 We still have people coming, but we're gonna go ahead and start it's one of our compassionate efforts to respect the time That you have given and that you have come on time and we're gonna start on time But I'm going to go over just some housekeeping things which might give people a little more time to get here, right? so The bathrooms right They're right below us. There is an elevator that way And there's stairs this way. Okay, there is also water fountains out in the hall there and I did bring some Cups so if you get thirsty you can go and do that as well My name is Anne Helmke and I'm the faith litic liaison for the city of San Antonio and Tonight is actually part two We did a pilot to kind of test this in May and it was called shortening the line and We brought together nonprofits and we discussed about how can we work? So that the line of need becomes shorter and we had a really good response and so That pilot so I don't know whether we call this to or number one But we're like officially beginning now with minding the gaps What are those gaps in terms of economic segregation? Those things that are happening that we need to be looking at And we have three more than coming up We have these once a season whenever there's a fifth Tuesday Except in December because it doesn't work this year So it will be January 7th, but I'm going to give you those dates and those topics at the end of tonight Derek could you go ahead and pull up that PowerPoint the minding the gaps one so While we're well, no, I'm going to go ahead and look how larger than life you are Tommy. I mean like Right, so I'm you've all been like reading and event rights, and I was just telling our conversation starters So I hope that the Carver doesn't hear this, but we have 175 reservations tonight and 140 seats So hopefully that'll work. I think it will Because there's always some attrition, but we had over 1400 people or click-ins into the actual invitation Which is pretty phenomenal that that there is this desire to have a conversation Around poverty and tonight in particular on economic segregation. So our conversation starters tonight Tommy Calvert homegrown commish and but he that works, you know kind of globally it's larger than life and We're just grateful that you're here tonight to share and Linda is as beautiful as a rose and I didn't get a picture of her So this is a placeholder, but Linda's going to wave her hand Linda is somebody new. I've just met She's retired military. She's a minister and she's a community health outreach worker with metropolitan health So she brings just a real richness to this conversation and you know really being with people and you know just extraordinary background And then Christine Drennan I'm hoping that many of you have heard her before or that you watch the video when you might have gotten the information sent out a really great more than primer a really great in-depth look at our geography and demographics and Brilliant woman and so I'm thank you Christine. She saved me the other day. I was on TPR and it was going south And she called in and I'm like, thank you Christine Yeah, I know and then there's this crazy guy Andrew Hill kind of hangs out doing compassionate San Antonio work Associate professor at St. Phillips and you probably have heard about this amazing thing that they're doing with high school graduates So they get to college so you might share some of that But he does a lot with peace work Ireland all over the world Did some sort of crazy thing like a fellowship or something last year with Stanford and Anyway, we teasing about that and then we have Simone here from Good Samaritan Center I hope some folks are familiar with Good Samaritan Center Yes, I went visited it in seminary 30 years ago and it changed my life Just because of the work that they were doing in terms of community capacity and helping folks right there in the neighborhood So he comes with that capacity building. It's faith-based been at it. How many years now is good Sam 69 years so, you know, they've got experience behind it and then we have I'm I know My computer is about to die Okay, good. We can do that and then there's You can just take that back and you can find several in there, I'm sure hang on man, that's Derek He's making all this happen tonight. Yay, Derek So Veronica Soto is the director of the neighborhood housing services department with the city and I wish that we had time for her to tell her story even Along with the work that they're doing amazing woman amazing background So all of these are like possible speakers to come but that whole fair housing Affordable housing they're working on that and neighborhoods working together. So we've got some really good conversation starters Now how this works we have three questions and We'll ask one question and it'll be up here. So you don't totally have to remember it I know how that is in conversation. You're going like what was that question again, you know But it'll be up here and our conversation starters will Converse and we're all going to be listening in right and that's really kind of the challenge for the six people up here because they'll want to Do other things but they're going to talk to each other and we're all going to listen in and then y'all are going to get an Opportunity to continue that conversation right after this moment Because now I'm going to invite you to stand up and find two people who've never talked to before and Then find another place to sit down with them Okay, get up two people. You've never talked to before See now you get to breathe a little bit You know, it's a very interesting time of year for us to be gathering We're right in the middle of Diwali Which is the Hindu festival of lights Uh-huh. We're right in that And then of course there's all Hallows Eve and Depending your take on it mine is that you know, God gets the last laugh and darkness just doesn't get light But that's my take on all Hallows Eve and then the next day we have all Saints day Will we honor and remember all those who have gone before us? And we wouldn't be in this room without all those who have gone before us, right? And then there's so San Antonio and not just San Antonio, right? But then there's Day of the Dead right where we remember and we spend time together and so it's this extraordinary time forced to gather and Try to shed some light and this time of dark and light but shed some light on our complicity When it comes to economic segregation and poverty or complicity, but it also can hopefully tonight bear some light on our capacity To change things and move them around so our first question for our conversation starters and for the room From your particular vantage point The work that you do the things that you know your vantage point also includes like if you're a parent Or if you're I mean your neighbor your other things we all have vantage points from your particular vantage point why is this conversation on economic segregation so critical and Do you have a story or a stat? To validate that is there something behind why you think that's critical So I'm going to pass this To our conversation starters does anybody have a thought go Linda Again, my name is Linda Carmen Bryant My vantage point is as a community health worker and as I think about segregation in regards to economics I think that from a health perspective a part of the healthy neighborhoods is which we're promoting and Under the city is that when we talk about an economic status of the people within the community And when they have issues with their finances that tends to wear on their their body and it causes health issues and and so from that regard it makes a difference in there in their lives because that impacts their health and On top of that when you talk about being able to go out and make purchases of healthy items healthy foods are being Having healthy foods available for them in this community Those things are not existent here as they are in other portions of the city And so when we talk about being able to purchase items the places they have to go in order to get it they have to pay a higher cost for it and therefore that causes problems within their homes and within the community and then having those available resources here in the community are kind of not as as Available as they are in others and so it causes them to have to you know for transportation having to go outside of where they live and Being able to have to pay higher costs for the things that they're trying to purchase so I think twofold as it pertains to the health and as it pertains to the availability of being able to make the purchase of those items that make a difference in their in their health So what I'd like to say is I start with a story and It's a story of somebody who grew up around the Good Samaritan area around the Cassiana homes And I was talking to her about six months ago She was there at a bit of a barbecue that was being held and she