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The “Our Story of Courage” Theme Embraces a Culture of Care

Watch the press conference on August 31 here

The groundbreaking, youth-driven Not One More Girl initiative that addresses sexual harassment and gender-based violence on BART is expanding with new strategies to build a culture of supporting girls* when riding transit. 

Not One More Girl is a BIPOC youth-led initiative in partnership with community-based organizations and BART to end gender-based violence. Not One More Girl has become a model in the transit industry. It provided inspiration for SB 1161, which was signed into law in 2022, as well as SB 434, which is currently moving through the Legislature, to address harassment on transit and collect survey data to inform safety efforts. 

The second phase of the award-winning initiative places emphasis on enabling people to have a greater sense of empowerment in a harassment situation and exhibits tools that fellow riders can use to provide support when harassment occurs.

The new tools being offered to the public are the product of a partnership between BART, The Betti Ono Foundation, and The Unity Council’s Latina Mentorship and Achievement Program, who worked together to engage local high school and college students about their experiences on transit and their ideas for action-based strategies to enhance safety and support people experiencing sexual harassment on transit. The approach for the second phase of Not One More Girl is to deepen the reach and impact of the ongoing work to increase safety at BART.

The Betti Ono Foundation, led by Anyka Howard, developed an Arts & Civic Engagement Fellowship, offering paid opportunities for transitional-age youth (ages 16-24) to guide this phase of the initiative and to amplify the voices of BIPOC and gender-expansive youth. The fellows attended design workshops in Spring 2023 and curated the theme, “Our Story of Courage,” for this phase of Not One More Girl to educate the public about safe bystander intervention as a method of preventing and interrupting harassment and other safety tips for riding BART.

The latest phase includes:

• 3 distinct art posters outlining safety tips.
  • 300 train car posters and 60 station posters.
  • View a PDF of Poster 1: Bystander Intervention: Get Her To The First Car
    View a PDF of Poster 2: Bystander Intervention: BART Watch App
    View of PDF of Poster 3: Bystander Intervention: Our Story of Courage
• New bystander intervention cards are now available to riders to discreetly pass to people to prompt bystander intervention actions and report harassment when it is taking place.
  • These cards are now available at all Station Agent booths and are being distributed by community partners.  
  • View a PDF of the "I Got You" bystander intervention card. 
  • View a PDF of the "You Got Me?" bystander intervention card. 
• Beginning September 11th, BART will size trains for safety and run shorter trains to eliminate empty cars, where girls fear being targeted for harassment and assault. The schedule change also increases service on nights and weekends, so riders spend less time waiting on platforms. 

Moving forward:

• BART will work with the Alliance for Girls in fiscal year 2024 to develop a youth-informed BART rider safety evaluation framework, as it pertains to sexual harassment, to define safety metrics and evaluation strategies that will guide BART’s preventative and interventional safety efforts.
• BART will develop and roll out training for frontline staff to give them tools on how best to handle situations involving riders experiencing trauma from harassment and gender-based violence, with a special focus on engaging marginalized community members.

Empowering Local Girls

“A big part of harassment is the devaluing of another person,” said Karol Suarez, a senior at Oakland School of the Arts. “And in this culture, we often don’t value people’s voices, especially women, especially women of color.”

This past spring, Suarez served as a youth fellow guiding this latest phase of Not One More Girl and helped develop the theme, “Our Story of Courage.” 

“This project understands the importance of making people feel comfortable on public transit, a place that is meant for everyone,” said Suarez. “Being a part of this has made me hopeful; it shows me we’re not that messed up as a society. Even this small group is making a big impact.”

The Unity Council, under the leadership of Gabby Guzman, helped connect BART with youth and offered social-emotional support to the fellows throughout the process. 

BART’s Chief Communications Officer Alicia Trost and BART Art Program Manager Jennifer Easton led the effort for BART and began the process of internalizing the initiative at BART to involve frontline workers, including Station Agents, Train Operators, Ambassadors, and Crisis Intervention Specialists.

The Not One More Girl initiative first launched in 2021, and rider survey data has indicated the project is helping reduce harassment and improve the perception of safety on BART. The launch of the second phase of the initiative coincides with BART boosting its safety presence on trains as a direct response to rider concerns.

New Art Posters to Educate the Public

The latest phase includes a powerful new art campaign by local artist Safi Kolozsvari Regalado that will appear throughout the BART system, including onboard trains and in stations. Regalado worked with youth fellows to conceptualize and design the artwork, which was inspired by the long tradition of Chicano-style ballpoint pen art. The posters depict steps people can take if they witness or experience harassment and promote the use of the BART Watch app for reporting, Train Operator call boxes on every train car, and suggestions, such as sitting in the first train car near the Train operator.

Oakland-based artist Mike Nicholls brought a cohesive graphic art design to all Phase II collateral and digital media assets for the campaign.

Bystander Intervention Cards for Riders

Two distinct wallet-size cards are now available to riders to discreetly hand to people to signal they need help or support, or to notify someone being harassed that you are there to help and support them.

These new bystander intervention cards are a concept developed by the youth design team, who expressed the need for options when asking for help or approaching a situation of potential harm. The cards include the slogans “I Got You” and “You Got Me?” with a list of actionable items riders can take to help a situation, from reporting the harassment to simply standing with someone. As young people are still trying to find their voices and figuring out how to navigate and decipher harassment, a physical card you can hand someone is an effective tool to precipitate the shift from being a bystander to becoming an agent of change.

The cards are available for pick up at each Station Agent booth at BART, and Ambassadors and Crisis Intervention Specialists will carry the cards and give them out when engaging riders. BART and the Betti Ono Foundation will also work to distribute the cards to youth through community organizations, events, and schools.   

Bystander Intervention Card Version 1: "You Got Me?"
Front side and back side:

Bystander Intervention Card Version 2: "I Got You." 
Front side and back side:

Sizing Trains for Safety

During youth and public engagement, BART was frequently asked to have a “women’s-only car.” There was also feedback that when train cars are empty or near empty, it makes girls feel less safe as it encourages anti-social behavior and targeted harassment and crime. While segregated spaces in train cars are in use in several countries around the world, it has not been embraced in the United States and would be nearly impossible to enforce. Instead, BART recommends people who feel unsafe sit in the first car near the Train Operator. 

Beginning September 11, BART will begin to reduce the likelihood of empty cars by running the typically least crowded trains shorter. The concept of active spaces as safe spaces will help enhance the safety of all riders and will increase the presence of BART safety staff as there will be fewer cars on each train.

Framework to Evaluate Safety Metrics

In the coming year, BART will work with the Alliance for Girls, one of the original leads of Phase I of Not One More Girl, and Evaluation Studio to develop the first youth-informed evaluation framework focusing on rider safety as it pertains to sexual harassment and assault prevention and intervention on BART. Rooted in how girls and gender-expansive youth define safety, in Alliance for Girls’ Radical Visions of Safety research report published in 2021, the framework will draw from learnings, input, and recommendations from youth themselves on how BART can best collect data and measure impact of its initiatives to create actionable and effective policies and processes around sexual harassment and assault intervention.

Model for Other Transit Agencies

Not One More Girl, first launched in April 2021 in collaboration with Alliance for Girls, the Betti Ono Foundation, Black Girls Brilliance, and the Unity Council’s Latina Mentorship and Achievement Program, is recognized within the transit industry as a model for other agencies to follow to address sexual harassment and assault through a community-led process. The actions BART took during the first phase of the initiative are now considered best practices for working with youth, cultural strategists, and community partners to tackle sexual harassment in a space outside of law enforcement.

