SF 100 Black Women Multicultural Weekend Filled With Drama

March 8, 2012 - PRLog -- The San Francisco Chapter of 100 Black Women in San Francisco Multicultural Weekend Filled With Drama, Tea & Spirit

From the High Drama at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, To Afternoon Tea at Nob Hill to High Spirit at the 160th Anniversary of Bethel A.M.E. Church, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women in San Francisco kicked off Women’s History Month in Style.

San Francisco-San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee, former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr., newly Appointed San Francisco City Administrator Naomi Kelly and a host of dignitaries were on hand as the San Francisco Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women kicked off Women’s History Month with the 7th Annual Golden Girls Hats and Gloves “Bridging the Generations” Tea at the Fairmont Hotel on historic Nob Hill.

The “Golden Girls Hats and Gloves Tea ‘Bridging the Generations’  was the centerpiece of the San Francisco National Coalition of 100 Black Women in San Francisco Multicultural Weekend which included a Friday night kickoff at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre’s current production of “Blue/Orange starring TV, stage and film celebrity Carl Lumbly and 160th Anniversary Celebration of Bethel A.M.E. Church (the oldest Black church in San Francisco) with Reverend J. Edgar Boyd on Sunday.

(Photo L-R: Emcee Janice Edwards, Debbie Alvarez,CEO of SF Goodwill Industries (tea sponsor), Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, Supervisor Malia Cohen, Teresa Cox, Trade Advisor to the Obama Administration, Carla Thomas, Reporter Post Newspaper Group, Dr. Maxine Hickman, President SF National Coalition of 100 Black Women)

A sold-out crowd received greetings from Mayor Edwin Lee who presented a proclamation to Dr. Maxine Hickman, President of San Francisco’s National Coalition of 100 Black Women (NCBW).  Lee commended the chapter for it’s “Bridging the Generations Employment and Job Training Program,” a concept created by Jackie Wright, the 2011 Tea Chair.  

The Mayor affirmed his appointment of Naomi Kelly as City Administrator and said, “This City is in good hands with Naomi and together we will run this City to serve everyone.”

Mayor Lee commended all the honorees by name noting that The Honorable Teresa Cox Trade Commissioner to the Obama Administration had made him promise when they were in Washington D.C. to attend and he made special note of Leona Bridges and Supervisor Malia Cohen with whom he has the pleasure to work. The audience delighted as the Mayor and President of the Board of Supervisors David Chiu bantered back and forth about starting a Chinese men’s hat organization that would of course pale in comparison to the ornate display of hats present in the Fairmont’s Crown Room.  

Keynote speaker, Naomi Kelly pointed out that the hats were more than a fashion statement.  She explained that the hats signified overcoming challenges. Kelly was appointed as City Administrator on February 7  and is responsible for 20 departments and a budget of over $450 million.  She mentioned that when she and Mayor Lee were in the City Administrator’s office working diligently to bring balance to budgets in the service of the people of San Francisco they never in a million years thought they would be where they are today.  

Kelly said preparation is the key to making the most of opportunity.  Recounting when she was working for Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr., “My memos to him would sit in his office for weeks, but when I followed up on his advice to get more education and sent him a memo for a letter of recommendation to law school, before I could walk back to my office, I was called back to pick it up.  I thank Mayor Brown, Mayor Lee, my mother, my cousin who is with me today and so many others who helped me be the best I could be.”

Kelly’s affirmation of education and preparation was in alignment with the announcement by Dr. Hickman that the Golden Girl’s Hats and Glove Tea Title Sponsor, Academy of Art University has provided the chapter with $150,000 in scholarship funds.  “We are honored and pleased to be working with Dr. Elisa Stephens to provide worthy young people with an opportunity to advance in life with an education from the Academy of Art University and the application process will be announced before the summer session,” according to Dr. Hickman.  Other key sponsors of the event were: California Pacific Medical Center, Lennar Urban, Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, and KPIX/CW Bay Area TV.

The honorees received accolades from House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, California State Senator Leland Yee,  California Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, California State Senator Mark Leno came through to give greetings; The Honorable Teresa Cox, Trade Advisor to the Obama Administration, and Leona Bridges,  of the San Francisco Metropolitan Board of Directors received the Trailblazer Award; The Honorable Malia Cohen (SF District 10 Supervisor) received the Advocacy Award; Karen Lewis received the Entrepreneur Award, Cassie Cook received the Community Service Award, Gloria M. Jackson, MD received the Health Service Award, Dr. Kimberly Mayfield Lynch received the Education Award.

Special guests of honoree, The Honorable Teresa Cox were: Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr., Republic of Indonesia Consul General and Mrs. Asianto Sinambela, Republic of Korea Deputy Consul General Sungwook Hong, Consul General People’s Republic of China in San Francisco, Yanlai Wang, wife of Consul General Gao Zhansheng, Consul General People's Republic of China in San Francisco, Vice Consul Yang Zhao, Consul General of the Republic of Singapore and Mrs. Hock Seng Chin, Andrea Paniagua Borrego, Consul for Inter-Institutional Affairs, Office of Consul General of Mexico, Salvador Enriquez, Minority Business Development Agency U.S. Department of Commerce, Elston Ridgle, former NFL player and Hollywood Actor.

The Tuskegee Airmen received their annual recognition from the chapter.  SF NCBW Chartering President and President Emeritus I Lee Murphy-Reed presented Lieutenant Colonel Harold Hoskins with original portraits of Tuskegee Airmen for the Northern California Chapter of The Tuskegee Airmen. “I am pleased to accept this honor on behalf of the men that served this country so valiantly, but I must also commend the women that stood by them as so much was brought to bear on men working for the “Double Victory” to win a war on foreign ground and to win respect and civil rights at home,” said Hoskins. It should be noted, Benjamin Reed, husband of I. Lee Murphy Reed is also a Tuskegee Airman.

The event emceed by award-winning talk show host Janice Edwards, included musical entertainment by Camille Hudson, opera soprano Hope Briggs and piano virtuoso Ricardo Scales.

“We’d like to thank Janice Edwards for keeping us on time, our wonderful keynote speaker Naomi Kelly, Mayor Lee, Mayor Brown, Supervisor Chiu, all of our honorees, all of our dignitaries including consul generals who were special guests of The Honorable Teresa Cox, our sponsors and most of all you for joining us today, said Evelyn Perkins, Associate Director-Finance at Kaiser Permanente & 2012 Tea Chairperson and  First Vice President SF NCBW.  “Please join us next year for “The Golden Girls Hats and Gloves ‘Bridging the Generations’ Tea, always the first Saturday in March, March 2, 2013.  Thank you,” concluded Perkins as the gala tea ended in a celebratory spirit.

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