SAN FRANCISCO — a hub of inclusivity
h ello and welcome to the special 2021 San Francisco issue. Why SF? In addition to being the home base of our magazine, the Bay Area is known as a hub of culture, diverse thinking, and inclusiveness. I hold great affection for the city, having visited twice in two different stages of my life. As a kid, I remember heading to San Francisco as a stopover before a trip to Hawaii. We did all the touristy things—gaped at the Golden Gate, saw the sites from the cable cars, ate Dim Sum in Chinatown. At the time, I didn’t understand the unique history and ideals of the city. But I was fortunate enough to visit again as an adult. This time, I didn’t concentrate on the piles of chocolate in Ghirardelli Square, but rather the people. San Francisco attracts diverse tourists as well as holding its own unique history of diversity. As our founder, Trystanne Cunningham, says, “the beauty of the city is the people, the diversity and inclusivity, the arts, and knowing that it’s always been on the forefront of change and progress.” San Francisco was founded on land inhabited by the Ohlone-speaking Yelamu tribe. In 1776, Juan Bautiza de Anza came from San Diego to create a Spanish mission. A “California Republic” was briefly declared in the 1800s until James Montgomery claimed the area for the U.S. in 1846. Shortly after, the city was officially renamed San Francisco. In the next few decades came the Gold Rush—attracting thousands of US settlers—and the building of the railroad—attracting thousands of Chinese workers and creating the largest Chinese settlement outside of Asia. The 1900s started with an earthquake that leveled 25,000 structures. But the city was rebuilt stronger including the now-iconic Golden Gate and San Francisco Bay Bridges. These times also saw the internment of Japanese Americans and an influx of African Americans who arrived from the South during WWII.
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