Nov 2020 Lateefah Simon

Lateefah Simon is a nationally recognized advocate for civil and racial justice. She is also a single mother who relies on public transit each day and intimately understands the experiences of BART passengers. 

As the current president of the BART board of directors, Lateefah has been unwavering in her values to make BART accessible, affordable, accountable and functional for working families. Her leadership has been crucial to the transit agency’s shift towards policies promoting racial justice and inclusion. She has led a variety of successful efforts, including discounts for low-income fairs and an ambassador program to increase the number of unarmed uniformed personnel on trains to help passengers stay safe. 

Lateefah is the type of bold, inspiring and creative leader who can ensure our transit system is accessible, safe and gets people where they need to go. Her impressive track record as the executive director of multiple large nonprofit organizations, as well as her accolades which include being the youngest woman to receive a MacArthur Genius Award, are testaments to Lateefah’s steadfast leadership. By contrast, her police-union backed opponents in the BART race do not share her visionary commitment to public safety or her skillful leadership. A vote for Lateefah is a vote for transit justice.