riders are african-american. the huge percentage really should tell us something, particularly when we have a seven-member body without an african-american member, and of the six current members there are only two of color, and might i add only one woman. we are looking at an mta where women deal with children going to school. we are talking about looking at our school system. the fact that now, through san francisco unified, they are talking about cutting school buses and school bus routes, which means they are going to be looking toward our public transportation to take care of our children in a different way and i do want to stress the fact that when we are talking about transportation in this city which should have more than one or two female members for the mta. i will also ask my colleagues. i do think this is a particularly important position. i absolutely agree with supervisor dufty that we could not find a better candidate for this role, and i think we could move this particular candidate out today. supe

who like african-americans, african- americans and their friends, use these tools to push back. of course there are concerns about safety, profiling, but i think we can mitigate those. when you look at a topic like neutrality, i am more concerned about net neutrality in the making sure there is equal access to the internet for all citizens, certainly there is a red-lining in districts where poor neighborhoods that may be more likely to be african- american do not have a full or fast broadband speeds. there are a number of issues that are also of the concern to african-americans as the globe changes how we communicate and how we can act. >> any specifics about what the african-american community should be doing? who should they be talking to? i do not feel like our politicians are informed. having a discussion about neutrality, it is a glazed look over the bulls face. they do not know what the technology means or location- based services. how do we take this to the next step? >> we do this at jack and jill politics. we have been keen to educate people on the importance of topics

and there is more that may be latinos and african-americans are. there is not a racial bloc but i just don't think they were specifically reacting to the fact obama is the african-american. >> this is not on my eight list of questions but i you join the conversation. i struggle with analyzing the idea. we know obama clearly once of the white voters who it is hard to say the approval rating is only attributable to the fact he is black when it at the who voted for him but this is one of the few times in the last year i have agreed with what michael phelps said that he was asked to apologize but when he said similar that there is less room for mistake when you are a black person. and then i feel he was speaking of himself but i think there is truth in that. i am curious and regardless with your a woman i there is truth in that and the curious to what your thoughts are on that? >> i agree. but there is another dynamic at that the wound is partly self inflicted. so frequently looking etfs looking at the handful of people over the last decade of the 20 y

with the vast middle of the african-american experience. the result is that black criminals become the face of. poverty and inequality in the process creating an unspoken climate of fear and anger and resentment that makes it virtually impossible to solve our inner city problems including crime by any other means policing and punishment. if on the one hand there's this glowing image of africa. make it seem to some that we've overcome issues of inequality. blacks do step out of line it's almost as if they're grateful and therefore deserve the harshest punishment. whether we're talking about blacks and latinos being depicted as violent criminals or arabs of muslims as extremists and terrorists were troubled the most was how such rationally fearful view of the world could make people more likely to accept and even welcome repression if it promises to relieve their insecurities we have to protect. society we could do is take these people off the streets and. public have to be careful not to get into a bidding war. on crime why not. if you. are

i think from the standpoint of african-americans, he brought the largest number of african-americans into government in the history of the state of virginia. that's worth something. but the question then is, "what were they able to achieve?" and i think quite rightly, when you look at the economic circumstances of the state at the time, it was very difficult to achieve anything. you know, i mean, there were some of us who knew that doug wilder would not be able to work miracles and that doug wilder being elected governor would possibly not have a tangible, appreciable impact... positive impact on our lives, but that this was larger than us. you know, he was going about the task of making history. ♪ ♪ narrator: as one of the highest elected black officials in the world, doug wilder became an international icon. he was treated as royalty on his travels, and drew enormous crowds on the african continent. wilder: the most impressive sight that we had was in the northern nigeria, where we went up there to kano state... and we were told by the u.s. ambassador to nigeria not to go there