said I really am grateful for the work That you all do get Samaritan because 40 years ago. I got a scholarship from the board to go to school She went to the St. Phillips and she became a nurse and she talked about the changes that it made in her life Which is she went to school. She finished she had a career She was now retired and was a member of the senior center But what it changed for her is her kids went to college her kids were more educated Her kids had access to other things. So when you talk about econ segregation, I think it's really giving people the tools To live and dignity and that is being able to do for themselves. And so that's just one example I think there's many others of somebody who has given the tools offered that opportunity and had access to education to a better life to own a home to Now retire and have savings and to come back and say thank you So that ability to live and dignity. I think is really really important in terms of how we view Moving up and what we can do for our kids and our other neighbors in the city Okay, I'll take a turn is that are we on um Economic segregation right is and following following the two of you really about uneven opportunity that that Where you live really does? Determine a lot of the opportunity that's that's it's available to you And so we heard about it in health and in and we know it's in education because we go to school through where we live historically And I don't you can you can nudge me if I take us off Off track a little bit, but I get troubled by the conversations that that we often have that puts things like our the economic segregation in this city and the poverty levels at On our shoulders that say well, you know We don't have enough parent involvement in school and that's why our families are so poor And so it's so it's it's on parents and I in and and that's why you know You're stuck in that neighborhood because you don't you're not involved and that really really troubles me Because and and I'm going to do this as as an academic right you have a wonderful story I have a statistic We're the most economically segregated in the city in the country and the biggest question to me That I think we should ask ourselves is why here and is it because we're bad parents and I don't think so I think we're phenomenal parents when I watch parents. They're they're just the best parents in the whole world So it's not our parenting is the reason why we're so economically segregated and now our poverty numbers are high There's something deep much more deep and scary to this then then that and that I really Want to have that conversation and shift it away from this thing on On yet sure there's you know There is some personal responsibility involved in how well people do but not to this extent not to not to that point Where we are the most economically segregated and now the highest poverty city in the country We need to take that and and he have a serious conversation about about governing and about economics and about what we can do and It makes us so vulnerable to these horrible things that are happening it at state and federal levels that are hitting us Making us poorer Thank you. I like what Christine said about it not being on our shoulders because from my vantage point and I'll speak to two One vantage point is as the director of a department that addresses housing issues and affordable housing in particular I do feel that some in our community do put that on on our shoulders and you know being the leader in the department I'm like, oh my god. This is heavy to carry because Only in the last couple of years and and part of it is thanks to dr. Drennan's work on Looking at equity in our community. Have we started to put more resources on affordable housing? guess what one or two years of Investing more is not going to solve 80 years worth of inequity But there's still an expectation that you're going to fix it. You've been here two and a half years. Why isn't it fixed? And so that putting it on our shoulders is one of the things that I think is part of the conversation that We all need to collectively say it's on all of our shoulders. It's not just the city It's a combination of different partners that one entity by itself can't solve it and Not only that but one entity with a little bit more money by itself can't solve it so it's about partners and addressing many systemic things but also addressing this investment that Local elected officials have made in the past and so acknowledging that is important The second vantage point for me is as a mom, you know Everything I do. I'm not spending time with my kids tonight So I can be here with you because this conversation is important That's something I told my kids this morning I'm gonna be home late. Give me my hug this morning Because this conversation is important because I want my kids to have the best thing that I can offer them But I don't want only my kids to have the best that I can offer them I want all the kids here to have the best that can be offered to them. So a story I didn't grow up advantaged. I didn't grow up knowing I was gonna go to college But my mom believed in me. She was great parent Very low income seems to I saw her life, but she told me I was smart and I believed her Linda And so I said I'm smart. I'm gonna do the best. I'm an immigrant I didn't speak English until fourth grade and even then my accent still comes out when I get nervous So if it comes out Forgive me, but it's it's the nerves And and she said, you know, this is the land of opportunity So if you work hard, there'll be an opportunity and I believed her because who doesn't believe their mom who works really hard and so because of of that believe in me that she had and teachers had and Because she told me that we moved here for opportunity. We you know, we moved to this country because there's opportunity I thought I'd better make the most of it because she gave up her family her her life For me and for my siblings. And so I did get one of her scholarships because again, I believed this there's opportunity and I didn't want to let her down and so It didn't matter that I didn't speak English as a child and it didn't matter that I was poor Because I knew someone else would believe in me like my mom did like my teachers did and I think every child should be believed in and so Just like I had this great opportunity and I ended up going to Ivy League schools I don't think the zip code or the poverty matters I think every child can be Ivy League material if you believe in them. That's what I tell my kids No pressure on them, right poor kids But I believe in them and I tell them if you apply yourself The opportunity will be in front of you. You just have to go for the opportunity But I think any kid in any zip code should also have someone believe in them Their parents their school teachers The bureaucrats like me we should believe in them and we should tell them just because your poor doesn't mean you can't go to college Just because your poor doesn't mean you can't be an elected official just because your poor doesn't mean you can be the head of an Agency and so if we tell them that long enough I think that's one of the ways that we can address this segregation and this poverty issue So that's a little bit of a story Again, my name is Andy Hill and I I Want to come back to the question you were raising a minute ago about why is this the case? If we're them not just the poorest but the most segregated what's the root the root of that now I get like many of the people that are here. I watched the video and assigned us as our homework and And it was so fascinating to have you kind of unpacked slowly the history of the dozens of school districts That get consolidated and how that kind of this dance of who's gonna match up with who and then who's gonna get left at The bottom Edgewood who's gonna be left alone at the top Alamo Heights because they don't want anybody else and It was it was just absolutely fascinating to see how The consolidation took shape over these years and why we ended up with these crazy Geographical patterns that we have and I thought that was an insight into the history But I guess I'm assuming that we have to understand the history if we're gonna have answers to the future and future public policy And where we go in terms of direction. So I just wanted to come back to that and say That history is really interesting and I do think it's important to shaping the future But do you have suggestions or ideas about how do we address the segregation? That's question number two. Oh So, you know many years ago when we were fighting for Contracting if the city of San Antonio I was looking at what I believed was economic apartheid here in San Antonio just by definition And many people thought I was pretty radical for that but go to the dictionary and you'll find San Antonio to be perfectly honest so I think this this question for me is Why is why is it