In 2022, SB 1161, authored by Senator Dave Min and sponsored by Stop AAPI Hate, was signed into law requiring the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University to create a survey tool to be made available to California transit agencies to measure rider demographic information and experiences with safety, including street harassment on transit. Phase I of BART’s Not One More Girl initiative was cited as an inspiration for the legislation, and in 2023, BART volunteered to be a pilot agency for the Street Harassment on Transit Survey being developed.

Actions from Phase I included:

• We changed policy. The BART Board updated the Code of Conduct, including signage onboard trains prohibiting sexual harassment.
• We started collecting and reporting data. BART began asking riders if they have experienced sexual harassment in the last 6 months through its ongoing Passenger Environment Survey and posts the results online and in BART’s Quarter Performance Report.
• We added reporting tools for riders. BART added “unwanted sexual harassment” as a category to the BART Watch app.
• We created a resource hub. The Not One More Girl website was launched.
• We rolled out training for the public. We produced a bystander intervention training video.
• We increased unarmed safety staff. The group recommended BART increase unarmed safety personnel, and BART expanded the Transit Ambassadors and Crisis Intervention Specialist program across the system.
• We educated the public. We deployed three Phase I campaign art posters designed in partnership with youth in BART stations and trains.

Cultural Strategy to Disrupt Harm

Not One More Girl uses youth participatory action research, cultural strategy, art, and policy change to create means of empowerment and dismantle the systems that have enabled gender-based violence and harassment. The project recognizes inequities in specific communities that are more often impacted by the intersectional issues of race, class, gender, and ability.

Quotes from leaders of Phase II of this Initiative:

Anyka Howard, founder and CEO of the Betti Ono Foundation:

“We recognize that talking about these issues with the public is going to challenge the status quo, it’s going to challenge norms, and it’s going to challenge our culture – in the Bay Area and beyond. This is a shared issue and experience that affects not only those targeted, but also the people perpetuating that harm, as well as the people who witness it, hear about it, or see it. We want to break up these harmful systems and replace them with a worldview of humanity. Our goal is to evolve and transform the culture of ridership on BART, and through this project, other transportation systems.”

Gaby Guzman, Latinx Mentoring and Achievement Coordinator of Youth Services with The Unity Council: 

“Youth, especially BIPOC girls and gender-expansive, voices are consistently silenced, particularly when speaking on issues impacting them. They experience overlapping and concurrent forms of oppression, such as adultism, racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia (the list goes on), which creates a challenging environment for youth to navigate, especially in transportation. Youth leading this conversation is essential. Empowering them to take up space and to use their voice will not only support the overall goals of Not One More Girl but generate a sense of transformative agency in their own lives.”

Safi Kolozsvari Regalado, Betti Ono Artist-in-Residence, San Francisco based artist:

“I hope that the realness of this campaign and my artwork help the viewer relate to the illustrations and maybe even see themselves or someone they know in them. All my work is done by hand, and every person in the campaign artwork are actual members of the community – the girls were all high school students in Oakland, for example, and the Train Operator is a BART Train Operator. I’ve enjoyed comic art since I was a kid, but I landed on the comic aesthetic for this project because of the feedback I received from youth in our design workshop. They said it would be cool if I could give the girls and women depicted in the artwork a sort of superhero quality, and my mind instantly went to comics.”

Franchesca Rodriguez, Betti Ono Transit Justice Community Engagement Facilitator and graduate student at UC Berkeley’s Department of City & Regional Planning:

“My journey into transit justice has stemmed from witnessing transformative power by providing young people with the tools they need to succeed, including advocating for a safe and reliable transportation system. I wanted to be a part of Not One More Girl because I believe that the safety and security of every individual should be a nonnegotiable priority. We are and have been at a pivotal moment in our society where women, girls, and gender-expansive youth cannot confidently say they feel safe using public services to get from point A to point B. Not One More Girl is a call to create a world where women, girls, and gender-expansive youth can freely move without fear or deep hesitation while using public transportation.”

Alicia Trost, Chief Communications Officer at BART:

“As BART is working to rebuild ridership and gain trust within the communities we serve, focusing on the safety of girls helps us explore ways to improve the safety for all riders. When speaking to students during this phase of engagement, we frequently heard the youth had never used BART because their parents wouldn’t let them. It gets to the deep-rooted fears people have about transit. As mobility providers, we must do better. We can’t be successful if we can’t meet the basic needs of our most vulnerable riders. This work is pivotal for ridership recovery as we reimagine service and roll out new data-driven approaches to safety.”   

Jennifer Easton, Art Program Manager at BART:

“The ability to craft this initiative with artists playing a key role in giving voice to the work of the youth and to bring the message to our community of riders is a central tenet of the BART Art Program, which brings artists to the table as problem solvers. Whether the question is rider safety, enhancing station environments and access, connecting with local communities, or looking at sustainability with a creative lens, artists can serve a critical role in delivering important solutions for transit. Collaborating on the Not One More Girl initiative with community partners that understand the importance of art as a tool for achieving the critical goals around safety for girls demonstrates the value of nontraditional strategies.”

To learn more about the Not One More Girl initiative and access safety tips and resources, visit bart.gov/nomg.

*“Girls” refers to gender-expansive youth (cis girls, trans girls, non-binary youth, gender nonconforming youth, gender queer youth and any girl-identified youth).

Purchase a BARTy x Dia de los Muertos t-shirt and stickers on Railgoods.com. 

Scroll down to read this news release in Spanish.

BART invites you to take public transportation to The Unity Council’s Día de los Muertos Festival on Sunday, Nov. 3, from 10am to 5pm, in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood. This year, the annual event coincides with the unveiling of new murals on ten columns in the unpaid area under the platform of Fruitvale Station. The mural project was spearheaded by The Unity Council, and all of the artworks were created by Oakland-based artists: Senay “Refa One” Alkebulan, Cece Carpio, Jet Martinez, and Favianna Rodriguez. (Note: Some murals are works in progress.)

“Since its founding in 1964, The Unity Council has been dedicated to uplifting and advocating for underrepresented communities,” said Unity Council CEO Chris Iglesias. “Today, we build on that legacy with new affordable housing developments near a transit hub, featuring murals that reflect our community’s culture. At the Fruitvale BART station, our latest murals celebrate Fruitvale’s rich cultural heritage, transforming the station into a vibrant, welcoming environment and a testament to the community’s creativity, resilience, and unity.” 

Said BART Director Robert Raburn, whose district includes Fruitvale: “The thumbprint of the community is on Fruitvale Station. Thanks to the partnership between BART's Art Program and the Unity Council, talented local artists created beautiful murals with designs that reflect the vibrant Fruitvale neighborhood.” 

BART is a longtime partner of The Unity Council and supporter of the Día de los Muertos Festival, a free outdoor event that brings more than 100,000 people to the Fruitvale neighborhood with live music, games, rides, activities, arts and crafts, Latin American artisans, and incredible altar artistic installations created by community members to honor los muertos.  

As you enjoy the festival, BART and The Unity Council encourage you to wander among the beautiful new murals, which have contributed to the transformation of the station into a living canvas that reflects the diversity and cultures of the local community. Fruitvale has become a destination for mural making, and the creation of this street gallery at the station is a reflection of the neighborhood’s many culturally rich public artworks. The unveiling of these murals is especially timely given that art, culture, and community gatherings are central components to the Día de los Muertos holiday.  

