About Genesis

GENESIS, founded in 2007, is a regional, faith and value based community organization in the Bay area affiliated with the Gamaliel Foundation, an international network of faith and value based organizations. Members represent religious congregations, associations, union locals, and other community organizations.

GENESIS is supported by membership dues, individual support, and foundation grants. Consultation and Leadership Development training is provided by the Gamaliel Foundation.

GENESIS unites people to work together and create a unified voice for social justice and public policy reform.

GENESIS is diverse in faith, race and class. It is institutionally based in low and middle income communities, committed to public action and accountability. The members of Genesis believe that all people are created equal and deserve equal rights and protections under the law. Genesis is invested in leadership development to transform the world. It’s mode of operating is organizing in powerful ways to change inequitable public policies that serve to increase poverty.

Our Vision

The vision of Genesis is that residents and communities recognize that our well-being depends on the well-being of the entire Bay Area region. We understand that social equity, inclusiveness, and equality of benefits and opportunities for all is a necessary condition of environmental sustainability and economic prosperity. Our region depends on Genesis, a regional faith and values based organization, to ensure that public policy reflects the values of justice, equity and inclusiveness.

Our Mission

Genesis is a faith and values based organization dedicated to building an inclusive San Francisco Bay Area region that works for all of its communities by bringing equality to those most vulnerable and marginalized in our region. We empower ordinary people to do extraordinary things in the pursuit of justice.

Our Organization

Officers

Chair
The Rev. Scott Denman
Vice Chair
Victoria Jimenez-Morales
Secretary
Rita Mitchell
Treasurer
TBA

Committee Chairs

Leadership Council and Clergy Recruitment
The Rev. Scott Denman
Core Team
Victoria Jimenez-Morales
Finance
TBA
Fund Raising
John Claasen
Communications
Barbara J. Fuller
Issue Task Force on Transit Equity
Michele Jordan and Mahasin Abdul-Salaam
Issue Task Force on Health
Marilyn Ababio
Lead Organizer
Mary Gonzales
Intern
Annie Dobbs-Kramer

Accomplishments

Genesis has made significant progress in the area of Transit Equity. Please see our Campaigns page to learn more about our accomplishments.

GOALS for 2009-2011:

Issues and Actions:

  1. Win a transit victory to provide new or expanded transit service to low income communities and engage hundreds of people in the process. Persuade the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to reverse their apparent priority of service expansion over sustaining present transit systems.

  2. Through Core teams, identify other social justice issues with the potential for reducing poverty in the region, for example, health care, education, affordable housing, immigration and prison reform.

Leadership Development:

  1. Recruit institutional leaders for local and national training programs to more effectively organize for social justice action.
  2. Create Core teams in all membership organizations.

Organizational Development:

  1. Recruit new member organizations, institutions and allied partners.
  2. Turnout 500 - 1,000 individuals to particular social justice actions.

Budget:

Fundraising activities that include individual pledges, grants and membership dues.

Organizational Structure:

  1. Clergy Caucus
  2. Issues Task Forces
  3. Core Teams
  4. Leadership Council
  5. African American Leadership Commission, East Bay Region

While our society believes in Scarcity, Fear and Individualism, Genesis leaders believe in Abundance, Hope and Community. Society’s belief results in public policies that advance poverty, lack of housing, education and job opportunities, and advances discrimination by race, gender and class. The faith and values of GENESIS leaders call them to act to change policies that advance these disparities. In order to be that, we are building a regional institutionally-based power organization to develop leaders and create the necessary political will.

“We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community” -- Cesar E. Chavez

“Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.” -- Martin Luther King, Jr.