Quote Wall

Josephine's schools outperformed the district every year she ran them. The data shows what everyone who worked with her already knew: she was extraordinary.

Mom, you were the youngest principal in the district and the best one. You always said being first only matters if you open the door behind you. You did.

She trained me how to facilitate community arts workshops. Everything I know about working with young people, I learned by watching her.

Lilly saw the city the way other people see a canvas. Everything was potential. Everything was possible. She made you see it too.

She organized the entire East Oakland Clean-Up Campaign in 2018 in three weeks using nothing but a group chat and sheer force of will.

I volunteered at her initiative for five years. She paid attention to every single kid who walked in. She never let anyone feel invisible.

Lilly could look at a blank wall and see a finished painting. She could look at a struggling teenager and see exactly who they were going to become. Both were gifts.

She was my best friend from the seventh grade. I still can't believe she's gone. She was so alive. The most alive person I've ever known.

She called me at 11pm to talk about a grant application and then stayed on the phone for two hours helping me write it. That was Lilly. Always giving more than you asked for.

She was on the phone organizing something until the day she couldn't get out of bed. Even then, she was giving directions from under a pile of blankets.

He gave my son free lessons for three years because he said the boy had something. My son is now performing professionally. Sam never let me pay him back.

Dad taught me guitar when I was six. He said music was the only language that doesn't require translation. I think about that every time I play.

Nora Burns wrote clearer sentences than any philosopher I have ever read. Clarity, she said, is a form of respect for the reader. She never disrespected a reader.

She came to my dissertation defense when she was already ill and sat in the front row. She asked the final question. It was perfect. That was Nora.

She showed up to every student presentation regardless of the topic. She said listening was the most important professional skill and she practiced it accordingly.

Aunt Nora used to send us philosophy puzzles at Christmas instead of cards. We complained. Now I understand she was giving us the better gift.

She was my doctoral supervisor and the most intellectually honest person I have ever met. If she didn't know something, she said so. In academia, that is almost revolutionary.

Nora reviewed my dissertation at a critical moment and saved me from a serious error. She did it with such grace that I didn't feel embarrassed — I felt grateful.