Author: Dr. Akilah Cadet in Conversation with Shakirah Simley

White Supremacy is All Around: Notes from a Black Disabled Woman in a White World
Tuesday, 2/18/2025
6:00 - 7:30
Koret Auditorium
Main Library

100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States

415-557-4400
Register

Join us for a special Black Futures Month talk between Dr. Akilah Cadet – author, activist, founder and CEO of Change Cadet – and Booker T. Washington Community Service Center Executive Director, Shakirah Simley. 

The duo will discuss Dr. Cadet’s new book White Supremacy is All Around: Notes from a Black Disabled Woman in a White World. Dismantling white supremacy through storytelling is at the core of Dr. Cadet’s work as a leader, speaker, creative director, producer, writer, editor and co-owner of the Oakland Roots and Soul soccer teams (she led the most successful community investment round in sports history). 

The event will feature a special performance by Michael Wayne Turner III, the classically trained thespian and award-winning poet behind Hat Matter. 

Dr. Akilah Cadet is the Founder and CEO of Change Cadet, an organizational development consulting firm that offers services that support embedding belonging into overall company culture, identity and strategy. As a Forbes Next 1000 Entrepreneur her work is behind some of the biggest brands you use everyday. Dr. Cadet holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Education in Community Based Public Health, a Master of Public Health and a Doctorate of Health Sciences in Leadership and Organizational Behavior. She lives in and loves Oakland, CA, celebrates her disability, is a proud Beyoncé advocate and has an incredible shoe game. 

Shakirah Simley is an advocate, seasoned organizer, and community development and policy strategist with over 20 years of experience working on social justice, food, gender and racial equity issues. She is the Executive Director of the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center, one of San Francisco’s oldest Black-led and serving community-based organizations, and home to some of the only permanent supportive affordable housing for transitional-aged youth in SF. Shakirah has a proven track record of public service, having previously served as the inaugural Director for the Office of Racial Equity for the City and County of San Francisco, served as a legislative aide for the SF Board of Supervisors and the leader of the Southeast Community Center in Bayview Hunters Point. Shakirah was recognized in 2024 by the San Francisco Foundation as a Phyllis Koshland Friedman-Retha Smith Robinson Community Leadership Award recipient for her transformative community work.

Connect: 

Dr. Akilah Cadet - Website | Dr. Akilah Cadet - Instagram

Shakirah Simley - Website | Booker T. Community Community Service Center - Website

Space is limited. Registration required at the link above.

Photo of Shakirah Simley by Gabriela Hasbun.

In partnership with the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center.

Author Readings & Lectures

Engage with your favorite writers and discover your next read.

More Than a Month: Black Interest

Connect to engaging discussions and performances related to the Black community.

More Than a Month recognizes important events in Black history, honors community and national leaders and fosters steps towards collective change. Programming features authors, poets and craft classes. 

Spotlight

This program is sponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Attending Programs

All programs are drop-in (no registration necessary) unless otherwise noted. All SFPL locations are wheelchair accessible. For accommodations (such as ASL), call (415) 557-4557 or contact accessibility@sfpl.org. Requesting at least 3 business days in advance will help ensure availability.

This program will be conducted in English unless otherwise noted.

Notice: This event may be filmed or photographed. By participating in this event, you consent to have your likeness used for the Library’s archival purposes and promotional materials. If you do not want to be photographed, please inform a staff person or the photographer. A sticker will be provided to help identify you so that we can avoid capturing your image.

Public Notice and Disclaimer

This program uses a third-party website link. By clicking on the third-party website link, you will leave SFPL's website and enter a website not operated by SFPL. This service may collect personally identifying information about you, such as name, username, email address, and password. This service will treat the information it collects about you pursuant to its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of each third-party website or service that you visit or use, including those third parties with whom you interact through our Library services. For more information about these third-party links, please see the section of SFPL’s Privacy Policy describing Links to Other Sites.

The views and opinions expressed in programs presented by groups unaffiliated with SFPL do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SFPL or the City.