 All right. Hi, everyone. Welcome. My name is Christina and I'm the Family Engagement Coordinator for San Francisco Public Library, located on the unseated ancestral land of the Ramatush-Aloni peoples. Happy Women's History Month, everyone! We are starting off March right today. Here at SFPL, we celebrate women everywhere through our special program series, Her Story. Check out the Her Story webpage at San Francisco Public Library's website to see our upcoming events, find great books by and about women, authors, and illustrators, and more. I'm really happy to be here with you all to celebrate Women's History Month with career girls and a fantastic panel of creative, passionate, and very successful women, Anya Adams, Ann Collins-Smith, and Charmin Rountree-Bakey. Before we start, just a few brief announcements. We invite you to join us to continue the celebration of Her Story next Wednesday, March 10th, for a very special conversation about community, unity, and the power of youth voice in these times in a conversation between two incredibly talented poets and friends, Elizabeth Acevedo, National Book Award-winning author of the Poet X and many other titles, along with Mahogany L. Brown, author of Woke, a Young Poet's Call to Justice, which just came out this year. Thank you to our friends at the San Francisco Unified School District for bringing this very special program to the library, and we hope that you can catch this conversation right here on YouTube at 2 o'clock next week on March 10th. Before we start, a huge thanks to the friends at the San Francisco Public Library for their generous support of this entire program series. We simply could not do it without them. Thank you so much, friends. And without further ado, I'm very pleased to welcome Linda Calhoun, founder and CEO of Career Girls to kick off this fantastic panel. Hi, Linda. Hello, Christina. If you're not familiar yet with Career Girls, careergirls.org is a comprehensive video-based career exploration and readiness tool for girls. It's free and easy to use and free of ads. You know we love that at the library. They have the largest collection of online career guidance videos focusing exclusively on diverse and accomplished women, over half of whom are in STEM fields. And they add content weekly, so definitely check out careergirls.org. Without further ado, I'm going to go ahead and pass the baton to you, Linda. Please take it away. Yes, thank you so much, Christina, and the San Francisco Public Library for hosting us today. And as the founder of Career Girls, it's been my life's work to travel this earth to provide a platform for sharing the stories of hundreds of diverse and accomplished women like the ones you'll hear from today. So now it's my pleasure to introduce our panel of Career Girls role models. I'm just going to touch on the highlights and I invite you to read their full bios in the event page description. In a thoughtful order, Anya Adams is an award-winning Canadian American director of the number one show on Netflix, Ginny and Georgia. The Alice Initiative named Anya is one of the top emerging female filmmakers on the Alice list of 2020. Again, Anya has won the NAACP Image Award 2020 for Outstanding Directing and a Comedy Series for Glow, the episode Outward Bound. And she's also known for directing Black-ish Fresh Off the Boat in The Good Place. In 2016, Anya directed her first short film, Lemonade Mafia, starring Marseille Martin, Nicole, excuse me, Yvette Nicole Brown and Eva Akers. Her career catapulted after directing an episode of Black-ish in 2017 and continues to soar. Sharman Beke. Sharman is the owner and founder of Art Is Love, which provides exposure for artists through marketing, social media and branding. She is a writer, blogger, and also has over 10 years experience as a curator for the East Bay Municipal Utility District Gallery, where she is now Art Committee Chair. She was appointed by the mayor's office to the City of Oakland Public Art Advisory Committee, where she now serves as co-chair. Most recently, she was appointed by Mayor Libby Schaff as one of 11 cultural affairs commissioners. Her passion and appreciation for art and community-based initiatives have been long-standing and have been developed since childhood. As a community member, lifelong Oakland resident, she values her role as both a stakeholder and collaborator. She currently serves as a community engagement and art consultant and manages large public art installations throughout the Bay Area. Sharman holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Clark Atlanta University, another Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Master's of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. And next, I'm happy to introduce Ann Colin Smith. Ann is a cultural curator, historian, and worker in the literary, visual, and performing arts. She is the curator of collections at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art. Ann has participated in the independent curators, internationals, curatorial intensive, and the Getty Leadership Institute's museum leaders, the next generation programs. She serves on the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, MARTA, Arts Council, and the Board of Trustees for the Association of Art Museum Curators. Her curatorial work is inspired by New Orleans jazz musician and cultural ambassador