"The murals we are creating at the Fruitvale BART station are not just standalone works of art; they are part of a larger, interconnected vision that extends across the community,” said Evelyn Orantes, Curator. “By linking them with the murals at CASA Sueños, just across the way, we are forming a cohesive 'street gallery'—a vibrant, open-air collection that celebrates the rich cultural heritage and creative energy of Fruitvale. This concept not only beautifies the area but also transforms our public spaces into a dynamic gallery where art and community intersect, inviting residents and visitors alike to experience the neighborhood as a living canvas.” 

The idea for the street gallery gained momentum following the 2019 completion of the Fruitvale Station “Long Live Oscar Grant” mural by Refa One, an Oakland artist who also created artworks for this mural project. The five murals were developed and funded by The Unity Council with support from the BART Art Program and a significant grant from the Rainin Foundation. The Unity Council selected the four artists through a process that ensured the vibrant community around the station would be meaningfully honored and reflected.  

BART is working to continue deepening its relationship with the historic Unity Council and the Fruitvale community by supporting efforts like this culturally resonant street gallery, which not only reflects the identities of many of the people who live in the neighborhood but contributes to making Fruitvale Station a brighter and more welcoming space to everyone who passes through.  

Said Jennifer Easton, BART Art Program Manager: "Art has a critical role in defining spaces. The new murals flipped a switch on Fruitvale Station making its relation to Fruitvale Village and the rest of the Fruitvale neighborhood one of welcome and celebration. Through this monumental partnership with The Unity Council, the BART station now aligns with the cultural richness of the community.” 

BART and The Unity Council’s longtime partnership 

For decades, BART has partnered with The Unity Council to support the Día de los Muertos Festival and encourage the public to ride BART to the festivities.  

BART Director Robert Raburn and BART staff will have a booth at the event to provide information about relevant BART programs, chat with the community, and hand out free keychains and Día de los Muertos x BARTy stickers. Show your spirit for the event and BART by purchasing a BART Día de los Muertos t-shirt on Railgoods.com.  

“For over a decade, BART has proudly partnered with The Unity Council to support the annual Día de los Muertos celebration in Oakland's Fruitvale District,” said BART Principal Marketing Representative Jill Buschini, who oversees BART’s external partnership program. “It is an honor to collaborate on this event each year, not only because of The Unity Council’s tremendous contributions to the Fruitvale community, but also for the way this cherished tradition brings people together. The celebration honors loved ones and embodies the cultural richness that resonates with both residents and visitors alike. With the event's growing popularity, taking BART is a convenient and eco-friendly alternative to driving, making it easier for everyone to enjoy the murals and festivities.” 

About The Unity Council 

The Unity Council is a social equity development organization devoted to improving the quality of life, economic and educational opportunity, and health and safety of low-income communities. The Unity Council was established in 1964, during the civil rights movement, by a group of community members who wanted to ensure the political representation of the Latino community. The organization’s programs and geographically based community development strategy now focuses on building an economically vibrant, physically attractive, and livable neighborhood for the Fruitvale community regardless of ethnic affiliation or national origin. Today, TUC serves over 11,000 clients annually in five languages in the following program areas: early childhood education, youth mentorship and leadership development, employment services, career readiness training, housing and financial stability, senior citizen services, affordable housing and neighborhood development, and arts and cultural events. 

About the neighborhood and the Fruitvale Transit Village 

The Lisjan Ohlone people, who thrived in the region long before the arrival of European settlers in 1769, are the original inhabitants of the territory of Huchiun. Their rich and vibrant culture has deep roots in the land that would become more widely known as the vibrant city of Oakland. 

In the 1800s, the area surrounding the Fruitvale BART Station held a different identity - 'Fruit Vale.' This name was bestowed upon the neighborhood due to its lush and abundant apricot and cherry orchards. The bountiful fruit trees that graced this area not only offered sustenance, but they also added a natural beauty and allure to the landscape, which has since evolved into a thriving urban center known for its diverse and rich history. 

Today, it's a vibrant neighborhood and one of Oakland's main commercial areas. Fruitvale is hailed as one of the most diverse districts in Oakland. Its residents have said that the district’s diverse cultural community makes it an ideal place to live and raise children. The largest concentration of Oakland’s Latine population resides in Fruitvale, and the district hosts some of Oakland’s most popular cultural events and International Blvd is a major shopping and dining corridor. Fruitvale is also 25% persons of diverse Asian backgrounds, and 10% Black. 

Fruitvale Village, created by The Unity Council in the early 2000s, is a national model for livable communities. Located in the heart of the vibrant Fruitvale neighborhood, Fruitvale Village is a mixed-use development with prime retail spaces, offices, a high school, senior center, and apartments. Fruitvale Village is adjacent to the Fruitvale BART station, the system’s 4th busiest and 9th most widely traveled station, and a bustling AC Transit hub, making the property an internationally renowned Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). The pedestrian plazas running through the Village are host to weekly farmers market and event spaces and are a great place to sit and enjoy the sun. 

About the artists 

Senay “Refa One” Alkebulan is an Oakland native who has been instrumental in the development of the innovative genre known as “Aerosol Art” (Spray Can/Style Writing). Refa's refined HipHop calligraphy is inspired by a cultural tradition originating from the New York City subway art movement. A lifetime of involvement in HipHop culture and political organizing has afforded Refa a successful career as a professional muralist, illustrator, activist, and arts educator. His work has been featured throughout the U.S. and various countries in Europe and the African continent. Refa One is currently the director of AeroSoul, an international organization of spray can artists from the African Diaspora, transforming the visual landscape of the African world. 

Cece Carpio is a multifaceted artist, educator, and community organizer whose work is deeply rooted in social justice and cultural empowerment. With a background in mural painting and public art placemaking installations, Carpio's vibrant and dynamic artworks often explore themes of ancestry, resilience, and collective liberation. As an Indigenous immigrant, she paints everyday people who have been invincible to share their thriving presence and to show the dignity and power of their existence. Through her murals, workshops, and community projects, Carpio creates spaces for dialogue, healing, and celebration, inspiring others to engage with social justice and provoke the power of their imagination. Her art serves as a powerful tool for storytelling and resistance, challenging dominant narratives, and envisioning more inclusive and equitable futures.  

Jet Martinez is an Oakland-based artist known for creating vibrant works of art that engage the traditions of Mexican folk art with contemporary aesthetics. Originally from the small beach town of Tuxpan, Veracruz, Mexico, and raised in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Martinez takes inspiration from his native culture’s rich traditions of pottery, weaving and embroidery, enlivening the rigid architecture of urban environments with ornate patterns and abstract forms. Through his paintings and murals, Martinez evokes a multi-cultural dialogue that explores the consistencies of visual culture throughout time. Martinez’s work can be found locally and globally. He is proud to call Oakland home and is a dedicated father, and husband to fellow artist Kelly Ording. 

Favianna Rodriguez Giannoni is an interdisciplinary artist, cultural strategist, and entrepreneur based in Oakland. Her art and praxis address migration, gender justice, climate change, racial equity, and sexual freedom. Her work centers joy and healing, while challenging entrenched myths and dominant cultural practices. Favianna's creative partnerships include companies like Ben & Jerry's, Spotify, Old Navy, and Playboy Magazine. She has completed a number of large-scale public art commissions with the City of San Francisco and the Presidio National Park. Her signature mark-making embodies the perspective of a first-generation American Latinx artist with Afro-Latinx roots who grew up in Oakland, California during the era of the war on drugs and the birth of Hip Hop. 