african-americans are 12.4% of the u.s. population hispanics 15.1 but they are a much higher percentage of the participants in the number of government programs. some statistics show the african-americans and hispanics is proportionally represented as recipients of the support from programs such as temporary assistance to needy families, supplemental nutrition assistance programs and medicaid. if they work, these families are more likely to be eligible for the earned income tax credit because of their lower earnings. interestingly, the eitc appears in the budget in the same way that expenditures to. it's the only tax expenditure that is as visible as if it were a support program. the other tax expenditure is we somehow don't see visibly and i think that is perhaps interested people of color are also more likely to seek or be eligible for the government assistance in an effort to improve their economic position. in terms of work force investment programs for a sample african-americans are almost twice as likely to be enrolle

african-americans and asian- americans. do you novak when the agent exclusion act, the chinese exclusion act was before congress in 1870, the first national leader to speak out against that was frederick douglass. the same man who fought against slavery. do you know that when the chinese exclusion act was voted on in congress, there was one black senator named blanche bruce, the only african-american in the u.s. senate, voted against it. similarly, we work side-by-side for semel -- civil rights and improve public education. in '86, and laundry owner sued the san francisco board of supervisors for a racially discriminatory law, and it brought equal protection to minorities, and that overturned the 1857 dread scott case, which held that minorities were not protected by the u.s. constitution. we have the landmark case of brown harris is board of education, 1954, to thank for equality in education. -- brown v. board of education. seven years later, the chinese community here worked shoulder to shoulder with the african- america

that said, we have an african-american in the white house. we have a president who is being attacked 24/7. from many different angles. and you know, there is power to imagery. so you know, to the extent that this portrayal for better or worse can maybe you know, offset some of that, who knows. >> how much of what's going on in d.c. plays into what you all think about when you get in the creative, in the creative offerses and you're thinking about plots and characters and things like that in. >> it's a good question. i think that shows that work the best reflect real life. i think of "law & order" those episodes are ripped from the headlines. there are elements in our show that you will see that will resonate to us, because it is our reality. >> maybe you and i should sit down and talk, face to face, just you and me. >> no. there's been enough talk. >> what do you want? >> release the detainees or this time people will die. >> this show called "the event" is shrouded in secrecy. you know, that a lot i cannot say about the story points. >> just

african-americans are 12.4% of the u.s. population hispanics 15.1 but they are a much higher percentage of the participants in the number of government programs. some statistics show the african-americans and hispanics is proportionally represented as recipients of the support from programs such as temporary assistance to needy families, supplemental nutrition assistance programs and medicaid. if they work, these families are more likely to be eligible for the earned income tax credit because of their lower earnings. interestingly, the eitc appears in the budget in the same way that expenditures to. it's the only tax expenditure that is as visible as if it were a support program. the other tax expenditure is we somehow don't see visibly and i think that is perhaps interested people of color are also more likely to seek or be eligible for the government assistance in an effort to improve their economic position. in terms of work force investment programs for a sample african-americans are almost twice as likely to be enrolle

leading to the notion that they african american. civil rights and. equality movement has achieved its goal and there is no problem it will be different than it was before a five year old will grow into an american it says an african-american to be president because guess what here it's as if to say you see that there's no problem anymore there's no race problem. they switch those when african americans are portrayed in the news late this afternoon two men were sent to prison for raping a woman as a long record of violent unrest that may not surprise you or your old fired more than a dozen shots while trying to get away from authorities police tracked down the guy they think was one of four men arrested for a random attack on a young couple walking the animal just went through surgery after deputies see a suspect stabbed him in the mouth an african american male is twice as likely. to be seen as in connection with crime with drug violence is a fact in life. with the vast middle of the african-american experience raced from the airwaves to result is th

lot of african-americans knows someone like her. we kind of a -- they have an ambivalent relationship to barack obama because they love a black man running around thinking he could be president of the united states so that was part of this thing, needing this sarah getty institute into a way that was understandable. >> this reminds me of a line in the new york magazine. they had a quote from al sharpton who said something to the effect that i ran into the shower and she cornered me. he hadn't announced who he was supporting and he said he could use a little bit more of her. that told you everything you needed to know. >> the state senator who for indicate after being on the floor, just tormentor for years who would say you figured out what color you are, if you are white or black. he was reluctant to support obama when he ran for the u.s. senate. the state -- brought in several times. what is your problem with this guy? whig finally convinced him was michele. don't worry about him, i have got him. hearing that from a black woman, th

