On January 10th of this year, I became the mayor of Mountain View, CA. I was elected to our City Council two years ago. In Mountain View, we have a tradition of rotating through the Mayor’s seat, one year at time. It’s indeed an honor.
During the last council meeting of 2016, we passed a resolution recognizing Mountain View as a Human Rights City – an initiative I began before being elected as a member of our Human Relations Commission. At its most basic, this means that we, as a government, recognize the intrinsic value and dignity of all of our residents. That we will shape policy and make decisions that support human rights as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But that is just our part. In order for Mountain View to succeed as a Human Rights City, we need our schools to teach students what human rights mean to themselves, individually - as well as collectively - and empower them to own and protect those rights. We need our non-profits and our grassroots organizations to embody the spirit of Human Rights Learning. It is this collaboration between the people and their government, and the push from the bottom up, that will make our resolution a success. People in the United States often conflate our Bill of Rights with that of Human Rights. The former is an outline of political and civil rights. The latter is the inalienable right bestowed on all of humanity by our creator. And it requires learning. To see this succeed I will work tirelessly.
I have largely ignored the news and even Daily Kos since the election. As a person who worked to see Hillary elected, it was like a punch to the stomach when she lost. Especially to that guy. But no more. He is president now and we all have work to do! We like to say that all politics are local, but our Federal Government controls much of what we can do locally. Our Council has already heard testimony to the fears from some in our community regarding the language and promises he used during his campaign. It was divisive. It was ugly. And it fell far short of showcasing Americans at their finest.
Asking myself, “What could I do” I realized that I will be in a position of leadership for 2017, and I intend to use it. I will work to expand the learning of human rights in my community and will focus my energy toward protecting the quality of life for all Mountain Viewers.
As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home…”
If you live near Mountain View, on Saturday February 11 at 10:00am in our Center for Performing Arts (500 Castro St, downtown), you’re invited to an event we are hosting called “Affirming Mountain View’s Values and Building Community in Uncertain Times.” Here, we will come together and begin the dialogue. Will you join me?