On Equity
Equity is different from equality. Equity involves helping those who need it most, sometimes disproportionately. It is not an even distribution of resources, but takes trauma and intergenerational poverty into account. In an equitable world, systemic racism would not exist.
I hold a seat on the SanFrancisco African American Reparations Task Force. Originally appointed to fill seat 11, Technology and Equity, I am now working as the chair of the Economic Impact Subcommittee. We are currently defining “Repair-ations” and what it means to heal all communities along racial, gender, religious, age, physical ability and all other protected class lines. What we plan here will be a blueprint for all of California and the nation.
I was a member of the California Democratic Party Black Caucus, for which I provided many different volunteer services) including:
- organized caucus meetings during the pandemic to focus on issues of equity and concern for Black people and all Californians. They were the best attended caucus meetings in recent memory.
- Engaged a wide range of guest speakers including the CA Secretary of State, Dr. Shirley N. Weber, Representatives Barbara Lee and Aunty Maxine Waters
- Delivered programs that directly impacted our community
- Helped out with voter registration drives throughout CA, one of the most hotly contested contests in the US
- Created a website that is a hub of events for the Black community in CA
I was Vice President of San Francisco Pride which celebrates the diversity of the LGBT+ community and allies through an event with over 1.5 million visitors, bringing in millions of dollars in revenue. On behalf of the Board of Directors I organized the first ever Resistance Contingent. It was 2,000 people marching with the SF Pride Board of Directors, focused on political and social issues as a way to emphasize our roots as a culminating point for our birth in LGBTIA liberation.
I was Founder/President of ActivelyOut where I developed the ActivelyOut Web 2.0 social networking utility for organizations to provide value added functionality to increase members, improve benefits, and provide key differentiation for niche markets. We won awards from the California State Assembly and the San Francisco Mayor’s office for www.ActivelyOut.com, a platform for professionals who identify as LGBTQ. We developed the “powered by ActivelyOut.com” brand strategy allowing organizations to completely brand the ActivelyOut social networking platform to expand their individual brands online and off.
I founded a company called Wireless Africa that installed wireless implementations in Eastern Africa during the early 2000s. I watched as Massai warriors wore their ceremonial dress with cell phones in hand, able to communicate with ease for the first time. I was Invited to the UN Conference in Addis Abba, Ethiopia to share our work. I also presented in Kenya at the ICT conference. In addition I brought this learning home to Oakland, California where I installed wireless infrastructure to support my neighbors in West Oakland.
I launched StateOfEquity.org as a central location for information on equity, reparations, jobs and training.
On Environment
The environment is not something separate from race and class struggles. It is no surprise that many Black and brown communities suffer from a higher level of air and water pollutants than more affluent white communities. Our planet is in crisis, and our future is on the line.
Water is recognized as a human right by the United Nations. “The right to water entitles everyone to have access to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic use.” (Human Rights | UN-Water (unwater.org) In America, families struggling to pay their water bills are threatened with shutoff, depriving them of safe, acceptable and physically accessible drinking water.
I am a chair of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Citizens Advisory Council where I advocate for water as a human right. We have focused on issues of equity in hiring, policy, and health including air quality. I solicit feedback and provide support on their racial equity plan. And we are developing humane ways to collect on overdue water, power, and sewer bills without putting consumers in peril.
We have had some major resolutions on equity including:
- Passed resolution for resilient water supply Aug 17, 2021 (San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (sharefile.com))
- Passed resolution supporting SB612 which would require Investor Owned Utilities to allow CCA’s access to the resources that they paid for. The bill was supported by the Board of the Supervisors, Mayor’s Office, and the SFPUC. July 10, 2021 (San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (sharefile.com))
- Passed resolution in support of transition to CleanPowerSF residential customers to time-of-use rates, July 10,2021(San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (sharefile.com))
I spoke at the SFPUC Commission’s October 12, 2021 meeting: Public Utilities Commission (granicus.com)
Here is some more general information on the SFPUC CAC: Citizens’ Advisory Committee | SFPUC
I was the Bayview Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) Coordinator, where I was able to secure $25,000 for our neighborhood to strengthen our community resilience. I was also a Social Media Trainer and co-created “Using Twitter to save lives.” I presented at a statewide training conference organized by CA volunteers called the #CERT300 conference as well as a FEMA webinar. At the time, it was the most watched FEMA online training.
On Community-based Economics
In addition to the urgency of the environment and equity issues, building a thriving economic base is important to the community’s ability to thrive.
- I help nonprofit organizations, small businesses and churches seek out alternative funding streams to support their work.
- I help equity applicants apply licenses and understand Cannabis retail law. I operate websites that help entrepreneurs and established businesses market their goods and services, driving foot traffic and increasing their digital presence. These communities include CannabisTasting.net, OneBayview Marketplace, Bayview.coop
- I worked with the Small Business Administration and Score and Renaissance Bayview to put on workshops focused on promoting African-American businesses.
- I founded and served as chair of the Bayview.coop steering committee. This idea grew out of the need for healthy food in the Bayview. The neighborhood was essentially a food swamp with lots of unhealthy options like convenience stores and gas stations, but no fresh produce. We built a website where people could go to buy and sell healthy food. From farmers and distributors direct to consumers, our website drives traffic and informs the public about alternative food sources.
Before Covid, those on food assistance could not use their card benefit to purchase food boxes online. When Governor Newsome lifted that ban, we were able to expand our reach with the Bayview Bounty bags (see pics) to allow more people who did not qualify for other programs or who were too confused by the time consuming qualification process to make the switch to healthier eating.
On Social Impact
In order to foster the changes necessary to create a better world, we must all work together. Social impact is a theory of change, a way to harness the power of relationships to build progressive action. With applied social impact, equity, environmental justice and economic success are all possible!
I developed three online communities to bring people together around issues of social justice, allowing space for decision making and action.
- StateofEquity.org — Systems are complicated because people in power don’t want the general public to understand. Following the money in instances such as Congressional budget allocations or public works projects is intentionally hard. StateofEquity.org was developed to bring transparency to equity projects.
- InspiredSocialImpact.com – Social Impact is defined by leading universities as “a significant, positive change that addresses a pressing social challenge.” InspiredSocialImpact.com was developed to help social impact professionals connect. We know that there are a lot of great projects out there doing great things, but it can be hard to organize.
- AmplifyImpact.io – Nonprofits do social impact work all the time, but they struggle to find the necessary funding. AmplifyImpact.io was developed to help mission driven organizations continue their great work.
I have worked with local churches to develop a Faith Based Coalition which recognizes our churches as key partners. The Coalition was indispensable during the pandemic, distributing food city wide.
I am a founding member of the African-American Arts and Culture District.
I founded the Stanford Alumni Social Impact, Innovation, and Investing, group where I curate direct action requests, webinar content and events for socially minded alumni. Stanford Alumni are dispersed throughout the country, and many are interested in achieving social justice.
Graduating from Stanford University with a degree in Computer Systems Engineering, it is really important to me to address the issues around equity in the digital space. Through my many endeavors, I seek to help amplify the impact of communities and to help community members transform their neighborhoods.