The Manny's Podcast (Manny's, Manny Yekutiel)

Have you felt the need to ask for a raise lately? Why is that? Inflation is on the rise and high inflation isn’t going away. In fact, prices are going up at their fastest rate since the early 1980s. Inflation erodes purchasing power or how much of something can be purchased with currency. Elevated inflation has been driven by supply chain disruptions and pent-up consumer demand for goods as the Covid-19 pandemic wanes. We had a Conversation w/ San Francisco's Chief Economist Ted Egan to suss out what this means for us as San Francisco residents and how we can prepare ourselves for the years ahead.

The human experience is a complicated one. On top of the complicated questions of daily life, navigating religion and spirituality is no easy task. To answer these complex questions, some philosophers and Jesuit leaders have stated that in fact humans are just spiritual beings who are going through human experiences. If humans are in fact naturally spiritual beings, what doe is mean to experience the divine? Join us for this powerful discussion with University of San Francisco President Father Fitzgerald.

Representative Ro Khanna represents California’s 17th Congressional District, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, and is serving his third term. As a legislator, Rep. Khanna is addressing the possible regulations that may impact consumer privacy, the cognitive impacts of social media, and much more.

2025 will be the inagural season of the Golden State WNBA team. We are SO excited to welcome this franchise, the players, and all the amazing WNBA energy to our city. On April 17th, the President of the new team, Jess Smith, will sit down with Danette Leighton, CEO of the Women's Sports Foundation, and Axios reporter, Megan Rose Dickey, to talk about the future of the team, the impact it will have on our city, and what's involved in this exciting process! Come with all your questions for Jess and Danette and let's show this team some love.

What was it like to manage President Obama's campaign? 
What was it like to be on the road with him for months at a time? 
What about in the Oval Office during the difficult decision making of his Presidency?
And how about that person's perspective on the election now and the Democratic party? 
Well...That person is David Plouffe and he is coming to Manny's to discuss his time with President Obama and his thoughts on the future of the Democratic Party. Come join the discussion!

More about David: David Plouffe is a political strategist, campaign manager and business advisor. David Plouffe os well-known for running Barack Obama’s successful 2008 Presidential campaign. Plouffe forever changed the face of political history managing the campaign that led to the first ever African-American President to be elected. David Plouffe writes about his role in this historic election in the New York Times Best Seller, The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama’s Historic Victory. 

His career with Barack Obama in politics then further continued in 2011 when he was appointed Senior Advisor to the President. In January 2011, Plouffe joined the White House as Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor. Plouffe replaced David Axelrod as Senior Advisor when Axelrod returned to Chicago to help run President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. In his role as Senior Advisor, Plouffe led the crafting of White House strategy and communicating the President’s message. He attended the President on his domestic and overseas visits, including the May 2011 state visit o the UK.After leaving the White House in early 2013, Plouffe became a contributor for Bloomberg TV and ABC News. In April 2013, Plouffe was inducted into the American Association of Political Consultants Hall of Fame.

We all deserve a safe place to live — but many of us can’t pick up groceries, take the train, or walk around our neighborhoods without the fear of street harassment. This panel conversation, facilitated by Stop AAPI Hate, delves into the common problem of street harassment, and how it is experienced by women, girls, people of color, and members of the queer and disabled communities. As Pride Month came to a close, we explored the following questions: What does street harassment look like — and who does it affect? What would a safer, more accessible environment look like for vulnerable communities, including LGBTQ+ communities? How can different communities who are experiencing harassment join forces to address street harassment?

Years after legalization, where are we now? The New Director of the Office of Cannabis along with local dispenser Malcom Mirage discuss... About the Speakers: About Nikesh Patel: Born in San Francisco, and raised in a single-room occupancy hotel in the Tenderloin, Nikesh Patel’s first experience with serving the City and County of San Francisco began nearly twenty years ago as a high school intern with the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Followed by a summer internship with the San Francisco Ethics Commission, and multiple clerkships and permanent positions with the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and, most recently, the Office of Cannabis, his career path has long aligned with his love of, and gratitude for, the city that has raised him. Nikesh Patel currently serves as the Director of the Office of Cannabis (“OOC”). Prior to being elevated to the position, he served as the Associate Director of Oversight for the OOC. In this role, he steered a public advisory body (the San Francisco Cannabis Oversight Committee) of sixteen (16) members that issues recommendations to the Office of the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors. He also led external communications and media relations for the OOC, and contributed to setting policy and legislative priorities, analyzing applications and guiding applicants through the permit process. He has been an active member of the State Bar of California and an attorney since 2017. Prior to joining the Office of Cannabis, Nikesh worked as an Assistant District Attorney and member of former San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón's Communication and Policy team. In these roles, he supported a variety of criminal justice reform initiatives, including the DA’s vision to proactively expunge more than 9,000 cannabis-related convictions eligible for dismissal under Proposition 64. He also bolstered processes within the office to enhance transparency and access to public records and data, and played integral roles in developing innovative educational and public safety campaigns. With the San Francisco District Attorney’s (“SFDA”) Office, Nikesh also served as one of the first prosecutors assigned to a novel crime reduction program. Known as LEAD SF, the pilot program conjoined the SFDA’s Office, Department of Public Health, law enforcement agencies, the Public Defender’s Office, and community-based organizations to manage a caseload of 200+ participants in a City-wide effort to reduce recidivism. Nikesh believes in the power of government to be introspective, flexible, and ultimately, a partner in ushering a more equitable society. As the next Director of the Office of Cannabis, he is energized to elevate the momentum of the office and continue to champion a model equity program and premier cannabis industry. Nikesh holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Stanford University, a Masters of Science in Migration Policy from Oxford University (UK), and a Juris Doctor degree from the Berkeley School of Law. About Malcolm Mirage: In 2013, on one of Malcolm’s monthly drives from San Francisco to New York City, he saw a vision in the distance, a mirage in his mind’s eye: Prohibition wouldn’t last forever and California would be legalized soon enough. With over a hundred pounds of Northern California cannabis as cargo, Malcolm spent the rest of the drive laying out plans to start his own legal cannabis dispensary in San Francisco. He shared his epiphany with his father, and with Jerome’s support, established Mirage Medicinal as a registered California cannabis co-operative, started his website, and worked on plans to officially launch in 2015. Malcolm worked painstaking hours to raise capital and execute his vision, but the dream went up in smoke the day he was arrested in Texas with over 120 pounds of top shelf Cali weed. After making bail, he flew to New York City, hustling tirelessly to recoup his losses by doubling down. In late 2014, Malcolm was arrested again and sentenced to a year in New York City’s notorious Rikers Island Prison for felony transportation of marijuana with intent to sell. Everything came to a halt for Malcolm as he served time at Rikers Island. It was at this juncture that Mirage became a true family business, as Jerome picked up where Malcolm left off. Jerome was even better at growing the business than his son, but was arrested while doing so in New York City. With Jerome now convicted of conspiracy to distribute cannabis, Malcolm’s sister Nina stepped in to maintain momentum for Mirage while her brother and father were incarcerated. When Malcolm was released in 2016, he joined Nina in advocating for the San Francisco Cannabis Equity Program. The program was to ensure people of color and cannabis criminals would not be shut out of the opportunity of the emerging legalization movement in California, as they had been in other legal cannabis states. They were successful in their grass roots lobbying effort, playing a major role in crafting the language of what would become the San Francisco Social Equity Program, and Malcolm became one of the earliest applicants to qualify for approval by San Francisco’s Cannabis Equity Program.

Every day, SF Chronicle staff photographers are tasked with documenting San Francisco.

 

Cameras in hand, they venture out to cover breaking news, illuminate the hidden corners of our metropolis and explore the people and issues that define our city in all its beauty, desperation and resilience.

 

Over the past several years, Chronicle photojournalists have depicted the ravages of the fentanyl crisis, covered the realities of climate change and captured the wisdom of Black elders.

 

Now, they’re sharing how they do the work.

 

On June 22nd at 6 p.m., join The San Francisco Chronicle Photo Team, including 2023 Pulitzer Prize finalists Gabrielle Lurie and Stephen Lam, live at Manny’s for a presentation and conversation about the ethics, practice and practicalities of photojournalism today.

 

In our next Chronicle Live at Manny’s, Chronicle photographers will share the stories behind some of their favorite images and take you inside the process of making them, from finding unique angles to earning subjects’ trust.  

 

Get your tickets!

 

You’ll hear from:

 

Nicole Frugé: The San Francisco Chronicle’s Director of Visuals, Frugé leads one of the most diverse metro photo staffs in the nation. Frugé was named the Jim Gordon Photo Editor of the Year in 2019, Photo Editor of the Year in 2018 and the Chronicle's photo editors were twice named the Picture Editing Team of the Year by the National Press Photographers Association’s Best of Photojournalism contest. Before photo editing, she spent 10 years working as a staff photographer for newspapers in Texas and Florida.

 

Gabrielle Lurie: Raised in Washington D.C, Gabrielle Lurie picked up a camera at 17 years old. She moved to New York City where she continued to photograph and study art history at New York University. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, LA Times and The Guardian, and she is the three-time winner of Pictures of the Year International’s Local Photographer of the Year and a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist.  

 

Stephen Lam: A native of Hong Kong, Stephen Lam left his studies in mechanical engineering to pursue photojournalism as a fun college elective. A former Chronicle intern, Lam was an editorial and commercial photographer in the Bay Area and his versatility has led him to collaborate with a vast range of clients including Reuters, Der Spiegel, Viator and L'Oréal before joining the Chronicle. Stephen is fluent in Cantonese and English. He is a 2023 Pulitzer Prize finalist.

 

Yoshi James: Yalonda M. James is an award-winning staff photojournalist and video producer at The San Francisco Chronicle. Her storytelling passion lies in documenting social justice issues and amplifying voices whose stories are seldom heard. James was a 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalist with her team from The Charlotte Observer for a project called, “Sold a Nightmare.” She is also the director of short documentary films, “The BLM (Black Lives Matter) Bridge Protest: One Year Later” and “Singing for KING.”

 

 

Want to know what it was liked to have been an essential part of the Obama story? Look no further than Valerie Jarrett, close friend to the Obama's, early mentor of First Lady Michelle Obama, proponent of President Obama's political career, and Senior Advisor to the President.

We're extremely honored to host Valerie Jarrett at Manny's on December 3rd for a conversation and book signing for her new book, Finding my Voice!

About Valerie:

Valerie B. Jarrett is a senior advisor to the Obama Foundation and Attn, a Senior Distinguished Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School, and President of the Board of When We All Vote. She also serves on the boards of Ariel Investments, 2U, Lyft, the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, and the Economic Club of Chicago. Her New York Times bestselling book, Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward, was released in April.

Ms. Jarrett was the longest serving Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama. She oversaw the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and Chaired the White House Council on Women and Girls. Ms. Jarrett worked throughout her tenure at the White House to mobilize elected officials, business and community leaders, and diverse groups of advocates. She led the Obama Administration’s efforts to expand and strengthen access to the middle class, and boost American businesses and our economy. She championed the creation of equality and opportunity for all Americans, and economically and politically empowering women in the United States and around the world. She oversaw the Administration’s advocacy for workplace policies that empower working families, including equal pay, raising the minimum wage, paid leave, paid sick days, workplace flexibility, and affordable childcare, and led the campaigns to reform our criminal justice system, end sexual assault, and reduce gun violence.

Ms. Jarrett has a background in both the public and private sectors. She served as the Chief Executive Officer of The Habitat Company in Chicago, Chairman of the Chicago Transit Board, Commissioner of Planning and Development, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. She also served as the director of numerous corporate and not-for-profit boards including Chairman of the Board of the Chicago Stock Exchange, Chairman of the University of Chicago Medical Center Board of Trustees, and Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Ms. Jarrett has also received numerous awards and honorary degrees, including TIME’s “100 Most Influential People” as well as the Abner J. Mikva Legal Legends Award.

Jarrett received her B.A. from Stanford University in 1978 and her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1981.

