Photography by Michelle Kilfeather
Rodrigo Durán's parents come from very different backgrounds. In this episode, the host of Real City Ambassadors shares the stories of his parents' respective moves from Mexico to San Francisco. His dad came to the U.S. from Mexico City after becoming disillusioned with the revolutionary movement in his homeland, ended up in The City, and fell in with low-riders and Central Americans here. Rodrigo's mom is from a small town in Jalisco, and her father came to the U.S. on the Bracero Program. The two met in San Francisco, where Rodrigo and his siblings were born. After a brief time back with family in Mexico, Rodrigo returned to SF, went to school in Chinatown, and got involved in the Aztec dance community through his dad. Rodrigo ends this podcast reflecting on the inclusion he felt from various communities in San Francisco. Please join us for Part 2 this Thursday. We recorded this podcast at the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District office in the Mission in November 2020.
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Photography by Michelle Kilfeather
In this podcast, Lucia picks up where she left off in Part 1. She dives into her own personal art history, from always drawing as a kid and young adult to eventually attending college at the San Francisco Art Institute. Before that, while at City College, Lucia got her associates in child development and began teaching, something she continues to do to this day. While at SFAI, she and some fellow students formed the SF Poster Syndicate, a group intended "to bring art and design to many different people’s movements in hopes that their message can be heard and seen more loudly." The story of Lucia getting started painting murals intersects back with her activist mom and Balmy Alley in the Mission. She ends the podcast sharing the stories behind her first mural—"Mission Makeover," in Balmy Alley (seen above)—and "Women of the Resistance," which she collaborated with the SF Poster Syndicate on (seen below). 
We recorded this podcast in a courtyard on Balmy Alley in November 2020.
Photography by Michelle Kilfeather
Lucia Gonzalez-Ippolito is a Mission District fixture. Her dad, a painter and welder, moved to San Francisco from Merida, Mexico. Her mom, an activist, came from Chicago and worked at China Books on 24th Street. They met in the mid-1980s and Lucia was born shortly after that. She was raised in the Mission mostly by her mother, always surrounded by her parents' activist and artist friends. Lucia's mom sent her to a private high school up in Napa, which is where Lucia decided to dive into the world of art. Oh, and there's a short tangent in this episode where we discuss the fabled and sadly extinct $3 burrito. We recorded this podcast in a courtyard on Balmy Alley in November 2020. 11/19/2020 0 Comments S3E41, Part 2: Jeremy Fish
Photography by Michelle Kilfeather
In this podcast, Jeremy picks up where he left off in Part 1, talking about the job he got at a skateboarding company that brought him back to San Francisco after a short time on the road. He goes on to catalog the various places in The City where he has lived, including North Beach, the neighborhood Jeremy calls home to this day. The story of his move to that neighborhood includes tips on how to crack the code of Craigslist apartments. Fast-forward to, well, "now," and Jeremy recounts the stories behind his "Stay Strong" posters, which have been popping up on the fronts of boarded-up bars and also in people's windows all over town for the last eight months. It involves Anchor Brewing and the U.S. Bartenders Guild. He ends this episode talking about the place he's been doing an artist's residency since September—the Doolan-Larson building in the Upper Haight. The residency was made possible with the help of SF Heritage, a rad non-profit working to preserve the history of The City. As mentioned, we recorded this podcast at the Doolan-Larson building at Haight and Ashbury in October 2020. For more info on the building and SF Heritage, go here. 11/17/2020 0 Comments S3E41, Part 1: Jeremy Fish
Photography by Michelle Kilfeather
Hip-hop, hills, and art drew Jeremy Fish to San Francisco from 3,000 miles away. In this episode, the prolific and iconic SF artist traces his family line back to both grandfathers. One worked with his hands to make art; the other was a salesman. Jeremy sees bits of himself in both ancestors. He was born in Albany, New York, and spent most of his youth in Saratoga Springs. When it came time to go to college (in 1994), not only was The City less expensive than Boston and New York, but Jeremy also had one hell of a trip out here, which he retells in the podcast. Follow Jeremy on Twitter and Instagram, and check out his website, Silly Pink Bunnies. Check back Thursday for Part 2 to hear more of Jeremy's story. We recorded this podcast at the Doolan-Larson building at Haight and Ashbury (photos below) in October 2020. 11/10/2020 0 Comments S3E40, Part 2: Ida McCray