Evelyn Orantes has spent over two decades creating community-centered experiences in museums and beyond. Her work celebrates the uniqueness and commonalities within communities, using collaboration, visitor-centered design, and participatory methods. She co-creates projects with community groups, educators, artists, and cultural leaders, with a focus on serving multilingual and diverse audiences. Ms. Orantes is passionate about connecting institutions with cultural leaders, scholars, and artists. She develops strategies that engage communities, assess their needs, and align them with institutional resources, strengthening relationships and bringing art and culture to new spaces. 

Domingo 3 de noviembre en la estación Fruitvale: Tome BART al Festival del Día de los Muertos de The Unity Council y disfrute de 5 nuevos murales creados por artistas locales 

Los invitamos en BART a tomar el transporte público para el Festival del Día de los Muertos de The Unity Council el domingo 3 de noviembre, de 10 a. m. a 5 p. m., en el vecindario Fruitvale de Oakland. Este año, el evento anual coincide con la finalización de cinco nuevos murales en diez columnas en el área no remunerada debajo de la plataforma de la estación Fruitvale, un proyecto encabezado por The  Unity Council. Las obras de arte fueron creadas por los artistas de Oakland Senay “Refa One” Alkebulan, Cece Carpio, Jet Martinez y Favianna Rodriguez. El Festival del Día de los Muertos de The Unity Council es un evento gratuito al aire libre que atrae a más de 100,000 personas al vecindario de Fruitvale con música en vivo, juegos, atracciones, actividades, artes y manualidades, artesanos latinoamericanos e increíbles instalaciones artísticas de altar creadas por miembros de la comunidad para honrar a los muertos.  

“Desde su fundación en 1964, The Unity Council se ha dedicado a elevar y abogar por las comunidades subrepresentadas,” dijo Chris Iglesias, director ejecutivo de The Unity Council. Hoy, construimos sobre ese legado con nuevos desarrollos de vivienda asequible cerca de centros de transporte, que incluyen murales que reflejan la cultura de nuestra comunidad. En la estación Fruitvale de BART, nuestros murales más recientes celebran la rica herencia cultural de Fruitvale, transformando la estación en un lugar vibrante y acogedor, y un testimonio de la creatividad, resiliencia y unidad de la comunidad.” 

El director de BART, Robert Raburn, cuyo distrito incluye Fruitvale, dijo: “La huella de la comunidad está en la estación Fruitvale. Gracias a la asociación entre el Programa de Arte de BART y The Unity Council, talentosos artistas locales crearon hermosos murales con diseños que reflejan el vibrante vecindario de Fruitvale”. 

Mientras disfruta del festival, BART y The Unity Council lo invitan a pasear entre los hermosos murales nuevos, que han contribuido a la transformación de la estación en un lienzo viviente que refleja la diversidad y las culturas de la comunidad local. Fruitvale se ha convertido en un destino para la creación de murales, y la creación de esta galería callejera en la estación es un reflejo de las muchas obras de arte públicas culturalmente ricas del vecindario. La inauguración de estos murales es especialmente oportuna dado que el arte, la cultura y las reuniones comunitarias son componentes centrales de la festividad del Día de los Muertos.  

"Los murales que estamos creando en la estación Fruitvale de BART no son solo obras de arte independientes; son parte de una visión más grande e interconectada que se extiende por toda la comunidad", dijo Evelyn Orantes, curadora. “Al vincularlos con los murales de CASA Sueños, justo al otro lado de la calle, estamos formando una 'galería callejera' cohesiva: una colección vibrante y al aire libre que celebra el rico patrimonio cultural y la energía creativa de Fruitvale. Este concepto no solo embellece el área, sino que también transforma nuestros espacios públicos en una galería dinámica donde el arte y la comunidad se cruzan, invitando a residentes y visitantes por igual a experimentar el vecindario como un lienzo viviente”. 

La idea de la galería callejera cobró impulso tras la finalización en 2019 del mural de la estación Fruitvale “Long Live Oscar Grant” realizado por Refa One, un artista de Oakland que también creó obras de arte para este proyecto de mural. Los cinco murales fueron desarrollados y financiados por The Unity Council con el apoyo del Programa de Arte BART y una importante subvención de la Fundación Rainin. The Unity Council seleccionó a los cuatro artistas a través de un proceso que garantizó que la vibrante comunidad alrededor de la estación fuera honrada y reflejada de manera significativa.  

BART está trabajando para continuar profundizando su relación con el histórico Unity Council y la comunidad de Fruitvale al apoyar esfuerzos como esta galería callejera culturalmente resonante, que no solo refleja las identidades de muchas de las personas que viven en el vecindario, sino que contribuye a hacer de la estación Fruitvale un espacio más brillante y acogedor para todos los que pasan por allí.  

Jennifer Easton, directora del programa de arte de BART, comentó: "El arte tiene un papel fundamental en la definición de espacios. Los nuevos murales cambiaron la relación de la estación Fruitvale con Fruitvale Village y el resto del vecindario de Fruitvale, convirtiéndose en una relación de bienvenida y celebración. “A través de esta asociación monumental con The Unity Council, la estación BART ahora se alinea con la riqueza cultural de la comunidad”. 

Asociación de larga data entre BART y The Unity Council 

Durante décadas, BART se ha asociado con The Unity Council para apoyar el Festival del Día de los Muertos y alentar al público a viajar en BART a las festividades.  

El director de BART, Robert Raburn, y el personal de BART tendrán un stand en el evento para brindar información sobre programas relevantes de BART, charlar con la comunidad y repartir llaveros gratuitos y pegatinas del Día de los Muertos x BART. Muestre su espíritu por el evento y BART comprando una camiseta BART Día de los Muertos en Railgoods.com.  

“Durante más de una década, BART se ha asociado orgullosamente con The Unity Council para apoyar la celebración anual del Día de los Muertos en el Distrito Fruitvale de Oakland”, dijo la representante principal de marketing de BART, Jill Buschini, quien supervisa el programa de asociación externa de BART. “Es un honor colaborar en este evento cada año, no solo por las tremendas contribuciones de The Unity Council a la comunidad de Fruitvale, sino también por la forma en que esta preciada tradición une a las personas. La celebración honra a los seres queridos y encarna la riqueza cultural que resuena tanto entre los residentes como entre los visitantes. “Con la creciente popularidad del evento, tomar BART es una alternativa conveniente y ecológica al automóvil, lo que hace más fácil para todos disfrutar de los murales y las festividades”. 

Acerca de The Unity Council 

The Unity Council es una organización de desarrollo de equidad social dedicada a mejorar la calidad de vida, las oportunidades económicas y educativas, y la salud y seguridad de las comunidades de bajos ingresos. The Unity Council se estableció en 1964, durante el movimiento por los derechos civiles, por un grupo de miembros de la comunidad que querían asegurar la representación política de la comunidad latina. Los programas de la organización y la estrategia de desarrollo comunitario basada en criterios geográficos ahora se centran en construir un vecindario económicamente vibrante, físicamente atractivo y habitable para la comunidad de Fruitvale, independientemente de la afiliación étnica o el origen nacional. En la actualidad, TUC atiende a más de 11,000 clientes anualmente en cinco idiomas en las siguientes áreas de programas: educación de la primera infancia, tutoría juvenil y desarrollo de liderazgo, servicios de empleo, capacitación para la preparación profesional, vivienda y estabilidad financiera, servicios para personas mayores, vivienda asequible y desarrollo de vecindarios, y eventos artísticos y culturales. 

