#sd11

Yesterday I had an opportunity to be amongst an impassioned crowd that included community organizers, elected officials, business folk, artists and community members all around. The thing we all had in common was our belief in Jane Kim. We had the belief that Jane Kim could be our community's voice. I first met Jane in 2011 at the annual Asian Pacific Islander Conference at Berkeley where she was a guest speaker. When I met her back then she was very courteous and genuine in nature as she was when I met her again yesterday. When I was reintroducing myself to her, midway through my sentence we were interrupted and she was pulled away as she had to prepare to speak. Now, I've met my share of elected officials, and it's rare when you feel like you're talking to someone's that genuinely interested in you (ironically). There's only two people who've I felt really invested their full attention to me. One was Robert Reich, the second was Jane Kim. After a few seconds removed, right before she proceeded to get ready, Jane came back, cuffed her hands around my arm and said "We'll talk after this". Jane started out as a Community Organizer at Chinatown Community Development Center. She was the first Korean-American elected official in San Francisco where as Supervisor, she worked to pass the boldest tenant protections against profit-incentivized evictions. As the former President to the Board of Education, she promoted policies that decreased suspension and expulsion rates. There is much humility to someone who's put in her time for the community; she's down, I'll tell you that. This time around, Jane is running for State Senate to address housing for the homeless, to create more affordable housing and family-sustaining jobs, and to strengthen public education. Jane Kim is a candidate I'm truly hopeful for and I believe Beau Sia summarized the night best yesterday, when he said: "This time, we have an opportunity to impact...to change... to shape and transform the fabric of what this nation will become." Jane Kim is one of those opportunities. #RunJaneRun #StateSenate #SD11 #CAPolitics #AAPI #KoreanAmerican #Law #Community #WomanOfColor #SF #BayArea (at Feria)