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Our racial and social justice work continues

A message from GLIDE’s President and CEO


Dear Friends,

As the nation continues to demand change in the wake of the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and the countless other Black men and women whose lives have been cut short at the hands of police, GLIDE remains steadfast in our commitment to social and racial justice in all we do.

For nearly 60 years, GLIDE has been a leading social justice organization on the front lines fighting racism and promoting equality, radical inclusion, and unconditional love. Our work has taken many forms, from serving people on the streets and lifting people out of poverty and suffering, to protesting, advocating for policy solutions that change systems, and bringing hope, healing and inspiration with our legendary Sunday Celebrations.

At this critical moment, GLIDE reaffirms our commitment to Black, Brown, LGBTQIA, homeless, immigrant, and socially and economically marginalized individuals and families. Our staff makes this commitment every day in our programs, services, advocacy, community organizing and leadership.

  • Serving over 75% people of color, GLIDE’s services stabilize and lift up individuals and families struggling with the effects of systemic racism. Our integrated services include meals, harm reduction services, childcare, women and family services, case management, violence intervention, and housing resources.
  • GLIDE’s Center for Social Justice drives systemic change to overcome racism and inequity. In addition to shifting consciousness on racism and bridging the empathy gap, we lead advocacy and shape policy solutions to address homelessness, criminal justice reform, poverty, drug policy and the express needs of women and children of color.
  • GLIDE’s law enforcement training program interrupts patterns of discrimination and brutality. Rooted in empathy and service, it brings together police, district attorneys and other law enforcement professionals from around the country to come face-to-face, in service and dialogue, with people impacted by racism, homelessness, drug use disorders and more. Hosted in the Tenderloin, the program changes the perspectives of law enforcement officers and interrupts patterns of police brutality and discriminatory policing in communities of color.
  • GLIDE’s Racial Justice Pilgrimage Project promotes truth, justice and reconciliation, rooting participants in a deep understanding of our nation’s history of racism and its modern day persistence. With the aim of making progress against systemic racial violence and inequities, the journey begins with a deep examination of the history of racial oppression in the United States. Facilitated by GLIDE’s in-house racial and social justice experts, the project includes workshops, seminars and readings on the history of race and injustice. The program culminates with a group trip to Montgomery, Alabama, the heart of the Civil Rights Movement.
  • In partnership with UCSF, GLIDE is finding new ways to address systemic racial and economic inequities in health care. GLIDE is leading a group of senior healthcare leaders from UCSF through the Racial Justice Pilgrimage Project and ongoing trainings. In the coming year, 160 first-year UCSF medical students will make multiple visits to GLIDE as part of an experiential learning program. GLIDE and UCSF are also partnering to spur local government officials and the Department of Public Health to address systemic health inequities in San Francisco.
  • Leading social impact in the business sector. GLIDE is broadening our racial justice and empathy work to include transformative experiences for corporate leaders and their staffs. Similar to our work with healthcare leaders, GLIDE addresses inequities and empathy gaps in the corporate world through targeted trainings to top-level executives, as well as experiential work tied to GLIDE’s extensive volunteer opportunities on-site in the Tenderloin.

Whether in the daily work of our comprehensive services to the poor and marginalized or in our innovative trainings and public advocacy, GLIDE’s goal is to deepen understanding and empathy while increasing activism to address systemic injustices and policy reform.

We are right now in a defining moment for our country, in which the long struggle for racial equality is once again front and center in the nation’s consciousness and conscience. GLIDE remains committed, and we thank you for your continued support of our work.
 

In solidarity,

Karen Hanrahan
President & CEO

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