CHANGEMAKERS

“I was always told when I was growing up that I had choices—even when I really didn’t have a whole lot of them at the time—it was what I [would do] that would make a difference in my life.” Born on May 23, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York, Aileen Clarke Hernandez was raised in a family that inspired and encouraged change. Continue reading “AILEEN CLARKE HERNANDEZ”

Richard Holder a San Francisco native and Vietnam War veteran, will be remembered as a civil servant to the city, valiantly serving in the San Francisco Police Department for 28 years. Holder protected his community and never compromised on what he perceived as best for San Francisco. He began serving in the SFPD in 1972 and climbed the ranks until his departure in June 2000. Continue reading “DEPUTY CHIEF RICHARD HOLDER”

Ella Hill Hutch committed her life to the struggle for civil rights and racial equality, serving as the first female African American Supervisor for the city of San Francisco. Hutch was born in 1924, the seventh of twelve children. She came to San Francisco from Florida after World War II, hoping to find a diverse, equitable metropolis. She moved to the historic Fillmore District. Continue reading “ELLA HILL HUTCH”

Mattie Jackson was born on October 3, 1921, in Blanchard, Texas. She grew up during the Great Depression and was the second youngest of seven siblings. Encouraged by her father to continue her education, she worked to develop important leadership and organization skills at Johnson’s Business College. After moving to San Francisco, she opened several small businesses and became an advocate for workers’ rights. Continue reading “MATTIE JACKSON”

Geraldine Johnson was born in New Orleans in 1933. At 29, she and her family left the city due to an economic downturn that left her father unemployed. They moved to San Francisco, where Johnson quickly became a prominent activist in the city’s labor movement. By the 1980s, Johnson had not only become a member of the San Francisco Labor Council, but she had also started her own chapter of the Coalition for Black Trade Unionists, which was dedicated to the rights of African American laborers. Continue reading “GERALDINE JOHNSON”

A native of San Francisco, Calvin Jones, Jr., is known for his passionate work as a minister and philanthropist to families and youth involved or affected by crime and poverty. Son of the famous trombone musician Calvin Jones, Sr., and Julia Jones, Calvin, Jr., graduated from Balboa high school in 1969 where he played football and led the team to consecutive Thanksgiving Day titles in 1967 and 1968. Continue reading “REV. CALVIN JONES, JR.”

Reverend Calvin Jones, Sr. was born to Eddie and Josephine Jones on March 28, 1920 in Louisiana. His family moved to Arkansas, where Calvin attended school in Magnolia. At the age of thirteen, Jones joined the Home Near Baptists Church after he was baptized. Calvin Jones later joined the United States Army and was honorably discharged in 1946. Continue reading “REV. CALVIN JONES, SR.”

Louise Cooks Jones was born on October 1, 1927, in Thibodaux, Louisiana, during times of intense racial segregation (SFGate). Growing up in a heavily segregated school in the south, Jones recalled that her school textbooks were always second-hand and “tattered and torn” (SFGate). However, this did not stop her from receiving a quality education. Continue reading “LOUISE JONES”