Candidate for
Member, Board of Supervisors; County of San Francisco; Supervisorial District 10

Rodney Hampton Jr. is a child of San Francisco. Born at Saint Mary's Hospital on September 6th, 1972 and raised in the West Point housing projects of Hunters Point, his life has truly been shaped by his environment.

Growing up in West Point taught Rodney a lot about life at a very young age. Rodney's father, Rodney Hampton Senior, one of the first tenant activists in Hunters Point, was shot and killed when Rodney was four years old. From then on it was up to Rodney, his brother Earl (a.k.a. spunky), and his mother Gail to make the family work.

On a daily basis Rodney saw the challenges people faced as they struggled with addiction, violence, fractured families, and dreams laid to waste. Thankfully, Rodney also saw something else. He got to see people in the harshest, toughest, most do-or-die environments still find a way to survive and sometimes even thrive.

Rodney's youth was like any other child's in the area: he played sports, went to school, and spent time with friends and family in the community he was a part of. And like many other youth in the area, Rodney faced challenges and barriers to success.

Rodney wondered how he could grow up a normal teen like everybody else. Where would he get money for lunch? How would he pay for new clothes? How could he focus on school when there was hopelessness and violence all around him? He had many questions but the answers were yet to come.

Lacking guidance and the presence of his dad, Rodney continually rebelled at Mcateer High School. In the 9th grade Rodney got into serious trouble for gambling on campus with his friends. This was a low point for Rodney. He had been cutting class, getting into fights, and now he was on the brink of getting expelled from the SFUSD. The look of disappointment on his mom's face said everything. Rodney knew he was going nowhere fast.

Luckily Rodney was given one last chance at Mcateer: join the "Alta" program or be kicked out for good. Under the guidance of program director Wayne McDonald, Rodney began work in the Alta Program called "Urban Pioneers." Wayne's message to Rodney and other program members was clear: "The leader is in you." Rodney listened up.

As an Urban Pioneer Rodney learned about a whole new world he didn't know existed. Rodney learned about leadership, discipline, peer mentoring, and how to survive in nature. Rodney had learned how to survive in the projects but this was much different. On a twelve day camping trip Rodney pitched a tent for the first time. He also learned how to build a fire, bond with new friends, and help those around him. Despite getting hypothermia in the middle of the trip, Rodney refused to go home early. Rodney completed the trip and returned with a new sense of spirit. He was a determined and changed young man.

Rodney was readmitted to Mcateer after completing the Urban Pioneers program with a 3.86 GPA. Throughout the rest of high school Rodney excelled in sports while becoming a well respected and admired youth leader. Now a new and tangible challenge lay ahead of him: college.

Under the guiding eye of Omega Boys Club founder Joe Marshall, Rodney applied to college. In the summer of 1990 he accepted a scholarship and enrolled at Alabama State University, an historically black college in Montgomery, Alabama. He became the first member of his family ever to attend a university.

Alabama State University provided Rodney with the foundation and tools for a future of success. The exposure to an entire campus and community of positive black leaders left a lasting mark on Rodney. He knew right away that the seeds of future success were right under his nose.

A founding member of the national service fraternity "Alpha Phi Omega," Rodney learned the value of peer support in a challenging environment. Social, personal, and community development made up a new way of life that Rodney cherished. A school/work project he signed on with would become a four year journey of education, giving, and growth.

The Alabama Industrial Training program gave Rodney a first hand look at people's ability to turn goals into reality. As a trainer in the AIDT program, Rodney got to help people with little or no educational experience get training and jobs. For many program participants who had endured years of unemployment, getting trained and finding employment was a dream come true. For Rodney it was a program and an experience he wouldn't soon forget. He knew it was a system they could use back home.

In the year 2000 Rodney returned to San Francisco and began work with the Bayview non-profit Young Community Developers. Rodney flourished under the mentorship of Program Director Dwayne Jones. As "Chief of Apprenticeship" Rodney worked on community development, job training, and fundraising. Rodney's passion and lasting mark, however, would be the YCD "Boot Camp."

Strong Body. Strong Mind. Strong Self. 5:00 a.m. runs, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, stretching, call and response, drills, and constant physical activity were the tools Rodney used to break people down and build them back up. The tools he would use to build a sense of personal pride and team unity. For thirty straight days Rodney would work to help everyone involved break down their individual barriers and stand on common ground.

With strong bodies and common ground established, participants then made their way to the classroom to get trained and educated in a specific field. Upon program completion, participants set foot into the real world of work. For most it was nothing short of a miracle.

Currently working at Ella Hill Hutch Community Center, Rodney continues this very same work today. As Program Director he fights to ensure that people get job training, that community employment mandates are met, and that the underserved are given a chance at the future they desire and deserve.

From West Point, to Sunnydale, to Double Rock, to Alabama, and back to West Point again, Rodney has traveled a long road that finds him home in San Francisco. Rodney hopes to continue to build a stronger, healthier, and more prosperous community as your representative for District 10 San Francisco Board of Supervisors.