Mary Claire Amable

Known around the neighborhood as Claire, Amable is a first generation Filipina-American born and raised in the heart of the Tenderloin. Her great grandfather immigrated to the US in the 20’s to work on the sugarcane plantations in Hawaii while her grandfather immigrated to San Francisco in the 70’s after the Vietnam War, bringing Claire's father and his six siblings. Claire moved back and forth bettheyen the Tenderloin and SoMa for most of her life, putting down roots in both neighborhoods. She currently lives and works in SoMa while most of her family still live in the TL. 
 
She graduated from The Woodside International School in 2014 and is currently a senior at San Francisco State University double-majoring in Urban Planning and Asian American Studies. With her degrees, she hopes to create positive change in her communities by writing policies that benefit and are reflective of the people and neighborhoods she represents.
 
Spending much of her time at the South of Market Community Action Network/SOMCAN as part of the City recognized group YOHANA, Amable is now the Transit Justice Organizer at SOMCAN (insert link here). Amable has worked on several successful campaigns and co-designed programs that champion the growth of native and immigrant born San Francisco youth that strive to improve their quality of life.
 
Also active in city politics, she was appointed in 2016 to represent district six on the Youth Commission. For the two years, she has been able to work at City Hall, in various spaces of the South of Market and larger San Francisco communities of color.
 
Claire is also a practicing artist and writer, having recent projects with the Asian Art Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Kearny Street Workshop, and Bindlestiff Studio. She enjoys hiking, the outdoors, cooking, and encourages a well rounded life of purpose and joy.

(Words by Claire)