about a guaranteed job i want to ask you about african-american unemployment in the united states which is over over fifteen percent right now officially. what do you make of this is a protracted patterns of race discrimination in employment we remain number one in infant mortality number one in short life expectancy more than high unemployment number one and. in home foreclosures and number one in pop and that in the prisms of our country. blacks over half of the nation's christmas and across the south you look at the relationship it's just taking away the franchise let me say this alabama twin a six percent black prison senate five light blues in mississippi with a thirty percent like christmas in the six percent like you take them in the blacks and put them in prison you take with all the intake with their vote you little access to jobs for a little bit critical or so it's a kind of and civil rights swing and the pop of one of just as much. active in the process to us of this rather blatant pattern of racial injustice what about the president because many people are beginning to say

most of the property up and down third street, is still owned by african-americans. >> let's agree, the plan says we cannot use eminent domain on a personal on the well. so the question -- the answer is absolutely not. >> this is not a question where we are taking the warehousing and replacing it with the housing. we are talking about creating a new neighborhood. but we are looking to add to the neighborhood. >> the redevelopment in the district was over 30 years ago. most things have changed, and that is one of the things that has changed. as we went about doing to develop a plan, we looked at that and said there will be no limited demand and housing. i don't care where people live -- it could be in the middle of an industrial park. zero eminent domain of housing. so we were very sensitive to that. redevelopment is a great tool and it is a tool that has been used all over the state. we just finished bloomingdale's. that was a redevelopment area. it could happen, and if you strike, it could really make a difference. we are trying to make sure that we are using it right. >> we are not an

is there a place for african-americans? >> i think what's missing more often is perspective that comes from a black voice or comes from a black mind or black sensibilities. >>> welcome back. many african-americans have responded to the lack of diversity in the main stream media about creating their own space in the world of new media. here to discuss this is lola oganaki, david wilson, and tv and web personality amanda diva. all of you have been in main stream outlets, whether nbc news, new york times. what is it like to be the raisin in the buttermilk? you can write that one down. what's that like? >> at nbc, i think there is definitely -- they get it a lot more. they understand it much better, that you need to be a little more diverse, particularly in the newsroom. nobody is perfect but there is a good mix and i'm in those big meetings when they're deciding what stories are going out. but i think it's very important, and i think that, you know, look, america is diverse as we've been talking about and i think it's importan

look at african-americans, look at what they look like in this country. i mean, the fact is that many of us are related to many of you. and no one really wants to talk a lot about that but that is sort of the hidden conversation in america. >> my question was basically, obviously your stories-- have you had any experience of trying to tell the stories to younger people, maybe not necessarily younger african-americans but the kids who can't stop texting and can't stop looking on line because this is definitely something that has a lot of resonance with people in the community, the idea of a gration and looking for better pastures. have you had any experience of talking with kids at of that age group? >> our books are fairly new so it takes a while just to get the book and to get them to read it and pass it on but when it comes to migration, there are many people and they "hip-hop generation" that are descendents of the great migration. snoop doggy dogg, his family migrated from mississippi to los angeles. john combs family migrated from new york so tupac i

oh, yes, cheryl dunye is a fine young filmmaker-- african-american woman. and she made this film with some n.e.a. money, some help. and it was a modest film. it was a very loving film about some young african-american lesbians looking for this fictional movie star named watermelon woman, a black actress in the '30s. the scene was very tasteful. i mean, by hollywood standards, you wouldn't even bat an eye. and it was blown way out of proportion. some house of representatives-- oversight and investigation committee-- wanted, again, to hammer the n.e.a. and take all the amount of money we had given away from this filmmaker. to make a long story short, when it got to the house floor, the debate on it, shelia jackson-lee, a fine african-american congresswoman from texas, took the floor and said-- talked about diversity in our nation and the strength of diversity in our nation. and that was the end of the discussion. it was one thing to hammer away at the often disenfranchised group of african-american lesbians in the united states. it was quite another to take o

