San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today joined the Department on the Status of Women (DOSW), City and community leaders to celebrate Women’s History Month at City Hall by honoring local women for their contributions to San Francisco. This year’s event is themed “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.”
“San Francisco has a long history of celebrating and elevating women’s contributions to the City. Throughout the year, we celebrate the incredible women who have dedicated their lives to helping our communities,” said Mayor Breed. “I want to thank the three women that we honor today who have worked tirelessly to ensure our residents have the resources they need to succeed. As we kick off Women’s History Month, let us remember the progress we’ve made to supporting women everywhere to create a more equitable society.”
The honorees recognized today by Mayor Breed are:
- Florence Fang, Chairwoman of the Florence Fang Family Foundation
- Phelicia Jones, community advocate and Chief Executive Officer of Hope Preservation
- Andrea Dew Steele, Co-Founder of Emerge California
“Today we are honoring three women warriors. Women who give their time, talent and treasure to help tell the beautifully diverse stories of San Francisco’s women, girls and nonbinary people,” said Kimberly Ellis, Director of the Department of the Status of Women. “Women’s History Month is all about remembering our past, celebrating our present and doubling down on our commitment to create a gender equitable world for all. I couldn’t be prouder to celebrate these honorees who help us do that every single day.”
Florence Fang is a prominent philanthropist and civic leader who has dedicated her life to supporting our communities. Fang was the former publisher of the San Francisco Examiner and the former chairwomen for the Independent Newspaper Group. Fang’s lifetime efforts in promoting education and strengthening Chinese-American relations has earned her the “Woman of the Year” award by the California State Legislature twice. Currently, she serves as the Chairwoman of the Florence Fang Family Foundation.
Phelicia Jones has been a civil rights activist and community leader for decades, and is committed to uplifting our future generation of leaders. Jones is the founder of Wealth and Disparities in the Black Community, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to promoting healthy living to marginalized populations. Jones also serves as a Rehabilitation Services Coordinator at the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department, where she develops programs that serve incarcerated and post-incarcerated populations.
Andrea Dew Steele is the co-founder of Emerge California, a non-profit organization whose mission is to equip women leaders with the resources needed to run for elected office at the local, state, and federal levels. Emerge California currently has affiliates in 27 states across the country with plans to expand in the future. Steele continues to be a passionate advocate for increasing the number of women in elected office at every level and is motivated by a life-long commitment to politics and change.
Under Mayor London Breed’s leadership, representation of women on policy bodies continues to increase. Out of 337 Mayoral Commission appointees, 55% identify as women, and 35% as women of color.
As of 2022, 61% of City Department Heads and 42% of the workforce identifies as women. Fiscal year 2020-2021 saw the largest increase in representation of women on policy bodies since 2009.
Mayor Breed continues to advance initiatives and programs designed to address issues affecting people who identify as women. For more information about this work, please visit DOSW’s website.
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