's bureau
So I invited the first african-american woman elected to Congress to come to Mills to speak to the BSU
I had no idea she was running for president
So in her speech she talked about she was running for president now. Let me tell you Shirley talked
In fact first she could speak and a lot of people don't know this flowing Spanish. She talked about immigrant rights
She talked about lifting people out of poverty
She was yes
The Vietnam War a lot of people don't know but she was one of the first board members a main route
Reproductive health was a big issue for her and such. This was a woman who was weighing in at her time
And who spoke to the issues I cared about I was shocked that there was anybody this Bo to talk about these issues
So I went up to her afterwards and I talked to her and I said, you know
And I had met her before because I was a person in fighter. I said, you know, I have this class about to Punk in
Government, it's a great class
But they make me they required us to work in a campaign and I not gonna do that
And I said, but after listening to you, you know
I might reconsider that if she took me to task you say well first thing you better registered vote
I said bad not be. You know, I'm an activist, you know, those people can vote not me
I want to change the system from the outside and that's not I say I just want pass this class
She said I changed my mind mom
So she said no if you really want to shake things up if you want to change this system
You got to get in the mix. You've got to get on the inside
you've got a register to vote and you've got to make that change happen and she told me she said
You know, these rules weren't made for youth they weren't made for me
These laws weren't passed with black women and she says so you've got to get in and not only shake things up
but you gotta go in and you can't get him to go along to get along but you've got to change the rules of the
Game, not bad. I had no idea. I would ever want to run for office. She was trying to convince me
I should get involved her campaign and
Passed my class. I reluctantly said okay I said how do I get involved who I called boomba vote?
She says I really don't know. I'm leaving it up to my local supporters to
Do the campaign. It's a grassroots campaign and we don't have a nationally I said, okay, so
After we get talk some more. I went back to my class. I talked to dr. Bones. I said, okay
I'm think I'm gonna think about reconsidering this class. How do I do this? And what do I do?
She said what that part of the coursework you have to figure that out
So I called
my President Lee college
I called Wilson rounds junior who was also a stupid and
Sandy Gaines an african-american woman was president and student body at those College bottom line. We got together
We organized the shirley Chisholm presidential primary campaign out of Northern California. I love my class at Mills College
I got an A in the class in the class
I was going to fun and I went on to Miami as the shirley chisholm delegate and so the rest is history
and so what you saw in that film was my presenting her the
documentation of her campaign in California
and
She was so happy to receive that because no one was really keeping records or anything
So I still have that and she wrote about her California campaign in Chapter six of the good fight
And so that's my story as lisa shirley chisholm
Then IV she became a close friend a mentor she came out in her several times
I'm I know the chief you met her when she came and she came when I was running for
For the assembly for Senate and for Congress
So she's been out here many times helping me out and she became a dear like I said, dear friend of mentor
I miss her. I've
Done a stamp in her honor
we've done a
Picture and I did this in the Capitol if you haven't seen that you got to go to the Capitol because when Nancy was speaker
Before that was my personal mission was to get shirley Chisholm in the Capitol
so I'd do everything I can do to preserve her legacy because she truly was a
woman ahead of her time but a woman whose time and has come and whose time has come to really
Understand and learn from and lift up and really help young people
Understand who she was and who she is in terms of her spirit her legacy and her work
okay, and and I want to say we're at the top of the hour and I know mayor breed you have to go in a
Little bit. So anyone who's asking? Why am I asking Mary breed were continuous questions?
She has to go out and continue saving us all from their owner speaking of the Rona
Okay. Clearly, we are all recording this video soon
There's no audience here because we're going through an unprecedent health challenge here and not just in, California
But all over the world and when black people go through an unprecedented challenge, what do we do?
we create memes and gifs and viral videos and
Anyone who knows me knows that I am both a consumer a distributor and sometimes a creator of these gifs and videos
But my favorite that has that I've seen across my timeline has been this one
This has been my favorite meme that has come across and before I ask you your question
I did someone asked me when it came across my timeline. Excuse me
They said Carolyn you must caption this and so I created the following caption
Mayer Lightfoot it says if you think you're going outside, I'm gonna knock you into next week
Mary bottom says gone outside. Try me to see what happens
Mary Cantrell mmm. Try Jesus but don't try me and then Mayer breed. Oh
So you think you're just gonna go outside when I said not to hi. I want to see you try
oh, I mean but this is something that we do as a members of the culture the way that we actually critically
Contextualize thing is we create these things that give us both humor as well as serious content
so Mayor Bree
We have seen during this and president in health crisis that so many black women
That we may not have even noticed. We had so many running so many large cities and so many important
Positions across the US do you feel as a black woman? We say that black women are the mothers of society?