Erwin Mayfield's definition of culture. He explains, culture is about definition. And if you're not involved in the process of defining yourself, then someone else will define you. And perhaps they'll define you to the point where they think you don't need to exist. With all that Ann undertakes in her abocation as a cultural worker, it's the uplifting and celebration of culture and shared heritage, in addition to assisting to create definition from a multiple perspectives that drive her work. Ladies, welcome to the panel, the power of story. Now, I'd like to share some video excerpts of their career girls interviews. Christina, take it away. I am the curator of collections at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art. My primary responsibility is to take care of the permanent collection, which houses about 300 objects. Day to day, it's programming, meetings, writing, taking care of art, taking care of people. I like providing context. I like instigating. I like, you know, foregrounding those unknown stories. I like making experiences amazing. And I like, you know, to help people relate to what's on the wall. The Spelman College Museum of Fine Art is the only museum in the nation that highlights work by and about women of the African diaspora. I'd like to also examine and showcase what other people are saying about them. So it's really, you know, an inclusive, inviting conversation for everybody. I'm a first AD on the television show, Black-ish. There's kind of two pieces to my job. I work in prep and then I shoot an episode. So I take a script and we spend a week in prep with a director. We break down things. And then when we shoot, I'm in charge of the day-to-day activities that are happening on set, rolling the camera, bringing the actors in, making sure people know what's happening next. Now that I'm a first AD and have been for about 10 years, my goals kind of shifted. Typically for a first AD, you move up to the unit production manager or the line producer and you really produce shows. And some directors, some assistant directors go the director route. And I think that that's the route that I'd like to start taking. It's really important for you to speak your truth so you feel good about moving forward towards it, but also so that other people know so they can help you. Because most of the time, people want to help you. But if they don't know, they can't help. So I say, speak your truth. Say what you want. I am a civil engineer and I work on environmental projects. I work in the water industry and I help bring safe, clean drinking water into the homes of many residents in the Greater Bay Area. A great engineer is one who's an innovator, who's creative. And I think in order to be creative, you have to tap into the right side of your brain. You have to have an interest in art. And not having an interest in art is like not living. Not having an interest in math and science is not living. Programs like STEAM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics, gives students an opportunity to really see what the process is like, that things don't just appear. There's a planning phase, there's a design phase, and there's a construction phase. And I think having an understanding of what the process is for something to be brought to fruition is important. Not only in whatever career you decide, but just in life. All right. Thank you. My very first question to each of you is, why did you want to participate as a role model? Who wants to go first? Well, because I'm coming full circle on something. Something that my dad kind of what I thought was an admonishment of me was that he said, you have to have things your own way. And as I, you know, as I try to pursue this career, I'm like, yes, this is my own way. So thank you for that. And so there are many other girls out there who are trying to figure it out, who are, you know, going on some unchartered territory, trying to find their own way and make an impact. So I hope that that, you know, criticism, flash, blessing from my dad will help them to see that they can also make their own ways and their applications. So, that's it. Thank you. So I, um, I stepped into this industry and didn't see anyone that looked like me. So, and it's so funny because I look at that video and I was really also talking to myself because I am not an ad in this space talking to you all. I'm a director now and I'm an award winning director, which is like, not anything that I had envisioned at that time. I just feel like for me as somebody moving through spaces where it's often occupied primarily by white middle aged older men, that the more I can get out and talk to people about what I do and and how it might work for them if they want to jump into this space, the better because as we all know, the more diverse our stories and the people that make our stories are the better they are. Thank you. And for me, you know, I'm a product of lots of mentoring. And one of the things that Anya mentioned in her video, which really resonated with me was just the fact that if you ask, you realize that most people actually want to help. And I think for me, it's an opportunity to sort of pay it forward. I know that's kind of an obvious thing, but it's really, really important, you know, as we make strides that we provide a pathway for others to follow, and we provide some guidance for them to