important from my vantage point and it's it's I'm gonna Say it in my capacity as an elected official, but it's just my capacity as a human. Okay, I believe it's important for us to discuss this because We want everybody to live up to their potential at least I I don't know if everybody shares that but I certainly want everybody to live up to their potential and Conversely when people don't live up to their potential there is a lot of pain. There is a lot of suffering There are a lot of setbacks that happen and poverty can be some hard roadblocks in the road of living up to your potential and As a leader You know people we want to help people get to the most prosperous place They can possibly get to and so on one hand as a selfishness to the importance of the conversation It if we make it work better if we become less segregated my job becomes easier I remember when I used to I was a deputy counsel person at City Hall And so I worked for Mario solace in district 2 and I was 17 years old It's technically illegal for me to have the job, but we're past the statute limitations And and I wouldn't eat lunch until 3 o'clock because my phone was ringing off the hook with Complaints and things people needed but the district 10 person which I now represent probably as well district 2 and district 10 they they didn't have the kind of calls and The kind of burden that and they could take lunch and they actually gave me a calendar book and said well you need this you You need some extra note paper. You're working your rooty-tootie fresh and fruity off. So There is there is a multi-level toll And I think this is an important conversation because Santoni likes to sweep its truths under the rug and not deal with its Truths and the truths go back even further than 80 years the truths go back to the time of land being stolen from the Latino population the Native American population and to me the community because we are in an apartheid system They can be the leadership the established leadership. They have to put a veneer that everything is okay Don't remind folks that land was stolen and that as a result wealth was not built because what is a thing that creates the most wealth ownership of property and land and so when people were pushed away from that ability and they're the majority of the Population that is a raw scab that has never been dealt with But we will never be who we're supposed to be until we help rid this Terrible stain on our history. So this to me Has manifest itself into so many things whether it in the education system We now have 25% of our adult population that reads at a fifth grade level I had been warning my colleagues on commissioners court in its city hall that Homeownership rates would go down. I was right. They went from 54 percent to 51 percent I have been telling colleagues that you have 40 percent of Hispanics in some school districts dropping out 50 percent of blacks in some School districts dropping out and that's going to come home to roost 20 percent poverty increase most segregated city I told you so and so We need to be talking about this as a community because we are not going to get where we need to be Unless we deal with our reality and we don't like to do that in San Antonio So, why don't we deal with a little more reality? So I'm going to invite your triads now to continue that same conversation. Just pick it up The same question. We're going to do that for about 10 15 minutes So if we can all start coming back together for another round of Conversation and connection As we move on to question two So, you know Andy kind of like moved ahead because that's kind of what we do when we start to have these conversations So what are we going to do about that I? Recently and maybe others have sometimes I'm you know slow like on social media and things but I Heard two terms put together that I hadn't heard before by Bystander I'd heard that before But the one I hadn't heard was upstander So, you know like how do we move? from Some of it, you know this kind of conversation and what those gaps are and what the needs are and and what the systemic Problems are and and then Andy said but you know like what can we do about that? How do we move from maybe being overwhelmed by it? so we don't move and we're bystander or I don't know we know how do we move to actually stand up and start to do something about it So the next question to is from the conversation That you've been having and I don't know if you saw these folks up here, but they were in Conversation so we're all going to cheer them on that they get back into that conversation But from your conversation that you've had so far what might this information tell us and mean for us as a community? Do you have a specific idea or example of something that is already happening or? Something that needs to happen So I have an idea. We had an idea. We had a great conversation And on that first question What might this information tell us and mean for us as a community? I mean, I think what it means for me is that all choices are intentional and so Tommy We're talking about conversations. You've had a commissioner's court and trying to win favor for this policy directive or the other and The that was off the record Just kidding and and and I see these conversations taking place at that level and And you sometimes wonder well, why did they make that decision? And that's because Somebody made that decision and five people or three people decided this is the way to go So it's always intentional and it always helps somebody and it always hurts somebody So it's incumbent upon us to make our voices known So all those choices are intentional if they're bad. They were intentional if they were good They're intentional and so I think one example of something that that I think Symbolizes this, you know, you've talked about redlining in the past and you know the effects of that in San Antonio And we had this conversation about two years ago I talked to you for like two minutes and I said we have to start thinking about things as how do we green line things, right? We have to talk about greenlining and so I mentioned to you the example of what happened when land was donated for you TSA and That was a long time ago and look at what happened as a result of that greenlining and so I'm going to sit and the up here I think one example of greenlining is Alamo promise I was talking to two chancellors ago of the Alamo colleges and I mentioned to him about 15 years ago I said, why don't you just offer free tuition, you know I think it would like really it would make things so much better because students struggle even today and He said I want to keep my job If I suggest that they're gonna think that that's a crazy idea So I think that's an example of greenlining and I agree that The Alamo promise is Maybe we should tell people what it is. Yeah, maybe so yeah, and again It's a small pilot program which began a year ago was expanded this year To identify particular high schools where the promise is if you graduate from this local high school You can attend one of the five community colleges in the Alamo College district With no tuition so free at the point of delivery It's obviously gonna cost a lot of money But we're gonna find ways to get those resources and to provide them for our students and especially for underserved students. I Think that it it does have the potential to be transformative for our communities and I know that I heard directly from the mayor last month that this is a Giant priority for him and his agenda Dr. Michael Flores the chancellor now is A great proponent of it a champion of it and he's finding ways to make it work and hopefully to continue to expand it It's going to be disruptive in terms of the funding and how we provide Higher education at the community college level in San Antonio. It's gonna take deep partnerships It's gonna have to have people Change their priorities But to date myself I'll tell you a quick story, which was that when I was a philosophy student at st. Mary's University years ago Our professor was trying to teach us a story about values And this is the dating part. He says but your checkbooks. I actually had a checkbook and I pulled it out and And he just said look go through in class I want you to sit and go through and look at what you're spending money on because that's a reflection of your values And I got to tell you there was part of that Which made me proud? Part of it which made me really embarrassed and I thought to myself wow, he's really right. I got to think about this But for the colleges for our communities for our government for every aspect of this we have to remember that our budgets are a reflection of our values and Again, that's what I like so much about Alamo promise. It says this is what we value So we're going to be leaning hard on a lot of our partners because these things are interrelated and we've been talking about How health and education and all