Experience food and wine from the San Francisco Bay Area’s premiere restaurateurs and vintners and enjoy entertainment by Famed Jazz Guitarist Terence Brewer & DJ KingMost.

Black tie affair.

Come by. Glide unconditionally.

Host Committee:
Mike Kim, Alan Wells, Alexander Volberding, Christine Gage,` Christine Tayaba, Heather Pond, Keesa Ocampo, Matt Haney, Phillip Zackler

Sponsors ( Partial List )

2Nite Vodka – http://www.2nitevodka.com/
Bar Method – http://www.barmethod.com/
Anchor Brewing – http://www.anchorbrewing.com/
That Takes the Cake – http://that-takes-the-cake.com/
VuQo – http://www.vuqo.com/
CPK – http://www.cpk.com/
Aidells – http://www.aidells.com/
Mercury Lounge – http://mercurysf.com/
5A5 – http://www.5a5stk.com/
Jade Chocolates – http://www.jadechocolates.com/

PLEASE JOIN US…as we share this moment together…

Feel free to contact Manufou Liaiga-Anoa’i at (415) 574-8423 for more information.

Manufou “Fou” Liaiga-Anoa’i
SF SAMOA (SF Friends of American Samoa & Samoa)
SPIA (Samoan Parents In Action)
www.MANUFOU.com

It has been said that 70% of African-American kids in the San Francisco School District are under-performing. It’s time that we change that.

FREEDOM REVOLUTION!

Presented by Bay Area Benefit, Citizen Hope, and 600 LBS

“Soundtrack for a Revolution” Film Screening with SF Freedom Schools
Date: Thursday, June 24, 2010
Time: 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: Third Baptist Church
Street: 1399 McAllister St.
City/Town: San Francisco, CA

A very special screening of “Soundtrack for a Revolution” with the kids of the San Francisco Freedom Schools!

Join 200 kids from the Ida B. Wells (Western Addition) and Willie Brown Jr. Academy (Bayview/Hunters Point) Freedom Schools at a fun and educational movie night!

WATCH THE TRAILER.

SPACE IS LIMITED! PLEASE EMAIL KEESA@OCAMPO.COM TO RSVP!

…including awesome performances to be announced! And Soundtrack for a Revolution Director Bill Guttentag! The film is brand new and yet to be widely released!

Do you like watching your movies with popcorn? Hummus and pita? Bring a bag of your favorite movie snack to share! Sharing is love.

Please consider bringing a blanket or something to sit on, and a $5 optional donation!

About the CDF Freedom Schools:
The CDF FREEDOM SCHOOLS model incorporates the totality of the Children’s Defense Fund’s mission by fostering environments that support children and young adults to excel and believe in their ability to make a difference in themselves and in their families, schools, communities, nation, and world.

The Ida B. Wells and Willie Brown Jr Academy offer summer courses in reading and creative writing for kids in K-12. Their program includes speakers, field trips, social action projects, outdoor activities and arts & crafts.

Read more about the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools program here.

About the film:
SOUNDTRACK FOR A REVOLUTION tells the story of the American civil rights movement through its powerful music -the freedom songs protesters sang on picket lines, in mass meetings, in paddy wagons, and in jail cells as they fought for justice and equality.

The film features new performances of the freedom songs by top artists, including John Legend, Joss Stone, Wyclef Jean, and The Roots; riveting archival footage; and interviews with civil rights foot soldiers and leaders, including Congressman John Lewis, Harry Belafonte, Julian Bond, and Ambassador Andrew Young.

The freedom songs evolved from slave chants, from the labor movement, and especially from the black church. The music enabled blacks to sing words they could not say, and it was crucial in helping the protesters as they faced down brutal aggression with dignity and non-violence. The infectious energy of the songs swept people up and empowered them to fight for their rights.

SOUNDTRACK FOR A REVOLUTION celebrates the vitality of this music. Directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman (Nanking), and executive produced by Danny Glover, SOUNDTRACK FOR A REVOLUTION is a vibrant blend of heart-wrenching interviews, dramatic images, and thrilling contemporary performances — a film of significance, energy, and power.

Dear Family & Friends:

I would like to say THANK YOU to each and everyone of you who came out tonight and supported our efforts to ADVOCATE for the REPEAL of the disciplinary rule implemented by Alta Loma Middle School and the South San Francisco Unified School District Cabinet and Board of Trustees.

THE VILLAGE HAS SPOKEN – POWER TO THE PEOPLE. Your voices of compassion have been heard, OUR STUDENTS will rightfully participate in next week’s PROMOTIONAL EXERCISES!