actually, I'm actually do that. You know, we're not here alone. So we're never meant to do it alone. So I think it's important, you know, to realize that you're never too young to be a mentor. You know, my daughter is a mentor, you know, young teenagers are mentors. So the sooner you can actually fill those shoes, I think the better. You know, Anya touched on this a little bit, but can you share for our audience what's changed in your life since our interview? I'll start this time. Well, one thing I lost those earrings I was wearing and I'm really sad about that. But I think one of the really big things that have changed is when when I was interviewed for career girls, although I recognize the importance of duality, you know, art and science. I think in terms of my own trajectory, I was thinking of them in sort of a singular fashion. So I was curating and taking on our projects and I was sort of like, Oh, I have this other thing. I'm also an engineer. And I remember listening to a podcast and someone said, you know, you should stop thinking about your passion as your side hustle. You know, and it was one of those things where I started thinking about what are the different ways that I can actually bring these two passions together and the work that I do. So then I started saying, you know, what are the things that I do most as an engineer and I said, Well, one of the things that I do most are, you know, I engage with the community. And I manage projects. So I started thinking about how can I do that. You know, as an art consultant slash engineer. And I love working with nonprofit organization so I had an opportunity to connect more with people through nonprofits through art, and also through science. Another thing that I was thinking about is, you know, I know how to manage construction projects. I'm an engineer. How can I do that when it relates to art so then that opened up the door to public art installations. And that is that, you know, there is a lack of diversity there's a lack of representation and public art installations. And a lot of times those large public art installations are the ones that get the most eyes are the ones with the biggest budgets and we need to see more women we need to see more people of color with those opportunities so I think probably more than anything. I'm kind of stepping away from the silo approach to problem solving as it relates to science and art. Thank you. Yes. I was going to say what's changed for me I feel like when I did my interview I was kind of at the top of my career in that I, you know I was on blackish I knew what I was doing I was very good at first thing. So, I was mentoring a lot of people and feeling question helping people to navigate in the space to become an ad. And now that I'm directing, I find that I have gathered around me a lot more mentors for myself, moving through this new kind of experience, and have been leaning on them a lot more than actually mentoring myself. So, and, you know, it's, it appears from hearing each of you, you know, it was owning that desire to be who you wanted to be in the world, recognizing all that you had accomplished to be at this, this point where you are in your storytelling. And, you know, when did you start to experience that that change in perception. You know, Sharmin talked about it a little in terms of, you know, I don't I don't have to have silos, and I bring my side hustle into, you know, what I'm doing fully professionally, was there a moment for either of you, where you felt like, this is it. Often, well, you're often told to, you know, serve a higher purpose and so I've been, you know, on the road of serving a higher purpose and, you know, to let yourself just kind of step back, which I kind of have some issues with because you are part of that higher purpose, but never would I have believed that someone would see this, this video that I did for career girls, and invite me to participate in a panel with the Association of Art Museum curators. It was Jen, Jen Merger, who is Mergel, who is an independent curator and a former curator at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. And so we participated in a panel together, and because of that participation it led to a greater relationship with the Association of Art Museum curators, one that has supported artists for the past 20 or so years and now I am on the board of the Association of Art Museum curators and so through this video I was able to widen my network, also during that time so now I'm currently serving as the interim director, interim associate director of the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, but since that time, also even just being in that space and you know, to so many spaces of discernment, we are now teaching the next generation of Art Museum curators and so we're very happy to have that program, and the next generation of Art Museum curators at Spelman, at Morehouse, at Clark Atlanta University. So it's so AUC wide so we have bridged, you know, some gaps and so I'm really going about my practice in a full-fledged way and so I would say Career Girls help to boost me to that next step and you know make me take stock in that I have accomplished a lot. So thank you for asking that question. And sharing your journey. Anybody else, I mean I know you've had these career triumphs, but how you saw yourself. Anything change? Since