Do you feel that there's an extra pressure for you to take care of everyone by the way, my sister says she's into in
Louisiana she lives in Texas
She's not going back to Texas until you tell her - if she's getting sick of you telling her she can't go
So having said that do you feel an extra pressure in this moment?
Well, it's interesting because you know, like you all know how I grew up in public housing
There was a lot of drama a lot of violence. I mean, I've seen it all but the one thing that was always
Consistent is the arms and protection of my grandmother
So even in the midst of the drama, I knew if I could just make it home, Ms
Brown will protect me like she will take care of me
I knew that I felt like she was the strongest person I ever knew
I mean, she's she I saw her stand up to people who were violent and who were challenging
I have so many stories about you know, Ms
Brown making people that I was really afraid of because of what I saw them do to other people
I saw her standing up to them and
Protect people and feed people and always look out for people. So I felt I was strong because I had Miss Brown and
I would complain I'm like mother. Why are we doing this? Why are we doing that?
She would tell me to be she would say shut up, but to basically say be quiet. That's what you do for people
That's what you do like you feed people you take care of the community
that's your responsibility and she really was the mother of the community because
She never I mean we didn't have much
but if somebody needed to borrow a dollar she didn't have much but if somebody needed some food she also there was no
In-between it was like right is right and wrong is wrong
You know, she didn't mess around with that stuff when she saw somebody doing wrong
And so I think that part of you know who I have become had a lot to do with Ms
Brown because when I started running the
African-american art and culture complex and the core I all of a sudden became the mother of all the kids there
So I was like this strict
Disciplinarian pick that up go clean that up do this for me run to the store, you know
like all these things that my grandmother did and and I think that
part of that that that comes from a lot of our upbringing and so now in San Francisco what I'm finding is
you know people are and in the
Conversations that I have with people people appreciate it and they say they say to me
I feel like you're the mother of the city. I feel like you're protecting me. Like I feel like I feel safe
Just III
really am a little overwhelmed by that because I also realized that I'm projecting my
grandmother in every decision that I made because it really is about
Protecting and saving lives and as much as you know, I hate at the discipline. I feel like now the
Disciplinarian put that mask on or you know, hold on get out of that circle
Like I've had to actually I've been outside a little bit too and I've been telling people. Hey, hold on, you know
And and so I'm like I become Miss Brown basically and I think that you know, it comes from our culture
It's our nature to be
Motherly, whether we are mothers or not
it's our nature to protect and to support and that's why I think black women make such incredible leaders because at
Times such as these this is when you need that
This is when you need to know that you're safe that you're protected that the person who is in charge
is gonna make sure everything is okay and and and I really
Take a lot of gratitude and knowing that as hard as these decisions are because they are hard
Decisions when I think about people's livelihood and and and I look at the balance of everything going on not just in San Francisco
But the rest of the country I know that it is so important that people feel a sense of safety and security
Despite the chaos that's happening. And so I'm really glad to be in a position like this at this time
I want to go outside myself and do more myself. No, I'm right along with everyone else. I'm
Losing it just like everyone else
I'm worried about people not generating a paycheck and what's happening to them and their families which is why I'm doing private fundraising
Through give to SF to give people money for food and to pay rent and to help small businesses
um, so all of that has everything to do with you know,
The decisions that I'm making now and I hope that it pays off. I know me and those other mayors that you see
Latoya Cantrell and
Keisha Lance bottoms and Lori Lightfoot. Those are my sisters in this effort
We communicate we talk we share information
But you know, like I'll tell you barbara Lee was the first mama of the movie
You know, we are we are just so grateful that we're in a position to serve in this way
and I think what you see are really a lot of the mayors and
Especially black women and leadership really leading the way in this country as it relates to this pandemic because that's what we do
We multitask we take care of the communities. We take care of family