On August 16, 2022 Random House will publish the trade paperback of MIDNIGHT IN WASHINGTON: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could, with a new afterword by the author Adam B. Schiff, United States Representative from California, and Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. In his singular and explosive first book, Congressman Schiff chronicles step by step just how our form of government became so imperiled during the Trump presidency, and traces his own path to that moment — from serious prosecutor, to congressman with an expertise in national security and a reputation for bipartisanship, to liberal lightning rod, scourge of the right and archenemy of a president. Schiff takes readers into privileged settings and private conversations, and behind the scenes with his team of impeachment managers as they mounted a desperate defense of the constitution. In the years leading up to the election of Donald Trump, Congressman Schiff had already been sounding the alarm over the resurgence of autocracy around the world, and the danger that posed to the United States. But as he led the probe into the President’s Russia and Ukraine related abuses of power, Schiff came to the terrible conclusion that the principle threat to our democracy now came from within. Midnight in Washington provides a vital inside account of one of America’s darkest hours, and also serves as a warning: The Trump presidency has so weakened our institutions and compromised the Republican Party that the threat to our democracy will last for years, requiring unprecedented vigilance against a uniquely American form of authoritarianism, and an anti-democratic fervor now embraced by a large segment of the public.

Are current psychiatric treatments addressing the epidemic levels of mental illness across the world? Where do psychiatric treatments fall short? What does emerging research say about psychedelic therapy? Can it fill the holes in modern treatment? How does psychedelic therapy address PTSD, depression, and addiction? Manny's is excited to host leading experts in psychedelic therapy, Joe Green and Amy Emerson, to help us answer all the questions we have about the research and future of mental illness and its treatment.

The prominent Black intellectual, writer, and political commentator Michael Harriot will join Sheryl Davis, Human Rights Commission Executive Director, in conversation at Manny's on a wide range of topics, including reparations, the force and power of Black women, and the anniversary of the MegaBlack S.F. collective. About Michael Harriot: Michael Harriot is a columnist at theGrio and a staff writer on The Amber Ruffin Show. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Atlantic, and BET; he is a frequent political commentator on MSNBC and CNN known for his biting observations and investigative reporting. Michael’s work has earned National Association of Black Journalists award for digital commentary and recognition for TV news writing. He holds degrees in mass communications and history from Auburn University and a master's degree in macroeconomics and international business from Florida State University. His book Black AF History: The Un-whitewashed Story of America is expected to be released this year. Harriot’s work has influenced presidential politics and pop culture. He originated the phrase “invited to the cookout” and his social media posts contextualizing history are shared by millions. He served as the sole writer for BET's Midterm Election Special as well as "Young, Gifted and Broke," an examination of the student debt crisis. Although he has jokingly billed himself as a “wypipologist” for years, Michael Eric Dyson hails Harriot as "one of the funniest men out there, taking no prisoners on the subject of white supremacy". About Sheryl Evans Davis: Sheryl Evans Davis, EdD is a changemaker who leads relationship-driven, community-centered initiatives. Named Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission in 2016, Dr. Davis is a passionate advocate for equity, access, and educational opportunity for all. For nearly three decades, she has made contributions as an educator and leader with expertise in community outreach and engagement, workforce development, youth development, and violence prevention. Dr. Davis worked to build out an equity framework with San Francisco community stakeholders and City departments, resulting in the Office of Racial Equity. She also oversees the Equity Studies Task Force, the Blue Ribbon Panel for Juvenile Justice Reform, and the Dream Keeper Initiative, among other programs of the SFHRC. Dr. Davis is frequently requested to speak on issues of community wellness, equity, and strategic change work. She holds a BA from San Francisco State University, an MPA from the University of San Francisco, and an EdD from USC Rossier; in 2019, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from USF.

Though it encompasses just a single square block, Union Square has loomed large in San Francisco. Today, it’s in flux.

Over the past few years, the luxury retail destination and its surrounding blocks have lost a number of notable tenants, but none as big as Macy’s flagship San Francisco store, which announced its pending departure earlier this year.

So, what will become of Macy’s 400,000-square-foot home? What does it say about the pitfalls — and potential — of this iconic corner of the city? And what do current retail trends have to do with all of this?

Join Chronicle real estate reporter Laura Waxmann at Manny’s at 6 p.m. April 18, as she hosts a conversation about the past, present and, most importantly, future of Union Square.

She’ll be joined by real estate agent and power broker Kazuko Morgan, who has worked in Union Square for two decades; developer Chris Foley, who has spent 30 years focused on real estate and owns the Market inside the X (formerly Twitter) headquarters; and Anne Taupier, director of development for the city’s Office of Economic & Workforce Development.

Among the topics they’ll discuss: What’s happening today in Union Square? Why are the businesses that have distinguished it leaving? How are shopping hubs faring in other major cities? And could this moment be an opportunity to reimagine Union Square altogether?
 

Manny's LIVE is bringing together the San Francisco Chief of Police Bill Scott and newly elected progressive prosecutor, District Attorney Chesa Boudin in the midst of massive protests and unrest to discuss the Black Live Matter movement, the DA's and Chief Scott's separate call for police reforms, and our path forward.

In the midst of a world on fire - pandemic, protests, curfews, riots - what do these leaders think of how to respond? The death of George Floyd ignited what have been some of the largest and most powerful protests in recent memory, as well as tensions between the public and the police.

The protests, marches and kneel-ins of today are an extension of the Black Lives Matter protests that began in 2013 after the shooting of Trayvon Martin.

DA Boudin has called for numerous police reforms focused on accountability. Chief Scott has condemned the assault on Black men.

What's the path forward?

How can San Francisco lead?

How has and how can the District Attorney's Office and/or the Police Department be a part of the movement to protect black lives?

How will the two of the leaders of law enforcement in the City work to make San Francisco proud?

What are the solutions and how do we get there?

About Chief Scott:

When William “Bill” Scott was sworn in as San Francisco’s new police chief in January 2017, he vowed to build trust both within the department and outside it.

Scott had previously served for 27 years in the Los Angeles Police Department, where he was a deputy chief. He was selected to lead the SFPD after a nationwide search. Then-Mayor Edwin Lee said a major factor in his choice was Scott’s experience in helping lead the Los Angeles department through transformational progress.

Chief Scott has condemned the historically disparate policing of black and brown men, and is leading SFPD through a groundbreaking Collaborative Reform Initiative in partnership with the California DOJ.

Scott grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and attended the University of Alabama, where he earned a degree in Accounting. He is married with three children.

About Chesa Boudin:

Chesa Boudin is the new District Attorney of San Francisco. Personally impacted by parental incarceration and the failings of the criminal justice system, Chesa was inspired to become a public defender, and now, decarceral prosecutor. He is focused on reforming the criminal justice system and making our communities safer by developing data-driven policies to expand alternatives to incarceration and treat the root causes of crime.

What role does gaming have in shaping society? How do video games help create the imagery of the future? What do post-apocalyptic cities in video games represent on a larger scale? Come join us as Dr. Emma Fraser and Dr. Ian Kivelin Davis explains the role of video games in society and what it means to game the end of the world. About Ian Kivelin Davis, Ph.D.: Ian Kivelin Davis earned his doctorate from the University of Illinois and joined the faculty at UC Berkeley in 2018. His research and teaching focus on international media, news industries, media history, and critical media analysis. Dr. Davis researches global news organizations and the role of foreign news outlets in North America. Taking a public-interest approach to global media, Ian’s work details the relationship between media industries (i.e. Comcast, Disney) and commitments to democratic principles like diversity, pluralism and free expression. Research Interests: International news, media policy and economics, history, advertising, globalization About Emma Fraser, Ph.D.: Emma Fraser is an Assistant Teaching Professor in Media Studies and the Berkeley Center for New Media at UC Berkeley. Emma's research considers space and place, modern ruins, and visual media in relation to urban experience and the writings of Walter Benjamin and the Frankfurt School. Emma also researches and writes about games and play across sociology, geography, game studies and media and cultural theory. Emma teaches digital media methods, digital storytelling, game studies, and new media theory and practice to graduate and undergraduate students.

Can you find hope in spirituality? Which spiritual groups support queer identifying folk? It's a common sight to see queers being denied access to certain religious practices and beliefs because of the interpretation of religious books from previous generations. Today, with the rise in diverse opinions religious and spiritual groups have been more open to letting all kinds of people into their practice. Join us as we explore the intersectionality of Queerness and Spirituality with experts Chaplaine Claire Chuck Bohman who is the Executive Director of a multi-faith spiritual care center at the SF General Hospital & Rev. Daigan Gather whom speaks between intersectionalities between queerness and Dharma. About the Panelists: About Chaplain Claire Chuck Bohman: Chaplain Claire Chuck Bohman currently serves as the Executive Director of Sojourn Chaplaincy, the multi-faith spiritual care department at the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. They are also the founder of the Transgender Spiritual Care Initiative and are passionate about helping spiritual care providers deepen in their understanding of gender diversity and improving spiritual care for gender diverse people. Additionally, they serve as the Board President of the Temple of the Waters, an emerging spiritual community rooted in Earth Based Spirituality. Chaplain Claire holds a Masters of Divinity degree from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California and Interfaith Ministry training from the New Seminary in New York. In their spiritual care, they draw upon a background in Faith Based Community Organizing and Community Mental Health, as well as their training and experience as a clinical herbalist in private practice. Chaplain Claire aka Chuck is proud to be the first Non-Binary Chaplain endorsed by an Earth Based Spiritual Community to receive Board Certification from APC and is committed to supporting people of minority faiths and genders in finding their place in the world of professional chaplaincy. About Rev. Daigan Gaither: Rev. Daigan Gaither began Buddhist practice in 1995 in the Vipassana (Insight) tradition, and then began to study Zen in 2003 with Ryushin Paul Haller Roshi. He received Lay Ordination in 2006 where he was given the name Daigan or “Great Vow”, and received Priest Ordination in July 2011. Daigan speaks internationally on a variety of topics particularly around gender, sexuality, social justice and their intersections with the Dharma. He also sits or has sat on a number of boards and committees that serve community needs and further social justice causes. Daigan has a BA in Philosophy and Religion from San Francisco State University, and an MA in Buddhist Studies (with a chaplaincy certificate and a certificate in Soto Zen Buddhism) from the Graduate Theological Union and the Institute of Buddhist Studies. at his website queerdharma.net He identifies as a disabled, queer, white, cis male.

In Uvalde Texas the 2nd mass shooting within 10 days occurred. Taking place at a local elementary school, 19 children and 2 teachers were tragically killed in what is now one of the deadliest shootings in the country. Gun violence has plagued our country and more increasingly in recent years. Manny's in partnership with Giffords, whose mission is to end gun violence, organized an emergency online event with former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was almost killed by a gunman, and the Executive Director of Giffords, Peter Ambler. The goal of the conversation was to discuss Tuesday's historic and horrific shooting, how to end gun violence, what people can do right now, a report on the advocacy being done, and a call to action direct from Gabby Giffords herself.

What does it mean to be happy? The concept of happiness and how to achieve it has become a constant conversation. In the age of instant gratification and the need for constant success, trying to be present and happy has become more difficult. Additionally, there are many misconceptions around happiness and what we need to be happy. Join us for a special lecture by Dr. Fred Luskin about these misconceptions around happiness and some simple guided practices that can help us.

Are we running out of time? What can we do? Join us for a special conversation with co-author of Speed & Scale: An Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis Now, Ryan Panchadsaram. He will dive into the current state of climate change and provide a plan for the future that finally address the climate crisis. About Ryan Panchadsaram: Ryan Panchadsaram is an engineer and investor focused on solving systemic societal challenges. At Kleiner Perkins, as technical advisor to the chairman, Ryan invests in founders and technologies that aim to change the world. Ryan is the co-author of national bestseller Speed & Scale and previously collaborated on the number-one bestseller Measure What Matters. In March 2020, Ryan co-founded US Digital Response, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that helps governments and organizations respond quickly and efficiently to support the critical needs of the public. Under President Obama, as Deputy Chief Technology Officer of the United States, Ryan championed entrepreneurship, innovation, and open data.

Where do we go? Flourishing in the 1980's, lesbian bars have been an important staple by providing a safe space for those most marginalized within the LGBTQ community. Sadly though, these spaces have started to disappear at an alarming rate. While all LGBTQ gathering places may be seeing a decrease in numbers there are still roughly 800 gay bars across the country compared to only 22 lesbian bars. Even in a place like San Francisco, with rich LGBTQ history, we only have 2 lesbian bars. Why did so many close and what needs to be done to create these new spaces? Come watch as we discuss the past, present, and future of the lesbian bar.