then. Yeah. And then another question I have for you is that you were all doing mentoring before we had the opportunity and the honor to get your story on Career Girls, how has your mentoring changed since you did the interview? Has it informed how you mentor, how you think about mentoring? Talk to us about that. I would say for sure it has and one of the things that I stepped into when I was talking to you guys was like thinking like mentoring has to be one person and like they're going to give you all the information and you're stuck to them and they're your person and you go through this experience and I've discovered that it's really valuable to have a lot of mentors and that it's important that you know what you want like you can't just say hey I want to direct will you mentor me. You have to know where you want to go to be able to activate people to mentor you so you have to be active in the process and I feel like that was really kind of solidified for me after I spent some time with Career Girls. Yeah. Sharma? I think for me, what in terms of the way I mentor has changed is the fact that like you don't necessarily, I'm not only necessary a mentor for someone who's considering a career in the arts or science. You know I'm also a mentor for someone who's thinking about being an entrepreneur. I'm also a mentor for other young women who are who are so mothers and are trying to balance careers and startup businesses. So one of the things that I've thought about is sometimes it's it's best to approach mentoring in terms of like how can I help you be successful and whatever you want to do. It doesn't necessarily have to be the same path that I've taken, but how can I help you figure out how to get connected to resources. And I think for me as someone who has continues to benefit from mentors, that is I've learned that sometimes like the folks who you think are going to be your go-to mentors actually show up in a completely different package. You know, so not necessarily limiting yourself to a woman or a woman of a certain age or man or someone of a particular ethnic background. Sometimes it's just a connection and I think you know allowing yourself to be open to any and all connections is really important. I think with mentoring you have to meet people where they are and honoring where they are. So I am teaching now. And so right now in the class that's supposed to be 12 I'm mentoring 20 students. And it's an amazing experience and they stay back behind class and I'm like okay you can sign off, but they really want to know truths, and they want to know your mistakes too, and your pitfalls. I work with students all the time but to really have this one on one with them is really really rewarding for me. And also you never know what you really put out there and who's watching you. So even with your social media. I have a cousin who's watching what I'm doing I never thought you know a distant cousin who was really watching what I was doing I'm just so, so inspired by that and I'm even more compelled so you're you're answering and you don't even know it sometimes so I am. So I think how it's changed for me is that I'm trying to be my most authentic self with words and all. Fantastic. And, you know, was there an alternative path that your careers could have taken. And if so, what was that defining moment that set you on the path that you're on now. I would say I was I went to school to be a psychologist. So my mother was a doctor. I didn't want to go to med school, because I didn't want to deal with cadavers, but I really like talking to people and helping solve problems like I enjoyed that. So I thought, oh, psychology, you know, maybe I can do that. And so I was studying that. And for me the pivotal moment that happened was, and I, I gave you guys the link is I joined a group called up with people which is an international touring group and they traveled around the world they do a two hour show and they stayed in host families and it was all about showing how all of us it was international so showing how you know the world can work together to create something beautiful. And that was really exciting for me and totally changed my, my career path because I wanted to, I didn't want to sit in a room anymore, and counsel I wanted to be out there making art and so I found television that way. I didn't intend it to go to law school. And so a chronic case happened in 1993 and I said I could never know defend someone who I wasn't sure about. And so I became an advocate and other ways. I was working in the art history classes and so I, I, you know, loved upon this field, but also when I was living in New York at that time trying to find a job in museums, not finding something that would pay my Chelsea rent. I was working for US News and World Report. I was working in the pub and the publisher's office so that was without you know advertising sales and everything and I was phenomenally that's full. And then I was accepted to this fellowship program at the St. Louis Art Museum. And so I said okay well I'll change my, well, you know I'll go with the second original plan. And so my brother who was living in St. Louis I'm like, okay, great I get to meet his kids, you know I get to spend time with his kids. And so I, I chose love, as opposed to corporate, and what's so beautiful about that story on is that my brother wanted to go with up with