The mayor of San Francisco, London N. Breed, has announced her plans to bring a historically Black college or university satellite campus to the Californian city. The proposal, Black 2 San Francisco, is part of Mayor Breed’s 30 by 30 initiative, aiming to bring 300,000 residents and students to the city by 2030.
Spearheaded by the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the Black 2 San Francisco initiative will provide a city grant to a chosen HBCU to support the launch of a satellite campus in downtown San Francisco, serving both Bay Area residents and HBCU students from across the country. Additionally, the program plans to establish educational and philanthropic partnerships between the future HBCU campus and local public, private, and nonprofit organizations.
To kick off this initiative, the city of San Francisco is hosting a summer intern program for 60 students from HBCUs throughout the United States. The participating students will receive internship placements, participate in academic workshops, and learn about the culture of San Francisco.
“Bringing an HBCU satellite campus here will boost our downtown and our economy, while bringing new minds and ideas to grow within our world-renowned culture of innovation,” said Breed. “We have been building partnerships with HBCUs across the country, and we are bringing our first cohort of students here this summer, all part of our larger 30 by 30 initiative to help revitalize downtown. San Francisco is seizing the opportunity to be a center of excellence with a commitment to higher education as a key part of our city’s future.”
Breed was sworn in as mayor of San Francisco on July 11, 2018, making her the first Black woman mayor in the city’s history. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Davis and a master of public administration degree from the University of San Francisco.