A Letter from Shakirah Simley

Dear Friends, 

Five years ago, I was working for the City of San Francisco as its first Director of the Office of Racial Equity, when one day, seemingly out of the blue, my neighbors started calling. Just a few blocks from where I live, the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center was looking for its next executive director. Booker T. had just celebrated its 100th anniversary, and while the center was beloved to generations of San Franciscans, it had fallen into a quiet period at a time our Black community needed it more than ever. “We need somebody over here we can trust,” my neighbors said. “We want you.” 

I humbly accepted that call and am proud to say it has been a transformative few years. Between 2021 and 2024, Booker T. grew from six employees and a $1.2 million operating budget to a team of 30 and a $7.2 million budget. We have expanded across the board — from joining the national network of Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools and growing our afterschool and summer programs for our youth and teens, to building out holistic wellness programs and leadership opportunities for our elders. We have stepped into our power as a multi-service organization, not only anchoring the affordable and permanent supportive housing we have onsite, but growing our stabilization efforts to prevent family homelessness. We added our food justice and sovereignty work as a new program and, over three years, have supported over 2,500 households with fresh, locally sourced, organic food. Booker T. now serves well over 6,000 people a year.