people, he wanted to join up with people, but he wasn't permitted to. I don't know. Oh no, I'm so sad to hear that. So this is so full circle. Wow. Sometimes I doubt that decision and but you're sharing that just was like yes you did the right thing. Oh that's amazing. So there have been many permits and so yes. Yeah. I love the connection. That's amazing. This is great. Sharman, you know when we've come together and you've been in community with other role models just seeing how these connections and you know sort of shared experiences and developing community comes together. But for you what was that pivotal. You know, the interesting thing is, when I was in elementary, upwards through high school, I always had an affinity for math and science, but I also love writing, and I love the arts and I used to like take, you know, redecorate my doll houses and try to make clothes and do all kinds of fun things. But you know here I was a young black girl who had an interest in math and science and my mentors they took notice of that and they were like you're going to be an engineer, which I'm grateful for you know but it was sort of like at that point early on I was headed in that trajectory so I followed along that path. I went through school, got the degrees, you know and really enjoyed it and was grateful that the first four years of my college education was at HBCU because I really felt like I was nurtured and more prepared for a larger, you know, technical school after the fact. But I say that to say that that interest in writing and the arts, it never went away, you know, and so like, even though I was kind of moving along this path in engineering there was always sort of this like almost like a longing or something was was missing. That doesn't mean that it wasn't still part of me because as I mentioned in that video to we should expect our scientists and engineers to be creative right so it's it's always been there. But one thing that Anya mentioned that I think is is is really interesting is that even though you know she started off as a psychology major, like I'm sure that the work that you do there's there's an element of understanding human behavior. Yes, that's part of your work. So it's, it's kind of like one of those things that even when you think you sort of chosen this, this other path, those things that you've done along the way those other paths that you've taken I think and you sort of alluded to this to those matter and they are part of the building blocks for your overall success. So don't feel like you wasted your time doing these other things because they matter and they they they help you along the way. Absolutely. You know, I want to the point you know something that jumps out from me for me for all of you as storytellers you know you've all excelled in a visual context. Why were you drawn to the power of stories in that way storytelling in that in that manner. Visually, I mean I can say both my parents were artists my mother was a doctor but she also created art, and my father was an art professor and it's actually just now having at 77 resurgence of his art being loved and revered in Canada so I was surrounded by art growing up the visual medium medium of painting. We didn't have a TV. I didn't have a TV at home until I was 17. So I never like all that stuff from my youth that everybody watched. I didn't. I mean I watched it sometimes at friends house but I didn't watch it I read I read a lot. And so I think, you know, creating worlds in my mind from reading and so on is what really is an underpinning for me in terms of being in that in this visual medium and really being connected to it on a core level. Yeah. Thank you. I started. I trace my curatorial practice to me being a little girl, and I need to also add that and one of my individual education plans. It stated to take and to museums and expose her to art and never would I thought I would be in this world. But that said, you know, so the person who I said was my brother was my uncle but my parents raised him. And so one time I decided that I wanted to put up. He had just painted the hallway and I said I want to put up a show. And so I put up a show and he was like okay whatever Brad and that's what he called me. But also my curatorial studies, my curatorial career came through storytelling. And that was me using the view master and a view master projector to project these stories onto the wall they were fairy tales then but I added my own bent. So for me it's always been about storytelling and play and I think that once we share our stories will find so many more commonalities amongst each other and so it builds for richer dialogues exhibitions. Other kinds of engagements with each other so it's central to it's central to my curatorial practice. So, growing up, I wasn't necessarily exposed to art in the sense of like being in fine, fine art spaces. I think my school we maybe went to the museum, a couple of times. We're practicing artists. And I say that intentionally because my mother is an artist, you know, my mother has a knack for interior design, and I followed her around the house my one of my jobs was, you know, I was a furniture mover. And she had this display of home magazines all around the house you know so we flipped through them and, and she always had like this really great understanding of colors. And I think between those sort