We don't wait around just you know, basically, we can't completely rely on the federal government. I mean
Congresswoman Lee is battling this this craziness every single day despite this pandemic and and here we are
We're like look, we can't wait for the Calvary
we got to get it done because folks need help now and
And so I think that's kind of the nature of who we are and and it is a blessing and I'm so grateful to be
Mayor, and I'm so grateful to help
support other amazing women leaders african-american women leaders and I am looking forward to a future where
We see more especially here in the Bay Area
I'd like to see more and that's why I love the fact that Latif and Kimberly are at the forefront of this movement
We've got to get people registered to vote
We've got to have them step out on faith, and we got to do everything we can to support one another
So mayor breed. I know that you have to go
like I said save us from the rona but it's a tradition at the seed of show and I wasn't gonna do this when you
Left because I didn't want to give the panelists extra time to answer this question, but I'm very very interested in your answer
So I always in the show by asking these very important question
and this question that I'm going to ask you is the litmus test for me and I
Test every black person if you if you don't answer this right, I will still love you
But I will drag you on the internet for answering it incorrectly. It is important
You cannot go back and forth about if you're a very decisive woman
I know that you can do this without giving me too much of an explanation. I don't want an explanation
important question
Which Michael Jackson album is better thriller off the wall?
And I'm not gonna thriller
Imus a thriller
Okay start I love to off-the-wall song. But the thriller was everything. I mean, you know
It just it was everything especially the video. No, its relations married
No explanations. Thank you. Thank you for joining us. I'm so happy to have you I'm honored
I will see you next week for your pride kickoff event
really G
Go save the world now
All right, congresswoman Lee Kimberly Ellis and Latifah Simon, I'm gonna go back to this this
Important conversation about getting young women involved. I mean I mentioned I haven't mentioned the emerge program
I know that Kimberly you or the former executive director Latifah you graduated in. What year did you graduate?
2009 and Mayor breed who's left? Uh, but is also a
Graduate of the program how have you all worked?
To actually bring more young women in I had one of my emerge sisters Tiffany Jones who told me that it was important for her
to get specifically more young black women and she actually
Referred to as shirley chisholm quote that she got from Kimberly Ellis about if you don't have a seat at the table bring your own
Folding chair. So what have you all done? And why was it important specifically to work through emerge to get more young women involved?
I'll go quick because it's for the farmers that can expect her to bring it home
You know part of I don't know when I in some ways, I think I can do a lot better
But it is always about watching the women who've come for us. I see how
Congresswoman Lee everybody knows it's my serious Idol
Has made it her business to
Literally have black women on all sides of her
There was right before the shutdown. I was at a random not rap beautiful young women's event in San Francisco
but I'm sitting by this young woman and
Within five minutes, she tells me where she's working. She just graduated college before she's working for the congresswoman
Oh my god to get that job. That's a good job
I've met so many women Congress women coming out of your office you
Have given us such a framework to bring women along but not just any woman
Not just any black woman you've been pretty clear about
We need to have an internationalist politic when I was in their class. We made a study Darfur
even made us understand what was happening across the globe and the intersections of
Epidemiology of HIV and the fight for a cure. That was I don't know for 10 15 years ago
I'm dating myself, but watching women who have made it their lives
Not only at past good laws but to bring other sisters along with them
I feel like if we just do one-tenth of what you've done
And how you stood up for the mayor when she was right. I just I
Think we have a really good blueprint and yes, we need to do more Kimberly
I'm interested to hear what you have to say about this. But I feel like there isn't an excuse we know what to do
We're saying people do it like, you know, like like the congresswoman
Kimberly same question to you
And I know that you you made it your business not even just emerged with so many different organizations to bring as many black women
Into the process as possible. You know, what have you done? And why has it been so important in those spaces?
Yeah, I mean I think just going back to I'm gonna keep going back to shirley Chisholm because I believe that in this moment
we are obligated to
Really look to those who?
