This will be going out to everyone in our UNA SF Bay Council of Organizations list. Please attend this Thursday 5:30, African American Arts and Culture Complex, 762 Fulton. Bring potluck for six and a drink or rsvp to rogerweaton@gmail.com so I can bring you a sandwich. Donation $5-10 to help cover the venue.
Agenda and more details are blogged here. We have a good speaker engaged and will be discussing both our structure and our UN 70th plans.
Herb Behrstock of UNA East Bay writes that he is sorry that he cannot make it, but please put him on the UN 70th Committee. He has this important suggestion, which we will discuss:
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[We] have spoken for quite some time, both at the COO organizational meeting and elsewhere, about having some signage visible to the public and designating the "Birthplace of the United Nations" on the façade of the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center on Van Ness Ave. Inside there are the large photos, the tapestry, and other indicators of this historic event in June 1945 -- with the Charter signing having taken place in the Herbst Theatre.
Several of us have informally discussed (strategized?) that it would be great to have the City, UNA and leading civic officials unveil this to the public in the year of the 70th Anniversary of the UN's Founding, 2015.
With the building now under renovation and closed since May 2013 scheduled to reopen in August 2015 (as Roger first brought to my attention), it seems increasingly opportune to act 'now' to try to get this designation/signage (and ideally a UN flag pole) planned and endorsed asap by the Center's Board of Trustees, and relevant City (and State) leaders -- and installed before the constructive phase is completed.
But our special chance-of-a-generation is passing. It'll no doubt be much easier 'now' to find allies than to try to build support and to expect action after construction, and following the reopening of the building.
... Charlotte Shultz, chief-of-protocol of SF and California, and former Chair of the Board of the War Memorial Center (current Trustee on the Board), and proud activist in the 50th and 60th UN Anniversary celebrations (maybe others?) knows informally about the idea and gave a casual positive response to me about a year ago. But that's a long way from a concerted effort to promote a decision.
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So that's it - see you Thursday, I hope.
Roger Eaton
rogerweaton@gmail.com
415 933 0153
UNA-SF Communications Chair, COO Co-chair