the law is not always fair and you keep bringing up the case of african-americans. a group we ought to their lot of attention to but historically if you look at one of the things that happen, african-americans suffer legal discrimination and one of the common justifications for that is we have to take care of the poor whites. it was an identification of who belongs. the white belongs to we will keep the african-americans marginalized and excluded, segregated. that was wrong. we all agree now, no one defends that today but it seems to me that is the exact parallel we're facing here. people who are members of society who live here proposal that mr. with a very specific case. are you in favor of the dream act or opposed to it? >> i have a position that is more humane than yours. my position is the dream act the way it is framed right now is very elitist because it says that it is for high school graduates that either go to college or go into the military. you have one group risking may be getting an f in class and the other risking their lives and if they make it back

. >> do you identify with african-american? >> american. >> do you identify with african-american? >> i identify as an american. for me, what the media and the world defines as being black and black culture and the kind of images they show i don't want to have anything it to do with it. many people buy into these stereotypes. >> don't you have to be in the house to fix it? >> >> that's a different issue. >> that's politics. >> not race. >> i'm talking about the issue of race. okay. >> i did want to turn the corner a bit and get some grades and some assessments. first of all, if you had to give a grade to president obama for how he's done so far, what would it be? >> c-minus to c. >> what do you say? >> d-plus. >> what do you say? >> d-plus. i voted for him. i'm thoroughly disappointed. >> the issues and election with president obama, that only white men had ever occupied the white house and they definitely weren't the most competent and best we ever had and the most qualified, history was so strong with me for barack obama. my vote for barack obama had nothing to do with economics,

has gotten worse surprisingly in the last two years of an african american presidency is that something you would agree with you about but i would like to raise correlation i mean the paths of discrimination deep into the structure of our economy in the last two years we've wallace more home for cost of targeted. screams of foreclosure by the banks my concern is the banks who did that who broke the law have not had to pay a price for that they have less access to capital and in the street and in technology urban america has been decimated now you have often throughout the years played a very significant role in american diplomacy and i would like to ask you about modern day diplomacy do you think the united states is in the right track especially if we look at areas like latin america and the middle east well latin american neighbors to do is about nation and when they have to speak spanish and even going to lift them up and doing a little. down them by michel two thousand miles of a border mexico these labels and sold them must be on the prescience of need for a comprehensive him a sph

four, being an african american woman role model for our youth. we have many challenges we believe she will help overcome. for the record, we ask this board for your support for mr. -- for ms. bridges to be our next mta commissioner. supervisor campos: thank you very much. is there any other member of the public would like to speak on this item? seeing none, public comment is closed. supervisor dufty: i want to thank you again for welcoming here -- welcoming me here today. a supervisor, and a speaking for something does not always necessarily happen. but i felt warm and comfortable here with my colleagues and want to reflect on a few things. first of all, there is going to be a new mayor. one of the important qualities we want in an mta director is independence. i think that is something that the restaurant doesn't that -- that director-designate bridges is able to bring. if she moves forward, it is going to be because of public participation and the board's consideration today. i know both of my colleagues are committed to affirmative action, and

he was an enslaved african american. he was selected to cast the bronze statue. he figured out how to disassemble the plaster model by taking an iron hook to the statue's head and gently lifting the top section until a hairline crack appeared. it indicated where the joint was located and then he repeated the operation until five different sections of the statue was discovered. we know about him because the son of the owner sheered the story with historians faction 1859. reed was an expert and everyone knew his work. we stand here not only because of him, but for other enslaved african americans like him who worked tirelessly to sacrifice. this will be a symbol of their sacrifice and will be seen by visitors to enter the building for evermore. i just want to personally thank the members of the slave labor task force. senator schumer and others worked to honor these and slave laborers. this incredible sacrifice and contribution had gone unrecognized for far too long. i am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this initiative and to thank everyone who join