Have pale have paved the trail
for us and what she said was if you don't have a seat at the table bring a folding chair and
When I looked around so many spaces political and otherwise
Not only did black women not have a seat at the table we weren't even in the room
and so I think it is our obligation to
Once we did it in
and
somewhere
As we can because we know
That half of the battle is just showing up right decisions are made by the people who show up
And so it's important that we be in those rooms and act those decision-making tables where our lives and her livelihoods are being decided
you know the work of
emerge
really is about
ensuring that there are reflective voices and perspectives and lived experiences around those decision-making and
So in many respects it it is an organization that's dedicated to getting more women elected
Not just for the sake of getting more women elected
But because we know based on research that when you have more
Women women of color black women seated at those decision-making tables what you get on the other side is policy and legislation
That is more fair more equitable and more just for the entire community
and so when I became the
executive director of emerged, California
I was dedicated to ensuring that the women who were coming through the program who were being recruited to go through the program
Looked like, California
I think
Oftentimes we forget that California is a people of color
majority state the majority of people who live in the great state of California are people of color and
so when I came to emerge our
Diversity rate was about 39 percent
When I left emerge we were at 56% women of color and the greatest increase in that amount
Was black women and that was very deliberate
It was a deliberate effort to reach out to and work with other organizations like palapa
down in Los Angeles like LA PI
That were based in the african-american community and to ask black women
to to get engaged involved women
unfortunately
Unlike men have to be asked several times on average about 7 times before they will even consider running for office
so asking women to run for office asking black women to be a part of this is the first step and
and so I made it my my my goal my business to
To go around and specifically asked women and to ensure that I was always asking black women everywhere. I could go
That's important and you know, you talked a lot about building the bench that is
All about
Recruiting and Truman once they make that we need to prioritize investing in black women's leadership
And that starts
quite honestly and in my opinion in middle school right middle school in high school college
Investing in black women's leadership so that they start to see themselves as leaders
I meant to understand that ambition is not a dirty word that wanting to have power and
To use power to do good and to help others is really what politics should be all about. And so
emerges an incredible program
when I when I was looking at the the lineup that you had put together I
Noted that four out of five of the panelists are emerge grads yourself mayor breed
President Simon myself. I'm not just the former executive
Director, I also went through the program and congresswoman
Barbara Lee was actually the very first graduation speaker for the for the very first emerged class
So it is an incredible program that is really demystified the process in helping to get
Women involved and the last thing that i'll say and I think this is a really important point
this was part of a
Question that you had had had posed in the lead-up to this and that is sort of how do we get more?
black women involved young
you know black girls and what have you and I think a big part of that is really us as
black women
Understanding that it is an illusion for us to believe
That we can go through life without being political
I want not engaging in politics because just by virtue of being
black and female our bodies our
Political right? And so we need to understand that we can't escape this even if we want it to and so we need to learn
as
Congresswoman was saying that that shirley Chisholm was telling her we need to learn her how we get into these
systems and how we get a seat at the table and then go about the business of
Changing the rules and changing the game to create a level playing field for everyone. Can I say something about emerged very quick?
Yes, please. Okay. I know they emerged before Kimberly first of all
Yes, I was the first graduation speaker for emerged and I
Came into the room. I said wait a minute, and I did my speech
But after I said hell no, I don't I didn't see if one maybe one or two african-american women
I said no this can't be the case. And so then comes Kimberly
And I mean emerge is I really love you merge and what it has presented and how it has moved forward
but I am Telling You it was a struggle at first and
When Kimberly got it, when finally the emerge organizers really said, yes
We've got to make sure that african-american women are part of this process at the top levels
Then Kimberly came along and she did exactly what she just said. And so when you look at the emerged graduates
Who are african-american women? I mean look at Latifah director Simon when you look at there's so many black women who have
Soared as a result of going through the emerge program and so, you know
I was so happy to be that first graduation speaker
But I was also very disappointed because I did not see black women in that first graduation class
and so this is a testament to how we just have to push push push and
while I look I mean look at what has happened and and this is just a testament again to black women and
what's black women break through however
Then they take that ball they take that baton and they run with it and they crack those glass ceilings for other black women to
To just soar through it so true
Kimberly went to my first meeting and when I decided to run with a
consultant who I loved so much who I was going to for advice and
You sat with me and held my hands and at the end of that conversation, it was a Smith
He said we'll take you on and you have to run in three counties, but you can win. What district are you running for?