Pedagogy, the method and practice of teaching. What is Black liberation pedagogy? What does it mean to share these important teachings and practices? Join us as Chair, Professor Abul Pitre walks us through Black liberation pedagogy and the power of sharing that knowledge with new groups of people across generations. About Abul Pitre, Ph.D.: Abul Pitre is Professor and Chair of the Department of Africana Studies at San Francisco State University. He holds a B.S. in Social Studies Education and M.A. in Social Science from Southern University Baton Rouge, and a Ph.D. in Education and Human Resource Studies from Colorado State University. He has authored and co-edited 25 books with his most recent being, The Gloria Ladson-Billings Reader, A Critical Black Pedagogy Reader: The Brothers Speak, Research Studies On Educating For Diversity And Social Justice, and Perspectives on Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice in Educational Leadership. In addition, he has written several journal articles, book chapters, and book reviews. He is also the series editor for the following book series, Critical Black Pedagogy (Rowman and Littlefield); The Africana Experience and Critical Leadership Studies (Lexington Books); and Elijah Muhammad Studies (Hamilton Books). For his contributions to the study of Africana education he was the first named Professor at Edinboro University holding the Carter G. Woodson Professorship. Throughout his many years in academia he has worked with some of the leading professors in Education and Africana Studies.

Election season is in full effect!

Join us for a special afternoon fireside chat with Congressman Dean Phillips as he discusses his decision to run for President in 2024.

This will be an oppertunity to meet one of the many candidates running for office in 2024 and ask Congressman Phillips questions.

Manny's never turns away anyone for lack of funds. To receive a complementary ticket just email the word "grapefruit" and the title of this event to luis@welcometomannys.com.

Want to support community members? By purchasing a "Pay It Forward" ticket you will allow us to provide free tickets to those who may not be able to afford entry otherwise and ensure we can create a diverse socio-economic audience that represents San Francisco.

 

About Congressman Dean Phillips:

Dean Phillips is a father, businessman, civic leader, eternal optimist, and Representative for Minnesota's Third Congressional District in Congress.

A Gold Star Son who lost his birth father, Artie, in the Vietnam War, Dean was adopted into the Phillips family when his mother DeeDee married Eddie Phillips, who raised Dean to work hard and always share success.

Dean was raised in Edina, attended Brown University, and returned to Minnesota to earn his MBA from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Business. After working at a variety of small startups, he worked his way up and eventually led his family's business, Phillips Distilling. He later went on to help build Talenti Gelato into one of the top-selling ice cream brands in the country and opened Penny's Coffee, a small business in the Twin Cities. Dean is active in the philanthropic community in Minnesota through the Phillips Family Foundation.

In Congress, Dean is focused on restoring Americans' faith in our government. He's on a mission to inspire a new era of collaboration in Washington, pursue common ground for the common good, and end the corrupting influence of special interest money in our politics. Dean is Vice Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee and Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Middle East, Northern Africa, and Central Asia Subcommittee.

Dean has shown leadership and a commitment to working across the aisle during the COVID-19 pandemic. After hearing from struggling small business owners in the summer of 2020, Dean wrote the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act with Texas Republican Chip Roy. Signed into law by President Trump, this critical piece of legislation helped small businesses keep their doors open and saved thousands of American jobs. Dean has also been a voice for oversight and transparency of trillions of pandemic-related stimulus dollars, and has led the Problem Solvers Caucus in negotiations with the White House and Congressional leadership to deliver bipartisan solutions for the American people

What was your favorite memory from SFGMC? What do you want to see from SFGMC in the future? Who were your biggest inspirations? Are there any people in your circle that inspire you today? Join us for an in-depth conversation with Tim Seelig as we reflect back on his time in SFGMC and what he sees for the future of the Chorus. About Tim Seelig: Tim is the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. He is Conductor Emeritus of the Turtle Creek Chorale, which he conducted for 20 years. He holds four degrees, including the Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of North Texas and the Diploma from the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. His 6 books on choral technique include several best-sellers, and his memoire, Tale of Two Tims: Big Ol’ Baptist, Big Ol’ Gay, published last year. Dr. Seelig has conducted and performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center for 25 years. He carried the Olympic as a Community Hero and holds the Guiness World Record for the longest choral concert - 20+ hours..

Do you ever find yourself reading or talking about the worldwide climate crisis – coral reef devastation, melting glaciers, catastrophic weather – and wondering “But what can I do?” For those of us who live in urban environments, climate change may sometimes feel like a concept far removed from our daily lives. And yet, the biodiversity and nature right under our noses – and integrated into our cities – are an essential piece of a healthy planet, and a critical baseline for understanding the global climate crisis.

Join some of the Bay Area’s leading scientists, researchers, and educators for an engaging discussion about urban biodiversity that highlights just how interconnected humans, plants, and animals are even in (especially in) urban spaces. Plus, learn how to channel your love of nature into action by participating in City Nature Challenge, an annual international bioblitz that mobilizes people to document urban biodiversity, April 26-29.

 

Panelists:

Jesus Lozano, Urban Forestry Coordinator at the San Francisco Environment Department. Jesus coordinates the San Francisco Urban Forestry Council, facilitating collaboration among key city agencies and local organizations to provide expert advice to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on tree-related topics. Jesus previously served as the Community Engagement Manager at Friends of the Urban Forest, where they focused on connecting with communities that historically have had fewer trees. Committed to the creation of an equitably distributed urban forest, they strive to ensure its role as essential public infrastructure, habitat for local wildlife, and a connection to nature for all of San Francisco's residents.

Olivia VanDamme, Community Science Coordinator, Center for Biodiversity and Community Science at the California Academy of Sciences. Olivia helps support and organize community science campaigns including City Nature Challenge, Snapshot Cal Coast and California Biodiversity Day, expanding partnerships and communications. She is dedicated to increasing access to nature for all Californians, and has focused on environmental justice, Indigenous solidarity and equity in her roles for environmental non-profits. She is an avid geographer, educator, poet, singer, environmentalist, and surfer.

Cesar O. Estien, Ph.D. candidate in UC Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management in Dr. Christopher Schell's lab, investigating the extent to which societal inequity and environmental injustice shape biodiversity and wildlife ecology. He is currently investigating how historical redlining, income disparities, and unequal pollution burdens influence wildlife biodiversity, carnivore behavior, and human-wildlife interactions through an environmental justice lens.

 

Manny's never turns away anyone for lack of funds. To receive a complementary ticket just email the word "grapefruit" and the title of this event to luis@welcometomannys.com.

Want to support community members? By purchasing a "Pay It Forward" ticket you will allow us to provide free tickets to those who may not be able to afford entry otherwise and ensure we can create a diverse socio-economic audience that represents San Francisco.

We've brought Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow (of this famed viral floor speech) and her colleague MI State Representative and State Senate candidate Darrin Camilleri to the Bay Area. The DLCC has identified Michigan as one of the three states where we actually have a chance at flipping the State Senate, in this instance, because of the state's independent redistricting process. Our friends at The States Project and Sister District have joined us in endorsing Darrin Camilleri for one of the country's most critical state legislature seats. These are also two leaders who The Next 50 is firmly behind for their rising leadership in Michigan and in our country. About Senator Mallory McMorrow: Sen. Mallory McMorrow is serving her first term in the Michigan Senate. McMorrow gained more than a decade of experience in product design, media and advertising through her work with Mazda, Mattel, Gawker Media, Hearst and other global brands. She brings a fresh, creative and collaborative approach to addressing and solving some of our state’s most complex issues. As a state senator, McMorrow is focused on increasing our state’s competitiveness by supporting what makes Michigan unique – our people, unparalleled history of manufacturing and innovation, and our Great Lakes. She will work to diversify our economy by creating more opportunities for small businesses, provide our kids with a world-class education, fight for access to health care and clean water for all Michiganders, and ensure we fix our roads. She earned her bachelor’s degree in industrial design from the University of Notre Dame. About Darrin Camalleri: State Rep. Darrin Quiroz Camilleri is serving his third term representing the 23rd District, which includes the Downriver communities of Gibraltar, Grosse Ile, Huron, Trenton, Woodhaven, and Brownstown. He currently serves as Minority Whip for the House Democrats and the Minority Vice Chair on the House Education Committee. In his first few years, he has quickly emerged as a statewide voice on education and a champion for workers’ rights. Over the past three years, Camilleri has consistently introduced legislation to keep Michigan’s promises to working people and help everyday Michiganders get ahead. Notably, he has been a leader in the fight to protect pensions for police officers, firefighters, teachers and school employees. He has also worked extensively to protect our environment and highlight the state’s literacy crisis and teacher shortage. Camilleri was awarded Progress Michigan’s Legislator of the Year in 2017, was recognized as one of Crain’s Detroit’s 20 in their 20s, and given the Michigan Association for Media in Education’s 2018’s Outstanding Legislator Award for his work on expanding access to school libraries.

Jackie Speier, the Congresswoman representing CA's 14th congressional district will be stepping down at the end of her term. What does this mean for CA's 14th District? Who does she see gunning for her seat? Who encouraged her to be one of the leaders of progressive movements? Jackie has been fighting for women's equality and is one of the most influential people for bringing the Me Too movement to Congress. We had a conversation about her impact on Congress and what she sees for her future.

What does it mean to be a successful young person? Education cost has been skyrocketing for years across the country. Sadly, for most students in 2022 to pursue things like college they must make the decision to take on loans that will follow them for years. How can we redefine student success and improve higher education so student swill no longer have to go bankrupt for a college degree? Join us as San Francisco State University President Lynn Mahoney discusses these hard and complex questions about higher education in the 21st century. About President Lynn Mahoney, Ph.D.: Lynn Mahoney serves as the 14th president of San Francisco State University, one of the nation’s premier urban comprehensive universities. She leads more than 3,900 faculty and staff as they serve a student population of nearly 30,000. The first woman appointed to serve as the University’s president in a permanent capacity, Mahoney succeeded Leslie E. Wong, who retired in July 2019. President Mahoney serves on the board of directors for both the Bay Area Council and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. She is a member of the Bay Area Higher Education Council, the San Francisco Workforce Investment Board and the CSU Graduation Initiative 2025 Advisory Committee. Mahoney was also appointed to serve on San Francisco’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force. President Mahoney has been recognized for her work in support of student success and academic excellence by the CSU Long Beach Office of Students with Disabilities, the Purchase College Student Government Association and the United University Professions. In 2021, the California State Student Association (CSSA), the single recognized voice for more than 425,000 students in the CSU system, named her the Robert C. Maxson President of the Year. Mahoney has spent her academic career working on issues related to enhancing student learning and faculty success and is committed to providing San Francisco State students with an exceptional educational experience. Approximately 8,500 students graduate from SF State each year and the Gator alumni family is more than 321,000 strong. The University’s distinguished alumni can be found in virtually every walk of life. Their accomplishments include 21 Pulitzer prizes, 16 Oscars, the invention of the microprocessor, and (jointly with SF State faculty) the discovery of the first exo-planets beyond the solar system. Prior to her appointment at SF State, Mahoney served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State University, Los Angeles. Earlier in her career, she served as the associate vice president for undergraduate studies and interim vice provost & dean of undergraduate studies at California State University, Long Beach. Mahoney served in a variety of leadership roles at Purchase College, State University of New York, including associate provost for Integrative Learning and vice president for student affairs. Mahoney received a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in History from Rutgers University. She is the author of “Elizabeth Stoddard and the Boundaries of Bourgeois Culture” and has lectured extensively on the construction of whiteness in the U.S. and the construction of gender globally.

