Iqra

Pollard Place
North Beach
Tuesday morning

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San Francisco and I are caught up in an ongoing game of peek-a-boo and over the years, this everlasting dance has allowed us to witness each other’s transformation, resilience and growth. San Francisco became my playground when I immigrated here with my family at the age of 11 from Pakistan.

While the city’s spirit allowed me to fall in love with my new home very quickly, I realized that to truly love this city unconditionally, I had to accept all parts of the city; its soft core AND its rough edges. While this city has been a safe haven for my personal growth and liberation, it didn’t take very long for me to realize that it is not, in fact, an equal playing field for all who live here.

While I was able to graduate from SFUSD schools and get a HS diploma, that goal was and remains a challenge for my peers and other young people struggling to make ends meet and survive the streets of San Francisco. While I feel blessed to be able to take mural walks in the Mission and soak up the rich histories of North Beach and Chinatown, I also see my closest friends fighting to maintain and protect those boundaries from gentrification and displacement of communities.

Growing up in San Francisco and being able to witness the city’s contradictory qualities has allowed me a space to accept the city as a whole. And with this acceptance comes a sort of dedication from deep down in my belly—this commitment in transforming this city to become an equal playing field for all who call it home—so that this city’s heartbeat can be heard and felt inside all of us.

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You can see a slideshow of Iqra’s photoshoot here.