Acerca del vecindario y Fruitvale Transit Village 

El pueblo Lisjan Ohlone, que prosperó en la región mucho antes de la llegada de los colonos europeos en 1769, son los habitantes originales del territorio de Huchiun. Su cultura rica y vibrante tiene raíces profundas en la tierra que llegaría a ser más conocida como la vibrante ciudad de Oakland. 

En el siglo XIX, el área que rodeaba la estación Fruitvale de BART tenía una identidad diferente: "Fruit Vale". Este nombre se le dio al vecindario debido a sus exuberantes y abundantes huertos de albaricoques y cerezos. Los abundantes árboles frutales que adornaban esta zona no solo ofrecían sustento, sino que también añadían belleza natural y encanto al paisaje, que desde entonces se ha convertido en un próspero centro urbano conocido por su diversa y rica historia. 

Hoy en día, es un vecindario vibrante y una de las principales zonas comerciales de Oakland. Fruitvale es aclamado como uno de los distritos más diversos de Oakland. Sus residentes han dicho que la diversa comunidad cultural del distrito lo convierte en un lugar ideal para vivir y criar a los hijos. La mayor concentración de la población latina de Oakland reside en Fruitvale, y el distrito alberga algunos de los eventos culturales más populares de Oakland y International Blvd es un importante corredor comercial y gastronómico. Fruitvale también está compuesto por un 25% de personas de diversos orígenes asiáticos y un 10% de personas negras. 

Fruitvale Village, creado por The Unity Council a principios de la década de 2000, es un modelo nacional de comunidades habitables. Ubicado en el corazón del vibrante vecindario de Fruitvale, Fruitvale Village es un desarrollo de uso mixto con espacios comerciales privilegiados, oficinas, una escuela secundaria, un centro para personas mayores y apartamentos. Fruitvale Village está adyacente a la estación Fruitvale de BART, la cuarta estación más concurrida del sistema y la novena más transitada, y un activo centro de AC Transit, lo que convierte a la propiedad en un Desarrollo Orientado al Tránsito (TOD) de renombre internacional. Las plazas peatonales que recorren Village albergan mercados de agricultores semanales y espacios para eventos y son un excelente lugar para sentarse y disfrutar del sol. 

Sobre los artistas 

Senay “Refa One” Alkebulan es un nativo de Oakland que ha sido fundamental en el desarrollo del género innovador conocido como “Aerosol Art” (Spray Can/Style Writing). La refinada caligrafía HipHop de Refa está inspirada en una tradición cultural que se origina en el movimiento artístico del metro de la Ciudad de Nueva York. Una vida dedicada a la cultura HipHop y a la organización política le ha proporcionado a Refa una exitosa carrera como muralista profesional, ilustrador, activista y educador artístico. Su trabajo se ha exhibido en todo Estados Unidos y en varios países de Europa y el continente africano. Refa One es actualmente el director de AeroSoul, una organización internacional de artistas del aerosol de la diáspora africana, que transforma el paisaje visual del mundo africano. 

Cece Carpio es una artista, educadora y organizadora comunitaria multifacética cuyo trabajo está profundamente arraigado en la justicia social y el empoderamiento cultural. Con experiencia en pintura mural e instalaciones de creación de entornos de arte público, las obras de arte vibrantes y dinámicas de Carpio a menudo exploran temas de ascendencia, resiliencia y liberación colectiva. Como inmigrante indígena, pinta a personas comunes que han sido invencibles para compartir su próspera presencia y mostrar la dignidad y el poder de su existencia. A través de sus murales, talleres y proyectos comunitarios, Carpio crea espacios para el diálogo, la curación y la celebración, inspirando a otros a comprometerse con la justicia social y provocar el poder de su imaginación. Su arte sirve como una poderosa herramienta para contar historias y resistir, desafiando las narrativas dominantes e imaginando futuros más inclusivos y equitativos.  

Jet Martinez es un artista con sede en Oakland conocido por crear obras de arte vibrantes que combinan las tradiciones del arte popular mexicano con la estética contemporánea. Originario del pequeño pueblo costero de Tuxpan, Veracruz, México, y criado en Cuernavaca, Morelos, Martinez se inspira en las ricas tradiciones de cerámica, tejido y bordado de su cultura nativa, animando la arquitectura rígida de los entornos urbanos con patrones ornamentados y formas abstractas. A través de sus pinturas y murales, Martinez evoca un diálogo multicultural que explora las consistencias de la cultura visual a lo largo del tiempo. El trabajo de Martinez se puede encontrar a nivel local y global. Está orgulloso de llamar a Oakland su hogar y es un padre dedicado y esposo de su colega artista Kelly Ording. 

Favianna Rodriguez Giannoni es una artista interdisciplinaria, estratega cultural y emprendedora radicada en Oakland. Su arte y su práctica abordan la migración, la justicia de género, el cambio climático, la equidad racial y la libertad sexual. Su trabajo se centra en la alegría y la curación, al tiempo que desafía mitos arraigados y prácticas culturales dominantes. Las asociaciones creativas de Favianna incluyen empresas como Ben & Jerry's, Spotify, Old Navy y Playboy Magazine. Ha realizado una serie de encargos de arte público a gran escala con la Ciudad de San Francisco y el Parque Nacional Presidio. Su estilo característico encarna la perspectiva de un artista latino estadounidense de primera generación con raíces afro-latinas que creció en Oakland, California, durante la era de la guerra contra las drogas y el nacimiento del Hip Hop. 

Evelyn Orantes ha pasado más de dos décadas creando experiencias centradas en la comunidad en museos y centros de encuentro cultural. Su trabajo celebra la singularidad y los puntos en común dentro de las comunidades, mediante la colaboración, el diseño centrado en el visitante y métodos participativos. Ella co-crea proyectos con grupos comunitarios, educadores, artistas y líderes culturales, con el objetivo de servir a audiencias multilingües y diversas. A la Sra. Orantes le apasiona conectar instituciones con líderes culturales, académicos y artistas. Desarrolla estrategias que involucran a las comunidades, evalúan sus necesidades y las alinean con los recursos institucionales, fortaleciendo las relaciones y llevando el arte y la cultura a nuevos espacios. 

A spooky vibe is coming to the North Berkeley station! 

The BART Police Department will be hosting its annual Trunk or Treat Halloween event there Tuesday October 29 from 4 pm to 7pm. There will be games, prizes, pumpkin decorating, music, and more ghoulish delights! 

Children are invited to wear their Halloween costumes, but costumes are not mandatory. Kids will get to collect candy and non-candy treats, play games and win prizes. 

The event is open to children under the age of 12 and entrance is free. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

View the PDF flyer.

*This article was originally posted on Oct 2, 2024.

A recent photo of Linda Yee-Sugaya, a.k.a. Mama Linda, at Daly City Yard.  

For 33 years, Train Operator Linda Yee-Sugaya, better known as “Mama Linda,” has said a prayer before stepping onto her train.  

“Please let me have a smooth day, a good day,” she whispers before hoisting herself into the cab.  

She remembers one of her first rides after receiving her Train Operator certification in 1991. She pulled into Embarcadero Station to find it packed with people on all sides and realized: “When I’m operating a ten-car train, I'm responsible for 2,000 people!” And her job was to keep every single one of them safe.  

That early anxiety has long evaporated. But Mama Linda still says a prayer before each ride, just in case.  

After so many years in the cab of a train car, the seasoned Train Operator has seen a lot. She’s watched the old trains become the new; stations being built and BART lines lengthen; and thousands upon thousands of faces stream past the windows of her train on their way to parades and protests and celebrations. (Fact: Mama Linda's operated trains during every single Giants Championship Parade this millennium.)

