Culture to Color’s Founder and CEO, Bibi LeBlanc, was honored by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for her role in producing an award-winning coloring book showcasing the history of the city’s historic Chinatown.
During the Board’s afternoon meeting on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, Supervisor Aaron Peskin presented a Certificate of Honor to LeBlanc and praised the Culture to Color book that represents the colorful culture of Chinatown in such a vivid and engaging way.
“From fortune cookie factories to the Dragon Gate on Grant Avenue to the Follies and seniors doing tai chi at Portsmouth Square—each page really captures the spirit of San Francisco’s Chinatown,” said Peskin. “So I wanted to thank Ms. LeBlanc and encourage everyone to grab a copy of the coloring book.”
The Chinatown Heritage coloring book highlights the iconic landmarks, historic sites, mouth-watering food and important figures in one of San Francisco’s most celebrated communities.
LeBlanc attended the Board of Supervisors meeting virtually, and said: “It’s been an honor to work with Betty Louie and the Foundation, and a privilege to be welcomed into the Chinatown community. I’ve very much enjoyed the chance to learn a lot about the history of this unique community, and to get a look behind the scenes, so to speak—to hear people’s stories and make new friends during my many visits to Chinatown.
The book was commissioned by the Robert Joseph Louie Memorial Fund, which is dedicated to promoting and preserving the history and culture of Chinatown, and was completed in January 2022.
During the March 1 meeting, Peskin also acknowledged and thanked the Chinatown Merchants Association, which helped coordinate the city’s Lunar New Year festivities in February and collaborated with Culture to Color on the award-winning book.
“Our goal at Culture to Color is to create coloring books that inspire and empower people to travel—whether it’s on paper, in the comfort of their home, or using the books as a guide for real-life travel,” LeBlanc told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. “With the Chinatown book, you can do either.”
Transcript of Peskin’s remarks to the Board of Supervisors, March 1, 2022
San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin began his remarks by indicating his desire “to thank and celebrate the woman who made this coloring book about San Francisco’s Chinatown: Bibi LeBlanc. She is from West Berlin, Germany, by way of Florida.
“After graduating, she became a flight attendant for Lufthansa and saw the world that way. She’s a very adventurous soul, and traveling has been a huge part of Bibi’s life. She always wanted to find a way to share her experiences with others, both as a photographer and then by making these coloring books.
“Most recently, working with Betty Louie and Eva Lee from the Chinatown Merchants Association, Bibi worked with the Chinatown community and published this book. From fortune cookie factories to the Dragon Gate on Grant Avenue to the Follies and seniors doing tai chi at Portsmouth Square—each page really captures the spirit of San Francisco’s Chinatown. So I wanted to thank Ms. LeBlanc and encourage everyone to grab a copy of the coloring book.
“Thank you, again, to the Chinatown Merchants Association, for everything you did relative to this book, and to everybody in the community for what was truly a fantastic Lunar New Year celebration and parade. Chinatown is back!”
Transcript of LeBlanc’s remarks to the Board of Supervisors, March 1, 2022
“We create and publish high-end informational, custom coloring books for destinations, towns and cities. Our most recent book release is about San Francisco’s Chinatown. I want to thank Betty Louie at the Robert Louie Memorial Fund for their trust in us and their vision for their community in commissioning this book.
“They commissioned me to do this book about a year ago, and it’s been an honor to work with Betty and the Foundation, and a privilege to be welcomed into the Chinatown community. I’ve very much enjoyed the chance to learn a lot about the history of this unique community, and to get a look behind the scenes, so to speak—to hear people’s stories and make new friends during my many visits to Chinatown.
“Our goal at Culture to Color is to create coloring books that inspire and empower people to travel—whether it’s on paper, in the comfort of their home, or using the books as a guide for real-life travel. With the Chinatown book, you can do either.
“Betty’s vision for this book was to bring people back to Chinatown after this challenging time. I wanted to thank her and the Foundation especially, and you for having me today.”