Feb 2
Black History Month Convocation Student Dinner With Lateefah Simon
Civil rights advocate Lateefah Simon gives hope to thousands of families struggling to overcome challenges of poverty and discrimination.
Thursday, February 2nd, 2017
5:30pm – 7:00pm, Stimson House
Lateefah Simon is a nationally recognized advocate for civil rights. Born and raised in San Francisco’s Western Addition, Simon has been on the frontlines for the most vulnerable communities in the San Francisco Bay Area since she was recruited from the streets to be an organizer for the Center for Young Women’s Development at age 15. Appointed executive director of the CYWD at age 19, she served for over a decade and brought the organization to national acclaim, and earned the distinction of the youngest woman ever to receive a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. She went on to serve as executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, where she revamped the 40-year-old organization’s structure and implemented successful community based initiatives, including the Second Chance Legal Services Clinic. As program director at the Rosenberg Foundation, she managed a portfolio of grants aimed at supporting groundbreaking advocacy in the areas of criminal justice reform, immigrant rights, low-wage workers’ rights and civic engagement in California. She also helped launch the new $2 million Leading Edge Fund to seed, incubate and accelerate bold ideas from the next generation of progressive movement leaders in California. Simon is now the president of the Akonadi Foundation, a charitable group that funds community projects in the San Francisco Bay area that support and nurture racial justice. This Black History Month Convocation is sponsored by the Office of Intercultural and International Life.
← Return to site Calendar
Go to Campus Calendar →