Join us for a chill night with 17th Congressional District Supervisor Matt Haney and SF City Attorney David Chiu for an open conversation about what's going on in their lives. What are Matt's plans in his new position as State Assembly District 17 seat? How do they feel about what's transpiring in the nation today? About the Speakers: About David Chiu: David Sen-Fu Chiu is an American politician currently serving as the City Attorney of San Francisco. Previously, he served in the California State Assembly as a Democrat representing the 17th Assembly District, which encompasses the eastern half of San Francisco. Prior to being elected to the Assembly in 2014, Chiu was the President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and Supervisor for District 3, encompassing the northeastern corner of the city, including Chinatown, Nob Hill, North Beach, Union Square, the Financial District, and Fisherman's Wharf. About Matt Haney: Matt has won an election for the 17th Congressional District of CA and serves as the Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, leading the development and oversight of the City and County’s $13+ billion budget. He has built a reputation as a hardworking, creative, collaborative problem solver with an unmatched record tackling San Francisco’s toughest challenges from homelessness and housing to public safety and corruption. During his tenure in City Hall, Matt championed some of San Francisco’s most popular and bold initiatives. He helped spearhead the effort to transform San Francisco’s mental health system with Mental Health SF, an initiative guaranteeing mental health care for all San Franciscans. He implemented common sense policies like 24-hour bathrooms and universal tenant protections, facilitated over 5,000 units of new housing in his district, and oversaw record investments in housing, public safety and economic recovery as Budget Chair. As Supervisor, Matt helped ensure more housing and more affordable housing was built in his district than any other. When the pandemic hit, Matt worked tirelessly to support his constituents, from small business owners to essential workers. He authored legislation to house over 2,000 people experiencing homelessness in hotels and spent time working on the frontlines as a disaster service worker at one of our community COVID shelter hotels when there weren’t enough staff. He launched relief programs to keep restaurants and music venues afloat during the shutdown, led the fight to open mass-vaccination sites, and authored laws to ensure workers had masks, gloves and adequate sick pay.

How can local officials help build up their communities with a long history of poverty? How has the tech boom affected our country's industrial powerhouse cities? Have tax cuts exacerbated income equality? How is wealth inequality trickling down to smaller cities? Manny's is honored to welcome Stanford professor Michelle Wilde Anderson to our space to discuss her new book, The Fight to Save the Town. Wilde Anderson presents a sweeping and authoritative study of wealth inequality and the dismantling of local government in four working-class cities across the US & passionately argues for reinvestment in people-centered leadership. Decades of cuts to local government amidst rising concentrations of poverty have wreaked havoc on communities left behind by the modern economy. Some of these discarded places are rural. Others are big cities, small cities, or historic suburbs. Some vote blue, others red. Some are the most diverse communities in America, while others are nearly all white, all Latino, or all Black. All are routinely trashed by outsiders for their poverty and their politics. Mostly, their governments are just broke. Forty years after the anti-tax revolution began protecting wealthy taxpayers and their cities, our high-poverty cities and counties have run out of services to cut, properties to sell, bills to defer, and risky loans to take.

The debate on the place of officers at Pride has reached a fever pitch. The Mayor, D6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, The Police Department, The Fire Department, and the Sheriff's have all decided to boycott SF Pride because of the decision to allow SFPD to march but not in uniform. Manny's brought together the Interim Executive Director of Pride Suzanne Ford with LGBTQ Liaison Officer Kathryn Winters to share their perspectives, share some context for the decisions, and provide an opportunity for the community to hear directly from both sides of this decision. Manny's is a place where tough nuanced conversations can happen and this is a continuation of our tough conversations series. This debate is dividing the City so we thought to bring together two leaders on either side of the debate together.

More than 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson's Disease. What can be done to help those who are living with this disease? Join us at Manny's as Professor Olaru discusses deep brain stimulation that may serve as a potential therapy mechanism for those who may have Parkinson's Disease. About Maria Olaru: Maria Olaru is a PhD candidate at UC San Francisco, where she studies the basal-ganglia cortico-thalamic circuit of patients with Parkinson’s Disease in Dr. Philip Starr’s lab. Her research interests include investigating electrophysiological neural markers for motor states with neural and wearable sensors, developing BCI feedback algorithms that optimize gamma entrainment throughout the stimulation frequency-amplitude parameter space, and modeling these experimental phenomena. In her spare time, she enjoys experimenting with NYT cooking recipes, long-distance running, and the occasional outdoor climbing adventure. Throughout her academic career, she’s also developed a deep appreciation for comprehensive documentation and complete sentences.

Does gay still have a place? Are our queer spaces safe? What does the future look like for queer spaces? Join us for a special conversation with Gay Bar author Jeremy Atherton on the state of the gay bar. San Francisco is a safe haven for queer identifying folk but this is not the same for spaces outside our bubble. Let's find out what's going on within our nation and internationally as well. About the Speaker: About Jeremy Atherton: An Asian-American essayist based in Los Angeles and East Sussex, England. Jeremy studied playwriting at UCLA then held an editing position in San Francisco but preferred to self-publish blogs and zines of indiscreet observations. He later settled in the UK where he completed the Writing MA at the Royal College of Art. Jeremy has contributed to the Times Literary Supplement, the Guardian, The White Review, ArtReview, The Face, Index, GQ, W, Literary Hub, Elephant, Little Joe, Fantastic Man, Tinted Window, Artforum and the Yale Review, for which he was named a finalist for the National Magazine Award in Essays and Criticism. Jeremy’s debut book Gay Bar (2021) is a personal response to the demise of LGBT venues and was partly inspired by the Frank Ocean lyric: “Here’s to the gay bar you took me to. Here’s when I realized you talk so much more than I do.” The book went on to be selected as a Book of the Year by critics at the New York Times, NPR, Artforum, Gay Times and Vogue. It received the National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography. About Gay Bar: Strobing lights and dark rooms, drag queens on counters, first kisses, last call; the gay bar has long been a place of solidarity and sexual expression. Now they are closing, a cultural demolition that has Jeremy Atherton Lin wondering: Could this spell the end of gay identity as we know it? In prose as exuberant as a hit of poppers and dazzling as a disco ball, the author embarks on a transatlantic tour of the hangouts that marked his life, with each club, pub and dive revealing itself to be a palimpsest of queer history. Gay Bar time-travels from Hollywood nights in the 1970's to a warren of cruising tunnels built beneath London in the 1770's; from chichi bars in the wake of AIDS to today’s fluid queer spaces; through glory holes, into Crisco-slicked dungeons and down San Francisco alleys. Jeremy charts police raids and riots, posing and passing out—and a chance encounter one restless night that would change his life forever. The journey that emerges is a stylish and nuanced inquiry into the link between place and identity, inviting us to go beyond Stonewall and enter the underground. Elegiac, randy and sparkling with wry wit, Gay Bar is at once a serious critical inquiry, a love story and an epic night out to remember.

This summer, San Francisco Public Works launches its public trash can pilot program. Prototypes of their next-generation public trash cans are on the street for real-life testing. Community members have the opportunity to evaluate the cans and give input into the final selection. During the 60-day test period, custom and off-the-shelf models are in neighborhoods around the City. Public Works is soliciting feedback from residents, business owners and staff from nonprofit organizations and Recology, which services the cans. At the end of the test period, Public Works will review and assess the feedback and land on a final design for the new City can. After the design is set, a Request for Proposals will be developed to select the manufacturer for San Francisco’s 3,000-plus public trash cans. About SF Public Works: San Francisco Public Works is one of the largest and most complex municipal operations in the City, with a 1,600-member workforce and a $384 million annual operating budget. The department's active capital project portfolio exceeds $3 billion. As one of San Francisco oldest City departments, it is also one of the most forward-thinking. As a 24/7 operation with a diverse set of responsibilities, Public Works touches every neighborhood in San Francisco. The staff designs and manages construction of civic buildings and streets, cleans and greens the right of way, maintains civic buildings; trains people for jobs, keeps the right of way free of hazards, paves the streets, repairs bridges and public stairways, expands accessibility and works at the forefront addressing some of San Francisco’s biggest challenges, including homelessness.

Can San Francisco be both progressive on criminal justice and tough on crime?

How can the District Attorney reduce crime in our city?

What's the way forward after the Boudin recall?

What is the the future of criminal justice and policing in San Francisco?

We’re excited to have a fireside chat with San Francisco's newly appointed DA Brooke Jenkins. She’s had a fiery entrance so far. Jenkins shook up the DA’s office, firing 15 of her predecessor Chesa Boudin’s staffers and hiring women of color to top managerial positions.

Join us as we talk about Brooke’s time leading up to her appointment as SF District Attorney and what her goals are while leading the DA Office. Do you have questions you’d like to ask her?

We can’t wait to hear them. See you there!

About Brooke Jenkins:

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins was sworn in as San Francisco’s 30th District Attorney on July 8, 2022. Jenkins leads the District Attorney’s Office and its mission to promote public safety and advance justice for all and is committed to implementing important and vital criminal justice reforms responsibly.

A Bay Area native and Black and Latina woman, District Attorney Jenkins has seen the imbalances and disproportionate impacts of the criminal justice system firsthand. She has had family members on both sides of the courtroom and has seen and felt the impacts of police violence and misconduct. She believes reforms are necessary to ensure that justice is proportional and fairly executed for every person in San Francisco regardless of who they are or where they are from.

Jenkins began her career as a prosecutor in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office where she worked her way up the ranks. Jenkins served as an Assistant DA from 2014 to 2021, initially serving in the Misdemeanor and General Felonies Units before working as the office’s designated Hate Crimes Prosecutor. She was later promoted to the Sexual Assault Unit and eventually the Homicide Unit. Jenkins resigned from the San Francisco DA’s Office in October 2021 as a result of mounting dissatisfaction with the direction of the office. At the time of her departure, she prosecuted over 25 criminal jury trials and completed more than 100 preliminary hearings.

District Attorney Jenkins is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School. She received her undergraduate degree from U.C. Berkeley in 2003, where she was a member of the Track and Field Team.

Town hall meetings play a key role in our democracy. It's a time where our elected officials can hear directly from the voters. Manny's is starting a monthly town hall with elected officials from all over the city to help facilitate discussion between the people and our representatives. Our first town hall is with District Attorney Chesa Boudin, San Francisco's top prosecutor.

It’s Jane Fonda y’all! 

 

Jane stopped by Manny’s right before the midterms to talk about this critical election. She knows, as we all know, that we are on the precipice of climate disaster. We are no longer just imagining how the world will look in a disrupted climate; we’re seeing and feeling the reality of the climate crisis every single day as we witness and experience wildfires, heat waves, and floods destroying communities.

 

In 2020, the fossil fuel industry poured $139 million into our elections – to politicians of both parties. This money has real consequences. Major solutions are stopped cold, like the Green New Deal, Build Back Better, clean energy investments, and initiatives to end billions in tax subsidies to the fossil fuel industry — all because of politicians backed by Big Oil. It’s not too late to change our course. But it won’t happen as long as oil, gas, and coal companies maintain their stranglehold on American politics.

 

Earlier this year, she started the Jane Fonda Climate PAC to elect local, state, and federal leaders who will rise to the urgency of this moment and stand up to the fossil fuel industry. The PAC leverages the donations of those who are climate concerned to counter the outsized influence the fossil fuel industry has on our government. 

Jane wants politicians who support oil and gas to be as afraid for their jobs as we are about the impending climate disaster.

About Jane Fonda

Jane Seymour Fonda is a film and television icon, entrepreneur, and activist. Jane has earned two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the AFI Life Achievement Award, the Golden Lion Honorary Award, the Honorary Palme d'Or, and the Cecil B. DeMille Award. She has starred in dozens of films over 60 years including Barbarella; Klute; The Shoot Horses, Don’t They; Coming Home; On Golden Pond; The China Syndrome; 9 to 5; Monster-In-Law; and The Morning After to name only a few.

 

She has been a political activist her entire adult life, involved in multiple anti-war movements, the civil rights movement, in support of the Black Panthers, in the fight for LBGTQ rights, in feminist struggles, and now, in the fight of her life to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change.

 

Jane has been targeted and arrested for her activities throughout her life but remains committed to doing everything she can to fight for justice for all and to live joyfully while doing it.

Join Manny's and the Bay Area Chapter of the American Constitution Society for a conversation between Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes and Christine Pelosi about current issues in Big Tech and antitrust. 

In 2002, Hughes co-founded Facebook with Mark Zuckerberg and other Harvard classmates. In 2019, Hughes called for the break-up of his creation in an influential New York Times op-ed that fanned the flames of the conversation around Facebook and other technology companies' role in modern society. Hughes' experience as an entrepreneur, former publisher of The New Republic, and co-creator of Facebook gives him a unique vantage point from which to discuss what should be the future of Facebook and other tech giants like it.

