A Symbol of Pride

Still Strong, Still Committed, Still City College
City College is an indispensable part of San Francisco – one of our most important ladders of opportunity. The education CCSF provides has enabled thousands of San Franciscans young and old to invest in themselves and build a better future for themselves and their families.

On Tuesday, the Department of Education responded to my inquiryabout the veracity of public statements from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC). The Department of Education's welcome response proves that ACCJC is able grant CCSF a good-cause extension of accreditation. For the ACCJC to refuse to allow good-cause extension – even after this clarification from the Department of Education, even after all the monumental progress City College has made along its Roadmap to Success – would be destructive, irresponsible, and could be viewed as a political act. For the livelihood of the students, the community, and the state, the ACCJC must send in a new evaluation team with a fresh set of eyes and allow a good-cause extension of accreditation, a team that can see the progress that CCSF has already made. CCSF is still strong, still committed, and still City College.

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi joined community leaders at City College of San Francisco's (CCSF) Chinatown/North Beach Campus earlier this year to highlight the significant progress made by City College, and emphasized the vital impact CCSF's open doors have on our community.

Testament to Courage
San Franciscans are very proud of the achievements of Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in our nation's history. As a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, he was a champion of human rights and symbol to the world for LGBT civil rights. When Harvey Milk was sworn in as Supervisor, he said his "victory signaled a green light to all who feel disenfranchised, a green light to move forward."

Yesterday at the White House, I was proud to join Ambassador Samantha Power, singer Mary Lambert, and Stuart Milk, Harvey's nephew, as the United States Postal Service unveiled a stamp featuring Harvey Milk, the first time an LGBT hero has been honored in such a way. This stamp will be a testament to courage and a symbol of pride to anyone who has ever felt discrimination or cared about those who have.

Honoring our Service Members
This Memorial Day, we honor all of the men and women who have served—and who continue to serve—in our armed forces. Both at home and across the globe, our service members have given their lives so that the United States can remain the land of the free and the home of the brave. For all of us, they are heroes; for millions of Americans, they are parents, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors. Together, as one nation, we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf, never to return to the country they served. But we also must honor those who did return, to whom we will always owe a debt of gratitude.

In Congress, we must continue to ensure that the deeds of our service members are remembered in the actions of our lawmakers; we must treat every day as Memorial Day. On Wednesday, the President forcefully reiterated his commitment to get to the bottom of recent allegations of gross misconduct at some Veterans Administration sites across the country. I share the President's outrage. These allegations represent misconduct that is completely and utterly unacceptable. And it will not be tolerated. Once we have the facts, there must and will be accountability. We must act to confront these allegations, and tackle the broader challenges that still confront our veterans—both at the Veterans Administration, and as they transition to civilian life. We will continue to uphold our solemn pledge: just as the military leaves no one behind on the battlefield, we will leave no veteran behind at home.

Congratulations, Cal grads!

Congresswoman Pelosi addresses the graduates and family of UC Berkeley's class of 2014, encouraging them to stay engaged in their community and to challenge the status quo for the sake of the common good.