San Francisco Bay Area Rapid TransitCandidate for Director, District 7

A nationally recognized advocate for civil rights and racial justice, Lateefah has over 20 years of executive experience advancing opportunities for communities of color and low-income communities in the Bay Area. Raised in the Fillmore District of San Francisco, Lateefah began organizing at age 15 for the Center for Young Women’s Development. At 19-years-old she was appointed Executive Director of CYWD, where she served 11 years and brought the organization to national acclaim. At 26, her work earned her the distinction of the youngest woman ever to receive a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship. She went on to lead the creation of San Francisco’s first reentry services division under the leadership of then District Attorney Kamala D. Harris. Lateefah later served as Executive Director of the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights and Program Director at the Rosenberg Foundation. 

BART faces an unprecedented crisis in its 50-year history. I bring over 25 years of executive leadership in the public and private sector - with  a clear vision for a safe, reliable and equitable system. As a transit dependent, working mother, I’ve always depended on BART to commute to work and pick up my two daughters. I’m fighting to make sure BART will be there for all of us. Prior to the pandemic, we were making steady progress on cleaning up the stations, successfully advancing police reforms, and making BART safer. There’s still a long way to go. And the COVID-19 budget crisis is making things tougher. I’m committed to galvanizing elected coalitions and community members to keep BART moving. We must never give up on making BART a world-class system. With vision, knowledge and determination, we can fix the problems and see a brighter future for mass transit in the Bay Area. When you elected me, I promised to shift the status quo at BART. I’ve done just that. I’d be honored to have your support.