While we celebrate this small victory as a community, we must also remember that there is still much more work to be done. We have mobilized as a PEOPLE and the POWER of your PRESENCE and HEART resonated through the room tonight.

I write with tears of joy, grateful to those who partnered with us to ensure that we were SERVED & HEARD. Please continue to help others in need, don’t stand on the sidelines complaining, but jump in it, GET INVOLVED and be a part of the SOLUTION, NOT THE PROBLEM.

Thanks to the SSFUSD Board of Trustees and Cabinet members for restoring our faith in the PROCESS and ensuring that our voices have an outlet.

Congratulations to our students who will join their classmates next week. HATS OFF TO CLASS 2010!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU again to everyone who offered support via prayers, alofa (love), your presence, your letters – all of the support! Fa’amalo Atu and a SPECIAL THANK YOU to my community partners – MY OHANA:

Keith Kamisugi – Equal Justice Society
Keesa Ocampo – ABS-CBN & Bay Area Benefit Family
Tessie Guillermo – Zero Divide
Dallas Te’o – Samoan Solutions
Mona Uli-Lopez – Samoan Solutions
Lemasani & Keith Briggs – Mission District Re-Entry Center for Youth
Yvonne Casperson – West Bay Rams Football Association
Val LiHang Jacobo – Oceania
Pastor Eighi & Dorothy Hisatake – Lighthouse Church
Palega Sululagi – Samoan Community Development Center

WE ARE HERE TO STAY – Let’s continue to stay connected WITH EACH OTHER. Thank you again, God bless you ALL and keep doing the DO!

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (front left in above photo) on Monday awarded Presidential Citations to Bay Area Benefit co-founder Keesa Ocampo (holding award in photo) and several other Filipinos and organizations who have demonstrated exemplary service for the benefit of the victims of Typhoons Ketsana and Parma which struck the Philippines last year.

In an April 12 breakfast and awarding ceremony held at the Hyatt Burlingame Hotel, the President awarded the Presidential Citation to Keesa for organizing the biggest fundraiser and awareness campaign in the San Francisco Bay Area that raised $20,000 for the typhoon victims.

The President also awarded Presidential Citations to: Sonia T. Delen for raising more than $16,000 in various fund raising activities; Al Perez, as president of the Filipino American Arts Exposition (FAAE), a non-profit organization that contributes to the artistic and cultural pride of the Filipino American community in the San Francisco Bay Area, which contributed $6,500 to the Philippine typhoon relief efforts; the Filipino-American Law Enforcement Officers (FALEO) Association for its initiative to conduct their own relief operation drive which generated US$5,000, 60 boxes of canned goods and 80 boxes of clothing; and the Philippine Center Volunteers – composed of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco and its attached agencies namely, the Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Philippine Center Management Board (PCMB), for organizing the “Share a Food, Share a Love” fund raising drive which raised US$4,000 and generating donations totaling $4,490.
 
Aside from the citation, President Arroyo conferred the Order of the Golden Heart, rank of the Grand Cross to Mr. Diosdado “Dado” Banatao who is also the Philippines’ first Special Envoy for Science and Technology.  As an engineer, Mr. Banatao is credited with developing several key semiconductor technologies and is regarded as a Silicon Valley visionary, thus bringing pride to the Philippines. 
 
Together with his wife, the Banatao couple established the first research institute at the University of the Philippines’ College of Engineering in 2009 and have funded one-year fellowships for UP College of Engineering professors at UC Berkeley.  They have also provided scholarships for high school and college students in the areas of engineering, mathematics and sciences.
 
The President also conferred the Order of the Golden Heart, rank of the Grand Officer to Ms. Christina Laskowski who is currently the president of the Silicon Valley Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC).  Ms. Laskowski is being recognized for initiating efforts to institutionalize the contributions of successful Bay Area Filipino American scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs.
 
Under her leadership, a Memorandum of Agreement between STAC and the Departments of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Trade and Industry (DTI), and Science and Technology (DOST), was signed in August 2009 which was witnessed by President Arroyo during her visit to California.  One of the programs under the MOA is the DOST’s “Balik Scientist” Program and the DTI’s Industry Development Program for an 18-month roadshow from June 2010 – December 2011 to share best practices and international standards that will propel the Philippines towards enhanced productivity and global competitiveness.
 
On the same occasion, President Arroyo conferred the Presidential Medal of Merit on Senator Leland Y. Lee, Ph.D. (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) of the California Senate for promoting the interests of the Filipino Americans.  Senator Yee, whose district includes the largest Filipino community outside of the Philippines, has long advocated for the Filipino World War II veterans.
 