Since Hughes' op-ed, antitrust has become a central issue in the presidential campaign, with some candidates calling for the break-up or heavy regulation of all the major tech companies, including Facebook, Amazon, Google, and Apple. 

About Christine Pelosi:

Christine Pelosi is an attorney and advocate serving as counsel for We Said Enough and partner at IMPACT. She has worked as a Deputy City Attorney and Assistant District Atrorney in San Francisco, special counsel to HUD in the Clinton-Gore administration, and a chief of staff on Capitol Hill. and Chair of the California Democratic Party Women’s Caucus. Elected as California Democratic Party Women's Caucus Chair and Democratic National Committee Executive Committeewoman, Pelosi is the author of The Nancy Pelosi Way (coming November 26, 2019), Campaign Boot Camp (2007), and Campaign Boot Camp 2.0 (2012) and has traveled to 41 states and 4 foreign countries conducting leadership trainings. A member of the San Francisco Giants Community Fund Board, Christine resides in San Francisco, California with her husband, Emmy nominated filmmaker Peter Kaufman, and their daughter Isabella.
Food and beverages are available for purchase.

About ACS:
The American Constitution Society is the nation's largest progressive legal network. We work to promote constitutional rights and liberties, genuine equality, meaningful access to justice, democracy, and the rule of law.

Now more than ever it's clear that it's important to know what our rights are. Join Good & Common & Civil Rights experts to learn more. Every American is protected by a bill of universal rights under the U.S. Constitution. Good & Common was created to help people learn more about what their rights are and how to exercise them. Providing resources related to a variety of legal topics, from protesting to immigration to safely interacting with police, Good & Common aims to support a nation of Americans who are able to understand how to avoid harmful situations and advocate for their community. We’re excited to announce the first of our Round Table Discussion series – a public, community-centric event that brings together a diverse group of speakers to talk about issues around civil rights, police misconduct, and the power of knowledge.

Queer bars all over the country (world) were closing before this damn pandemic. And now, momma, the future is unclear.

Where's all this going?

How will the queer community gather in the coming years?

What is the magnet that will bring people together in the future?

What will the affects of the pandemic be on how, when, why, and where the queer community gathers?

Will there be a renaissance of the gay bar?

What will the physicality of queer space of the future look like?

Two denizens of the queer nightlife world, Honey Mahogany and Grace Towers, are coming to Manny's to discuss these questions and more.

It's going to be a free flowing sit down, maybe a planning session, as both of these queens find themselves in the midst of gathering people together using the digital world and all of its accouterments.

About Honey Mahogany:

The child of East African political refugees, Honey Mahogany was born and raised in San Francisco. Honey's father worked as a cab driver for Yellow Cab Co-op and Honey's mother put herself through school while raising two-children and eventually worked in finance.

Honey completed most of her education in the Bay Area and received her Masters in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley in 2009. Soon thereafter, Honey got a job working at the Rainbow Community Center of Contra Costa County (RCC) where she worked as the Community Mental Health Director, and became the center's first full-time employee.

It was around this time that Honey Mahogany was also establishing herself as a performer in San Francisco, eventually garnering international attention when she appeared on the television show RuPaul's Drag Race. Since appearing on the show, Honey has become a regular host at San Francisco Pride and has also launched two successful POC centered LGBT events: Mahogany Mondays & Black Fridays.

As time went on, and the impacts of the second tech boom became more and more apparent in San Francisco, Honey began to see more of her favorite independent venues and businesses close, and more and more of her friends, family, and community members leave San Francisco.

In 2016, when the Stud Bar was threatened with closure, Honey joined a group of her friends in establishing a collective that eventually took over ownership of the space and worked with City Hall to Save Our Stud. This effort lead Honey to get further involved in community organizing, and soon Honey began helping to mitigate displacement in one of San Francisco's most diverse and heavily impacted neighborhoods, the Tenderloin, by founding the Compton's Transgender Cultural District.

Realizing the incredible value of civic engagement, Honey joined the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club and became Co-President of the club a year later. Honey was then appointed to the SF DCCC, becoming the first black trans-identified person to serve on the body. Honey continues to organize and fight for the most vulnerable communities in San Francisco every day as a legislative aide in the District 6 Office, and hopes to be able to continue her service on the SF DCCC as an elected member.

About Grace Towers:

Grace Towers turns heads wherever she goes. In just seven short-but-fabulous years in San Francisco, she has made a deep impact on the life of the city by carving out queer spaces and nurturing the queerdos who frequent them. She has Graced the city with her signature sabor latino, innumerable commanding performances, generous philanthropic endeavors, transformative mentorship programs, and legendary genderfuck style. Through her unwavering commitment to community, she encourages self-acceptance, creative expression, body positivity, and the use of DRAG as as a portal for change—all with effortless Grace, style, and poise.

It's been a very heavy year so far. We've heard the decision from the Supreme Court that they've overturned Roe V. Wade on June 24th, 2022. The 50 years of protection for abortion rights have been revoked. We have a panel with people practicing law to help us understand the written decision as well as the repercussions. What does this actually mean? What is California doing in response to this? What will life be like post Roe v. Wade? Let's talk about it.

Within minutes of the debate beginning last Thursday, texts and calls were being fielded across the Democratic apparatus asking one very big question: Should Biden stay in the race? The past few days have seen an eruption of chatter around that question, with folks from every end of the political spectrum weighing in on what should be done. What kinds of conversations are happening in the White House? What does the polling say? What are the options here? Who thinks what? And who, ultimately, decides what to do?

We're bringing experts to Manny's to help you sort through these questions and more.

 

Panelists

Dan Morain has covered California policy, politics, and justice-related issues for more than four decades, including twenty-seven years at the Los Angeles Times and eight at The Sacramento Bee, where he was editorial page editor. He is the author of Kamala's Way, a revelatory biography of the first Black woman to stand for Vice President, charting how the daughter of two immigrants in segregated California became one of this country’s most effective power players.

 

What might the political ramifications be if traditional currencies no longer are used and are instead replaced by cryptocurrencies? How has crypto already affected politics and civic life? Here to discuss this intersection is the co-founder and CEO of FTX, one of the largest cryptocurrencies in the world, Sam Bankman-Fried.

What does feminism in 2022 look like? In the last decade, a powerful tide of feminist activism has sent millions into streets and onto social media. In Latin America, highly diverse anti-violence and pro-abortion mass protests have exploded. How have so many come into feminist consciousness? Fifty years ago, women seeking liberation across the Américas adopted the small group practice of feminist “consciousness raising” as both theory and method. They established that “the personal is political,” transforming individual experiences into knowledge that inspired collective action. As Prof. Elisabeth Jay Friedman’s research reveals, today’s activist alchemy results from combining on and offline spaces for self-reflection, debate, and mobilization. Come join us as Professor Elisabeth Friedman breaks down the recent innovation and changes in the feminist movement.

This has been a landmark year for Supreme Court rulings already. In one week we got the protections of LGBT people at work and a rejection of Trump desire to end DACA, protecting immigrants!! What other decisions were made by the court this year and what do they mean for future jurisprudence? What do the majority opinions of the two stellar judgments teach us about Chief Justice John Roberts? Is he the new Justice Kennedy? Do we have cause to be optimistic about the future of the court? Ben Feuer, famed appellate lawyer and legal scholar, is coming to Manny's to discuss and lay it all out for us. About Ben Feuer: Ben Feuer is the chairman of the California Appellate Law Group. Deemed one of the “top appellate litigators in California” by a national news network, Ben regularly represents large and small businesses in bet-the-company commercial appeals in the California appellate courts and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He also represents individuals involved in prosecuting and defending civil appeals ranging from major real estate controversies to multimillion-dollar tort actions to high-net worth family law disputes to novel questions of constitutional law. Ben has been called an “Elite Boutique Trailblazer” by the National Law Journal, named one of the “Top 40 Lawyers Under 40” in California by the Daily Journal, included on Benchmark Litigation‘s “40 & Under Hot List,” and awarded the “Outstanding Barrister” prize by the Bar Association of San Francisco. He has been chosen as a SuperLawyer “Rising Star” for the field of appellate law nine times. Ben is co-chair of the Appellate Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco, and has moderated and spoken on dozens of panels with appellate judges, practitioners, and professors on topics related to appellate law and practice. He is also a frequent author of articles on appellate practice and constitutional law topics, and his writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and the National Law Journal, as well as The Recorder, The Daily Journal, and Corporate Counsel. He also often appears on KGO Radio, Voice of America, and in the Daily Journal‘s podcasts to discuss upcoming appellate issues, Supreme Court cases, and constitutional law. You can read most of Ben’s articles and listen to recordings of many of his broadcasts by clicking here. Ben previously served as an Appellate Lawyer Representative to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, one of a handful of attorneys from across the court’s 11-state jurisdiction personally selected for the role by the court’s judges. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Barristers Club and on the advisory board to OneJustice, an organization that supports California legal nonprofit groups. In 2016, the Minority Bar Council of San Francisco presented Ben with its “Unity Award,” for “outstanding commitment to diversity in the legal profession.” Before joining the California Appellate Law Group, Ben served as a law clerk to Judge Carlos Bea of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He also served as of counsel to the San Francisco appellate boutique Eisenberg & Hancock, and practiced with top litigators at the national firms Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and Williams & Connolly. Ben graduated in the top of his class from the Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago, where he was an editor of the Law Review, argued for the national moot court team, and published an article in the Northwestern Law Review on free speech and election law. He has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Trinity College in Connecticut.

It is 2022 and we are still fighting the same fights as generations before us. The world is upside down and it is up to us, the younger generation, to try and fix it. The generation of today is no longer going to be silence, we are demanding change and a better world. Generation Z (ages 10-25) has been left a world that has been plagued by economic crisis, a deteriorating climate, a global pandemic and so much more. Come hear from two Bay Area change makers who are asking for more. Both apart of Generation Z, these young activist are working to change the political system and the world around them one action at a time. About the speakers: About Tiana Day: Tiana Day is an 19-year old activist and founder of the nonprofit, Youth Advocates for Change. Day was named one of “CNN’s 2020 Heroes, Young Wonder”, named a Golden State Warrior’s “Impact Warrior”, featured in over 30 publications and has been in campaigns with major companies like HP, Canva, and Lululemon. She is an advocate for many social justice issues, most notably with her work within the Black Lives Matter movement. The start of her activism career at age 17, Day conducted and lead the first ever Black Lives Matter march across the Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco, California in June 2020. The rally was said to bring roughly 50,000 individuals from different backgrounds together with her message to “Lead with Love”. Shortly after, she founded her 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization, Youth Advocates for Change, to give youth a creative outlet to amplify and empower them through intersectional social justice issues. The nonprofit has since expanded throughout California high schools and spread to 5 additional state chapters. About Shavonne Hines-Foster: Shavonne attended San Francisco's Lowell High School, where she served as the San Francisco Unified School District student representative to the Board of Education, as well as serving on the Student Advisory Council to the School District, where she was instrumental in the introduction of new policies at Lowell to promote change to the school culture, such as a resolution to remove its elitist admissions policy. She also served as Lowell's Black Student Union President her senior year where she also promoted greater diversity within the student body. Shavonne also co-founded a nonprofit to increase youth voting turnout called When YOUth Vote in 2020. She is now attending Hampton University and remains active in her school community. In her first year, she served on the Student Government Association Senate as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Co-Chair where she writes bills to fix issues on campus. This year, Shavonne will serve on Hampton University’s Student Government Association Cabinet and Women’s Caucus. Shavonne continues to serve her community through activism and philanthropy. This year, Shavonne created her own scholarship titled "My Voice, My Power" and awarded $2,000 to a Senior in a San Francisco public school. Shavonne plans to continue serving San Francisco, Hampton, and other communities in need. About Adrianna Zhang: Adrianna Zhang is a 17-year-old policy advocate who currently serves as the Chair of the San Francisco Youth Commission. On the commission, she helped lead the Vote16SF/Prop G campaign to 207k+ votes in 2020, successfully advocated for Free Muni for Youth, and several pieces of legislation that reached the SF Board of Supervisors on a range of topics from addressing anti-AAPI hate crimes to increasing affordable housing and climate action. As the district 7 appointee, she has also hosted the YC’s annual participatory budget town hall to increase understanding and voice on the city’s budget. Adrianna is also the founder and Executive Director of San Francisco Communities who Help Advance the New Generation of Education, or SF CHANGE , a nationwide organization that has presented free educational workshops to over 30,000 students around the United States. Passionate about education equity, she has led SF CHANGE to partner with organizations such as UNICEF, SF Public Libraries, and more to sponsor and provide resources for the organization. Adrianna is a member of the National Vote16 Advisory Board and was a speaker at TEDxCity of San Francisco 2021. She will attend Stanford University in the fall of 2022.

