San Francisco created the African American Reparations Advisory Committee (SFAARAC) in 2020 and tasked it with developing a Reparations Plan to address the city sanctioned harm that has been inflicted on San Francisco's African American communities.
At the core of the Committee's work is a fundamental question: can San Franciso heal communities undermined by years of racism and institutional neglect? In other words, can the city make its Black community whole and what will that mean for the rest of San Francisco?
SFAARAC has focused its work on education, housing, policy and economic empowerment. After more than a year of research, study and public comment, the Committee released a draft Reparations Plan and the world took notice.
The Plan includes more than 50 recommendations including direct compensation, educational support, and reimagining some of downtown's empty commercial spaces.
We have invited SFAARAC Chair Eric McDonnell and Vice-Chair Tinisch Hollins to our living room to talk about their hometown, reparations, history and the way forward for San Francisco and its Black residents. Join us for this necessary conversation.
Manny's never turns away someone due to lack of funds. If you need a complimentary ticket, please email the title of the event and the word "grapefruit" to angelina@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 OUR PANELISTS:
Tinisch Hollins
A crime survivor and a native of San Francisco from Bayview Hunters Point, Tinisch is the Executive Director of Californians for Safety and Justice, the cofounder of SF Black Wall Street and the Vice Chair of the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee.
Her leadership helped to pass historic first-in-the-nation legislation that extended employment leave for all survivors of violence, as well as legislation permitting crime victims to terminate their leases if they no longer feel safe in their homes following a crime. Tinisch also played a pivotal leadership role in the defeat of Proposition 20, a regressive ballot measure on the 2020 California ballot that sought to repeal numerous successful criminal justice reforms.
She has been deeply engaged in the Bay Area social justice movement as the community organizer, policy advocate and systems navigator for nearly two decades. Tinisch has worked passionately to bring the voices of survivors to the center of community engagement and public policy and has advocated tirelessly for those voices to guide decisions, priorities, and resources. Across her work, Tinisch brings underrepresented Black voices into decision-making processes and redirects priorities, power, and resources back to our community. Prior to joining CSJ in 2019, Tinisch served in various leadership capacities in local government, including at the San Francisco Human Services Agency and in the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice.
Eric McDonnell
Eric McDonnell is a people-first advocate, strategist, diversity trainer, executive coach, and keynote speaker in pursuit of positive impact in the world. Eric provides strategic management consulting support to leaders and organizations in the nonprofit, government, philanthropic, and private sectors. Eric holds a BA in public administration from the University of San Francisco and is a Certified Life Coach. A native San Franciscan, Eric and his family live in the Bayview neighborhood, and he enjoys live music and cycling.
Eric has over 30yrs of leadership experience, transforming organizations and communities, creating impact. In addition to holding Executive positions in change agencies, in his consulting practice he has supported Board development, strategic planning, executive leadership, and program sustainability. The common theme and focus for Eric has been to work with mission aligned people and organizations to make a positive impact in the world.
ABOUT THE SAN FRANCISCO AFRICAN AMERICAN REPARATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee is a 15 member body legislatively established by Supervisor Shamann Walton to advise the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Mayor, Human Rights Commission and the public on the development of a San Francisco-specific Reparations Plan that chronicles the legacy of American chattel slavery, post-Civil War government-sanctioned discrimination against African Americans, and ongoing institutional discrimination that has adversely impacted the lives of Black San Franciscans.