SueVon Gee (AAO) is Oakland’s Citizen of the Year (Photo courtesy of AAO)

"Create a legacy and leave this world better than you got it." These words, which her mother used to say, have guided SueVon Gee’s (AAO) community activism and involvement in her hometown of Oakland. Last week the New Oakland Committee recognized her efforts and contributions by making her the 2002 Oakland Citizen of the Year.

Greg Loew (DO) attended the award dinner, which featured a speech by Senator Barbara Boxer. Congresswoman Barbara Lee was also in attendance. But Gee was the star of the evening, Loew said. "Our own SueVon Gee, also known as Shirley, received a standing ovation from a packed house for her many contributions as a volunteer activist in the Asian American Community. Most touching was to meet her whole family and especially her parents who emigrated from China many years ago and who have good reason to be proud of their daughter!"

Eight years ago the New Oakland Committee partnered with the Oakland Tribune to give this award to "exemplary long-term volunteer community leaders," according to Executive Director Ruth Rodwell. "It is like a lifetime achievement award for activists." Rodwell said the Committee is made up of labor, business and community service organizers and leaders of all ethnicities.

Gee, who has worked in the Equal Employment and Affirmative Action field at SLAC for over 25 years, believes her long standing involvement in assuring equal access and representation among multi-cultural communities led to her award. "We need to find ways to work with each other instead of being on parallel tracks. Society is better served when we work together based on our similarities, not differences," she asserted.

Gee spent two years on a reappointment process to re-draw City Council districts to ensure all communities were institutionally represented. By doing extensive research, organizing communities and implementing a city-wide strategy, she was able to achieve institutional standing for Asians and Hispanics in the political structure at a time when Caucasians and African Americans dominated the political landscape.

"The City of Oakland wanted to be known as an inclusive and multi-cultural city and I’d like to think that I played a small part in that development," she said. "In a city where 125 dialects are spoken, it is important to assure all citizens are well represented and have access to all available privileges and resources. The city as a whole is more peaceful and stable when all citizens are vested."

Gee works on public policy and civil rights issues both in the community and at work. At SLAC, she manages the Affirmative Action Office, helping the Lab meet Federal, State and local equal employment opportunity standards. She also counsels staff on issues related to ethnicity, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, and disability orientation and tries to help them resolve such issues so "they can focus on why they are really here... to help SLAC realize its scientific mission."

"We all have one life line and our world is on loan," said Gee. "Why not make it count by striving to create a world that is better than the one we inherited."