property all of this is wound together? So we're gonna be looking to all of you for help with this But I do think it could be I hope it's something we can continue to expand because I do think the mayor's right when he Talks about the importance of it to the city he described it as you know our moonshot and I I think he's right So what one of the things that happened in 2013 the Federal Reserve Board wrote us a report in San Antonio And they said in 2013 that San Antonio has one of the best economies in the nation But it is unsustainable if it doesn't do something about its chronic under education And so that has come home to roost in the poverty rates increasing in the information technology Economy when you need more knowledge in order to get a job and when you have more global competition So the Rotary Foundation sent me to India to live and study business and study culture And when I was in a classroom in India, I would ask the children What do you want to be and every one of the children in classrooms twice as size would go engineer doctor Engineer doctor engineer doctor engineer doctor Engineer doctor engineer doctor America that conversation is not as clear We have a lot of students really unsure about what they're going to do and and and that's because in India you may have Eight children and one of them they're able to save up and send to a private best school They become an engineer a doctor and then they take four more of the next generation and pay for their college They're they're private school tuition and they succeed and so in the future the reason this conversation is important Is because out of the next recession which I think will hit around 2021 San Antonio is not going to fare as well in that next recession as we did in the last one for a variety of reasons one State government is limiting the the stimulating power of local government by capping our revenue So for example, we created 16,000 good-paying construction jobs in the flood control programs the county did $500 million between 2007 and 2017 and you know what happened a recession the great recession happened But we were able to kind of just write it out a lot better because we had stimulated those good-paying middle-class construction jobs We have no such thing on the horizon, although I think the housing bond would be the perfect thing because you get a 7 to 1 multiplier effect when you invest in housing So why why is this conversation so important and what do we need to do about it? We better get busy Very busy because when you have you know 20 plus percent 25 percent of your adult population that reads at a fifth grade level What does that mean that means that they discourage that they're economically struggling They discourage the child from going to Alamo College district because they say or college in general because they say we can't afford it Even though we know there's federal aid and hopefully we do a good job of marketing That there will be free college tuition or job training But it means that home ownership rates go down neighborhoods potentially suffer because renters don't keep up the Home quite as well as an owner does it means people are what I call rent bondage They're paying 50% or more of their income so that they can never pay for the down payment for a home It means that people may sell drugs to make ends meet right this economic segregation is Huge we could be an incredibly depressed economy Particularly at the next recession particularly as businesses don't have to be in the United States to operate anymore as robots 25% to 43% of the jobs we have today will be replaced by a computer or robot So what do we need to do about it our schools our high schools need to have CompTIA network plus security plus the basic IT courses have to be and we need to teach people how to fix the robot, right? We have to completely transition out of the industrial economy Which we're still in with grade levels and get into the knowledge and information sharing technology Which is part of what we're doing here completely reform the classroom and completely Reform the priorities of the elected officials to be to be very honest. I'm gonna do a teacher thing Because what what what these three folks have just said what I want all I want to do is take it and talk about the animal promise especially but like We're talking about animal promise talking about education but we're all but we're also talking about segregation, right? And so I so all I want to do is say what how does this like let's let's put those together Like why are we why are we talking about animal promise when and it said you're supposed to talk about segregation and here's why I think why When we think about the economic segregation segregation is a geographic term it means somebody lives there and somebody else who's very different lives way over there and What what's that got to do with animal promise, right? Like that's got to do with geography But here's it has to do with it when we start to talk about what are we gonna do? What are we gonna do about this segregation that we I think we agree that this is This is a bad thing, right? And there's different approaches to it. There's different approaches, right? There's approaches that say well, we need to we need to pour money into those communities, right? Better roads, but you know better blah blah blah, which is which is partially true But the but the other the flip side is we also have to pour resources into the people and if we pour resources into the people Then they can make good decisions about their own home About buying a home because if we just think about pouring money into places We're we are at serious risk of a lot of displacement in this city right now There's a lot of really vulnerable people and vulnerable neighborhoods and Actually when we were having this little conversation up here and and and in front of it said well That can lead to flight But if you if we think about it right now what's going on in our inner-city neighborhoods those that that's really valuable property and if people just had The education that they need to have a good job then they can start to invest in their own home Right and maybe make it a little bit bigger or a little stronger and stay put Right, so it's like where do we put a little bit the limited amount of money. I Forgot to mention one last thing. This will be the only time I do this twice The the reason this is so important is also to the fabric of this country because the debate we have over Xenophobia where the new mason-dixon line is between America and Latin America the racial segregation That conversation is about economic anxiety people have a fear that an immigrant is going to take their job or someone who is different than them ethnically and so What we need to be doing is is is telling people the truth that Technology is actually the number one reason that your job is being changed outsourced And it's not immigrants and xenophobia that you should write on it is transitioning you to be able to program that computer or or fix that robot and My party the Democratic Party frankly has missed the opportunity to talk about massive job Retraining programs if I were running for president, that's all I'd be talking about Let's transition people out of the industrial economy into the new information technology economy and stop scapegoating Mexicans, okay as the reason that we're losing jobs. So this is why this conversation is so important So I'm gonna take it back to the work. I do Because all of these kind of conversations are important and I think now talking about More access to education people have been having these conversations. It's just more palatable to talk about that I mean even the candidates running for president are saying, you know free college 15 years ago, right? Someone would have been fired But when it comes to my my work in housing Investing in places and investing in people go hand in hand And so part of my job is to convince the audience here and ten times or a hundred times the audience here That the legislative kind of ideas that we're promoting to protect those neighborhoods Need to be supported and a lot of it is education So so part of my department's work is creating the kind of tools that can help protect areas that are being invested in and Also keep people in place because there is the the fear that if we invest in an area The people who were there are not gonna benefit from it So I need to convince everyone in this room and a hundred people Like you outside of this room that these legislative Changes that our department's gonna be proposing in the next few months are important and need to be in place So that's part of one of the things I need to do one of the other things Tommy reminded me I need your support guys We as at the city need your support because we need a housing bond and to get there. We need two things So I'm signing you all up right now We need to send a clear message