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We saved Part 2 of Ida McCray's podcast with us for a good reason. We didn't want her incredible story to get lost in the chaos and uncertainty that marked last week. And we suspect that you, like us, feel a little better heading into this week, so ... Ida picks up where she left off in Part 1, with her release from prison when she was a teenager. She shares the story of when she helped hijacked a plane from San Francisco to Los Angeles and ended up in Cuba. Fast-forward to 16 years later, when a member of her family turned her in. She served a little more than a decade in federal prison, and when she got out, she started working at the San Francisco Sheriff's Department, where she stayed for more than 20 years, as a rehabilitation coordinator. She also started teaching wellness for the formerly incarcerated at City College. Ida ends this podcast talking about needing a break from The City she loves but doesn't recognize lately. We recorded this podcast outside of Ida's home in the Excelsior in October 2020. 11/3/2020 0 Comments S3E40, Part 1: Ida McCray
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Ida McCray has left San Francisco. In this podcast, Ida, who was born and raised in The City, takes us back to around the time of her birth. Her dad was in and out of trouble and her mom put Ida in Catholic school. An only child, she loved books but school never excited her. She got into her own trouble as a teenager, and found herself in and out of Juvenile Hall. After graduating high school at 16, Ida got involved in the movement of those days and converted to Islam. This came after roughly a year and a half of her life locked up on a petty theft charge. Please join us Thursday for Part 2, when Ida will continue sharing the story of her life. We recorded this podcast outside of Ida's home in the Excelsior in October 2020.
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In this podcast, Alan tells us about his discovery of Israel. A friend told him all about the country, smashing Alan's preconceived ideas about the place, and so he went and lived there for a number of years. He shares stories of his return to NYC, drunken addiction, and homelessness. He was in a downward spiral before a friend told him to snap out of it and get help. He did, and roughly a week later, he was headed for San Francisco. He quickly got involved in the early '90s poetry scene here, and tells some great stories around that. He goes on to describe what it was like to get discovered as a writer as well as his work with "outlaw" artists here in The City. He also shares the story of a student strike he led while he taught at the Academy of Art University. Alan ends this podcast comparing the San Francisco of today with the city he moved to 30 years ago, and tells us all about the poets strike he led back in the early '90s. If you missed Part 1, please go back and listen to learn about Alan's parents and his upbringing in New York City. We recorded this podcast outside of Alan's home in Oakland in October 2020.
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Alan Kaufman is lucky to be alive. In this podcast, the writer and poet traces his lineage back to his parents, who met in New York in the 1940s. His dad was a Jewish gangster, as Alan describes it, and his mom was a French Jewish Holocaust survivor. Here is the card that the French government issued, verifying his mother as a Holocaust survivor: 
Alan details a trip to Europe he took in 2014. His hosts in Zurich drove him to the mountains in Northern Italy where his mother and grandmother hid during World War II.
He fast-forwards to his parents' meeting and starting a family in the Bronx. When he was a teenager, he picked up a copy of On the Road, and the book ended up inspiring his move out west. Please check back Thursday for the continuation of Alan's story. We recorded this podcast outside of Alan's home in Oakland in October 2020.
Photography by Michelle Kilfeather
In this podcast, Temi picks up where she left off in Part 1, talking about founding Pembroke, her PR firm here in The City. She goes on to describe how the company transitioned during the onset of shelter-in-place earlier this year. Then Temi pivots to her own experiences with racism and her awakening to racial and social justice. She ends the podcast talking about joining Represent Collaborative, for whom this podcast was produced. REP CO is a media hub for stories about under-represented folks, and we're honored to be part of that effort. We recorded this podcast in Hayes Valley in October 2020. |
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