Just recently, he introduced Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 25 calling on United States President Barack Obama, Congress, and the US Department of Military Affairs to “expedite the funding and lessen the amount of required documentation for eligible Filipino and Filipino American veterans to receive payments under the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund.”  Senator Yee also co-authored several bills to add the role of Filipinos in World War II to the high school social studies curriculum.  In 2009, he authored the law (SCR 48) making California as the first state to officially declare October as Filipino American History Month.
 
Finally, President Arroyo awarded the Presidential Citation to Acting Lieutenant Governor Mona Pasquil for her pioneering achievement in the political history of California as the first woman, the first Asian American, and the first Filipino American to occupy the office of the Lieutenant Governor of the State of California.  The President also recognized the contributions of Acting Lt. Governor Pasquil to the community, such as her valuable work with the Asian Pacific Youth Leadership Project and My Sister’s House, a safe haven for victims of domestic violence.
 
From San Francisco, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo headed to Washington D.C. and joins more than 40 world leaders to participate in the Nuclear Security Summit hosted by United States President Barack Obama.

I wish that this never happened to you. I wish that we could sit around you and build you a safe place. I wish that the decisions made will be just and fair. I wish that you recover and heal. I wish we could take away your pain.

I wish that you come to a point in your life where the memory is real but short and fleeting. I wish you no nightmares, no fear and no more tears. I wish that you will grow up without shame or regret because there is nothing here that should make you cower.

The boys were 13, 14, 17, 19 and 20.

I wish that you will find your moment of truth, unblemished and untainted by the lies they’re whispering around you. “He didn’t do it.” “She’s lying.” You’ll hear more lies but learn to turn deaf ears when they say, “Shame on you.” “You ruined my life.” Be brave little girl. Don’t let it own you.

I wish that you will grow up unafraid. I wish you will realize that you don’t need people to validate your truth because you trust the honesty in your heart. I wish you many long days in your childhood. I wish you dolls, board games, jump ropes, make-up. I wish you pigtails, Chuck Taylors, knee highs and chocolate milk. Live them well, live them long and don’t forget.

I wish that you will love yourself and be proud because one day, you will be a survivor. You will live to tell the truth and you will show other girls how to love life. How to look in the mirror and see a goddess, deserving of love and respect. I wish that one day, you will speak for them. Even if people dissuade you. I wish you find your voice.

I wish that when you’re ready, your first kiss will be from someone you like. I wish he takes the time to woo you, pursue you, treasure you. I wish it gives you butterflies in your stomach. Because that’s what a first kiss should be. Not something stolen by a boy you don’t know.

I wish that when you’re ready, you will know what it is like to be loved by a man who respects you and honors you. I wish that he is faithful and thoughtful. Gentle and caring. Someone who will honor the temple that is your body. Someone who will buy you flowers just because. Someone who will be there when it’s good and stick around when it’s tough. Someone who will think to open your door, carry your books, light candles and kiss you. I wish that you will allow yourself to be loved.

Little girl, it won’t be easy. But you will survive. Don’t let them tell you lies. Don’t let them tell you that you can’t speak. Don’t let them tell you to feel shame. Don’t let them buy you or molest your mind. Baby girl, don’t let it own you.

When you’re ready, we’ll be here.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May He lift His countenance toward you and give you peace.

- – -
Read the headline “Suspect’s Attorney: 7-Year-Old Was ‘Not Gang-Raped’” here.

California has now officially become the state that is 49th in education and first in condemned inmates. As detailed in the attached article, death sentences in the nation have declined for their seventh straight year, reaching their lowest number since the Court reinstated the death penalty back in 1976. California, on the other hand, saw an increase in death sentences this past year.

California has the largest death row, comprising 20% of the nation’s condemned inmate population – and the numbers suggest that California has no intention of slowing down. As Natasha Minsker of the ACLU points out, “LA sentenced more people to death in 2009 than the entire state of Texas.”

Further, disparities of sentencing in the criminal justice system at large are also apparent in death sentencing here- while our state saw an increase in death verdicts overall, California increasingly and disproportionally meted out death to African-Americans and Latinos, who comprised 65% of death sentences in 2009.

Irrespective of whether one believes the death penalty should exist, a state that is first in condemned inmates and next to last in education has a fundamental and horrific problem with its policy, perspective, and priorities. Both of these numbers reflect tragic and disproportionate effects on poor people and people of color. California can and must do better than this.

Read the article here.

In 2006, a California Sex Offender Management Board was created to monitor and advise the Legislature on how to manage sexual predators. While current laws prohibit parolees from sleeping within miles of where children congregate, they are not prohibited from visiting these places.

