San Anselmo, California – It's hard to miss Brian Colbert. It's not only his 6-foot-4-foot-4 frame, his shaved head, but also the bold pattern of the unofficial uniform he was employed, brightly colored Hawaiian shirts.
Colbert is one of the few blacks living in the wealthy, Woody and very white Marin County, and the first black executive since its founding 175 years ago.
He was not inclined toward race or history when he ran in the fall. He doesn't have to. “As a big black man,” he said, “the nature of his physical and campaign barriers is self-evident.
Instead, Colbert pounded 20,000 doors with his number, wore several pairs of 15 shoes, and wore several pairs of 15 shoes in the center of his campaign, wore several pairs of 15 shoes, and raised narrow concerns such as wildfire prevention, disaster preparation and flood control. In the first few months, he continued to focus on various municipal issues: housing, transportation, and making local governments easier to access and respond.
But that is not to say that Colbert has no deep thoughts about the precedent of his election scene or the importance of the life experience he brought to the office, unlike most in this privileged clip of the San Francisco Bay Area – President Trump once reversed civil rights and his administration measures, equity, equality, equality and incorporation into their words, their identity is four words.
“I think of Jim Crow's challenge under Jim Crow, the insults my grandparents suffered every day,” Colbert said during lunch in his hometown of San Anselmo recently. He chose his words carefully, putting an index finger on his temple as he gathered his thoughts to indicate a pause.
Colbert recalls visiting Savannah, Georgia, where he attended Baptist Church services with his mother’s parents.
“I remember looking at these faces,” Colbert said, “For me, they were the faces of African Americans waiting to die because they knew and knew that they had turned down their chances just because of their skin color. But it made them wish their children and grandchildren had a better life. I had the product of this hope in many ways.”
Colbert, 57, grew up about 60 miles northeast of New York City. The resident tried to prevent his parents (an accountant and full-time mom) from entering the vast majority of white communities. Neighbors circulated a petition urging owners not to sell their homes to black couples. They did the same.
Colbert continues to earn degrees in politics and agency, public policy and law. He traveled with his wife, a Syrian American, practiced on Wall Street, running a chocolate company and a small tech company. He lived in Türkiye for 3½ years, where he taught international law and political science at a private university.
When the couple returned to the United States in 2007, they turned their eyes to the Gulf region, attracted by the weather, the beauty of nature and entrepreneurial spirit, attracting countless opportunities to seek opportunities. (Colbert began wearing a Hawaiian shirt on the Silicon Valley Conference Tour after he mistakenly thought security personnel had misunderstood too many times.)
In 2013, Colbert, his wife and their daughter settled in San Anselmo, a tree-lined community in Charmy about 15 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. San Francisco's relatively short commute, where he manages medical concierge services, quality schools and extensive open space are great attractions – although Colbert knows he and his family will stand out, just like he did at Bethel.
San Anselmo has a solid hillside and a red brick city center with about 13,000 residents. The black population is less than 2%. But Colbert's extensive travel and life overseas convinced him “at a certain level” [are] It's everywhere – “Warm, warm, kind, generous, helpful.”
He had a lasting interest in policy and public services, so in 2013, Colbert joined the city’s Economic Development Commission. Four years later, he was elected to the town council. He served for seven years before running for the nonpartisan supervisory board, serving in the mayor's rotational position.
Inevitably, he encountered racism along the way. Threatening phone calls and emails. He occasionally had side eyes as he went door to door in an all-white community. However, for the most part, “people are very happy” and the campaign “is no more challenging than this… [for] Any candidate. ”
On a recent sunny afternoon, Colbert welcomed heartily – “Hey, Brian!” “Hey, Supervisor!” – When he strided to Town Hall for Imagination Park, it was a gift from George Lucas, the city's most famous resident filmmaker, bequeathed statues of Yoda and Indiana Jones.
These are times full of troubles. Estimates after George Floyd's murder have given way to a rebound and a president who disdains equal efforts, complaining against white prejudice and purges powerful blacks and women in the name of a fabulous color-blind society.
What would Colbert (the Democrat) say if he had the opportunity to speak directly to Trump?
“Thank you for your service, Mr. President,” he began. “It’s hard and difficult in a public office.”
He stopped. A few beats passed. A waiter cleaned up the dishes.
“I encourage you to change your tone, of course, openly, expand your perspective and embrace people who may be different from yours,” Colbert continued. “Many people come to this country and they add value. They make this country better.”
“Remember those who don't necessarily have easy access to power. Remember those who are struggling. Focus on the most vulnerable and rely heavily on the government to help them through short periods of time. I mean, the American experiment is Extremely good. Keep this in mind. A little empathetic. Simple act of kindness. Put yourself in someone else's shoes.
“Thank you, Mr. President.”