nightmare looking for work study say a year ago one in six african-americans were without jobs. today so for. a lot of people even for myself china find a job in this economy it's really hard it's really hard to there's no health centers and there's no opportunities that there's like we just stay at one like an economic level like a. low income level poverty many see racial profiling continues to be a major obstacle to winning in the job market literally hundreds of studies have shown. without doubt repeatedly that for example a white man with a prison record who applies for a job is more likely to get a callback for that job interview for that job than a black man with a college education experts believe that's exactly why obama should be putting in place specifically targeted policies so why isn't he it's just a community of people that he's probably believes that belong to him will vote for him will support him he's going to spend political capital he's not going to spend it on black folk but instead you could say that obama has destroyed more blacks the ku klux klan would ha

maybe not necessarily african-americans but the kids who can't stop texting or looking online. this is something that has a lot of resonance with people in the community looking for better pastures. >> one of our books are fairly new. to read them and pass it on. when it comes to migration, there are many people in the, quote, hip-hop degeneration that our descendants of the great migration. his name is calvin, migrated from mississippi to los angeles. and his family migrated from north carolina to new york. hip-hop was one of the best known people of the iconic people of this generation. and the descendant of that migration from north carolina. it takes time for people to recognize the correction. that is why we want to record history. maybe people are not ready for it now but one day they will be. i had a friend who bought it for a 5-year-old who wants to design it but one day she will be able to read it. that is beautiful. >> we have time for one more question. >> i want to tell my story even though i would like to very much. do you guys have any sense of what that migration

[applause] presents the history of the great migration when approximately 6 million african-americans migrated to northern and western states from the south. from 1915 to 1970. ms. wilkerson recounts the reasons people had for leaving the south come visible the journey that many in doherty and the geographical shift in population due to the migration. she discusses her book of the atlanta history center. this is an hour and ten minutes. >> thank you so much. i am just giddy with a wonderful reviews and reception the book has received. i have waited 15 years for this moment. that is a very long time. i am honored and humbled to be here. i spent so long in the history of the great migration for a while i was stuck in 1947. i thought i would never get out of 1947. [laughter] for the record, just to be about to clarify what is the book is about, the great migration was the biggest under reported story of the 20th century. started in 1915 and it didn't end until the 1970's. all along the way people were thinking that must be over. end of world war i, it's done. and of world war ii, it's do

being african american is not a part of my public profile. yes, you see me in this way, but i don't say, "well, this is what african american astrophysicists think." that's not part of what i do. i talk about, you know, sun, moon, stars, the big bang, and will the earth be here in five billion years. >> hinojosa: and we'll get to that in a minute. >> so times have changed. and i am picked up by taxis now in ways that was not the case before. there'd be a fear factor that would operate. >> hinojorsa: but you now also are the director of the hayden planetarium in new york city. >> yeah. i've been that for 12 years. >> hinojosa: for 12 years. and it's interesting, because that's where it all started for you. >> hinojosa: yes. >> at the hayden planetarium. >> yeah, i became director of the planetarium, the place where first shaped me. so yes, it is one of these sort of "hometown kid comes home and does good." >> hinojosa: well, it's pretty amazing. >> but there are no hometown stories in new york. the city is too big. so it's not a story to tell.

chamber of commerce is concerned about the gross lack of for dissipation of african-american firms in your program. we would ask that the tjpa prior to awarding this contract demonstrate a commitment to the diversity programs. we are further concerned that your waiver of goals further demonstrate again to the agency does not take the sbe dde program seriously. awarding this project to the apparent low bidder who has not met the goals which show that the agency has ignored achievable participation of qualified local endeavors companies, we would hope your agency would send a serious message. sincerely, frederick jordan, president of the chamber. i am a subcontractor, a vendor who has put in a bid for this project. i represent 5% of the contract will agreement with granite, so i'm not just a vendor. i'm actually a contractor. hopefully, that means something to the board. director ford: thank you. >> i'm also a subcontractor consultant doing work with granite. basically, i have been -- my previous experience has shown that i have fought for live companies when i was on the other side of

