Celebrating Culture and Community on a Cable Car

Specially decorated cable cars climb the hills of San Francisco throughout the year in honor of different communities and cultures. It's one of the ways the SFMTA celebrates the diversity of its staff and of the city. 

In this episode of Taken with Transportation, host Melissa Culross rides the cars decorated in honor of Filipino American History Month and Native American Heritage Month and talks with Cable Car Division Manager Fred Butler, SFMTA Board of Directors member Lydia So and various agency staffers about the heritage cable car program.

Transcript

MELISSA CULROSS, HOST: At any point throughout the year, you might notice a cable car climbing the hills of San Francisco that looks a little different…and for at least one run…is full of SFMTA staffers.

MATTIE RANCE: It was a nice ride. I felt like a tourist.

MELISSA: Welcome to TAKEN WITH TRANSPORTATION, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s official podcast. I’m your host, Melissa Culross. It’s a sunny Wednesday in early November, and a specially decorated car is about to leave the cable car barn on Nob Hill. 

KIM SHREE MAUFAS: We’re a small and mighty bunch, here to commemorate Native American Heritage Month…the launch cable car ride. Let’s give it a round of applause.

MELISSA: Introducing this ride is Kim-Shree Maufas, former Equitable Workforce and Workplace Manager in the SFMTA’s Office of Racial Equity and Belonging. The agency dresses up a cable car almost every month to celebrate the different cultures and ethnicities that make it and San Francisco so amazing. 

KIM SHREE: These heritage car rides…it creates a sense a belonging for all of our staff. And we highlight particular heritage months, and it lifts community, and it tells our, our staff and colleagues that “You belong, and here let’s show it off. And thank you, thank you, thank you for coming. Thank you, thank you for working with us. Thank you, thank you for being together. Thank you for sharing your culture, your heritage.”

MELISSA: This is all the brainchild of Cable Car Division Manager Fred Butler who came up with the idea in early 2022.

FRED BUTLER: We’d normally decorate a car for the Lunar New Year, and I sat back and was like, “We should do something for every type of person that’s here at the agency.” And seeing that February was, you know. Black History Month, I said, “Let’s do a Black history car.”

MELISSA: Butler worked with the Office of Racial Equity and Belonging to develop the concept and a new tradition was born. There actually were two Black History Month cable cars to kick things off last year, and they were a hit both with staff and riders.

FRED: The operators, like, took such pride in helping to decorate that and bring in, like, their own material. They would request to have those cars when they’re operating. The people were like, “Wow, like this is amazing.” You know, when we have decorated cars, no matter what, they’re like, “I’ll wait for this one!” And, and I think it’s pretty cool that everybody’s, like, receptive to it.

MELISSA: Now…in addition to Christmas and the Lunar New Year…the agency designates and decks out cable cars in honor of various heritage and equity months throughout the year, including Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Women’s History Month and Arab American-Middle Eastern Heritage Month, just to name a few. Butler says preparing the heritage cable cars begins with choosing which specific cars to use and making sure they’re ready to be decorated.

FRED: The next step would be to identify the operator who is gonna operate those cars, and for the most part, they’ve actually came to me, seeing that I just put it out there, like, “Hey, you know, it’s Latin American month, and…” [Then an operator says] “Wait a minute, I want to do it!” And then for them to tell their story or their, their family story, I think that speaks volumes about, like, just the preparation of this whole thing.”

MELISSA: Staff from the Office of Racial Equity and Belonging do the decorating, along with volunteers, and then the cars are set to go.

FRED: It’s a lot of preparation, but it’s like rewarding, like, uh, it doesn’t even feel like work. And, like, you know the upkeep, my god. Cause these decorations, they go through all weather like the operators do, right, but I think the, the operators fare better than the decorations. So, we try to upkeep that, as well, so it looks just as good as it went out when it comes in.”

MELISSA: And to be clear, these heritage cable cars are not ONLY for people who work at the SFMTA to enjoy. Kim-Shree Maufas.

KIM SHREE: The first launch ride is just for staff and special guests, and then we run the car for a month. So, we’ll see many members of the public trying to get on, and that’s the time I tell them, “You’ll have an opportunity to ride this very car tonight or tomorrow. It’ll be out on the road going up and down the streets of San Francisco.”

MELISSA The decorations consist mostly of panels featuring portraits of notable people, both living and from the past, who share the heritage being celebrated.

KIM SHREE: It kinda gives me chills to think about all the, the richness. We just didn’t come to being today. We stand on the shoulders of many, many others who have helped move us along. It’s just so beautiful to see. All the diversity that’s the with the heritage month that we’re highlighting but also within the SFMTA. And what we really love is that we highlight, look for and highlight San Franciscans, Bay Area natives who are also part of the rich history and culture that we’re highlighting. So, I’m grateful for that. And then we always do a banner. A dedicated banner that can ride on the back of the cable car just to highlight it. So, members of the public know why this car is decorated like this, what’s so special about it. And we used to have a banner that covered back, but we also wanted to be safe. So, we reduced the size of the size of the banner, so we always have this “Do not pass the cable car” just for safety.