Episode 1 of our 5 part mini series Midterms Explained . We were able to talk to the 5 key democratic chairs of the 5 key democratic states.

Originally released in 1892, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes has become an important classic in the world of crime fiction. From books to movies and even television, Sherlock Holmes has penetrated modern day culture. What does this mean for larger issues like crime, law, and safety? Join us as Professor Aviram discusses the role Sherlock Holmes played in the birth of crime science and crime prevention. About Hadar Aviram, Ph.D.: Professor Hadar Aviram specializes in criminal justice, civil rights, law and politics, and social movements, and her research employs socio-legal perspectives and methodologies. Her first book Cheap on Crime: Recession-Era Politics and the Transformation of American Punishment (UC Press, 2015, winner of the CHOICE Award for Academic Titles) analyzes the impact of the financial crisis on the American correctional landscape. Her second book The Legal Promise and the Process of Justice (Cambridge University Press, 2019) is an anthology of studies inspired by the work of Malcolm Feeley. Her third book Yesterday’s Monsters: The Manson Family Cases and the Illusion of Parole (UC Press, 2020) examines the California parole process through 50 years of parole transcripts in the Manson Family cases. Prof. Aviram publishes, teaches, and speaks on domestic violence, behavioral perspectives on prosecutorial and defense behavior, unconventional family units, animal rights, elder abuse, public trust in the police, correctional policy and budgeting, violence reduction, theoretical trends in crime and punishment, and the history of female crime and punishment. She served at the President of the Western Society of Criminology and on the Board of Trustees of the Law and Society Association, and is currently the Book Review Editor of the Law & Society Review. One of the leading voices in the state and nationwide against mass incarceration, Prof. Aviram is a frequent media commentator on politics, immigration, criminal justice policy, civil rights, and the Trump Administration. Her blog, California Correctional Crisis, covers criminal justice policy in California. Prof. Aviram holds LL.B. and M.A. (criminology) degrees from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Ph.D. in Jurisprudence and Social Policy from UC Berkeley, where she studied as a Fulbright Fellow and a Regents Intern. She is a member of the California and Israel Bars. Prior to joining the Hastings faculty in 2007, she practiced as a military defense attorney in Israel and taught at Tel Aviv and Haifa Universities.

On December 6, 2022, SPUR and UC Davis law professor Chris Elmendorf stopped by our the Living Room for a conversation about San Francisco's notorious “Nordstrom’s parking lot” housing development and the implications for future housing policy around the state. In 2021, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors rejected a proposal for a 495 unit building on the site of a Nordstrom's valet parking lot. Even though the city's Planning Department had completed its review and approved the project, supervisors rejected the recommendation, sending the project back with dubious demands for additional environmental review. 

Prof. Elmendorf discusses the relationship between the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and the state’s Housing Accountability Act (HAA), the 469 Stevenson fallout and potential solutions. If you want to understand why San Francisco's housing landscape is so frustrating, be sure to check out this episode. 

About SPUR: 

SPUR — the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association — is a nonprofit public policy organization. SPUR brings people together from across the political spectrum to develop solutions to the big problems cities face. Based in San Francisco, San José and Oakland, it is recognized as a leading civic planning organization and respected for an independent and holistic approach to urban issues. Follow SPUR's channel @theurbanistchannelspur2461. 

About Prof. Elmendorf: 

Chris Elmendorf is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Law at UC Davis and a leading scholar of land use and housing issues. He has published widely in top law reviews and political science journals. He is the author (with Tim Duncheon) of “When Super-statutes Collide: CEQA, the Housing Accountability Act, and Tectonic Change in Land Use Law,” forthcoming in the Ecology Law Quarterly. Last year, he advised SPUR on a bill, AB 2656, that addressed the CEQA-HAA conflict. He provides commentary on California housing issues via Twitter @CSElmendorf. 

About us: 

Manny’s is the space where the community comes together to take part in civic and political life. Our community extends from our neighbors in the Mission, to all of San Francisco, the Bay Area, California, the United States and the world. We are the modern day town hall or village square, where anyone can meet and engage with civic leaders, elected officials, artists, activists, change makers and each other. Come here for a great cup of coffee, a new book and great conversations and events. Follow us at @welcometomannys on all social platforms.

There has been widespread misinformation and confusion about Monkeypox, what the virus does, how it's passed and who's at risk. Join us for an in-depth conversation and community forum on the Monkeypox virus and San Francisco's state of emergency. What is monkeypox? What are the symptoms? How can we protect ourselves? Why aren't there enough vaccines? Is the virus mutating? Let's find out from infectious disease and public health experts Dr. Monica Ghandi and journalist Liz Highleyman...

What are the lessons we can learn from the AIDS epidemic? What does it mean to survive 2 pandemics in a lifetime? Many long-term survivors are having revived conversations with friends and family members. Many survivors of the AIDS pandemic feel a sense of pride in the community’s powerful and noble response. A sense that against all odds we came together and demonstrated who we were and what we were really made of. Join us as we create space with Gregg Cassin to share lessons we can take away from surviving the AIDS epidemic and honor long term survivors. This will an open discussion so come ready to share!

How can local officials help build up their communities with a long history of poverty? How has the tech boom affected our country's industrial powerhouse cities? Have tax cuts exacerbated income equality? How is wealth inequality trickling down to smaller cities? Manny's is honored to welcome Stanford professor Michelle Wilde Anderson to our space to discuss her new book, The Fight to Save the Town. Wilde Anderson presents a sweeping and authoritative study of wealth inequality and the dismantling of local government in four working-class cities across the US & passionately argues for reinvestment in people-centered leadership. Decades of cuts to local government amidst rising concentrations of poverty have wreaked havoc on communities left behind by the modern economy. Some of these discarded places are rural. Others are big cities, small cities, or historic suburbs. Some vote blue, others red. Some are the most diverse communities in America, while others are nearly all white, all Latino, or all Black. All are routinely trashed by outsiders for their poverty and their politics. Mostly, their governments are just broke. Forty years after the anti-tax revolution began protecting wealthy taxpayers and their cities, our high-poverty cities and counties have run out of services to cut, properties to sell, bills to defer, and risky loans to take.

I don't know about you but I can't seem to get off my phone. I wake up. Phone. I hit my bed at night. Phone. It's enraging. I know it's bad - I can feel it stressing me out but still can't stop. 
I've gone grayscale. I have limits on my iPhone. I've deleted the Facebook app. But no dice.

The issue of phone addiction is plaguing our society but how did it come about, what exactly is causing it, and what are practical ways to fight back? Also should the government step in and play a role? Two prominent New York Times columnists who write about technology are coming to Manny's to discuss!

Kevin Roose is a columnist for Business Day and a writer-at-large for The New York Times Magazine. His column, “The Shift,” examines the intersection of technology, business, and culture.

Nellie Bowles covers tech and internet culture from San Francisco for The New York Times. Before joining The Times, she was a correspondent for “VICE News Tonight.” She has written for California Sunday, Recode, The Guardian, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

As San Francisco faces a state housing mandate, there are many unanswered questions about new state and local laws, how the city may change, and whether these changes will be enough to meet our housing needs. On Aug. 24, The San Francisco Standard hosts a conversation with State Sen. Scott Wiener and District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar on the impacts of new legislation and what work still needs to be done to build an affordable and livable city for everyone.

How did Kara Swisher become Silicon Valley's most feared, trusted, and respected journalist?Oh not to mention media personality. Come learn! Technology has changed rapidly over Swisher's career. From the invention of the internet to the emergence of the metaverse. How does she stay on top of a rapidly changing industry? Looking back on her career, what has surprised her about where technology has gone? After a lifetime of being the main tech reporter, what's next for her? What does she have planned for Sway? About Kara Swisher: Kara Swisher is the host of “Sway,” the new twice-weekly interview podcast about power by New York Times Opinion. She has been a contributing Opinion writer since 2018. Over her career, Ms. Swisher has hosted hundreds of news making interviews, going head-to-head with prominent figures including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Rupert Murdoch, Stacey Abrams, Kim Kardashian and President Barack Obama. Her early and no-holds-barred coverage of the technology industry earned her a reputation as “Silicon Valley’s most feared and well-liked journalist.” Ms. Swisher studied at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where she wrote her first technology story for the school paper (it was in 1980 -- and the technology was pay phones). She subsequently received a graduate degree from Columbia University’s School of Journalism, became an editor at The City Paper in Washington, D.C., and interned at The Washington Post, where she worked her way up to reporter and covered nascent digital companies like America Online (a.k.a. AOL). Ms. Swisher moved to the San Francisco bureau of The Wall Street Journal in the 1990s as one of the first reporters on the internet beat and eventually began her popular “Boom Town” column. With her longtime collaborator Walt Mossberg, she was a co-producer of the technology conference “D: All Things Digital,” where they interviewed major tech figures including Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. The duo later founded Recode, which was sold to Vox in 2015. In addition to her contributions to The Times, Ms. Swisher is an editor-at-large at New York Media, host of the “Pivot” podcast and executive producer of the Code Conference. She is also the author of “aol.com: How Steve Case Beat Bill Gates, Nailed the Netheads and Made Millions in the War for the Web” and co-author of the sequel, “There Must Be a Pony in Here Somewhere.” She currently lives in Washington with her fiancée, various cats and dogs, and her three children, one of whom just left to start college in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since 1988, Joshua Kosman has been the leading critical voice on classical music in the Bay Area, covering everything from blockbuster Yo-Yo Ma concerts and Opera at the Ballpark to week-long Wagner cycles and contemporary music that only a mother (or a true connoisseur) could love. In his decades holding major institutions accountable and championing the offbeat, he’s helped the Bay Area hear better, his lively prose inviting classical greenhorns and the cognoscenti alike to remember how much they love music or to love it more still.

On April 30, Kosman will flip his critic’s notebook closed for the final time, retiring from the newspaper at a crucial juncture for classical music in the Bay Area. His recent coverage of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s planned departure from the San Francisco Symphony, as well as the San Francisco Opera’s truncated offerings next year, has been essential reading for anyone with a stake in the cultural life of our city.

Before he goes, Kosman will sit down with Chronicle Theater Critic Lily Janiak to share tales from his distinguished career. Join us for Chronicle Live at Manny’s at 5:30 p.m. on April 30 for a retirement celebration and conversation.

You’ll hear how someone trains his ear enough to be a classical music critic and what it’s like to cover Michael Tilson Thomas’ every waking move, as well as Kosman’s most memorable concerts and how he views the role of a critic. It will also be your last chance to pepper Kosman with questions before he leaves the Chronicle for a well-earned retirement doing crossword puzzles, making dad jokes and the occasional viral pun, and re-reading the complete works of Anthony Trollope. (Depending on how loosened up he’s feeling on his last day, attendees might get some feisty opinions about EPS vs. SFS.)
 

The planet is on fire, the weather is changing, and the water is rising. What is happening with the climate? Ties between the climate and our health are old as time, but modern data and methods help illuminate exactly how serious those effects can be. In this talk, Prof. Anttila-Hughes provides an overview of what we know about how the climate impacts child health, outlining the many ways agriculture, sanitation, disease, and other factors influenced by the climate threaten health around the world. A particular concern is what these effects mean in a changing climate, and Prof. Anttila-Hughes marshals recent evidence on El-Niño to outline how the global community should respond as climate change worsens through the 2020s." About Jesse Anttila-Hughes Ph.D.: Professor Anttila-Hughes received his PhD in Sustainable Development from Columbia University. His research focuses on understanding the social impacts of environmental processes, particularly those influenced by environmental degradation and climate change. Professor Anttila-Hughes' current research areas include: public health impacts of the climate; behavioral responses to new information about environmental risks; and determinants of the spread of environmental attitudes and ideas.

