Contributing Writers:
William Rohrs
Brooks Blair
It is true that in politics people will strive to discredit those in power by means of slander and smear tactics. But only those with the most amiable of attitudes and a successful record of accomplishment will rise above.
A gracious SRJC audience welcomed public servant Willie Brown with thunderous applause on Feb. 22 in the Bertolini Student Center, despite a malicious flyer floating around the room attempting to discredit him.
Disguised as an Oak Leaf News report, the flyer accused the former mayor of San Francisco of “connections to Bush’s Skull and Bones” and attending a “…catholic, Nazi/satanic… killing ritual.” While Brown made no effort to confirm or deny the accusations, the consensus of the crowd agreed the flyer was “suspicious” and “an attempt to sully Mr. Brown’s reputation.”
“[The flyer] was poorly written, containing many buzz words and attempts to mess with my head,” said SRJC student Shawn Iles.
None of it mattered once Brown took the stage and presented his lecture titled “Politics and Public Service” as part of the SRJC’s Black History Month’s event series. The audience laughed and nodded along with Brown as he spoke about his background in public service and how he dealt with the different challenges growing up as a person of color during segregation. He relayed stories of his youth and education at Mineola Colored High, how he randomly ended up in law school and the hesitation he felt running for a position in local government.
Each of the stories Brown told dealt with overcoming adversity in a racist society; a problem still present today. While the days of segregation are over, racism is still seen in education and the justice system.
Brown talked about the opportunities he was presented with in education. He explained the inspirational messages he received in high school and how he got into college; each of these playing big roles on his path to the state legislature and becoming San Francisco’s first African-American mayor.
His time as a criminal defense attorney allowed him to see the racism in the justice system and how it is still prevalent today.
“Have you ever heard of a black man being arrested for insider trading? Does this mean that the black man has a higher morality? No, but it does mean that the black man was never in a position to be able to commit insider trading,” Brown said.
Brown said in an interview after his speech that he hoped he motivated students to pursue all educational opportunities.
“I hope people take away that certain opportunities’ exist and people need to take advantage of them just as I did,” Brown said. “At that time they put themselves in a position to render service onto other.”
One person who followed Brown’s advice of seeking out opportunities is new SRJC President Dr. Frank Chong.
Chong met Brown while attending a lecture Brown gave at Harvard University in the ‘80s. Chong recalls “elbowing his way through the crowd” and asking Brown for a job on the spot. Brown hired him six months later and he became what Chong refers to as a “mentor in politics and leadership.” While it has been some time since Chong worked in Brown’s office, their friendship and admiration for each other is obvious through their camaraderie on stage.
The lecture provided laughs for many, and great advice for students looking to rise above their means and change their position in the world.
Brown made it clear that those with a higher education become the deciding factors of the nation’s arguments, even if education is unrelated to the problem. Brown touched briefly on how race should be a factor in college admission processes, a subject Ajuan Mance touched on in her presentation on affirmative action on Feb. 6.
Brown said in his closing response to a question about making higher education available to all was that boutique education needs to fit the attendee, not the other way around. This idea could not be more prevalent as California plans to restructure the Cal Grant, which will affect the way students pay for college.
“He [Brown] couldn’t have said it better,” said SRJC student Alyssa Cole. “The price of higher education has gotten worse. It is no longer just about having the credentials, but a multitude of other things. College should be available to all, not just a handful of people.”
The event ended with Chong presenting Brown a SRJC sweatshirt and bottle of Shone Farm Wine. Chong joked that Brown didn’t have to report the gifts since he wasn’t in office. “I didn’t report them when I was in office,” Brown chuckled.
As Brown was ushered off stage, a swarm of people crowded around hoping to meet him. He graciously met with as many as he could and was escorted out of the building, smiling and laughing with Chong.
The next Black History Month presentation will be a panel discussion on “The Coded Language of Privilege” at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 29 in the Bertolini Student activities center.
Linda Ingram, a member of Santa Rosa chapter of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People, has thoroughly enjoyed the Black History lectures and is excited to relay the messages explored.
“It is a starting point to have some dialogue and for us to come together and try to address these controversial issue,” Ingram said. “I’ll take that back to the NAACP, which is what we represent, all people, and trying to come together to work out some issues we still see lingering in our communities.”