My Dearly Beloved San Francisco: A Love Letter

My Dearly Beloved San Francisco, 

As a little girl when I finally began to understand the true meaning of your beauty, you took my breath away.  The diversity and colors. The joy and the happiness but yet a beautiful struggle. As the years went by I finally began to wonder at what you truly have to offer.

So I began my adventure, high and low. I saw all but great wonders. You are truly beautiful but yet inside you are a disaster. The anger that you hold within yourself it scares me. What secrets do you hold that darken you? I want to know. I want to help you, why have you become so cold?


My love don't let me go.

I want to help you, for I am the change for the future. Trust me my dear, don't lose faith.  You are my strength. You and me will become the great change for unity. I want to help you in any way possible. I don't want to see you struggle.  The people, the youth, you cause them pain. Why is it so expensive to stay?

I told myself no more. My family had to move. Then that's when I knew it was time to help you and there i was, the one sign that gave me a clue, going to YEFAB was on great way to help you.

Love,
Stacy

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Stacy Martinez is a member of the Youth Empowerment Fund Advisory Board (YEFAB). She wrote this as part of a love letter exercise. Each YEFAB member was prompted to write a letter to the city of San Francisco sharing what they love, what they want to change and why they have been called to action. Stacy is a Junior and Student Body Vice President at John O'Connel High School. Read more about Stacy and other YEFAB members here.