What's going to happen to abortion rights? Will guns finally be regulated? Is Affirmative Action no longer? What did they decide, what does it all mean, and what is in store for the future of the judiciary? Join us as Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of UC Berkeley School of Law, explains the cases that came before the court this year and what they mean for our lives.

Last spring, the nation watched in anticipation as Derek Chauvin was taken to trial for the murder of George Floyd. After a global movement, mass media attention, and a heated trial Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. Join us as we discuss this difficult process and steps towards justice with Attorney General Keith Ellison from Minnesota. About Keith Ellison: Keith has served as attorney general since Minnesotans first elected him in 2018. As the People’s Lawyer, Keith’s job is to help Minnesotans afford their lives and live with dignity, safety, and respect. His guiding values are generosity, equity, transparency, and inclusion. As attorney general, Keith has expanded the office’s strong tradition of consumer protection. He’s fought to lower pharmaceutical drug prices, hold opioid companies accountable for the deadly opioid epidemic, protect tenants from exploitation, protect seniors from scams and abuse, protect student borrowers, hold major corporations accountable for consumer fraud and deception, and much more. Keith kept campaign promises to create a unit in the Attorney General’s office to fight wage theft, work on lowering pharmaceutical drug prices, form a task force on improving women’s economic security, and fight for economic fairness for farmers and people in greater Minnesota. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Keith has used the tools of the attorney general to keep Minnesota families and communities safe, fight pandemic profiteering and illegal evictions, and protect small businesses from unfair competition.

It is 2022 and we still don't have proper immigration reform...why? Immigration and asylum policies have been a key issue area for the United States for years. In 2012, under the Obama administration, the immigration process went through a major change. Through an executive order, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA was created. The result of this executive order was renewable two-year grants of protection from deportation—plus work permits and identity documents—for approximately 700,000 undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as children.However, so much changed since the Obama administration and DACA was introduced. Join us as Professor Hing provides an update about the state of immigration and asylum polices in 2022 after the Trump administration and specific COVID measures.

We had Former Senior Advisor to Barack Obama - Dan Pfeiffer talk about the current state of Congress and what happened the previous year. How can democrats make moves to combat republican media takeover? Who do you see as the future speaker of the house? Who would bring you back to the White House? We were able to answer all these questions! Join us again for another conversation with these political all stars.

Golden Girls. Girlfriends. Living Single. Sex & the City. Girls. Grace & Frankie. Broad City. Pen15. Insecure. The Bold Type. Euphoria. From Lucy and Ethel to Issa and Molly, from Mary and Rhoda to Cassie and Maddy, Hollywood has offered stories of women that veer from patronizing to fully fleshed out and sometimes, wonderfully problematic. Join us for a lively conversation about women, BFFs, frenemies and everyone in between with one of the country's leading pop culture experts and co-host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, Aisha Harris!

Growing up in a Filipinx family has many perks such as the rich culture of food, music, and dance but there are certain impacts of colonialism and western beauty standards that have negatively influenced the way Filipinx Americans are treated and walk in life. There is rich history in beauty products from the Philippines with skin lightening formula. Why is that? Have you experienced this or something similar in your own culture? We're here to have a conversation on just that. We want to break down barriers and discuss the personal impact this has had on the lives of Filipinx Americans.

Stacked is a student-run political action committee that is devoted to expanding the political influence of the student voting bloc. Over the years, the deck has been stacked against us and we’re now saying, “Let’s reshuffle the cards” towards a more equitable future for each of us. Students across the country have the power to influence state and federal elections in favor of a progressive student agenda. We plan to own that power. Bios of StackedPAC Panel: Jordan Harzynski - Jordan is a sophomore at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., studying Political Communication, Business, and Public Health. Over the past three years, Jordan has focused his time and efforts to engage students in the political process. While he was at George Mason University during his freshman year, Jordan helped several campaigns leading up to the 2020 election and founded a Students for Biden-Harris group on campus. Jordan recognized the importance of youth engagement for Democratic victories and wanted to do more. He saw the power of the youth vote and wanted to find ways to continue the effort of mobilizing students. It began with the recognition that the deck was stacked against the youth of today and future generations. So Jordan founded StackedPAC to ensure students are registered and mobilized for upcoming elections and is joining fellow students in reshuffling the cards in favor of a student agenda. Prameela Bartholomeusz - Prameela is StackedPAC's Senior Advisor and CEO of Tactical Strategies LLC. She has helped to build the organization, its strategic plan and the tactical strategies that StackedPAC has been setting in place. Prameela also helps to oversee fundraising and the overall operations at StackedPAC. She has spent over 20 years in the tech industry in Finance and business operations, and her involvement in the 2008 presidential election which had her crisscrossing the country, led her to continue to stay civically engaged at the local, state and national levels and making this pivot to political consulting. Prameela has served on the 2008 DNC Platform Committee, held leadership roles in CA at the the county and state party level, helped organize for two presidential campaigns and served on the DNC National Finance Committee. Jayla Allen - Jayla is a current M.A. Candidate in African American Studies at Columbia University. She graduated from Prairie View A&M University with a degree in Political Science and Legal Studies. Throughout her undergraduate tenure, Jayla entered into the world of activism and organizing. In 2018, Jayla joined alongside the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund as a student plaintiff in Allen v. Waller, a federal voting-rights lawsuit challenging discriminatory and improper voting practices against Black student voters. Now more than ever, it is important for young people to exercise their right to vote and expand political influence in all elections; StackedPAC will galvanize students across the country and show the political power that young people hold today. Ethan Choi - Ethan is an economics major at Claremont McKenna College. He was raised in the Bay Area and is the son of two immigrants. Over the past three years, Ethan has been involved in local and state-wide activism including working as a media director under Prameela Bartholomoesuz on multiple civic causes, serving as a lead intern at the Santa Clara County Democratic Party during high school, and leading his high school's activism organization as its co-president. He recognizes that working collectively and nationally is critical to electing more leaders who will represent us. Mary Harmon - Mary attends Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, studying Special Education and American Sign Language. Entering college, she was clear she wanted to get involved in both her school and the Kalamazoo community. She gained a love for activism through the College Democrats at Western Michigan University for which she is currently president and is also active with Planned Parenthood of Kalamazoo. Mary was keen to become involved with StackedPAC due to the opportunities afforded students to focus in a more structured and effective way to advocate for issues at a campus, state and national level. She believes StackedPAC has and will make a difference in elections by both mobilizing and educating people on issues we should all care about, in a way that will bring us together.

Mondaire Jones and Ritchie Torres ran against the machine to represent their communities in the House of Representatives. They likely won. While the final votes are still being counted, and the general election is still to be had, it looks like Mondaire Jones (33) and Ritchie Torres (32) will be the first two black gay men in Congress come January!! They'll be representing the Bronx and Rockland County respectively. Both ran insurgent campaigns and have likely won against all odds. Both were raised by single mothers in the districts they will now represent, came out of the closet, overcame many obstacles, and went to work fighting for their communities. Mondaire's opponent outspent him 4 to 1 and Ritchie ran against one of the most recognized names in Bronx politics. So who are these two incredible men? What is their vision for the future of this country? What will guide them as they begin their journey in our national legislature and what's been their guiding principles until now? What got them into politics and what do you they want to accomplish in Congress? How can you be a part of their story and their work? Tune in now!

Why is it so hard to get any new housing built in the Bay Area? Housing Directors from SF, Oakland & San Jose stop by to talk about it all. Bay Area residents know that buying a home anywhere in the bay is hella hard! There are far more people looking for housing than there are units and we all feel the pinch in exorbitant rents and crowded spaces. What can be done about it? Manny's is excited to welcome Housing Directors from the three largest cities in the Bay -- Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose -- to discuss the challenges and opportunities they face as the leading voices for housing in our communities.

For years, DACA recipients have lived with instability following the Trump's administration's repeated attacks to end the program placing their livelihoods, careers, and families at stake over to fulfill a political agenda.

On June 18th, the highest court of the land ruled in favor of DACA, defying Trump's vicious promises to end the program. Over 700, 000 individuals reveled in relief and victory. The landmark SCOTUS decision defined the lives and futures of those individuals who were reassured that #HomeIsHere.

In a blockbuster week the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration was not able to end the DACA program, which protect Americans who were brought here as children, also known as DREAMers, on the basis they provided.

The opinion, written by Chief Justice Roberts, only takes its issues with the reasoning behind why President Trump wanted to end the program, not the legality of the program itself.

This provides yet another reason why we must all bond together to defeat Donald Trump, so that the next President can continue President Obama's legacy of protecting our DREAMers.

We're bringing longtime immigration reform activist and organizer Eduardo Garcia together with community leader, poet, and DACA recipient Jupiter Peraza, to discuss what last week's Supreme Court ruling means for the immigrant community.

How did we get here?

What does it all mean?

What's next?

Do you want to learn more about SF? Have you been caught up in the whimsical nature of the city of San Francisco? Join us for a conversation w/ author Gary Kamiya & Artist Paul Madonna about the beautiful city of San Francisco & their book the Spirits of San Francisco - Voyages Through the Unknown City. About Gary Kamiya: I was born in Oakland, grew up in Berkeley and have lived in San Francisco since 1971. I received my BA and MA in English literature from UC Berkeley, where I won the Mark Schorer Citation. I was a co-founder and longtime executive editor of the groundbreaking web site Salon.com, where I reported from the Middle East, covered three Olympics, and wrote about politics, pop culture, literature, art, music and sports. Until March 2018 I was the executive editor of San Francisco Magazine, where I wrote award-winning features about the tech-driven transformation of San Francisco, homelessness, the Tenderloin, the injection drug crisis, the waterfront, the new Museum of Modern Art, the controversy over the canonization of Father Junipero Serra, and legalized marijuana, among other subjects. My first book, Shadow Knight: The Secret War Against Hitler, was a critically-acclaimed narrative history of Britain's top-secret Special Operations Executive. My second book, Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco, was awarded the 2013 Northern California Book Award in creative nonfiction and has sold more than 50,000 copies. My local history column, "Portals of the Past," runs every other Saturday in the San Francisco Chronicle. My work has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, ArtForum, Sports Illustrated, Mother Jones, and many other publications and has been widely anthologized, including in The Best African-American Essays 2010, The New Harvard Literary History of the United States, and the Longman Reader. I have been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Ron Ross Founder's Award by the San Francisco History Association and the Presidio Historical Association Award. I have appeared as an expert on-camera source in numerous documentaries, including a forthcoming PBS 4-hour documentary on William Randolph Hearst, Jim Yager and Peter Stein’s forthcoming Moving San Francisco (about the past, present and future of transportation in San Francisco) and two of their previous documentaries, the Emmy Award-winningWater from the Wilderness (on Hetch Hetchy) and The People's Palace (on City Hall), Michael House's I Remember Herb Caen, and others. I live on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco. About Paul Madonna: Paul Madonna is an award-winning artist and best-selling author whose unique blend of drawing and storytelling has been heralded as an “all new art form.” Paul is the creator of the series All Over Coffee, which ran in the San Francisco Chronicle for twelve years, and the author of five books, including the Emit Hopper Mystery Series. His book Everything is its own reward won the 2011 NCBA Award for best book. Paul’s work ranges from novels to cartoons to large-scale public murals and can be found internationally in print as well as in galleries and museums, including the Oakland Museum of California, the William Blake Association in France, and the San Francisco International Airport. Paul was a founding editor for therumpus.net, has taught drawing at the University of San Francisco, and frequently lectures on creative practice. He holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and was the first (ever!) Art Intern at MAD magazine.

The Surgeon General of the United States came to Manny's to discuss what it's been like as the nation's top doctor, along discussing the physical, emotional, and spiritual ramifications of loneliness and social isolation, and what our role is building a people-centered society. He shared stories and insights from his work that brought him across the country over the years addressing the loneliness epidemic and will answer people’s questions about how we heal as individuals, communities, and society.

