In an emotional service Sunday, outgoing San Francisco Mayor London Breed received an outpouring of gratitude during a service at the Tenderloin’s Glide Memorial Church, a historic institution she credits as a cornerstone of both her personal journey and mayoral legacy.
Dr. Gina Fromer, Glide Foundation’s CEO, praised Breed’s leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic, saying her decisive early actions “saved countless lives.” Glide chief program officer Lillian Mark recalled watching Breed announce the shelter-in-place order from Glide’s conference room, describing it as both “scary” and “a call to action.”
The service featured performances from the Glide Ensemble choir and the Change Band, alongside testimonials from community leaders. Del Seymour, known as the “Mayor of the Tenderloin” and founder of Code Tenderloin, praised Breed’s authentic connection to the community.
“I first met London Breed when she was two years into her term as supervisor,” Seymour said, recounting how she responded to a 2016 shooting in which four young Black men were killed. “She said, ‘Those were my kids — all the young Black men and women in the Fillmore are my kids.’ I fell in love with her that day.”
The celebration highlighted Breed’s deep connections to Glide, where her grandmother once advised her to seek help if she ever needed it. “Go find Cecil Williams at Glide,” Breed recalled her grandmother saying, referring to the church’s legendary leader.
Speaking from the pulpit after a series of tributes from church leaders, Breed reflected on her six and a half years as the city’s first Black woman mayor, emphasizing how her challenging upbringing informed her leadership through unprecedented crises, including the pandemic and the fentanyl epidemic.
“I didn’t set out to be mayor, but there was a reason,” Breed said, insisting that her time in office was informed by her values and convictions.
“When you’re running a city of this magnitude with people of all walks of life, from all different situations, there is a need to understand what it feels to live like that, listen to people who are living like that and do the right thing, not just for policy decisions,” she said. “You do not do this job in fear of losing it.”
Breed emphasized that while challenges remain, particularly around addiction and recovery, the city has made unprecedented investments in community programs and abstinence-based recovery through the public health system.
“The decisions they make, the investments they make, can have a far-reaching positive impact,” Breed said of city leaders, encouraging continued support for community organizations. “It’s about the opportunities that God blesses you with so that you could be a blessing to someone else.”
During her tenure, Breed noted, the city increased shelter capacity by more than 70% and permanent supportive housing by more than 50%, helping thousands of people exit homelessness. She also highlighted 2024’s lowest homicide rate since the 1960s and said overall crime rates are at an 11-year low.
Church leaders highlighted Breed’s support for Glide’s programs, including the Cecil Williams Community Ambassador initiative, which deploys trained individuals to assist vulnerable residents within a 10-block radius of the church.
The service concluded with the congregation extending their hands toward Breed in prayer, led by Glide Minister of Celebration Marvin K. White, who predicted that her future impact would extend beyond her mayoral tenure.
“She is stepping into a name that she doesn’t even know exists yet,” White said. “We know and believe that she was sent here to walk amongst the people and change lives.”
Parishioner Cheryl Sinclair — who noted that Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie’s tour of Glide’s facilities and attendance at its November holiday celebration hinted at continued engagement with the institution’s mission of “unconditional love and radical inclusivity” — showered praise on Breed.
“We’re so lucky to have had London Breed here as our mayor,” Sinclair said. “She grew up here. She was raised on Glide, and everybody always said to her when she was coming up, ‘Get to Glide, you know, if you need something, you go to Glide.'”
Parishioner Bobby Avila said Breed’s commitment to vulnerable communities resonated deeply with him, as well as her consistent engagement at community events.
“I’ve lived here since 1980, and I’ve gone through many mayors. Of all the mayors that I’ve gone through, I think for me, London Breed is the mayor,” Avila said, pointing to the city’s establishment of a permanent home for the GLBT Historical Society, as well as an LGBTQ history museum and archival center on Market Street later this year.
“She will always be my mayor,” he said. “I just love her.”