of experiences and just being a kid who actually played outside and, you know, was used to creating things without having a lot to create from a lot of that influenced my interest in arts. The other thing is that the curatorial practice is, you know, it's like the art of arrangement and engineers and scientists take data and arrange data to tell a narrative to tell a story. So in a lot of ways that there is that overlap. So when I'm curating a show or I'm helping to select artists, right which is also a big part of the narrative right. Or when I'm moving pieces together to kind of think about how a big public art installation will will exist in an outdoor space. All of those things are in a lot of ways how my mind works as an engineer, you know, an artist will tell you. They create work and it's inspired by something, but when they release it to the world, they want there to be there to be room for a viewer to have their own sort of experience and interpretation of the work. So as a curator, you're balancing allowing space for for viewer to sort of see their own narratives right to see their own stories or see other stories right be aware of other people's stories. And at the same time making sure that the artist's voice is still heard. And I think anytime we have an opportunity to be a vessel to allow that to happen in some shape or form we're all living curators right we're all sharing stories. Thank you for that. You know, in what ways are you working to create more opportunities for underrepresented folks in your field. I'll go I have. I have I work with a colleague of mine and we have a podcast called sister brunch, and the idea behind it it kind of came from a. We used to have gatherings as assistant directors, where we would all come together. Primarily women of color and their mentors who are women of color to be able to just decompress and talk about working in the industry and how to navigate it and things we might have gone through. This podcast is a little bit broader in that it's, it's, it brings in women behind the scenes, primarily that work in the industry to talk about their careers and how they got there so that young women can can. It's primarily women of color so you know just talking to them about where they started and how they got there and and you know some quick little tidbits so. That's what I've been doing for the last couple of years and it's it's really satisfying because a lot of my friends have been able to come on it. And learn different parts, but also we've been able to kind of illuminate kind of like you guys do in career girls, all these different jobs that people don't know about specifically in film and television that could be really exciting and fun for somebody but you know they just didn't have the, the opportunity to learn about it. Thank you for doing that work. Sure. So a large part of my position at Spelman is to prepare the next generation of the arts leaders but I am also for the next month or so working with a group of fifth graders as an artist and residents and it's an amazing experience. So these are students who are in inner city Atlanta, who may or may not have had experiences with museums we're looking at portraits. And we're talking about the work that I do the work that you know centers them that makes sure that they are seen in museums as well and I was so surprised by how much they pay attention, and how much they're uplifted by it. You know from showing them a kind of a wily painting you know for showing them imagery they've never seen like a such a person on a horse and esteemed as such. So letting them know who they are and hopefully I will, we will welcome some curators out of that so yeah so we'll start very early as Sharman said you never know. Yeah. So true. Indeed, indeed, Sharman. So one of the things that I think is is really important is talking to youth about how to see themselves as as leaders and to see themselves in spaces that they typically aren't seen. Well, not just youth but I think just any anyone who's sort of emerging into whatever field that they're going into. So one of the things that that I'd like to talk about like in my role as a commissioner is already on any other board is how can we sort of provide an opportunity to fill in the pipeline. So, and, as I mentioned in before public large public art installations there's there is a lack of diversity and, and definitely a lack of women with those those opportunities. So, when I've had an opportunity to do so and actually I did so recently in a large project is I approached an artist and experienced artists, and I asked him he's white male if he would be willing to consider an apprentice on the project that we were proposing for. And as in doing so I was able to link this artist who has 20 plus years and he's a fantastic talent great person with a young black male sculpture artists who's just starting out who doesn't have access to shop. You know who typically works with wood wanted to get into working with metal so now he has access to equipment he has access to the knowledge of this other person who's been in the field for a long time. So, as you know we progress in our leadership roles it's like well how can we kind of like, you know you ask folks who have the resources to extend the extended hand, we can be that can the connectors, but it really is all, it's up to the folks involved