that our city charger needs to needs to be changed Currently the city of San Antonio doesn't allow It's bond to be used for housing unless we go through this convoluted urban renewal authority, which is Very bureaucratic very convoluted very limiting so we can't do enough of what needs to be done in the community So first we need to send that message that the city charter needs to be changed and you all signed up when you came here And then the second thing You'll be knocking on doors pretty soon But the second thing is we do need a housing bond And it's it's to address housing and to address Investing in people and investing in places and to have more flexibility about the kind of programs that we can address And it's also going to be a jobs creator It will be something that helps our community overall So those are the things I'm thinking of and every year I you know choose one big thing to work on My big thing that I need to get community around that is going to be that city charter For next year, so you're going to hear a lot about it But again, it's going to end up being an election at some point. So it can't be a city bureaucratic That's the champion. You all need to be the champions. So that's one thing we can do because it will address the housing issues which addresses that Economic segregation as well And I think in regards to health Why is it significant when and some may have direct impact for health But again when we talk about our issues our issues that stresses us impact our health but one of the things I think in regards to Pouring money into the people a point pouring money into the families I think that it's important that we provide a level playing field for the people And what I mean by that is while the rules may be the same but the process in which it takes is not and So for some it may be easier for them to get the funding but for others It's it's it's convoluted and so we have to make sure that the process is Equal and fair across the board for all individuals One of the other things that I that as you look at it from a health perspective When we talk about funding and people being able to to afford medications And people are making decisions whether or not they're gonna eat or whether they're gonna purchase meds And so having a funding opportunity where we are allowing them to purchase medications if that be the case That it's not at this high cost to get pills And for me, I think it's that's more of a secondary because I think primarily we need to look at options that are more holistic that we can Prescribe to those who are are suffering from whatever those chronic diseases may be there are other options Other than firstly saying hey take this pill As a part of the military when we would when I would go because I might have entered myself in a Sport event and the first thing they'll say if you say I have a swollen angle or a pain here They first thing they do is take these motins go and you take this for a period of time And so the first thing they do is give you a med That's gonna you know whether it be for inflammation versus you know Try on some something different turmeric or some other types of things that can still give you that same Benefactor that those pills can give you but more from a holistic perspective And so I think we have to make sure that we educate one another and do the right thing and not do all this Synthetic type of meds versus trying to do things at a higher cost. That's not necessarily good for the body So I think when we throw monies into things we need to throw monies into perspective That's really gonna make a difference for the people and their bodies and their health So that they can do in turn do what we're talking about here to make a difference in their communities So these folks are gonna keep on talking and now you're gonna continue the conversation in your triads for about 15 minutes Same question This last week Haven't moved it yet This last week I was talking to a friend of mine Keith. He's here in this room. He's still busy talking, but I was trying to come up with a metaphor and We're kind of the work we're trying to do through this whole process because we've got three more conversations coming like what are we trying to do, right and So the one we're working on our is building bridges because we're talking about gaps Maybe that's a metaphor, but Keith said well You do you know how they they build bridges when they have very little materials to build bridges with And he asked it just like that right and I'm like no I don't you know Cuz you do know right? I don't know but And as Keith told me he said what what when you have limited and I used to build bridges by them You know on their own on their hands, you know, they would shoot an arrow with a string on it Across the gap and then somebody'd be over there And they would then tie on whatever the next heaviest thing is like the rope to that string And then they pull it across and they just keep shooting arrows and strings and ropes and cables And then you've got all those working together until you have that strong foundation Right so part of I think what we're doing tonight, especially in the next question is about shooting those arrows So we've already kind of talked a little bit. What are what what are some ideas? What are some things that are happening? You know shooting those arrows across? so Our next question is about that. It's also a little bit like Ted talks and the real Ted talks You know like the ones that the big Ted talks they vote on like the best idea That's gonna change the world and that person gets a hundred grand. Woohoo, right? By the way, compassion one one year. That's why I'm in but So I want to invite your conversation group that you're with So all that's been said and all that's been heard name The one best Insight or idea that holds the most potential that one and Then this is kind of a Texas two-step here. What is the one next step you can take as an individual and Or as an organization Those two things might not be the same by the way, right? So what you think is the very best insight or idea that you've heard in your conversation That's one decision. But what are you going to do when you walk out tonight? Which may simply involve going home to your child? Right and making a different move Then you might have done before I don't know what that is, but it could be that right all right So I'm gonna I'm gonna pass that on to our conversation starters all said and heard name the one best insider idea That holds the most potential And what's with the next step that you're gonna take as a person? Or as an organization that you're gonna go back or a congregation Okay, so I'm gonna start From what we talked about the six of us Alamo promise is probably the best idea I'm a big believer in education as an equalizer And yes my department we have a small economic development program tax increment financing We've been asked to look at how we can help with that So I'm gonna go look at the proposal and see what we had in the books and why it could or could not work and figure out What we as an organization might be able to do there But education is a great way to invest in people and it's a great way to equalize The uneven playing field we were talking about some people scoring a home run and It's because they were born on third, you know like yeah, I scored while you were born on third base Some people some of us were not even on the field when we started the game, right? Some of us were not at bad some of us were not even in the ballpark When the game started, so that's one thing On that theme I'd like to tell you that it's the top of the second the Astros are winning two to one I know that because I'm psychic But No, seriously, I do think that you're right that the Alamo promise is in the early days But it does have a lot of potential and I I want to say that it does represent an investing in people But I'd also like to say that we can't just Say this is going to have a big impact on the five community colleges and in isolation They're going to change a lot of things. I can tell you that One thing that works well for our students at st. Phillips College is when we get them out Throughout the rest of the city I've taken students down to the federal courthouse. I've taken students to trinity We took because trinity has resources and Opportunities that are open to the entire city of San Diego. We're Derek Parfit speak We brought students from st. Phillips to hear this world-renowned philosopher speak in a lorry auditorium and it was fabulous and So I guess part of it is what I hope is That we as a community Recognize the potential of Alamo promise Like I said the mayor dr. Flores, they are pushing on this, but we also have to make that come alive. We have to Have to create the partnerships with the other educational institutions with The health with the housing with the government with every aspect of this To make that