Another problem that has persisted is that while it monitors parolees, it does not cover some who may pose as a danger to children.

The GPS system which eats up $65 million a year is arguably, an expensive and faulty method of monitoring sex offenders which may give the community a false sense of security.

According to the California Attorney General’s office, among crimes that would require a convict to register as a sex offender:
– Kidnapping to commit rape, sodomy, oral copulation or sexual penetration
– Assault with intent to commit rape, sodomy or oral copulation
– Sexual battery
– Rape
– Pandering where prostitute is under 16
– Incest
– Lewd or lascivious acts with a child
– Contacting a minor with intent to commit a sex offense
– Continuous sexual abuse of a child
– Indecent exposure
– Possession or distribution of child pornography
– Annoying or molesting a child
– Aggravated sexual assault
– Sexually exploiting a minor

Senator Mark Leno is working with to reform current laws which are expensive and flawed. Republican Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher is also working on introducing Chelsea’s Law that includes emphasizing resources on higher-risk parolees, imposing longer sentences on sex offenders who victimize children, and requiring lifetime parole for those offenders.

While it is my opinion that treatment and therapy would be a better tracking method of intervention and rehabilitation for sex offenders, a cost-efficient way to roll that out is still quite unclear.

But I know that when I saw the number 66,000, referring to the number of registered sex offenders in the State of California, I knew that it was an inaccurate number that reminds me that there is so much work to be done to keep our streets and children safe from sexual predators.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 7, 2010
5:45pm – 8:00pm
WHERE: Glide
330 Ellis St
San Francisco, CA

Please join us for a very special discussion with Cecil Williams & Janice Mirikitani of Glide.

Cecil and Janice are San Francisco icons who have dedicated their lives to serving those most in need and have been instrumental social activists fighting for equality in our community.

After the moderated conversation, we will have a rare Wednesday night performance from the powerful Glide Ensemble. If you’ve never seen them, you will not want to miss this!!

A reception will immediately follow the discussion and performance.

All are welcome. This event is FREE. Please spread the word.

***
The event is co-sponsored by Citizen Hope, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, A Good Idea & Bay Area Benefit.

Co-Hosts: Mike Kim, Matt Haney, Keesa O’Campo, Jane Kim, Rebecca Prozan, Debra Walker, Jared Paul.
***

Rev. Cecil Williams:

For over 45 years, Reverend Cecil Williams has expanded the limits of spirituality, compassion and diversity as Founder and Minister of Liberation of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco. As minister, author, social activist, lecturer, community leader and spokesperson for the poor and marginalized, Reverend Williams is respected and recognized as a national leader on the forefront of change and in the struggle for civil and human rights.

Janice Mirikitani:

Mirikitani is the Founding President of the Glide Foundation where she in partnership with her husband, Reverend Cecil Williams, have achieved worldwide recognition for their groundbreaking organization which empowers San Francisco’s poor and marginalized communities to make meaningful changes in their lives to break the cycle of poverty and dependence. Over 43 years they built 87 comprehensive programs that provide education, recovery support, primary and mental health care, job training, housing and human services.

RSVP on Facebook here.

ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Domestic violence can be defined as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner.

Physical Abuse: Hitting, slapping, shoving, grabbing, pinching, biting, hair-pulling, biting, etc. Physical abuse also includes denying a partner medical care or forcing alcohol and/or drug use.

Sexual Abuse: Coercing or attempting to coerce any sexual contact or behavior without consent. Sexual abuse includes, but is certainly not limited to marital rape, attacks on sexual parts of the body, forcing sex after physical violence has occurred, or treating one in a sexually demeaning manner.

Emotional Abuse: Undermining an individual’s sense of self-worth and/or self-esteem. This may include, but is not limited to constant criticism, diminishing one’s abilities, name-calling, or damaging one’s relationship with his or her children.

Economic Abuse: Making or attempting to make an individual financially dependent by maintaining total control over financial resources, withholding one’s access to money, or forbidding one’s attendance at school or employment.

Psychological Abuse: Causing fear by intimidation; threatening physical harm to self, partner, children, or partner’s family or friends; destruction of pets and property; and forcing isolation from family, friends, or school and/or work.

Violence does not discriminate regardless of class, ability, age, education, immigration status, sexual orientation, and religion.

TICKETS: http://www.cityboxoffice.com or call 415.392.4400

$28 (balcony and dress circle), $58 (orchestra), $88 (VIP seats). 10% discount for 20 tix or more. $10 discount for students, Friends of FWN, V-Day cast/crew, FWN members.