But there is one image, seen through the glare of her cab window many years ago, that she holds most dearly: Her father, Dock Ong Yee, waving at her train on the platform at Glen Park. 

“My father thought it was the greatest thing that I worked at BART. He would brag to all his friends, ‘My daughter drives the BART trains!’” she said.  

Mama Linda with her father, Dock Ong Yee. 

On his way back from Chinatown each day, Dock would take BART from Powell St. and disembark at Glen Park Station, near his house. He’d wait on the platform to see if his daughter’s train went by.  

When he didn’t see his daughter pass through the station, Dock would walk up to the cab window and ask the operator: “My daughter, Linda, is an operator. Is her train behind you?” 

The trouble was, he always said “Linda,” and without fail, the operator would respond, “Who is that?” Most people at BART knew her then and now strictly as Mama Linda. We’ll get to that story later. 

Dock would then go to Mama Linda and say, “How come you’re never on the train? I ask for you, and the operators never say you’re there.” 

She’d reply: “Daddy, I am on the train. You have to ask for Mama Linda.”  

Only once did their schedules align at Glen Park, he on the platform and she in her cab. Dock got in the first car just behind his daughter’s cab and rode with her to the end of the line. Mama Linda then drove him back home in her car.  

Mama Linda grew up in Akron, Ohio. It was the 60s, and the Yees were one of six Asian families in town. Racism and discrimination were routine parts of their life.  

Dock immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1940s as a “paper son,” a term referring to people born in China who immigrated to the U.S. and Canada with documentation stating they were related to those who had already received citizenship or residency. On the papers, he was listed as his sister’s son. She lived in Akron, so he did too. A few years after immigrating, Dock joined the U.S. Army and served in China on the “Burma Road.” That’s where he met the mother of his children, Sue Gin Yee, who died in 1957 when the kids were very young.  

Dock owned a laundry, and when Akron was undergoing urban renewal in the 60s, the city bought the building. With some moving money in his pocket, Dock packed up the house, and he and his three kids left for San Francisco in pursuit of a better livelihood and more opportunity.  

In San Francisco, Mama Linda, 11 at the time, finally began to understand her Asian roots. Back in Akron, she and her family stood out in the crowd, she said. In San Francisco, things were different.  

Mama Linda points to a photo of her Train Operator graduating, July 1991, on the massive corkboard at Daly City Yard. 

“The first day we were in San Francisco – it was August ‘66 – we walked to Chinatown and saw all these Asian people,” Mama Linda said. “We were amazed. Look at everyone!”  

A few weeks later came the first day of school. Mama Linda walked into the classroom and was shocked to find she looked “just like everyone else.” It was a strange feeling, and it took some getting used to. 

“I was accustomed to being the center of attention in Akron,” she said. “In San Francisco, I was the same as all the others in my class.”  

While growing up, Mama Linda and her younger brother were alone a lot. Their father was working as a custodian at a government building, and her older siblings did their own thing or had moved out. But when the family was home together, the love and joy overflowed.  

Dock loved having his kids’ friends over, and he always insisted on feeding them.  

“Even my friends called my dad ‘Pops,’” Mama Linda said. “I took after him.”  

The “Mama Linda” moniker came into being around 25 years ago, when she was working with a Train Operator in his thirties named Raymond Jew Tsang.  

“I’m always telling people what I think they should be doing,” she said. And Raymond was not spared. She always asked him: “Why aren’t you married? Why don’t you settle down?” 

“I’d nag him all the time,” she said. “And one day he came over and said, ‘Who are you trying to be? My mama?”  

From then on, she couldn’t shake the “Mama” loose from “Linda.” 

Raymond Jew Tsang is memorialized on the corkboard at Daly City Yard.  

Raymond passed away in 2015, and photos of him are still posted to the giant corkboard that’s overtaken a wall in the Daly City Yard breakroom that is so comfy, it feels more like a living room or den. Raymond, Mama Linda said, never did settle down.  

Years after earning her nickname, Mama Linda is still mama-ing. She brings food to the Daly City breakroom – and often entire meals for her colleagues to cook together – pretty much every day. Just like her dad, she wants to make sure her friends are well fed.  

“Train Operators are in and out throughout the day, and they don’t always have lunch. This breakroom is our second home, we spend so much time here. So I try to keep stuff on the center island in the kitchen,” she said.  

On days when the team cooks together, they gather in the kitchen and get crafty with the hot plate, toaster oven, and Instant Pot (donated by Mama Linda herself). Typical meals include pulled pork, Japanese curry, and “hot dog, hamburger, and root beer float day.” On Cinco de Mayo, the on-duty operators made tacos.  

At home, Mama Linda said her husband, Alan, does all the cooking.  

Mama Linda plans to retire next year, and as these things usually go, she’s feeling bittersweet about it.  

“As my career here concludes, I’m just grateful for the last 33 years,” she said. “It’s been a great experience. I think what I’ve gotten out of it the most is the people I met here. I have lifelong friends thanks to BART.” And lots of treasured recipes shared and tested in the breakroom.  

She will certainly not lay idle in retirement, however. She likes to craft, travel, and shop. But she’s most excited to sleep in. Those 3:30am wake up calls get old after 33 years. She’s also thrilled to have time to attend her soul-inspired line dancing class. It’s like line dancing, but to soul music – RnB and Motown and oldies.  

“My husband doesn’t like to dance,” said. “In line dancing, you don’t need a partner.”  

As Mama Linda winds down the BART chapter of her life, she’s already making arrangements to ensure the culture she's stewarded for so long is thoughtfully maintained.  

“I’m leaving all my kitchen stuff here, my Instant Pot and everything,” she said. “And I keep asking, OK, who’s going to do the next party?” 

This AAPI Heritage Month, she also plans to participate in the events taking place in Japantown, near where she lives. She likes to stay active in the neighborhood.  

“I’m proud of my heritage, to be in this position now, to be living this life, knowing what my ancestors have gone through,” she said.  

Mama Linda thanks her stars that her dad moved the family west when he did. She went back to Akron in 2007 for the first time since she’d left as a child. Her mother is buried there, so she and her siblings made a pilgrimage to visit her as well as their living relatives in Cleveland.  

“It was a coming home thing, but I was also like, geez, I’m glad I don’t live here,” she said. “I love the diversity in the Bay Area. I couldn’t live anywhere else.” 

BART wishes you a wonderful Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. More than 24% of BART employees are members of the AAPI community (as of May 1, 2024), and we want to honor and recognize the ways their heritages and cultures have contributed to BART and our region.  

In celebration of the month, BART Communications interviewed Ni Lee, Group Manager and Deputy Project Director for VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Phase II Project. Lee discusses growing up between Taiwan and Southern California, the many lessons she learned working in food service, and shares her favorite recipe for hot pot dipping sauce. 

BART celebrates heritage and diversity months throughout the year, and with stories such as Lee’s, we want to recognize some of the exceptional employees in our organization.   

Read about two other amazing AAPI BART employees:

• From McDonald’s and Dennys to trains and trackways: How working in food service formed top engineering manager Ni Lee’s work philosophy
• Crisis Intervention Specialist Caryl Blount on BART, family, and food

And check out BARTable’s suggestions for celebrating AAPI Heritage Month near BART stations.  
 

