In 2021, San Francisco Heritage committed to boost cultural equity within our preservation work. We are revising our activities and programs to meet this responsibility, and have developed a framework to measure success and accountability. This equity report card helps us monitor our progress.
For a look at our ongoing activities, visit sfheritage.org/equity. If you would like to offer your ideas or comments on our work, reach out to Kerri Young at kyoung@sfheritage.org.
Below are some highlights of our progress over the past quarter:
- We adopted a new three-year Strategic Plan with a commitment to diversity, equity, access, and inclusion in all SF Heritage activities as a guiding principle.
- As part of our advocacy work to preserve the architectural and cultural significance of the Castro Theatre, we are supporting the amplification of the theatre’s connection and significance to the LGBTQ+ community. We also supported the promotion of progress towards historic landmark designation for the intersection of Turk and Taylor streets, a key site in the struggle for LGBTQ+ civil rights.
- While work on landmark designations started bearing fruit last quarter (Diego Rivera’s Allegory of California fresco, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, Lincoln Park), staff recognizes room for improvement on proactive advocacy for sites important to overlooked communities.
- Sharaya Souza (Taos Pueblo, Ute, Kiowa) of the American Indian Cultural District (AICD) presented with us at the California Preservation Foundation’s 2022 conference. Sharaya and SF Heritage’s Kerri Young, along with co-presenters at the LA Conservancy and Save Chinatown, shared their experiences engaging in community partnerships to further diversity, equity, and inclusion in preservation. SF Heritage also invited and confirmed Sharaya as its newest board member on June 21, 2022.
- We added a land acknowledgement to our printed SF Heritage News.
- We engaged a representative the LGBTQ+ community, Chibueze Crouch, as our June artist-in-residence.
- SF Heritage funded legacy business prizes for the Sunset Chinese Cultural District’s logo contest, and promoted the cultural district at its official launch on May 22, 2022.
- We offered free admission to the Haas-Lilienthal House on June 11, 2022, as part of International Museum Day and “Doors Open California”.
- Kerri Young attended Latino in Heritage Conservation’s Congreso 2022 in Denver, Colorado in the efforts to broaden our preservation practice.