MELISSA: Not only did we at Taken with Transportation have the chance to take the Native American Heritage Cable Car launch ride, but we also hopped on board the Filipino American History Cable Car launch ride in October along with SFMTA Board of Directors member Lydia So.

LYDIA SO: This event is amazing. It kind of brings everyone together, and I really loved it. And also, being part of the AAPI community, I love that we elevate everybody’s voices, and I just love the Filipino culture, and everyone show up today, it really speaks a lot of unity in the agency. And I really feel the love and support from everyone, not just Filipino American, but it’s actually everyone. All colors and all spectrum of the responsibility of the organization that make me feel…I’m really happy and proud to be here.

MELISSA: Director So joined the Board in July and sees these heritage and equity cable car rides as more than symbolic.

DIRECTOR SO: Equity is everything in transportation, really, because transportation brings everyone together. And I really believe that everyone should ride Muni. Everyone should get on the cable car and light rail. And it’s one of the places where people can actually meet and cross-pollinate our culture and understanding. And I really hope to see more of us getting on these cable car, Muni and, uh, light rail and actually with a smiley face and open to have a friendly dialogue with each other. And it’s not about who you are; it’s about what value you bring to the community.

MELISSA: Every heritage car launch ride goes from the cable car barn to the Powell Street turnaround and then up to Ghirardelli Square. Music wafts from the car to the sidewalks it passes, and the atmosphere is that of camaraderie and good cheer as colleagues take a midday break and connect...including Transit Supervisor Mattie Rance who was on board the Filipino American History cable car. So, you did the whole ride with us. What was that like for you?

MATTIE RANCE: It was a nice ride. I felt like a tourist. I think it’s, it’s wonderful. Inclusivity and, you know, just letting everybody know that we’re all in this together.

MELISSA: SFMTA executive secretary Sophia Simpliciano also has joined this launch ride.

SOPHIA SIMPLICIANO: It’s heartening to know that we’re actually celebrating our heritage, the Filipino heritage, ‘cause there’s quite a few Filipino Americans that work at the agency, and it’s just nice that we’re recognizing it and giving it, you know… I know a lot of people couldn’t be here today, and the ones that are here…yay! I’m glad everyone got out because it was spirited, and it, it’s a nice chance to…it’s like a treat for us.

MELISSA: Like Director So, Simpliciano notes that each of these rides really is about the SFMTA, as a whole, not just those whose heritage is being celebrated.

SOPHIA: Having the equity cars just adds another flavor to the agency. It’s another aspect, another, you know, another facet, and a lot of people recognize the need for diversity at the agency, and not just the agency but the city, and overall San Francisco. So, it just gives us a chance, opens up our eyes to things that we would normally not really pay attention to, and that’s always nice. That’s always a plus.

MELISSA: And while on the Native American Heritage Month cable car ride, we chat with Maisha Tawasha, who works in the agency’s peer assistance program and takes ALL these launch rides.

MAISHA TAWASHA: So I feel it’s just important to represent all the different, you know, racial groups that are, make up SFMTA. That’s what makes, I think, MTA so great and San Francisco so great. You know, being a native of San Francisco, I’ve, you know, been raised around so many different cultures and racial identities, and, yeah, it’s just a really cool kinda time to get out of the office. We all kinda, you know, talk, hang out, read literature, listen to music, and it’s kinda like a celebration of, you know, whatever culture we’re representing that month.

MELISSA: She adds that staffers get so much from these rides.

MAISHA: Being aware of the different cultures and different identities and building relationships with people that you might not have a relationship with that’s from a different ethnic background is huge. The more we can all be together, get along, celebrate each other, then it’s just best for everybody.

MELISSA: The heritage cable cars are now two years old….and we ask Kim-Shree Maufas what might be next for this program.

KIM SHREE: Our hope is that we expand it to our other Muni vehicles. I can see some of these on our trolley cars, the F line. I can see some of this on our LRVs. But this is just so other staff and other members of the public get a chance to experience how we celebrate culture here at the SFMTA, uplift and highlight the diversity of our agency, and share. So, looking forward to when we have an opportunity to do that, to spread the love, spread the culture, spread the diversity and spread the celebration.

MELISSA: Fred Butler adds to that.

FRED: The one thing I’m looking forward to is how do we expand more in the community, and what it can bring for the agency. I think what I mean by saying that is that, you know, it’s also a good way of recruiting people to come work for the agency, no matter what capacity. And showing them, like, “Hey, you’re not just driving a bus here. You’re not just driving a train here. You’re actually just trying to make an impact not only yourself but your community, as well, you know. Um, I’m hoping that the networking part of this, this whole equity car ride and, like, having an understanding for all the different cultures and being inclusive and, and making everything equitable will help make it a lot easier to come to work. Happy to come to work, you know. Like building morale, that’s the whole thing.”

MELISSA: Thank you for joining us on TAKEN WITH TRANSPORTATION. We’re a production of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, and you can find the latest episodes at SFMTA.com-slash-Podcast, as well as Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen. I’m Melissa Culross. Be well and travel well.