What does it mean to queer religion at a Catholic university? What is it like to be queer and the Rabbi in residence at a Catholic institution? Come listen as Rabbi Angel shares their experience, research and field notes from teaching at University of San Francisco and leading the queer flagship Congregation Sha'ar Zahav for 15 years. Are you a current student? Email the word "caffeine" and the title of this event to angelina@welcometomannys.com for a complementary ticket Manny's never turns away anyone for lack of funds. To receive a complementary ticket just email the word "grapefruit" and the title of this event to darian@welcometomannys.com. About Rabbi Camille Angel: Camille Shira Angel, an adjunct professor in the Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice, is also an ordained rabbi from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and the author of articles including "Crafting a Liturgical Mirror," in the wonderful new anthology The Sacred Encounter: Jewish Perspectives on Sexuality, and "Ruach Acheret-Ruach Hakodesh: Different Spirit-Sacred Spirit" in Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible. She was the spiritual leader of the queer flagship Congregation Sha'ar Zahav from 2000-2015, where she edited and contributed to a radically inclusive prayer book, Siddur Sha'ar Zahav. Her primary interests lie in being a mother and a loving companion while balancing the weight of the world and attempting to make forward progress on all matters concerning equality and justice — personal, communal, national, and global.

Foraging has become a popular activity across the Bay Area and the nation. Where am I able to go to harvest? How do I make sure I don't die? Why has foraging become so popular lately? Foraging can be a form of self sustenance and the rejection of a consumeristic culture. In a lot of ways, it is becoming a form of resistance. Sometimes it's just an engaging activity. Be a part of the growing conversation on foraging here in the Bay Area. Join us at Manny's. About Owen: Owen is a computational biologist, aspiring ethnomycologist, and mushroom-hunter interested in all things fungal. While learning how to identify wild mushrooms as a kid growing up in the Bay Area, he became fascinated by the intersection of mushrooms, foraging, and society and culture. After graduating from college, left the US on a fellowship to study modern and traditional mushroom foraging systems in 6 countries across Eurasia. Returning home, he is excited to become a part of the growing interest in mushroom foraging that is gripping the Bay Area.

Technology has revolutionized every aspect of modern life and politics is certainly no exception. We're all familiar with stories of how tech has been used to misinform and disrupt civic systems and norms. But, what if tech was the key to saving democracy? Manny's is honored to welcome Obama Digital Organizing Director Betsy Hoover and Feel Good Action Executive Director Andy Forrest for a fascinating conversation on the rise of political tech and the innovations that may save us after all.

This lecture will focus on the life and legacy of the British Romantic poet, Percy Shelley (the husband of Frankenstein creator, Mary Shelley), the British author who drowned off the coast of Italy 200 years ago this year. Professor Miranda (University of San Francisco) will shed light on what a poet from so long ago can tell us today about women’s liberation movements, social justice and racial equity, the means and ends of mass protest and revolt, the dynamics of gender and sexual fluidity, the ills of climate change, the urgency of environmental “rewilding,” and the social rewards of vegetarianism and veganism. Through some readings of Shelley's poetry, Professor Miranda will also discuss how and why were civil rights leaders such Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as philosophers such as Karl Marx inspired by the Shelleyan imagination, including how Shelley and other young authors of his time launched the legacy of the neglected genius artist that we recognize through musicians such as Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix, Selena, and Tupac Shakur. Join us as Professor Miranda explains the influence and power of imagination for our politics.

Manny's LIVE is bringing together the Supervisor Shamann Walton, the only black member of the SF Board of Supervisors, and Sheryl Evans Davis, the Executive Director of the Human Rights Commission to discuss how they are thinking about the process to redirect funds from the SFPD into the communities they are charged with protesting and serving.

The movement to "defund" the police has risen to the tip of national conversation. To some it's a call to substantially reduce or completely remove funding of the police force, to others it's a call to move certain funds and responsibilities away from the police and into community based organizations in the black community.

Mayor Breed and Supervisor Walton announced plans to do just that on June 4th but many questions remain:

1) How do you actually engage in the process of redirecting funds from the police?

2) Where should the funds go?

3) How should the roles and responsibilities of the police change in kind?

4) What does the interplay look like between the police, the city, the community serving organizations, and the people themselves?

5) How involved can and will the public be in this process?

The City has not figured out yet how this process will happen. We don't know that yet. This is a conversation about priorities and goals.

About Supervisor Walton:

Supervisor Shamann Walton was born in San Francisco and lived in public housing at an early age in Bayview and Potrero Hill. He has worked in District 10 neighborhoods for decades and has witnessed firsthand the challenges our community faces from long-time residents being pushed out of the city to losing childhood friends to violence and incarceration. As an accomplished and experienced community leader, Shamann has dedicated his life to improving these realities in our community and is committed to identifying solutions to our pressing issues. He has a proven track record of creating positive change in the community he serves.

As the former president and member of the San Francisco Board of Education, Shamann spearheaded the effort to close the achievement gap for Black, Latino, and special needs students and helped secure the funding for the school district's first African American Achievement and Leadership Initiative. He worked to protect undocumented students, decreased teacher turnover, increase graduation rates across the district for Black, Latino and Pacific Islander students, secured the financing and identified a site for our first affordable housing units for educators, and fought to make sure that Mission Bay will have its first school built in the next few years.

As the former Executive Director at Young Community Developers (YCD), Shamann worked vigorously to build close relationships with labor to provide job and career opportunities for residents and bring 100% affordable housing units to District 10. Under his leadership, YCD increased their annual budget by more than $10 million dollars and used those funds to better the lives of District 10 residents by placing them in jobs and careers, developing affordable housing, eliminating employment barriers and increasing education outcomes with credit recovery and tutorial services for students.

Shamann is passionate about quality public education, options for living-wage jobs, safer neighborhoods, affordable housing, support services for the homeless, and universal healthcare. As a member of the Board of Supervisors, he will strongly advocate for communities from low-income and working-class neighborhoods. He will also work to improve our schools, bring more jobs to the district, increase access to affordable housing, bridge relationships amongst all diverse communities, stop gun violence, and ensure we have safe open spaces.

Shamann is a proud father to his two adult children, Monique and Malcolm, who are both graduates of Bay Area public schools. He lives in the Bayview with his wife, Mesha, and his two stepsons--one who is a graduate of SFUSD and one who is currently in high school.

Shamann has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Morris Brown College and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from San Francisco State University.

About Executive Director Sheryl Davis :

Sheryl Evans Davis is the Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission (HRC). Director Davis previously served as Commissioner between 2011 and 2016, including a tenure as Vice Chair of the Commission.

Prior to joining the HRC, Director Davis was Executive Director of Collective Impact, a community-based organization in the Western Addition neighborhood of San Francisco. As Executive Director, she oversaw Mo’MAGIC, Magic Zone, and the Ella Hill Hutch Community Center. Mo’MAGIC, a collaborative of non-profit organizations, addresses challenges facing low-income children, youth and families in the areas of economic development, community health, and violence prevention. Magic Zone provides education and wraparound services to K-12 students and transitional aged youth. The Ella Hill Hutch Community Center provides community-building services and workforce development opportunities to neighborhood residents. During her tenure at Collective Impact, Director Davis forged private and public sector partnerships to provide critical health and social services to historically underserved communities across San Francisco.

Director Davis has also served on the SFPD Fair & Impartial Policing and Community Policing Advisory Committees, Fillmore Community Benefits District, and Redevelopment Agency's Western Addition Citizen Advisory Committee. She holds a BA degree from San Francisco State University and Master's in Public Administration from the University of San Francisco.

There's a massive outbreak of COVID-19 at San Quentin Prison. Almost 2,000 prisoners are positive and more folks have died of COVID-19 in custody than in a century of execution. What is going on? How did this happen? Could it have been prevent and what's been done to stop the spread of the virus in our prisons? How will the virus inside the prison affect life and the spread outside the prison? Dr. Hadar Aviram, a criminal justice activist and law professor is leading the charge to address the outbreak in San Quentin. She's coming to the lavender couch to discuss what's going on. Note : This conversation will be broadcasted from Manny's but the place to tune it will be via: Facebook live here: www.facebook.com/welcometomannys OR Youtube live here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkw-rIL_jyPc731nXNVNb3Q? After the conversation, at 7 PM, please go to the following link to join the post show discussion and action session: www.tinyurl.com/mannysbreakroom ________________________ On Friday, July 10, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced a plan to release about 8,000 people from California prisons because of the COVID-19 outbreak. State officials are starting to act, but some advocates and activists statewide have been publicly warning authorities for months. Without decisive action, state prisons could become mass graves. Closer investigation shows the tricky terrain between curbing the pandemic and avoiding public controversy.

Will SF's new Board of Education members make effective change? San Franciscans spoke out loud and clear last month when they recalled three SFUSD board members. The 3-to-1 voting margin was a resounding reflection of the frustration that so many parents and community members felt for almost two years. Mayor London Breed has appointed three public school mothers, from diverse backgrounds, to replace the ousted Board members. They've already attended their first Board meeting and now they are stopping by Manny's to talk about their work, the challenges and the way forward.

Manny's is proud to welcome Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer, the first openly transgender bishop elected to lead a major Christian denomination in the U.S., and transqueer activist theologian Dr. Robyn Henderson-Espinoza to discuss Dr. Robyn’s new book Body Becoming: A Path to Our Liberation . Join them for this powerful conversation on theology, neurodiversity, being transgender faith leaders, and so much more. About the Speakers: Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer bio: Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer (they/them) was elected Bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 2021. Rev. Megan, the first openly transgender pastor ordained in the Lutheran church, was ordained Extraordinarily in 2006. One of 18 pastors ordained during the time when the ELCA did not allow LGBT pastors to serve openly. In 2010, Dr. Megan was one of the first seven pastors received into the ELCA after their policies changed. On May 8, 2021 they were elected as the first openly transgender Bishop in a mainline Christian denomination. Before serving as Bishop, they served as Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in San Francisco, Community Chaplain Coordinator for the San Francisco Police Department and Executive Director of Welcome with the LGBTQ+ Homeless Community in San Francisco. Rev. Megan is an award winning filmmaker, musician and historian and has been featured on Queer Eye, Cosmo, People and in Wittenberg, Germany for the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. Dr. Megan lives near Golden Gate Park with their wife Laurel, two children and two cats. Dr. Robyn Henderson-Espinoza bio: Robyn Henderson-Espinoza, PhD has been described in a myriad of ways: a scholar-activist, scholar-leader, thought-leader, teacher, public theologian, ethicist, poet of moral reason, and word artist. Among these ways of describing Dr. Robyn, they are also a visionary thinker who has spent two decades working in the borderlands of church, academy, & movements seeking to not only disrupt but dismantle supremacy culture and help steward the logic of liberation as a Transqueer Latinx. They enflesh a deep hope of collaborating in these borderland spaces where their work seeks to contribute to the ongoing work of collective liberation. Dr. Robyn is the Founder of the Activist Theology Project, a Nashville based collaborative project that seeks to work with the dominant culture and produces curriculum at the intersection of scholarship and activism. Dr. Robyn was named 1 of 10 Faith Leaders to watch by the Center for American Progress in 2018. Dr. Robyn has been featured in fashion magazines and appeared on many different podcasts. As a scholar-activist, Dr. Robyn is committed to translating theory to action, so that our work in the borderlands reflect the deep spiritual work of transforming self to transforming the world. As the Founder of the Activist Theology Project, Dr. Robyn is committed to the work of social healing through public theology initiatives, and writes & creates both academic & other valuable resources, including digital resources. Dr. Robyn is a non-binary Transqueer Latinx and adult on the Autism spectrum who calls Nashville, TN home. They are the author of Activist Theology, 2019, published by Fortress Press and the forthcoming book “Body Becoming: A Path to Our Liberation,” published by Broadleaf Press 2022.

What pressure are prisoners under as they enter the parole process? Due to recent legal reforms and pressures to reduce the prison population, the Board of Parole Hearings has been far more active in overseeing the release of long-term offenders. Based on first hand observations and transcripts of parole board hearings, Dr. Kimberly Richman analyzes the role of what she calls “Program Speak”—the name prisoners give to the specialized language learned in prison rehabilitative programs—in the parole process. She finds a mutually reinforcing pattern of purposive language acquisition, designed to signal—and possibly induce—over-responsibility and extreme culpability. This has profound consequences for the prisoners and their parole process. Join us as Dr. Kimberly Richman explains how prisoners are being pressured into responsibility and remorse in levels that may be harmful to them.