come alive to benefit if the students are going to flourish Because of Alamo promise We have to realize that's going to be about People and relationships and partnerships in the city You know, I've worked with a lot of at-risk students in underserved communities over the years and The two big myths were when they were in high school was I can't go to college and I'm like, well, what's that about and it was two things it was well I could never get in and if I could get in I could never afford it. So it's not even on my radar Well, I can tell you Alamo promise can change that thinking and get people involved Even if it's the last dollars in it can be transformative and hopefully Coming back to the geography piece It'll help our students Get an education but also take advantage of the tremendous resources not just to the Alamo colleges But throughout the entire city Hopefully that's what can happen. I would agree Alamo promise is a great idea now in process I think that's just the beginning because you know, we work with students through our college and career readiness program about a hundred a year at least and The one thing that's disturbing to me is is When kids leave us and they go on our to community college or a four-year institution The important thing to me is are they there the second year? because I've met too many students who are burdened by The financial aid they receive or qualify for and it happens at the it was happening at the committee college level This will help but particularly at the four-year institutional level because for me what's important in terms of the work we do is giving Access to choice and to opportunity That's what you want because people perform at a much higher level that leave better lives when I made that decision I had that choice as opposed to the choices being this big when they're this big You know, there's just much more there and that ladder for economics aggregation or economic opportunity increases So I think that is at the beginning because I do see students who are Even after the first semester that said I had to stop going I Had to get a job My financial aid packages. I got to make X amount my parental contribution this X amount All those things are factors because when you've got you know, if you're living at home, you know You've got whether it's an internal Desire to assist or you're being asked by parents or other adults Well, can you help out a little bit and maybe you can stop going for a semester all those things happen all the time And so now now you've got students who are now on a six-year program And that may be okay. Some students can manage that but you know, when I look at it is If that student made that choice for the right reason, that's fine but really you you'd want people to finish if they could in four years they're Pursuing their dreams two years faster as opposed to delaying their dreams. So I think Alamo promise great idea. It's a good start. We have to do more. I Think education is critical And not just through the Alamo college program I think it should be across the board even educating the the family members because when you think about the Educational level of just the communities. I think too we have to make sure that we capture them just as well from parents and as well as our children and so maybe the expansion of the Alamo college program to other institutions and Really look at the cost of institutions. Should they really be the cost in which they are? I mean, can we look at trying to? Provide other venue other opportunities to where funding for those schools are not as Grand as they are because I think some of it is really escalated Beyond really what it costs for the education that we're doing So I think it's important for us to to really center on pushing the money to the people to where they can be the benefactors of The funding and helping them to be able to for education because that has a ripple effect and various other things as it pertains to Everything in life. I think I Agree with you Even more than Alamo promise, you know being a communicator Broadcaster and being a former ad guy and now a communicator in politics I'd call it the make America read again program and I'm serious because if if you understand that We have a community that isn't reading They can't get to the Alamo promise and and the community college district shouldn't have to be a remedial school Which it is right now. It is it is a remedial school for our our big school districts For most students who are at the Alamo college district but from my perspective because I I have to love everybody and I do I genuinely do I Have to think about the parents as well as the students just like you said and if we focus on helping America read again That opens up the ability to discern decipher and weave through all of this informational mess we are in and Make better decisions and advocate for themselves better. They're there be more empowered citizens and Economic engines personally, so it emanates parents child reading literacy Because I just I came back from Harvard. We were part of that was part of a group of about 250 leaders from around the country and it was about American competitiveness and why America is becoming less competitive and the baby boomers are the last generation that Literacy was up numeracy critical thinking was up my generation. It's not that way Our numbers are down. So for for for a dude like me who's going to be around To see this tension and this this turmoil in a struggle for a lot of our countrymen We got to get busy to help people to to really understand what it is to thrive in the information technology economy and Literacy is the foundation of it and we're really missing it in America Yeah, it's um, and I I'm with everybody on on on education Elmo promise but bringing it all bringing it back again to this idea of segregation and And I was telling folks up here I have a problem with that term segregation when it's used in other cities usually refers to white flight and But that's not what we have in San Antonio as much is that we have neighborhoods that were actually created to be poor They have always been poor and they have always been and they were created for nonwhites. So we have uneven development more than segregation but but what but to me it's like what what the dream would be is like Alamo promise and yes, not just as remediation, but as higher education in Combination with pride in our communities and in our neighborhoods, you know So that so that that young people can, you know, hopefully remain in the inner city Stabilize some of these inner city neighborhoods and carry on just these fantastic traditions of this city You know when we advertise the city It's it's it's the culture of the inner city neighborhoods that we advertise, right? But we're also those are those are the neighborhoods that are most at risk right now of displacement of gentrification of the whole deal and Like how do we do both? Right? How do we educate our inner city kids and get them to stay? You know and get them to stay and have pride and And that's and that is it's like be proud of where you're from Be proud of your family be proud of your neighborhood and look at this and I have all of these stories That to me is like we have to do both and by the way Jefferson Jefferson We said at least I think Jefferson is the inner city neighborhood that has done that the best We're we're you know where people come back and then they come, you know They get do well and come back and reinvigorate their neighborhood Alamo Heights they do it on a different level, but it's not so inner city So These folks are going to maybe start talking about what they're going to do when they leave Our time to talk this last try it is shorter So I encourage you to take about two minutes and you don't have to agree with them by the way Maybe you heard another idea or insight right because we want to hear some of those so take about two minutes to kind of decide what you thought was the very best thing and Cynthia and I are going to be passing out bright cards I wanted to each try out for you to write that on and we're going to hear those But I'd like to get those collected so we don't lose this information We're also going to hand out little white cards that you can write down and then spend your last eight minutes talking About what you plan to do as an individual and when you leave make sense Okay, two minutes what you think's the best idea Then talk about what you're going to do. I Already filled out your bright card. I got it. So if we can come back together We've heard these folks tell us what they think that was the best idea That they've heard tonight. It's not the only one so we're not going to throw the rest out, but Alamo promise It's a good thing Reading it's a great thing Cynthia. What did you just tell me that quote if you can count? Oh the quote is by Toni Morrison and she says If you can if you can't count