but i'm african-american. i'm an african-american first. and i am putting this to our current mayor, mr. gavin newsom, and he put together this action plan. and right now i want to know who's in control. >> ♪ i want to know, yeah who's in control right here in san francisco yeah i ask the mayor but he really didn't care you know why he's out the door he's tiptoeing up to sacramento and i'm going to talk about you all the board of supervisors some of you are a bunch of liars and you all are going to pick the next mayor the redevelopment i'm going foff to sue and -- to have to sue and make a settlement all the money they spent we don't know where it went and it ain't no accident and now they're gone you know what housing authority they just ignore me then we got the h.r.c. force forgs the human rights you better listen to me it ain't no mystery just check your history and look around blacks are leaving town what's going down blacks are leaving this town where's willie brown i guess we're going to have to talk together to jerry brown yeah yo

- american served. 44% of youth served through the use to fund or african- americans. programs such as youth bill which is designed to give job training and education opportunities to young people who are from low income households and who are at risk so they can help to gain skills and to rebuild their communities. over 8400 of the people, the young people serve to that program, that is 60% or african- americans. we are working hard to make the budget dollars go and that communities of color received attention to accept -- to not accept the unacceptable unemployment rate. the unemployment insurance system which had a boost up and benefits banks to help from the cbc kamal almost 2.4 million of those americans who drew unemployment benefits were african american last year. thanks to thebcbc and others have successfully fought for the extension of unemployment benefits to give us additional 13 months. as president obama said when he signed that extension in december, 2 million americans looking for work lost their jobs through no fault of their own can now with certainty

first african-american to serve as the mayor of kansas city. [applause] as mayor emanuel cleaver worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for the cities residents. he championed programs and initiatives designed to create jobs and stimulate economic development. including infrastructure improvement, city planning and youth outreach. emanuel cleaver's exemplary leadership earned him a two-term position as president of the national conference of black mayors. now entering his fourth term representing the fifth district of missouri, in the house of representatives, congressman cleaver continues to make a positive impact for his constituents and the entire country. here in congress users on exclusive financial services committee, the homeland security committee, and the select committee on energy independence and global warming. above all, his proudest achievement i know it is beautiful family. is beautiful family. he and his wife diane have been married for more than 30 years and have made kansas city their home. they have four grown child

i do think it is important to have an african-american representation on that body as soon as possible. notwithstanding the approach we have taken with respect to other appointments, i will be supportive of moving this forward today. [applause] supervisor mar? supervisor mar: one of the things i have learned is coming in with an open mind. here ms. bridges speak about her qualifications, and all of you speaking in a strong voice for better representation of african-americans and working- class people of color on commissions and in leadership of this body -- i am learning as i go. i am a new supervisor. i also want to say a woman supervisor -- i will miss supervisors dufty and alioto- pier. we have to dialogue more, but in has to be from a position of equality. i would hope that ms. bridges and the transit advocates all sit down and think about how we work together and not have a one-way street, but a two-way street, as others have said. i also want to say that when you talk about taking three buses to lincoln or san francisco state, i can relate to that and my family can as well. but i

and i will be working to add more members of the african-american community to the elected family here in san francisco. [applause] and i will also commit myself to making sure that there are more latinos elected to the elected family, because there's room for everyone in this city to serve. so one thing that i learned, without a doubt, representing district 10, there is the absolute need for coalition building. everyone, we must learn how to work together in order to inspire together and connect with their humanity so that we can uplift ourselves out of this precarious budget system. and make san francisco truly the san francisco that it aspires to be. i couldn't have made it this far without assemblywoman fiona moss. she has been a great friend to me. [applause] fiona has offered incredible support during the campaign, and i am very humbled and grateful for her sage counsel and guidance. i'd like to acknowledge -- this is a good one. i'd like to acknowledge all of the many candidates who ran in district 10. for all of you that are in this room, you know that was a heck of a race. and