to really want to make that work happen. So I think, in whatever field you're in and whatever stage you're at if you see sort of a gap. It's not enough just to talk about the gap like how can we facilitate filling in that gap. So that's one of the things that I've been really trying to make sure that I do in the work that I do. Fantastic. Thank you so much for doing that. You know one other thing that I'd like to get from each of you is, you know, advice that you would give to young people to step into leadership roles. You know, Anya you touched on a little bit in terms of, you know, you've got to bring some something to the table when you're looking to have a mentor or a sponsor. You know, what, what tips advice could you share for a young person watching this leadership. You want me to go. I would say, one of the things I because I feel like I've been a leader a lot in my, in my life. A lot of that it's because I'm, I talk a lot and I, I am not afraid to get out there but that doesn't mean that you can't be a leader that you're shy. One of the things that I felt that has helped me be a leader consistently is walking my walk like if I say something, I do it. I don't have like multiple levels of, you know, like, I'm trying to formulate how to say this. Like, I lead by example, you know, if, you know, we're all in a group and it's COVID and, you know, I don't just say, okay, well, we're over here so we can take off our masks. No, you have to like follow the rules that you're setting out for the group that you're in or, and I think people see you even if there's another leader leading that's, you know, they see you when you are strong in your convictions and and living up to the social agreement that you guys have made. So you can be a leader within the group without actually also being like number one or the loudest, you know, Step up my answer. Thank you Anya and I would say self awareness is key. And that's something I'm really growing into and with the help of the center, the curatorial leadership that's, you know, making me realize what gifts you bring we all bring gifts to this to we all have doubts but we also have these gifts so be aware of what your strengths and the areas for growth are. And so you can work and you can, you can launch from there so self awareness is key for me. And Sharmin I think one thing is that's important is identifying how our understanding that there are lots of different ways that you can lead. So for me one thing I would say is, if you have an opportunity to join a board or student council or something you are going to, like your neighborhood organization, like meeting our group do so because there's, you know, one, you, it gives you a bit more agency right, but then you also meet people along the way who can connect to you and and ways that you never even imagine. But if joining a board is not for you, then, you know, there are other routes that you might want to take up you know like, for example, like if you're, if you're passionate about. The sounds weird because I feel like everyone should be passionate about social justice but if you're an environmental activists if you're social justice activists. You, you may not necessarily want to join the board but you may want to be an organizer right or you may want to be the artists inside in charge of the graphics. You know, but the key is to take a lead on on something right because then you have a saying. Kind of what's what all is involved what's created what comes of it, but also like I said you have an opportunity to make all kinds of connections but if you do decide that you want to join a board. I would definitely encourage you to consider looking into. And now there's probably a lot more virtual classes, a class on how to be an effective board member. So I took a class with local organization here in Oakland called compass point. And it's called, and I think they saw it how to be an effective board member, because it really does help, you know so that you know how boards work, how you can be the most as effective as possible. And, you know how to navigate that whole terrain. Thank you. That's awesome. While you're on recommendations since we're on a library program, does anybody have a recommendation for our audience on a book to read. Yes, on you go. On recommendations because I'm a reader one if you want to be a director there's a great book called directors tell the story. And I will, I'll tell you guys who is who it's five is two female directors drama and comedy and they're amazing Bethany Rooney is one of them. And then the other one is Neil Gaiman's American Gods. I love the idea of old gods coming to America and fighting to stay alive it's it's a really great series. And then I also would say the power of one by Bryce Courtney, those are some good books. Thank you. Appreciate that. Well, and reading like so many books simultaneously with article and just for work. What I'm listening to with audible is a new Negro about Elaine Locke, who is one of the more instrumental individuals with the Harlem Renaissance but really just thinking and learning about what he thought about cultural pluralism and the pitfalls and, you know, the the snares that he had to go through to forge who he is or who he was. Also, I'm reading cast, and I'm reading that with the president's reading circle with Spellman. And also I can't wait to, which