The history of systemic racism in our land is older than our nation itself, and its manifestations have persisted even to the modern era. The first slaves were brought to the colonies almost 400 years ago. Americans fought to end slavery in the Civil War. They marched for equal rights during the Civil Rights movement. Now, once again, the cry is being raised for equality, dignity, and fair treatment under the law for all people of African descent and all people of color in the United States. We have to meet the challenge.

You cannot walk while black. You cannot jog while black. You cannot drive while black. You can't even sleep while black.

My policy includes the following 3 components: Funding, Accountability & Review, along with Training, Trust and a Collaborative Culture.

As a person of color myself, I have long spoken for civil rights and stood up for disadvantaged communities of Silicon Valley. I launched the no-charge Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for youth across Silicon Valley, benefitting thousands of disadvantaged students, a pathway to empowerment and learning from STEM. Teaming up with San Jose’s Mayor Sam Liccardo, we launched this program in many disadvantaged neighborhoods of San Jose. I have also hosted the no-charge Lego Robotics Bootcamp for many years to teach robotic design and programming. As a member of the California Computer Science Strategic Implementation Panel, a California Department of Education initiative, we rolled out a K-12 Computer Science curriculum for every K-12 Public School student in California, to go live in 2022. If we can begin to provide opportunities to all youth, regardless of their family’s income level, we can begin to level the playing field in high intensity areas like Silicon Valley.