Dewayne Deams (left) with his great-grandfather Curtis E. Green at the dedication ceremony for the Curtis E. Green Light Rail Center on May 12, 1987. Photo courtesy of SFMTA Photo | SFMTA.com/Photo

BART Train Operator Dewayne Deams has digital version of an old photo stashed on his phone. The grainy, sepia-toned image shows a boy, smiling and shaking hands with a gentleman in a suit and tie. There's a plaque behind them that reads: “Curtis E. Green Light Rail Center, Dedicated May 12, 1987." 

The boy is Deams as a five-year-old. The gentleman is Curtis E. Green, Deams’ great-grandfather and the first Black person to lead a big-city transit agency in the U.S. Green’s impact on public transportation is immeasurable. For Deams, its personal.  

“I don’t have a vocabulary big enough to describe how much his legacy means to me,” Deams said of his great-grandfather. “He’s a trailblazer. In my time with him, I never saw him that way. I didn’t realize he's literally in the history books until I was older.”  

Deams started asking questions about the man he knew simply as “granddaddy” after his funeral, at which Willie Brown spoke and a letter by Dianne Feinstein was read. Green died in 2002 at 78 after a long illness. Deams, then 21, had seen Brown and Feinstein on tv. He knew they were famous, but why were they speaking at great-grandpa’s memorial service?  

Dianne Feinstein, then the Mayor of San Francisco, and Curtis E. Green at the dedication of the Muni Metro Light Rail System on July 11, 1979. Photo courtesy of SFMTA Photo | SFMTA.com/Photo 

Deams said his great-grandfather wasn’t the name-dropping type, and he certainly didn’t know him as “the Muni guy.” Rather, he remembers Green as gregarious and easygoing with a hearty laugh. The two talked about football a lot.  

After Green died, Deams started researching, and he quickly came to realize his great-granddaddy was a “big deal.” At the African American Museum and Library at Oakland, Deams found a section all about Green and his legacy.  

“I had him for a good while,” Deams said. “But when you’re a kid, you don’t always understand the magnitude of things. It’s like, okay, grandpa, whatever you say. I’m grateful I eventually came to learn the importance of what he accomplished.”  

Before he fully understood his great-grandfather’s legacy, Deams said he would sometimes brag to friends and classmates when passing the Curtis E. Green Light Rail Center in Balboa Park.  

“I’d say, ‘Look at that name! That’s my grandfather,’” Deams remembers. “That was always a claim to fame for me.”  

Transit obviously runs in Deams’ blood, and not only on behalf his great-grandfather. Both of Deams' parents drove buses and light rail for Muni. His mother, Denise Green, is now a supervisor at the agency, where she’s worked for more than 30 years. Twice she’s won the distinguished Driver of the Month award, including when she worked in Green’s namesake division. He attended every one of her awards ceremonies.  

“The second time she won, while she was working in the Green Division, he came and spoke about how proud he was,” Deams said. “I get choked up thinking about it. That was one of the last times I saw him before he died.” 

Curtis E. Green pictured with his family on July 23, 1974. Photo courtesy of SFMTA Photo | SFMTA.com/Photo 

Green settled in San Francisco after serving in the Marines during WWII. Before the war, it could be challenging to find a job if you were Black -- hiring practices were often blatantly discriminatory. The war opened things up a bit, and in 1945, when Green was seeking a job in San Francisco, many employers suddenly had a shortage of workers on their hands. That year, Green was hired as a bus driver, making 90 cents an hour.  

Over his 37-year career at Muni, Green slowly rose in the ranks. He knew he wanted to pursue management, and so he did, earning his degree after years of night classes. In 1974, he became deputy general manager of Muni. A year later, he was promoted to the top spot.  

Things were not always easy for Green, his great-grandson said. Back in the day, drivers carried change – riders didn’t have to give exact fare – which sometimes made them targets. Green was once robbed and beat up for his change purse.  

He faced challenges because of his race, too, especially as he moved up in the ranks. “’You’re affirmative action. You’re only getting this because they needed to hire a Black guy,’” Deams said, parroting colleagues’ racist remarks. Those words stung his great-grandfather, Deams said, but he always rose above it, touting the importance of hard work above all else.  

Green loved his job, the city, working with people, Deams said. When he reached the top of Muni's ranks, he treated everyone the same, whether a janitor or mayor of San Francisco.  

Deams carries on his great-grandfather’s legacy in his own way, waking up each morning, hopping in his cab, and striving to give BART riders the best service possible. He describes himself as “a major transit nerd” -- one of the lucky few whose passion is also his job.  

Deams said his conduct at work is influenced by his great-grandfather and the example he set. Green believed in killing ‘em with kindness and told his great-grandson that there was nothing wrong with being nice. Deams took that to heart, applying it in scenarios as basic as “seeing someone running to the train doors when I’m operating.” 

“I could just take off, but I’m a sucker and hold the doors most of the time,” he said. “People appreciate it. You don’t have to be cutthroat. You can be kind and still get the job done.”  

A recent photo of Dewayne Deams with his daughter. 

One of his favorite parts of the job, like his great-grandfather, is interacting with people. Deams currently works on the Yellow Line, and he loves “walking the platform to my train, answering questions as I go, and seeing people ride from all over the world.” Typical topics of conversation include baseball and how to get to Fisherman’s Wharf. Once, Deams met a woman boarding the train with her father, who had helped build BART back in the 1960s. Deams was honored to take them for a ride.  

Having grown up as a “latchkey kid” in the Bayview District of San Francisco, Deams said public transit was a lifeline for him and his little brother. They took it to school, to baseball practice, to appointments. His favorite spot to take the train growing up was Blondie’s Pizza at Powell Street Station. He and his friends would grab a slice and try to scarf it down before the pigeons beat them to it.  

As a teenager one evening, while spending the night at his grandmother’s house, Deams remembered convincing her to give him a $20 bill. He grabbed the cash, took the bus to Colma Station, and rode BART to the Coliseum to watch a Warriors game.  

“For $20 at the time – it was the 90s – I was able to get there and back, buy a ticket to the game, and get some nachos,” he said. “My mom was pretty furious when I got back though.” 

Now, Deams takes his three daughters around the Bay Area on BART, including to sports games. They’re proud of their dad and his career. BART trains aren’t just BART trains to them, Deams said, but Daddy’s BART trains. Just like his great-grandfather did for him so many years before, Deams is now sharing the joys of transit with his children, teaching them how to use it and why it matters.  

“They’re in love with trains,” he said. “Especially BART trains.” Nothing could make him prouder.  

Curtis E. Green at the wheel of a new AM General diesel coach on May 5, 1975. Photo courtesy of SFMTA Photo | SFMTA.com/Photo 

Happy Pride Month from all of us at BART! 

BART gets very into the Pride spirit every year. Throughout the month, we'll be publishing more stories, walking in the San Francisco Pride Parade with the BARTmobile, and releasing new Pride merch. 

Speaking of merch...

BART's new 2024 Pride Tees are now listed for sale on Railgoods.com.

Terri is modeling the t-shirt above. More merch coming soon. 

Read about the history of BART's iconic Pride merch here. 

“I am large, I contain multitudes,” wrote the 19th-century queer poet Walt Whitman in his celebrated poem, Song of Myself.  

The famous line could not be more relevant when talking about Terri Hodges, BART’s Director of Risk and Insurance Management.  

She’s a multitudinous woman: a partner, dog mom, “insurance geek,” high-ranking manager, and an exceptional pool party hostess for her “gaybors” (gay + neighbors = gaybors). Add to the list: BART’s Director of Risk and Insurance Management.

