You can often see Antoinette aka “Auntie” out and about in the Haight, smiling hello, laughing with friends and strangers alike. Every Saturday morning you’ll find her outside her home here on Ashbury giving out food to those in need. We had a chance to sit with Auntie and learn a bit more about this vibrant woman.
HSV: How long have you lived in this building?
A: I was born in this building. Actually born on this floor we’re sitting on! My grandmother brought me to the planet in 1958. I’m 64.
HSV: When did your family come here?
A: The house was built around 1898. My grandmother bought it in 1943 and brought her children here. Her husband had died and she moved to California from Texas.
HSV: What it was like growing up here?
A: There were all kinds of families, they weren’t all black. I went to St. Agnes, the Catholic school right up the street, across from the Grateful Dead house. I was 10 in 1968, and I’ve been this person ever since. I love my neighborhood now and I loved it when I grew up. I’ve seen it change so many times. I think right now it’s okay.
HSV: Do you feel the spirit of your family in here?
A: I think my grandmother smiles at me all the time.
HSV: Tell me about the food service you do.
A: It’s a nonprofit called Third Parent Family [https://www.thirdparentfamily.com/]. We do it every Saturday from 10:30am to about 2pm. I’m so proud of how it’s grown.
HSV: There are so many people here like you who are welcoming, not judging people just because they’re in need or not housed. Where did the name “Auntie” originate?
A: All these kids started calling me Auntie, so then I started calling myself Auntie! I’ll take care of you but I’m not your mom. I’m a triple Cancer, so I do for my people. If I see somebody and they’re sad, I’m gonna stop and say something to them even if I don’t know them.
HSV: The Haight Ashbury actually has a kind of feminine, all-encompassing, embracing, welcoming energy to her.
A: This is a female energy! That’s because she’s a love child and that tends to be female. My grandmother bought this house, my mother had the house, and now I do. This house came from the female.
HSV: What does “Season of the Witch” mean to you?
A: I don’t think of myself as witchy, but I definitely have some power. I know women here that have power: Amal is one, Sunny’s another …
HSV: Nute at Love of Ganesha …
A: She’s definitely one! She’s power. I love that woman. She’s been a real inspiration to me. And I love her daughter, Pai.
HSV: Yes! AndUti at Piedmont, Cassie at Pipe Dreams, Cynthia at Psychedelic SF Gallery. What would you like to say to women reading this?
A: Be YOU. You have something to offer, share it. Don’t be scared to share. We are mothers if we have children or not. Mother Earth. We’re nature. We nurture. I am proud of the women in my neighborhood. I really am.
