The student council and I recently attended Senator Dianne Feinstein’s memorial service on Oct. 5. It was an honor to go — we were a part of a select group invited to be there — seated behind consulates from what we discovered to be Sweden, Germany, and Spain.
The program consisted of a welcome from San Francisco Mayor London Breed, followed by speeches by Kamala Harris, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and a closing by Feinstein’s granddaughter, Eileen Mariano.
Growing up, I heard Feinstein’s name thrown around in our household a lot. Most memorably ‘Di Fi’ by my father. I met her once in a Chinese restaurant in the third grade, but that was about the most I knew.
Dianne Feinstein was the longest serving woman senator in the history of the United States (1992-2023) and was mayor of San Francisco for 10 years (1978-1988). During her time in public service, Feinstein was a champion of gun control, an early leader against HIV/AIDS, and a ringleader on equal rights for women.
When Feinstein was voted into the senate, there was only one other female senator. When she passed away, there were 25. Feinstein dedicated much of her career to lifting women up and making sure girls had a place in politics.
I spoke to California State Senator Scott Weiner while waiting to be let into the service.
“Senator Feinstein is truly an iconic leader for San Francisco and for the country — she’s really part of San Francisco’s DNA and she never really stopped being mayor,” Weiner said. “She just cared so deeply about this city and she’s one of the most effective public leaders I’ve ever seen in my entire life,”
It’s true. The impact she had on San Francisco and the whole country is extraordinary. But hearing the speeches on Thursday had a profound impact on me because I learned about the force Feinstein was. How she loved discussion, hated people who took uninformed positions on political matters, and how she sang her granddaughter ‘You Are My Sunshine’ every night before bed.
It was fascinating for me to hear things like that from Mariano — hearing about the familial life a powerhouse like Feinstein had. How she believed there was never an occasion you couldn’t wear a black pantsuit to, and how she was a gifted painter. You never think about the home lives of these people when they’re out making big decisions and representing your state.
In a way, it made the whole thing human for me. To remember her holistically. By the person she was, not just the decisions she made or the treaties she ratified.
To be able to feel this way, seated in the same room as members of the House of Congress, the Vice President of the United States, the Majority Leader of the Senate, the mayor of San Francisco, the District Attorney, and more was incredibly impactful for me. To see her remembered and celebrated from so many angles of her life was amazing.
I’ll end with what Weiner put so beautifully. “She lived an amazing life and contributed so deeply to the city and the country. And that will last forever.”
Rest in peace, Dianne Feinstein. Your memory will live on forever.