The “song of herself” she returns to each Pride Month is Born This Way by Lady Gaga “because it’s not just inclusive of gay people, but so many others.” And to Terri, inclusivity and intersectionality are what Pride Month is all about.  

“The thing is, people think Pride Month is one month where everyone’s great to each other and celebratory,” she said. “But for me and my partner, it’s not just a month. That’s just how we live our life.” 

Besides her famous pool parties, Terri doesn’t do much out of the ordinary to celebrate Pride Month. 

“I celebrate my gayness by doing all the things people who aren’t gay do,” she said. “I love my house, I love my girl, I love my dog. I just celebrate people. It’s not about being gay or not gay, it’s about being a good person.”  

As you can imagine, Terri’s kindness-first approach makes her a much-loved manager at BART, where she’s worked for 29 years. One of her longtime colleagues, Liability Risk Analyst Steve Shatz, called Terri “a flexitarian: somebody who does what it takes to accommodate their employees.”

A photo from one of Terri and Patti’s ”gaybor” pool parties during Pride Month.  

Terri and Steve have worked together for nearly three decades. When they are not referring to each other as husband and wife – “I’ve known Terri longer than my real wife. There isn’t really anything about me that she doesn’t know,” Steve said – they call each other “Scabby.” It’s a long story for another article, but it’s illustrative of something key to Terri’s workplace disposition. The best kind of work relationship, she said, is one in which you can be honest and fun (and trust that everyone gets their work done). The other members of the Risk and Insurance Management team, Matt Goltaio and Tesia Bell, have nicknames, too. Sometimes they call each other hybrids of their real names –  just to keep the jovial camaraderie in play. 

“We kid with one another and have a very breezy relationship, while still being very professional,” Terri said of the close-knit team.  

The playful, inclusive environment at BART is quite different from the atmosphere at the insurance companies Terri worked for early in her career. Before coming to BART, Terri experienced frequent discriminatory behavior – things like people asking her if she was “really gay” or acting inappropriately at company functions.  

The Bay Area has long been a trailblazer in advocating and securing equal rights for all. But when Terri was growing up in Concord, she said “the mindset was different” than it is now.  

"When I was younger, it was either you’re gay or you’re straight. There was no in between. Even bisexuality was considered way out of the norm,” she said. Stringent categorization didn’t exactly work for Terri. She's someone who likes existing within the liminal spaces of human experience.  

“When I was younger, it wasn’t that I wasn’t secure with my sexuality, but I was very fluid in it,” she said. “I wasn’t always just gay. I’ve come out and gone back in. I’ve always liked people for who they are, not necessarily because of their gender.” 

A recent photo of Patti (left) and Terri (right). 

Growing up, Terri was fortunate to always feel safe and supported in her sexuality. She doesn't really have a “coming out story,” she said. The coming out just happened naturally.  

“When I first realized I liked women, I was in high school. My parents were like you have a boyfriend, though. And I was like, I want a girlfriend, too,” she said. “My parents didn't totally get it, but they said, if that makes you happy, that makes you happy. I feel so grateful to have that support system because I know many don’t.”  

That early encouragement had a lasting impact on Terri and her character.  

“What I bring to the table is inclusivity and understanding that not everyone has had the opportunity to be treated equally,” she said. “I hope to bring a level of kindness and understanding to people who have not always been given that luxury because of who they are, what their status is.” 

She continued: “Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and love. Not always respect, though. You have to earn that!”  

Terri has the right demeanor for the work she does. Balancing compassion with professionalism is crucial in her field. At face value, the group “is the least sexy department at BART,” Terri said. But there's more to it than meets the eye. The department thoroughly researches every claim that comes to BART guided by goals of fairness and protection of taxpayers and riders who fund BART. 

“Claim settlements come from taxpayer money,” Terri said. “I’m a taxpayer myself, and it is my fiduciary duty to make certain that if we owe it, we pay it, and if we don’t owe it, we don’t pay it.” For a time, she admits she was known as “Hell No Hodges.” 

One must strike a balance between BART’s fiduciary duty while thoughtfully holding space for the complicated emotions a person or family experiences after a crime or tragedy. BART is public, and anything can happen on public property. But as Terri says, “Just because it happened on BART doesn’t mean its our responsibility.”  

“We’re not an insurer of the public, we can’t afford to be,” Terri explained. “But we do have an obligation to approach each claim with kindness.”  

Patti and Terri at SF Pride 2015. 

The emotionally taxing work is made easier by the warm, accepting environment that has held sway at BART since Terri started working there almost three decades ago.  

“I have had the best experience at BART. I have never been an outcast for my sexuality. Everyone is unbelievably inclusive, and every manager has supported and advocated for me,” Terri said. “BART goes hard with Pride. We have the swag, the parade, the celebrations for employees. But we don't just celebrate Pride; we celebrate all diverse communities. And that’s not just because BART has to. There is a genuine warmth here. People can be who they are.” 

Terri is a woman of multitudes, but also contradictions. As an insurance professional, she is by default “risk averse" (“risk” is literally in her job title). But multiple times a year, Terri and her partner, Patti, go diving. Their dive trips have taken them from Hawaii to Belize, Mexico to Australia. 

“I’m risk averse yet I’m doing one of the riskiest things ever,” Terri laughed, admitting she usually swims down just about 50 feet, where she can still see the surface. She leaves the deep-sea thing to Patti. 

And soon, the couple will have a lot more time to dive. Terri plans to retire next year. She's already mentally preparing for the milestone that she knows will “be hard and sad.” 

“This is the place that has allowed me to grow both professionally and personally into the person I am,” Terri said. And that person is one who “says what I feel, means what I say, and tries to be as solid of a human as I can be – but sometimes in a weird way.”  

On Thursday, Dec. 7, BART launched a Digital Holiday Passport to encourage riding BART to explore the region and access holiday fun and adventures. Participants can win big prizes, including a $250 Clipper card and a 2023 Ugly Holiday Sweater and Holiday Beanie.  

BART created the Digital Holiday Passport in partnership with Vibemap, a city discovery app that uses “vibes” to connect users to places, events, and experiences. Vibemap will join BART at SweaterFest ‘23 on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2pm to 3pm, at Rockridge Station, to promote the challenge and answer questions. Members of the public who attend SweaterFest ‘23 will also be the first to receive the brand-new BART Stamp Passports for the BART Stamp Rally.  

The Digital Holiday Passport challenge will run from Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, to Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. Seven stations will serve as check-in locations: 

• Downtown Berkeley  
• Fruitvale  
• Montgomery 
• MacArthur  
• Lake Merritt  
• West Dublin/Pleasanton  
• Walnut Creek 

To participate, download Vibemap on the iOS App Store or the Google Play Store. After downloading, travel within 0.5 miles of one of the seven stations listed above, and you’ll receive a notification to unlock the Digital Holiday Passport. The passport is geofenced so you can’t participate unless you’re physically in the area.   

Participants will earn “Challenge Points” for every nearby activity they do – from checking-in at stations and places around BART, to adding “vibes” and tips to the app. The more points you have, the higher your chances of winning prizes, such as: 

• $250 Clipper card 
• 2023 Ugly Holiday Sweater (Size Large), Holiday Beanie 
• $50 Clipper card
• $11 Clipper cards + BART swag bag 

After the challenge concludes, Vibemap will host an IRL event for participants to meet and mingle. Date and location TBD. At the event, you can get a special holiday stamp as part of the BART Stamp Rally.  

To learn more about the Digital BART Holiday Passport visit bartable.bart.gov/vibemap.