I didn't even think I knew that but I had emerging women around me
I got my treasure from a lawyer that you referred me to who was a consultant through a merge
So I think it is. I mean I had I just lost my husband. I had absolutely no savings
horrific credit had filed bankruptcy
Cancer will decimate families, even if you have health insurance, but I knew that
that I've been through that and survived that there were so much more than I could do and you all
Y'all heard that and it was it was a merged woman who really stood
You know with me and I don't want to you know
There's so many women who call us all the time asking advice
but even if you have the network
I will say running for office is the hardest thing that I have done and I've done some hard things
Mostly because like all of you all have spent all of your life helping people
And loving on folks and fighting big fights
But when you decide to step out why you need a circle of black women and women around you
There will be people and I'm curious if people did this to you early on
Congresswoman who say how dare you how dare are you? It's not your time
You can work for me
But it's not short time to run. So emerge and Kimberly you always in my ear telling me
That that is what folks are thinking but not only to ignore it
Push past it and be smarter and read things five times and get your army around you
So emerge is a force folks has been in folks to where in folks who are leading now
And you know what?
I'm actually gonna take that question Latif in still pose it to congresswoman Lee but I'm gonna kind of put a twist on it
So I just finished watching the series Mrs
America on Hulu which tells the story of so many of the women feminist leaders of the 70s including
mother shirley chisholm for a lot of folks
they did not know shirley chisholm story before seeing that that show I actually show the documentary that I
Spoke about that you're in I show it to my leadership class and they were shocked to hear Shirley Chisholm's story and it really was
A lot of that was about I just have to call it. I like to Latifah
Say white women who told her it wasn't her time that she didn't ask them for permission to run
So did you also coming after shirley Chisholm did you face that as well?
Financial records of other members who have safe seats who are not black they didn't they raised ten times more money
so yeah, you know, it was always like that and
when when I first ran
It was this was an 89 mine you there had never been an african-american woman elected to the, California
Assembly or Senate north of Los Angeles or Congress so you can imagine
who anyway and I was chief of staff to the great warrior on downs who was one of the
feminists on Capitol Hill I say he and shirley Chisholm and
Maybe parren Mitchell, maybe two or three other members have had women black women chief of staff
So it's this started with me on Capitol Hill as a staffer when?
You know, the culture of Capitol Hill was so so sexist and racist, but Ron Dellums
Always stood up for me and always said no, no
no, she will have a seat at the table because she's representing me and so when I ran
Of course everyone knew that I had a business 11 years. It was fairly successful business
And I also was I had been Ron's chief of staff and had done
Fundraising for him and what happens but it was like no way you should run for office
I mean you've been behind the scenes and I'm saying yeah, you're right
Maybe I shouldn't go out. I've worked for the the best the person who's the
Elected above elected officials right now, but it was it was a couple of individuals who really encouraged me
It was John George soup former supervisor, John George
Who took me out and and two other black women said it's time for you all to
Surface and to come from behind those things and when when Ella you decided to run for mayor it was John George
He said you've got to run for the assembly burger if you may he and mrs. Made me do it
I hadn't even talked to write about it, but he saw something in me that I really did not even recognize and so once I
decided with John and John it was really something because the day
right after he died was the day but I'd I
Decided to run because I had seen him two days report crossing the street. He said you got a run
You've got a run and I was back off
and so when he passed away I said, okay and so it was it was hard though, because then it was like
Why are you running? You know, you don't need to run for office and you've never run before?
How are you gonna raise money knowing they said well, the first test was well, see if you can raise fifty thousand and six months
okay, I raised fifty one thousand and six months then it was well, you know you have another
Elected official running against how do you think you're gonna win? Okay
Well watch me I'm gonna try and so I didn't have a lot of endorsements
Ron endorsed me and helped me out tremendously, but very few other people indoors
He was shirley chisholm did and I still have pictures of Shirley coming out here helping me
Do phone banking walk freeze things doing events?
Shirley did that in 89 and 90 in 96 and 98 and so it you know, and then Baraka and black women
Helped me out and we have to put together a coalition because this is a progressive district, but Kimberly knows
Latifah knows if you're a black woman and progressive
It's like you're not progressive enough
right
The question is yes
You have to deal with the race issue and you have to deal with the issue around
proven that your progressive
Buying women are progressive by nature because of our history. And so yeah, we had to work here
I had two degrees a business had worked for member Congress for 11 years and there were still questions about my
You know credentials to run so you know what? I just did it like black women do we just do it?
