These are some of the faces of activism in our community, men and women on the front lines of social change. Find out about their work, their struggles and their triumphs. Some you may not recognize and some will look a lot like you.
These are their stories.
Mary Brown is the program director for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition which works to transform San Francisco's streets and neighborhoods into safer places for bicyclists and pedestrians.
"Starting up the campaign to get bike lanes on Valencia Street was my first foray into bike activism. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, nor did 99 percent of the people I'd roped into working for this near-impossible goal. It took us two years of slow organizing -- but we actually succeeded! For the first time ever in SF, two lanes of car traffic were removed to make room for bikes. It continues to give me great hope, that a small group of inexperienced neighbors could get together with a common vision and actually reclaim public space on the streets."
Pepe Urquijo is an award-winning Bay Area filmmaker who documents issues such as gentrification. Pepe also works with urban youth at the East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC).
"A soulless form of communication plagues my community. Putting brown faces on the screen for viewers to consume is not enough. Showing people speaking Spanish is just as empty. These faces and languages may be familiar but devoid of spirit they are just contours and words. The cuentos (stories) I choose to tell are of the everyday folk I see: a fruit vendor pushing her cart, a day laborer waiting for work, a substance abuser trying to heal himself, a grass roots organizer coordinating a march. These are but a few of the untold stories that should not have to wait for the mainstream media's faulty lens. I have been consistently challenged with abating ignorance through video/film. This art form is a powerful tool in breaking stereotypes and exposing social illnesses.
Communicating to audiences in the language they speak and believe is a crucial step to good storytelling. I find that a deeper and more meaningful message is conveyed through characters and subjects that are true to life. In creating "Algu Dia", this authenticity was recreated by non-actors as they participated in the liberating experience of telling a story that they were familiar with. Through this creative process and the real person portraying themselves, can a more accurate reflection be brought to light.
Through telling a story, the search for reality became central in producing/directing my next film "Beca de Gilas: Rebeca's Story". I learned that the honesty of people's lives counts just as much. Building trust allows the subjects to share a moment of their time. "Beca" was an excellent opportunity to examine a Chicana's life and family as they shared their dreams, losses, and triumphs with us. Being there, building trust with Rebeca and her family allowed us to capture the many sides of this meaningful and not so talked about experience, was a critical part of this cuento."
Kevin Weston, poet, youth advocate, activist, hip hop entrepreneur, is the editor of Verse at the San Francisco Bayview, a writer for Pacific News Service and New California Media, and an editor at Youth Outlook (Yo!) magazine.
"I got my first thirst for the taste of freedom after the Simi Valley sham in '92. When I first saw the footage of Rodney King getting beat down I thought 'Okay, they finally caught these thugs in the act.' After the verdict, I realized that the fight is still going on, and the stakes are my life and the life of everyone I care about. I had to do something--and I have been doing something ever since."
Victor Saldana is a San Jose native and Silicon Valley DE-BUG organizer/writer. Silicon Valley DE-BUG is an organization of young people in Silicon Valley who are trying to better the work conditions for low-wage temporary workers in the area.
"It happened as I was distributing our Silicon Valley DE-BUG monthly magazine in a parking lot of a
printer assembly warehouse in San Jose. I handed a copy to an old co-worker of mine, and I saw his tired
eyes light up. Seeing his transformation made me feel like we can really start a movement, no matter what we are up against. I have been organizing for justice in the Silicon Valley ever since."
Have your own story about what activism means to you? Send it to us for a chance to have it posted here on our Web site.
Read more stories like these from the people and organizations featured in the "Raising a Ruckus" program.
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Pecolia Manigo of San Francisco's Third Eye Movement.
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