Honoring the Women of City of Dreams with our Teens Group
Bayview, San Francisco is carried by an obscured subset of the city’s demographics–BIPOC women. A relentless history of deprivation, the district’s women have responded by inducting measures for survival, cultural preservation, and clamor for basic human rights.
Lottie Titus served Bayview as one of these women. A forthright advocate for the community’s public housing population, she served as the San Francisco Housing Authority Commissioner and as a City of Dreams Board Member. She created Hope SF, an initiative to rebuild San Francisco's severely distressed public housing sites. She brought positivity, kindness, and strength for the life around her. We were fortunate enough to have her in our circle, and now we have every intention of serving women like her, and inviting them into our youth’s lives.
Ground Zero Girls Group with Zenaida (front middle) Emily, Raquel, and Devika (mentors)
Our most recent initiative to empower Black and BIPOC teens, Ground Zero Girls (GZG), held a career-building workshop led by Zenaida, the Ground Zero Girls facilitator, and Cassidi, our Co-Board Chair. In this workshop, the teens asked themselves what they’re good at, even if not presumed “resume-worthy,” and how to implement these skills into their career or study choices.
Zenaida is a Bayview-trusted youth advocate with experience in schools, among leaders, and in entrepreneurship. She is a life-skills coach and mentor for our young girls. The GZG Program as a whole invites highschool and college aged girls to speak on their individuality, ask questions, and reinstate the importance of mind and bodily autonomy.
With Cassidi present too, the young girls heard from different perspectives on the work and education industries. Basics of applying for a job were discussed and why they’re necessary in the first place. How to achieve upward societal progression is not regularly discussed in schools, which makes conversations like these critical for the youth. This women-led event opened the conversation up to topics like workplace discrimination, education stigmas, and how to navigate gender-based issues when finding a job.
For Women’s History Month, we want to acknowledge that women are not lacking at City of Dreams. We are evolving as an organization at the hands of many intelligent women:
Jaraé, our Executive Director
Cassidi and Mini, Co-Board Chairs
Nasira, Board Secretary
Farzana, our newest Board Member
Zenaida, our GZG Life Coach
And more!
Women-led and expanding, City of Dreams is assuring the Bayview youth have women leaders and mentors to look up to and seek guidance from. Happy Women’s History Month!
Lottie Titus, December 16, 1957–May 26, 2020