Okay, and then once we do it we get in there and we do it and we continue
Caring that's the time
Continuing making sure that we do the things like shirley chisholm said not to go along to get along
But to challenge all the injustice is black women challenge all the the terrible things that are going on in a very bold way
That a lot of others don't do so. Yeah, it's still hard for
African-american women but and still we rise we do
okay, well the night and I just add on to that because what the congresswoman um
Doesn't share and I think this is this is a part of understanding
The process and what it's going to be like I think arming black women
Especially those who are interested in or thinking about running for office
Understanding and knowing what you are going to be faced with is is a big part of it army so you can arm yourself
possible to be prepared for the kind of battle it to be
So first of all acknowledging and embracing what it is that you are actually doing when you decide to engage in
electoral politics you are you are making a definitive statement that yes, I am seeking power and
Understanding that for so many in the way that our politics is today
It is all about power power equals access to resources access to money access
It decides who gets to pollute and who gets polluted who gets to live who gets to die
And so that is what we decide to do that that is what we are doing and understanding that there is both an internal
external
conversation that goes on
When we make that decision embrace that acknowledge it and then decide to move forward and so making the decision to run is a process
running
Is a process getting elected is a process?
Governing is a whole better process and then ascending and I was thinking specifically about the congresswoman on this one
ascending the ranks of leadership
Once you're elected is a whole other that's and so there are so many
Processes and so many things and layers that black women have to navigate
and traverse in order to to even be able to
you know start the process of doing the work of the people and so I just think it's really important to
Or that it's not just running for office and getting elected. There's a whole other
You know other side of the coin, you know the labels that we better thrown at us. You're not progressive
you're moderate your this your that not from the other side from our own from within and so these are really
Real challenges and that is separate and apart from the financial
hurdles, and the
You know personal
challenges of just being in a position
To wage a campaign. So I just think it's really important that as we as we have this conversation
understanding as
Well as we can
exactly the battle that we are going to walk into so that we can best prepare for it and having
Accomplices not just allies, you know there there are folks who we have to ride with
When you decide to represent a populace of community
It's important to have folks
And not only a diverse coalition and not just allies but folks who ride with you right by your side
They may not look like you maybe have different experiences from the political community donor community. They're there
there are folks that are there that deeply understand of
anti-racist commitment to leadership and
electing black women and supporting like women once like you said they get elected so that the governing process actually
Bears the fruit of this idea of why we're there is to create and implement and watchdog over
opportunities for all of our people to be safe to be healthy and to have
Exactly this thing that we're supposed to have you were born
This is this democratic vision of what my school
And I think we have some so many folks who are in office right now and so many folks weren't like the way
We got to keep going
so
We're coming down to the end of the show
Since you all have already basically given me what your advice would be for a young candidate such as myself. I will ask Kimberly
Thriller off the wall just thriller off the wall
Well, there's someone through the room off the wall
It would be off the wall. Okay. Yeah Latifah thriller
Off the wall. Okay, I'm gonna let
congresswoman Lee have the last word as far as what is your
Advice to a young can such as myself and then thriller off the wall
Do it
Yeah, and what Kimberly Achieva said this is about power
It's about power sharing and it's about equity and so not don't don't run for office just to run for office run for office
so you can get in there and be powerful to change power sharing arrangements in this country because
Right now as we know
It's a it's in pretty bad shape and I and black women are the ones who are going to save the soul of America
Because of who we are in our history, and of course, it's thrilling for me. I
Will reveal the real answer to that question in social media
I want to thank
Latifah Simon and Kimberly Ellis and thanks so much to congresswoman Lee I have now adopted you or you are in my inner circle now
people who I'm gonna call and bug this
Campaign. I
Want to thank the Commonwealth Club for letting us have this conversation
Continue the conversation you can find me on Twitter and Instagram is seed up the host
You can find the seed of show across all social media platforms and whatever you catch your podcast
We are hoping this is a first in a long conversation about what politics demands of black women and thank you again
Okay
