 I want to welcome each and every one of you to the San Francisco Public Library. What a remarkable turnout. I am honored to host this event tonight with such an esteemed group of writers. And it's particularly fitting that the library is hosting this forum to give authors the opportunity to express their rights to free speech and to speak out about their concerns regarding the possible threats to the freedoms and ideals that we hold dear. If I may, I'd like to just take a moment of personal reflection on the election. On November 9th, I awoke to a different world. I know I wasn't the only one that felt the loss, disappointment, and disillusionment in the choice that our voters made, diminishing and devaluing our country's core principles of inclusion, tolerance, and enlightenment by choosing evil over goodness. As a Latino and son of immigrants, I felt like a loose thread had been pulled from the fabric of our nation's tapestry, tattered and discarded. I'm certain my brothers and sisters and other walks of life, people of color, immigrants, the LGBTQ community and women, have their own feelings of despair and sense of betrayal. It was very difficult coming to work that day. We were convening a group of staff to talk about the future of libraries. It was hard to concentrate much less to envision a future. So instead, we focused on the passion and the value that librarians and libraries play in our democracy. I was encouraged by the unwavering commitment to ensure that libraries are sanctuaries that provide a safe and neutral space for ongoing dialogue on the issues that are facing our nation. I also reached out to all of our staff with an email message to remind them that our libraries are places that support the values of equity and inclusion that mirrors San Francisco's values. The response was amazing and inspiring. We also take seriously the protection of our users' privacy and our role in providing information and community space that is free and accessible to all. These are the basic tenets that we follow and we remain confident that we'll be able to continue these practices no matter who is in the White House. The value of libraries cannot be denied. And in fact, in the shadow, we bring the light to our community. So while tonight's program is politically focused to tie in to Friday's inauguration, it also comes at the time when the library is recognizing the importance of diverse books and diverse authors on our shelves. We are spending the entire month celebrating a series of programs we call We Love Diverse Books that brings together authors and showcases people for all ages, especially children that reflect the diversity of our city. And here's a brochure. It's an amazing array of programs throughout our branches and here at the main library that I encourage you to really, really promote and help us advocate for more diversity in our publishing industry. In closing, I want to acknowledge the great work that Litquake and the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library as our partners do in supporting and bringing this kind of programming to all of us. Thank you, Litquake founders, Jane Gunal and Jack Bullware. We appreciate the work that you've done and continue to do. And Marisa Pella, I know she's in the audience, the executive director of the Friends of the Library. If you want to support democracy, free speech and free expression, I encourage you to support these worthy community institutions. Thank you and welcome to the San Francisco Public Library. Thank you.