On a recent Saturday morning, Theresa Sparks strode into Rasselas Jazz Club in the Fillmore in her size 11 leopard-print flats, peeled off her sunglasses, and sized up a tough room. It had been just seven weeks since she had started her new job as the director of the Human Rights Commission, the agency that boosts the ability of small, locally owned businesses to compete for city contracts and subcontracts. She had been invited to speak by the African American Democratic Club to answer one main question: What did this mayor-appointed white lady raking in a $167,000 salary plan to do to get... More >>>