they can beat you if you can't read I'm sorry. If you can't count they can cheat you if you can't read they can beat you So the bright cards are the ideas that you decided were the best ones, right? Are there any of those ideas that people wanted to share? I've got two microphones with feet. Here's one Cynthia Do you want to stand up somebody come and help her? What's the idea on your bright card? All right, so I work at same ministries right now And one of the ideas actually stems from a meeting I go to every month called the neighborhood faith convening He actually attends with us, but I was just talking about how community-based convenings are so helpful because we can come with means we can come with conversations Issues and work together as nonprofits as churches as schools as Senator Menendez his offices come and we can work together to help solve problems and one of the examples was the city Wide-reduced bus passes so that was an initiative that got stemmed By a conversation that was had at the convening one of the board members for via was there He went and took it and now we have it and so I think it's a way to create tangible change by working together Instead of saying like we have this little group doing all of this over here and this group's doing over here It's increasing conversation. So that way we can work smarter not harder and get out of the silos It's a great idea It's six congregations who are partnered with six schools and two neighborhood Associations and they've been doing this for 11 years meeting once a month that changes the fabric of community 15 Okay, this hand was up next Cynthia you want to walk it here you got an idea to share somebody from this side, maybe Hi Wanted to share this we did The our group decided that we agreed with education equality and equity for all sides of towns We felt that or all sides of our town We felt that every side of town should have an education as good as the north side And we also agree that the entire family should be educated One of the things that we wanted to add is a lot of people Like even from the south side from the east side parents move they go and rent apartments Just so their kids can have that north side education and right now We've got this huge baby boom of kids now What's gonna happen to the north side when all these kids graduate from college and their parents stop renting and they Go back home to the south side and to the east side where they're more comfortable and they can afford to live What's gonna happen to all those northsiders incomes all those schools that you know these tax dollars They're building another school another school every year I have friends on the north side that tell me that they can't they can't afford to eat at McDonald's because their taxes are so high and they're always having to pay for another bond or another tax increase So these are things that we we as a city have to Realize that if we don't educate our south side, and we don't educate our east side Then then we're not gonna we're not gonna have a successful future in this city Thank you We got one over here and one over here Hi everybody My name is Nina. I'm a community services specialist with the city of San Antonio And I work in the Department of Human Services with a new program. That's about well relatively new. It's about seven months old It's a youth re-engagement program for 16 to 24 year olds So in doing that research has told me that a lot of the focus in terms of education is Dropout rates are due to surviving So a lot of people in schools K through 12 are trying to survive That's why we have these lunch programs now For students who are out of school That's a very good example And so because of that education is second So I know a lot of conversation has been on advanced education meaning college and that's a great thing It's a wonderful thing because I suffer from student loans and in that debt But going back to my point is I feel like social workers would be Really important to have in public schools or in any school So going to my notes because I'll get off track Going to research saying survival rather than education is the most important in schools And then also going to Tommy. Mr. Calvert Tommy And also going to Tommy's point in that 25% of adult Adults in San Antonio Suffer from a fifth grade literacy level Okay, so now what does that tell me that tells me that we have a whole lot of resources in San Antonio a lot I've been you know utilizing so many nonprofits and government agencies to help individuals that come through my door and Now that also tells me that There's probably about 30,000 individuals 16 to 24 who are disconnected from Work or school now why because they're trying to get their basic needs met and they can't do that on their own Why maybe it's their literacy level? So we have a great thing sacred work That's a internet database that gives us all these resources and that's great But if you have a fifth grade literacy level How is that parent going to access and be able to utilize that in an or internet database? And how are those kids going to be able to utilize resources on their own? So I think social workers in the school Would be really beneficial and I've received some reprimand for saying that because it comes down to like funding and public schools And what does that look like and you know son and so forth, but if we're catching it at an early rate Well, then maybe we don't need so much funding somewhere else like Advanced education and getting free college. Although that's great because I'm the student also So our quote here or what we wrote down was having inspired knowledgeable teachers and community supporters in school within early childhood institutions K through 12 The other thing is I started with Head Start They've been a federal agency for 50 years and what's funny is when I Went through my family service or family family support worker credential training. We watched a video. That was about 50 years old and In doing that I saw that the biggest need within Head Start was transportation transportation is always like the barrier for Seeking resources and for getting things done and for going to college even and so on and so forth That's what you mentioned with via to So because of that I'm thinking let's say we have social workers in the school. What do schools have? Buses, you know, just right then and there it's theirs to access, you know, they schedule it They have the transportation you have so many parents so many families in need of certain resources like food bank Just for example. All right, let's gather a bus of them. Let's take them to the food bank and then we got that there In addition to That I feel like exposure is a great thing So having the challenges that I faced as a student or as a as a young kid In fifth grade and we kind of talked about this in fifth grade I saw incarnate word and it was because I passed by and I had a very challenge upbringing I was homeless at the age of 16 and I navigated my way through I graduated from incarnate word I'm currently in the master's program for incarnate word and it all came down Thank you And it all came down from exposure. I saw incarnate word and I said I'm gonna go there I said the goal for myself and then I continued on I feel like there's this program that I've spoken With dr. Gonzalez about who's at the civic the Edling Center for civic leadership at incarnate word And we've talked about having a day in the life of a college student And what that one exposure does and that's something the social worker can coordinate and get people signed up for To do that and to give them that exposure. So yeah, that's what it comes down to for me I think that's really important to have because teachers cannot do it all and School counselors cannot do it all their focus on academics Teachers are focused on teaching the criteria that those kids need to know and Social workers can focus on all the basic needs. So thank you. Thank you We have time for one more because we have a commitment to ending on time as well I think one of the things that I'd like to think about is shifting from an either or Mentality to a both and Mentality we can do more than one thing at one time We can deal with food anxiety and we can deal with Education all at the same time we can do those things because they're all interrelated and one of the things that My compatriot here and I came up with this that as we deal with the education of young people We cannot ignore their parents Because their parents are the ones who inspire them their parents are the ones who encourage them their parents are the ones who provide an Atmosphere in which they can learn and grow and if their parents don't have an appreciation for education I know and an avenue by which they can increase their own ability to increase their own Appreciation for education then what happens is that child's or that young person's wrote to education becomes depressed