As the sound of rainfall faded, the voices of fellow readers began to rise. A crowd gathered at San Francisco’s Public Library not to curl up with a book, but to see the “Night of Ideas.”
Hosted jointly last week by the SF Public Library, SF MOMA, and the French Consulate, the event was branded as “a free and festive night to exchange ideas” in the heart of downtown San Francisco, and lasted until 2am. A similar event took place in France the past two years.
The night began with members of the French Consulate exulting the values of democracy, free speech, and human rights, establishing the running theme of a celebration and renewal of Enlightenment principles. French and American speakers throughout the night referred to the festival of ideas as a “call to action.” While there certainly weren’t any MAGA hats to be found, open dialogue, disagreement, and the free flow of all ideas was encouraged.
The crowd was so engaged in discussion that chef Dominique Crenn took to lambasting her audience for talking over her musings on the unifying power of food and the evils of the Trump administration. Food and booze (albeit not free-this is San Francisco) aided ongoing discussions.
Of note, we spoke with tech workers from out of state: this category of San Franciscan was encouraged as the evening progressed to examine how they could vitalize the city, rather than feeling siloed into a scapegoated role during a painful period of change and growth. Young French and American attendees participated in Teen City, which focused on young people’s reflections on current events and social justice. Speakers gave moving poetry readings about dealing with grief, growing up, and how empathy could translate into broader political movements.
Teens lamented the issue of homelessness in San Francisco, and encouraged listeners—“you are members of the one percent”—to think about spending more money on charity. A speaker at the Equitable City panel echoed the sentiment, saying that just as “sexism is a man’s problem, poverty is a rich people’s problem.”
The arts were a consistent theme throughout the evening. One speaker suggested that urban planners focus on the importance of the arts when building cities, because without the arts societies would be “at risk of losing their soul.”
For the Arts City panel, Maria Jenson, of SOMArts, Dena Beard, of The Lab, and Susan Mernit, of The Crucible, spoke. All of them spoke about the importance of supporting artists financially in cities likes San Francisco, and the importance of showing to federal lawmakers the importance of the arts and culture to a city’s economy and vitality. Speakers encouraged audience members to support artists by showing up to museums and art shows, and to spread the word to friends and loved ones about art that inspires them.
The message was to avoid listening passively, but to take action: vote, speak out, and push yourself to expand the boundaries of artistic expression. A society that didn’t foster the arts would be lost. JR, a photographer from France, spoke about how he grew up impoverished and with a keen eye for street art. He spoke of his art as a way to bring people together, and to humanize all sides of a social or political fight. JR encouraged his audience to introduce themselves to one another, and explained that for him, art is not about the art piece itself, but about how it is able to connect people in the real world. He emphasized how art could bring people together towards honest dialogue, even the midst of fierce social and political conflict.
Along with the importance of the arts, San Francisco’s iconic history as a refuge for the LGBTQ community was also discussed extensively. One novelist who identified as queer celebrated the fact that we live in a world where there is a “generation of queers whose parents still like them,” lamenting the tragedy of young people who are disowned by their parents for being who they are.
Amidst discussions about gender identity, the empowerment of women, and dystopian San Francisco novels, one audience member asked for a hint of blind optimism from our panelists. They didn’t oblige, but author Meg Elison exulted that while San Francisco doesn’t always succeed in its “promise to change the world,” finding a safe space to be yourself in San Francisco was “essential to my existence.”
Listening to speakers during the Queer City panel was particularly powerful. Aria Sa’id, a trans rights activist who works in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, lamented the economic as well as social hardships of being transgender and African-American in San Francisco. Sa’id emphasized that while San Francisco is thought of as a gay mecca and a sanctuary for so many marginalized groups, learning how to be your authentic self, seeking acceptance, and “facing economic consequences for being yourself” remain essential issues for the trans community.
Sa’id hopes for increased economic empowerment for San Francisco’s trans community and emphasized the life and death nature of trans rights: the trans community is disproportionately homeless, and the life expectancy for transgender women of color is in the 30s. Another speaker spoke poignantly about LGBTQ artists living through the 1980s AIDS crisis in San Francisco. Two gay lovers were diagnosed with AIDS, and they promised whoever survived longer would use art to memorialize the other. One artist made all of his work in black and white during the crisis; only years later when some people were able to survive AIDS did he start making art in color.
The final speaker concluded, “find your lovers and make some art!”
What makes a great bike lane? How do activists push to get one built? And what happens to ridership after you build it? Join us to tackle all these questions with People Protected Bike Lanes co-founder Matt Brezina at our upcoming BeaconTalks event!
