Highlighting Collaborative Strategies for Increasing Political and Economic Democracy in San Francisco's Communities of Color

More than 50 activists and funders gathered on March 1st for a lively discussion with S.F. Rising about how this alliance is mobilizing the disenfranchised to change the power balance in San Francisco through voter work.

Speakers included Yolanda Alindor of The San Francisco Foundation, Cedric Brown of the Mitchell Kapor Foundation, Alex Tom of the Chinese Progressive Association, N'Tanya Lee of Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth, and Maria Poblet of Causa Justa::Just Cause.

Many thanks to the Akonadi Foundation, the Mitchell Kapor Foundation, and Northern California Grantmakers for co-sponsoring this convening.

About SF Rising:

It's been almost a half-century since the height of the U.S. civil rights movement. Even as some assert that we are in a post–racial era, countless indicators reflect persistent, racially differentiated inequities in political power and economic conditions among poor and immigrant communities. In San Francisco, as the gap between wealthy and poor people continues to grow, our neighborhoods are in need of greater voice in civic life. What will it take to change the power dynamics moving forward? S.F. Rising – nine nonprofit organizations rooted in the rich culture and history of San Francisco's diverse communities of color – is jointly stepping up to this challenge.

S.F. Rising's coordinated neighborhood–based voter education is already delivering: In last November's election, S.F. Rising mobilized thousands of unlikely voters through an unprecedented level of collaboration and coordination. If politics or financial resources in San Francisco play a crucial role in "moving the needle" on advancing solutions that close disparities in the communities that you fund, or if you want to learn more about creating change through collaboration, you'll want to join us and weigh–in to this important conversation.