So we where our program was increased reading comprehension both for children and Adults so that they can be dealt with Thank you So I'm wondering if you folks would be willing to share what you plan to do when you leave tonight So if I can get the microphones back Yourself or your organization and effort Did you come to that part? Sure, I will just pick up on what you were saying about the inspiration which is I decided I would take some of my students from St. Phillips College and Contact friends and colleagues that I have an incarnate word and a trinity and st. Mary's and literally get them from our side of town to their side of town and Again, hopefully Help them see the links and inspire them to keep thinking about their own future Wow yay We have a program that's called the Bishop Jones scholars ambassadors program where we support students in college both two year and four year and It's it's limited in terms of what we can do, but it's very substantial in terms of the support that it can offer and one of those graduates Left for college went to Notre Dame came back is now an architect serves on our board and He's one of the many many. I think success stories and I said I wish you could make it bigger You know right now we serve a limited number But obviously the need is greater than that because when you look at what Jerry is doing and there's many other You know Jerry is out there you know having a loan forgiveness or a loan a Grant something that you know you can kind of give back and I'm thinking of an AmeriCorps type program You know or come back and work with us for a year or two and and kind of show what what has you've been transformed and help us continue to transform so That's brewing right now One of the things that I had identified to take away from here is to identify Strategies to help promote higher education and or education across the board to be inclusive of the entire family because I think it's key That our children are looking to our parent to their parents in order to get that encouragement and even just the support to Do that in it and if they don't have that and I think that the social worker I think that's a great opportunity and someone who can build that relationship with Adults because after a certain age we have a tendency of of shame To identify where we are in our educational level So to be able to open them up to get them to be able to let you know that they have a fifth grade education or less That's that's crucial and so in order for us to break through those barriers that they have It's that's important in order to even get to the point of trying to help to provide resources for them for education So I think it's crucial in a sense of being able for me to be able to go out How do we find those resources that are available that we can recommend to the community to the families to help them to To be able to feel comfortable and letting folks help them And that it's okay So for me, I'm gonna ground it back in family and the work I do So of course, I'm gonna tell my kids the story of what I did this evening And why this conversation matters Even though they're growing with a little bit more privilege than I grew up with I I want them to have the same kind of empathy That I see my mom instilled in me and my siblings So having that conversation with them and making sure that they know why we're supposed to treat people the same and with Dignity and respect and kindness with them and then the same conversation with my co-workers that our work is important because we make a difference in people's lives and No matter where someone in is in in station In and there is live stage or their economic level that they too Need this kindness and respect and dignity And and so our job is to deliver We're here to serve and so we have to serve them to the best of our ability and Continue to instill that in our staff team for all the programs and then in line with that Treating people with dignity and respect is also communicating So communicating with our clients about what we do why we do it why it matters But also communicating with the wider community about what else we need to do And so that's that's something I'll take and it's not going to be immediate But there'll be communication about here the big things as a community that we need to do Christine sure I So I'm a researcher and and Just like we as a city Have had this conversation for the last couple of years about equity and They have taken the time to Understand and to look into the history of what got us into this situation So that we can begin to change it And that resulted in the equity budget and all of that which is baby step baby step But at least we're we're now aware and we're here And we're concerned and that's kind of where we're I that's where I can make a contribution is in Is in kind of do it doing that the grunt work behind the scenes about how did we get in this situation in the first place? Because I truly believe that if unless we understand how we got here. We can't fix it All right, we're then we're just working at the surface and trying to make ourselves feel good We have to understand and and I mentioned this a little bit recently or a second ago that that I want to push this Conversation out of just talking about segregation because that's often When we talk about segregation it often ends up to be a thing about individuals I want to shift that conversation more into uneven development Tommy used the word apartheid right and even just like you know When we think about the development patterns in this city It's much more like a colonia type pattern that you would see in in Mexico and on the border Then just like a segregation thing and and so if I and that's what I'm determined to do is continue to do their research Continue to like to try to get that out in a variety of forms in the public media in the in a research Type way so that we can start to move in a more meaningful way Well, let me thank Reverend and for this conversation You know, I want to thank you because I definitely feel as if this was Meaningful for me, you know, I get invited to talk and speak at a lot of things But this was not for not this this was I think we made an impact today I think we have some ripples that are going to happen today I was I was hoping doc that you would take me to school on the things going on with sa-ha because we didn't even get into that today Because I think that's all kind of that's the next question That's all kind of but maybe we can do a Skype conversation and then people can Skype in and do something that that nature so You know part of the The debt that I owe for being a public servant is I don't have the liberty of doing just one thing I Have to tackle what's on everybody's plate, and you know, we're strategic about it We we are we don't fight all the battles all at once, but So you ask me what what what one thing I'm gonna do I'm with pastor here. I'm not gonna confine myself to one thing, but in being what I kind of call myself a Jedi of Politics I'm going to pray work and win. That's what I'm gonna do from here. Thank you So before I thank you all for coming tonight What you might want to do if you haven't done so already is to watch Christine's video Right and the easiest way for you to do that I don't have it written down But if you Google the faith-based initiative City of San Antonio You get to the landing page and it's right there and Charlotte and did a wonderful production of that You'll also see another video there from SA 2020 and Molly Cox in the impact report So both of those go hand-in-hand. So if you haven't done that I highly recommend that as the next step One of the things that I heard that I just critical thinking skills Christine I was listening to you, but there are two basic steps with compassion Two really simple steps and what brings us here tonight is our effort to be a more compassionate city, but it's awareness and Agency knowing and Also knowing that you can do something that you have a sense of action That's it's really that simple. So it does take us from bystander to upstander, right? So I am going to show you the dates of the upcoming conversations I do not know where they are because we like to move them around the city They were think that the titles may change, but this is where we're headed we think So you might want to write those down I think we're gonna have them all in the evenings now 6 30 to 8 30 just like this So if you want to mark your calendars When you leave if you have one of the bright color cards if you would put them in that big glass bowl and take out like some Crackers or raisins or something so I'm not taking that home and eating that all up So drop the bright colored cards in there that would be awesome the white cards go home and they go in your refrigerator So you don't forget Thank you for being here this evening be safe going home We'll send you the results by email. So start watching