Members of Invest Black SF, OMI Community Collaborative and community partners are holding a celebration this Friday for the Black community's activism in the redistricting of District 11.
The Ave Bar, one of the last Black-owned bars in the city, will host the event. The location is significant because the bar, along with much of Ingleside's stretch of Ocean Avenue, may be put back into District 11 after 10 years in District Seven depending on the results of the redistricting process, which ought to be finalized on Friday per the city charter.
Originally, Paula Harrell, Nicole Fitt and Jeanette Wright planned the event for launching the website Still Here SF as a platform to uplift and support the Black community through advancing education, networking and cultural pride.
However, the event evolved into a celebration for the activism around the once-per-decade redistricting process.
"I'm a part of INVEST BLACK, which I am really, really honored to be a part because I learned that I can advocate for the community that I was born and raised and live in today," Wright said.
Wright said the community groups did a lot of advocacy, meeting with a variety of stakeholders.
"We had a meeting with Supervisor [Myrna] Melgar and we expressed our concerns and she expressed hers," Wright said.
Wright, who has deep roots in the neighborhood and works nearby at San Francisco State University, chose April 15 not because it's the city's area code but because that was the day in 1850 the city was incorporated.
"So many of us in District 11 have been doing the work and advocating for the redistricting and making sure that we don't lose part of District 11 to District Seven, and that we are also able to gain the corridor that we lost 10 years ago," Wright said.
The event will feature music by DJ Rob V and food by Tamed Game Catering. Orders will be taken for Still Here SF-branded items such as t-shirts.
District 11 Redistricting Party
Date: Friday, April 15, 2022
Time: 7 – 10 p.m.
Location: The Ave Bar, 1607 Ocean Ave.
Website: www.stillheresf415.com
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