they would write a book about Ellis Hazelip, who did the soul show on PBS in New York because I would love to learn more about him and maybe this is a call. And maybe this is something for me to do but the way in which he brought all the arts together with a certain consciousness. So, that has been my best viewing, not reading yet so I will be reading more of him. So, yeah, thank you. Charmin. Okay, so right now I'm reading a group of short stories by Octavia Butler and I can't remember the name of the book because there's all these short stories, but I definitely would recommend reading that. I can grab it, but I make a break for a second. And then there's one other book, and I almost feel like and I just thought about this because I'm sitting next to my bookshelves. There's a book that I read in college by Lane Brown called The Taste of Power. It's like one of those like you must reads. And I'm also thinking about it because in Oakland, there was recently a mural dedicated to the women of the Black Panther movement. And there's also a street in West Oakland that has been named Dr. Hugh Newton Street, I think. And so I'm just, and there's a lot of momentum around fundraising and bringing more awareness to the Black Panther Party and that entire movement. There's, there's, there are plans in the works to install like a bus, a few EP Newton, so I'm thinking about all this. But the interesting thing about this book is that years later, last year actually during the pandemic, I was flipping through, my daughter pulled the book out of the bookshelf. And we were flipping through it. And, and there's this little note that falls out of the book. And it's a handwritten note by Lane Brown that I completely like had like a brain fart. And I met her when I was in college and she like hand wrote this note to me. You know, so it was like one of those things where it was kind of like that book was such an important part of like me coming like learning more about myself, about Black people, about the movements here in Oakland, and to like have that book just sitting on the shelf. And then my daughter pulls it out. So I know that's a lot but just kind of just a reminder that yes, but what we read and kind of it that helps kind of shape how we see ourselves as active participants and not in our own lives, only our own lives but in our communities. So, you know, it's important to really be thoughtful about kind of what you pick up to read and how you share that. Erica is writing her memoir. So speaking of daughters and mothers and daughters. So yeah, being a Lane Brown's daughter, yes. Ladies, I feel like we could keep talking for another hour or so we are at the end of this discussion but you know I just want to say to our audience, what you're seeing what you witnessed is really just the tip of the iceberg. Of the stories of the knowledge of the wisdom of the insight that every single woman that we've been honored to interview brings and shares with freely with the world so you know if you're a parent or teacher, you know just go to our website, we've got ways to help you easily incorporate any of these stories into the work that you do. But it's been wonderful to revisit my time with you and to let our audience hear how great it is to just be inspired by your wisdom. Thank you Linda. Thank you. Thank you to all of my fellow panelists to this has been awesome and thanks to San Francisco Public Library for allowing this to happen. Yes. Thank you so much Wow. As a librarian I'm just so thrilled that you all had like your books just like at the ready. We are definitely creating a career girls book list that will go live I will send you all the link it'll be on our socials because honestly what you just offered us was just golden, just golden nuggets of what you're interested, what you see in your communities, what's part of what's, you know, been part of your lives. And as a woman of color, oh my gosh I'm just swimming in gratitude for the deep intelligence, the reflection, the wisdom and your time I know you are all very busy women. And I appreciate you on your Adams and Colin Smith and Charmin roundtree bake he thank you so much for everything and I would have to thank Linda so much thank you for just the work that you've done to create the resource of career girls. Thank you so much for putting together this incredible panel I agree we could do this a whole other hour and then we can, we could just cycle through the 700 videos you have and do a whole year series. We're down for it we're totally down for it. And as your partner is just an absolute honor to an privilege to be a platform for these women to share their wisdom and their knowledge, and to give girls everywhere what I wished I'd had growing up. So, um, yeah, with all of them with all of you, we're leaving it better than we found it. And as your partner in that platform, the library is here to be able to further amplify the work that you have all done and so we hope to see you again, we loved having you here. Thank you. Thank you so much. That's all folks happy women's history month we start we're starting off March so beautifully. If you love today's program, please check out our calendar for more virtual her story events. Love yourselves stay safe be well and we hope to see you back at the San Francisco public library virtual library soon. Take good care everyone. Thank you.