This May we welcomed San Francisco Supervisor, Jane Kim.
Ms. Kim is a “progressive leader who has fought to expand access to affordable housing, protect renters, close the income gap and improve public schools” (Jane Kim’s website).
On May 5, Supervisor Kim went on a tour of Hamlin with Head of School, Wanda Holland Greene, then she met with a group of middle school students.
Kim is a product of an all-girls’ education, and she attended the Spence School in New York City. She continued on to Stanford, then UC Berkeley for Law School. She stressed the importance of all girls’ schools stating that they “give young women the strength to lead.” She emphasized that there is a “need for more women in government” and that she is often the only female in the room during political meetings. She also mentioned that there have been times when people have assumed that she was her own secretary. Kim has made a point of assembling her team to be comprised of only women.
Students asked Ms. Kim about her background fighting issues like homelessness. Supervisor Kim spoke about her middle school years in New York City when she began to really notice how people were treated differently based on their appearance and how they spoke. She recognized that impoverished individuals were not generally treated equally, which led her to want to be a “part of the solution for homelessness.”
She then expanded her comments about housing and issues of poverty. Kim stated, “The only answer to homelessness is housing; affordable housing in San Francisco is the most pressing issue.” She went on to talk about how she stayed one night in a San Francisco homeless shelter and learned a tremendous amount. While in the shelter, she saw that many homeless people are over fifty and experiencing illness. She understands homelessness as a public health issue and has fought for nurses to be stationed at various shelters to provide medical care.
We are very thankful that Supervisor Kim visited us. Her governmental work on poverty complements our experiences with the SF Marin Food Bank and Project Homeless Connect. Our students now better understand how non-profits and civic leaders strive together for the improvement of our society.
For more information about Supervisor Jane Kim, please visit: