Black History Lost and Found: Dorothy Jaymes and Accessible Transit

Black History Lost and Found: Dorothy Jaymes and Accessible Transit
By Jeremy Menzies

We continue to celebrate Black History Month by sharing the stories of SFMTA staff whose revolutionary work helped pave the way for future generations of Muni riders. Today, we look at the incredible contributions of Dorothy Jaymes, who played a critical role in helping advance accessibility on transit in San Francisco at a time when little was being done.

Employees standing in between shelving holding various items such as a umbrella, tennis racket and bicycles. The shelving is filled with additional various items.

Jaymes (left, holding tennis racket) with her assistant, Linda Westry in the Muni Lost & Found Department in 1977.

Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Jaymes started her career in Muni’s Lost & Found Department in the 1970s. According to a 1977 article in the department newsletter, Trolley Topics, she took her job seriously, accounting for every lost item no matter how small or large.

Around the same time, protests by local disability rights advocates exposed the issues of poor access to public transit to local officials. The city responded in part by seeking contracts for new buses with passenger lifts in 1978 and by establishing the Elderly & Handicapped Program, to which Jaymes was a foundational contributor.

Group photo of employees. The back row of three staff is standing. The front row of three staff is seated. One emplyee is wearing a Muni work vest.

Members of Muni Elderly & Handicapped Office staff in 1985, with Jaymes at center.

By October 1979, Jaymes headed up the E&H Office and was responsible for processing applications for discounted transit fare cards. An early version of the Free Muni for People with Disabilities Program, this program lowered the cost of transit for people who needed it most.

Jaymes’ role in the office played a critical part in improving access to transit for all San Franciscans.

Employee smiling and holding a vintage card camera

Working out of a room in the Muni Photo Department, Jaymes wields an ID card camera in this 1979 photo.

She left Muni in 1990 and finished out her career with the City of San Francisco at the Planning Department, before retiring in the early 2000s. Jaymes returned to Louisiana in retirement and passed away in 2015 at age 89. One of her former San Francisco co-workers remembered her as “a wonderful woman who was strong and always stood up for the workers.”

So often, we only hear the stories of major figures and their brave breakthroughs in history. Capturing the full story begins with also celebrating and recognizing the contributions of our “unsung heroes,” whose daily work is still helping Muni riders today.

Published February 28, 2023 at 11:01PM
https://ift.tt/CEeZw87

Comments

New top story from Time: ‘It’s a Catastrophe.’ Iranians Turn to Black Market for Vaccines as COVID-19 Deaths Hit New Highs

https://ift.tt/3AODY94 In January, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the sudden announcement that American and British-made COVID-19 vaccines would be “forbidden” as they were “completely untrustworthy.” Almost nine months later, Iran is facing its worst surge in the virus to date — a record number of deaths and infections per day with nearly 4.2 million COVID-19 patients across the country , and a healthcare system near collapse. “It’s a catastrophe; and there is nothing we can do,” said an anesthesiology resident in one of Tehran’s public hospitals who due to the current surge is tasked to oversee the ICU ward for COVID-19 patients. “We can’t treat them nor help them; so all I can ask people to do is to stay home and do whatever it takes to not get exposed.” The doctor requested anonymity in order to speak freely; others interviewed by TIME asked to be identified only by their first name. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The scale of the crisis is such ...

'Happy birthday, Jason!' Kylie Minogue shares throwback Neighbours pics Kylie Minogue has shared a series of nostalgic photos of her and her old Neighbours flame Jason Donovan to mark his birthday.

via Entertainment News - Latest Celebrity & Showbiz News | Sky News https://ift.tt/2TZ14a2

New top story from Time: Myanmar Security Forces Open Fire on Protesters, Killing Several and Marking Deadliest Day of Protests

https://ift.tt/3uFmav3 YANGON, Myanmar — Security forces in Myanmar opened fire and made mass arrests Sunday as they sought to break up protests against the military’s seizure of power, and a U.N. human rights official said it had “credible information” that 18 people were killed and 30 were wounded. That would be the highest single-day death toll among protesters who are demanding that the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi be restored to power after being ousted by a Feb. 1 coup. “Deaths reportedly occurred as a result of live ammunition fired into crowds in Yangon, Dawei, Mandalay, Myeik, Bago and Pokokku,” the U.N. Human Rights Office said in a statement referring to several cities, adding that the forces also used tear gas, flash-bang grenades and stun grenades. “We strongly condemn the escalating violence against protests in Myanmar and call on the military to immediately halt the use of force against peaceful protesters,” its spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani was...

New top story from Time: Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran Says His Stores Can Vaccinate More Americans. He Just Needs the Doses

https://ift.tt/2YsAwju (Miss this week’s Leadership Brief? This interview below was delivered to the inbox of Leadership Brief subscribers on Sunday morning, Jan. 31; to receive weekly emails of conversations with the world’s top CEOs and business decisionmakers, click here .) While President Joe Biden’s Cabinet and other senior-level appointments have generally received high marks for their overall competence and experience, there is one notable empty seat at the table. At a moment when the health of the nation, and the nation’s economy, is dependent on production and distribution issues , one can’t help but wish there were at least one private-sector business ninja in the Cabinet, ideally a person with manufacturing, logistics and supply-chain experience. Social media is atwitter with facetious calls for Amazon Prime to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine and take care of the problem in two days. My own half-facetious daydream is to put Walmart —which has 150 million people pass...

New top story from Time: ‘I Can Be Someone I Didn’t Have.’ Actor Simu Liu on Asian Representation and His Marvel Future

https://ift.tt/3ad9HoX A Chinese-Canadian actor as the face of a Marvel superhero franchise? That’s not the world Simu Liu grew up in. But that’s the world Liu is making this year. “ I can be someone I didn’t have as a kid ,” the actor tells TIME100 Talks He’s talking about the upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings , the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie starring a hero of Asian descent, due out in July. The Kim’s Convenience actor will play the titular character, Shang-Chi. And—as his comment suggests—it’s been a long time coming. “ I loved comics as a kid, I loved superheroes, but I really didn’t see myself represented in that space,” he says. “I really hope with this movie, kids who are like me, who grew up similarly, can have that. That’s really the power of representation: seeing yourself on screen and feeling like you’re a part of this world, which for Asian children who have grown up in the West hasn’t always been the case.” Liu’s leading-man s...

Celebrating LGBTQIA Diversity at the SFMTA

Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Diversity at the SFMTA By Enrique Aguilar Yves standing in front of a photo of his father at the SFMTA headquarters. This Pride Month, we are spotlighting some incredible people who work tirelessly behind the scenes at the SFMTA and are part of the agency's LGBTQIA+ community. Their dedication, passion and unique perspectives contribute to the success of our transportation system, making it a true reflection of the diverse customers we serve. Yves Michael C. Valdez is an HR Analyst for Employee and Labor Relations and is passionate about helping others. Outside of work, Yves is an avid gardener who has cultivated a collection of dwarf Japanese maples, succulents and orchids. Several key motivations led Yves to the SFMTA. He relied on public transit when he moved to San Francisco from the Philippines, and that left a lasting impression on him. The daily interactions and unique experiences of passengers, sometimes filled with drama, comedy and suspens...

New top story from Time: Feds Are Fed-Up with Trump-Era Meddling

https://ift.tt/2TlN0dR This article is part of the The DC Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox every weekday. It’s not easy being a Fed. Federal workers are punching bags for both political parties. In recent decades, “Waste, Fraud and Abuse” has become shorthand for political leaders, including Presidents, to scapegoat the career corps of the federal workers— some 6% of the entire U.S. workforce—as a bunch of louses who can’t get its act together. The trope doesn’t do much for those workers’ morale, even before former President Donald Trump meddled in so many agencies and the pandemic put unprecedented pressure on government workers to meet presidential whims. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] So good-government nerds like me were waiting to see just what an annual report on the federal workforce told us about how the Feds thought of their jobs as they navigated the pandemic, an unprecedented election, and the end...

Take Muni’s Safety Survey!

Take Muni’s Safety Survey! By Greer Cowan Everyone should feel safe on Muni. Help make Muni safer by taking the SFMTA’s survey about personal safety and harassment in the Muni system. As part of the MuniSafe Safety Equity Initiative launched in August 2022, the SFMTA has partnered with the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies to better understand Muni riders’ experiences and develop safety recommendations, tools and policies aimed at preventing harassment and assault on Muni. Take the 5-minute survey Survey information will also help the SFMTA understand Muni customers’ specific safety needs and challenges, and help us identify valuable trends and patterns so we know where, when and how harassment shows up in the Muni system. Incidents often go unreported, but the SFMTA is working to change that with new reporting options. As of October 2022, Muni customers can report incidents of harassment by calling 311, using the 311 mobile app or using t...

UN chief pitches for making vaccine licenses available to India, Brazil for mass production https://ift.tt/3t08mKW

Calling for international cooperation for massive vaccination to end COVID-19, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday licenses should be made available to countries like India and Brazil that have huge production capacities. He also said every single person, including in poor countries, must be vaccinated to stop the spread of the deadly virus while asserting that humanity is at war with nature and new mutations are making the virus deadlier that may require a new vaccine every year.

Verdict in Babri mosque demolition case today; UP on high alert https://ift.tt/2SoefR3

A special court in Lucknow will deliver the much-awaited judgment on Wednesday in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case in which BJP veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi are among the accused. CBI judge SK Yadav had on September 16 directed all the 32 surviving accused to remain present in the court on the day of the judgment. The accused include former deputy prime minister Advani, former Union ministers Joshi and Uma Bharti, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, besides Vinay Katiyar and Sadhvi Rithambara.

My precise view

Search This Blog