• Berkeley

    81-Year-Old Black Woman Wins Powerball’s $336 Million Prize By: Claudio E. Cabrera

    by  • March 7, 2012 • Bay Area, Berkeley, General Articles, Marin County News, News Articles, Oakland News Articles, Richmond News, San Francisco, South County, Special Interests Articles

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    An 81-year-old Rhode Island woman is the sole winner of the $336 million Powerball prize, according to ABC News. Louise White, who is African American and of Newport, became the winner of the third-largest Powerball prize ever. “I want to say that I’m very happy and I’m very proud. This will make my family...

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    Teacher Suspended for ‘Little Chocolate Boy’ Comment   By: Claudio E. Cabrera

    by  • March 7, 2012 • Bay Area, Berkeley, Education, General Articles, Marin County News, News Articles, Oakland News Articles, Politics and Government, Richmond News, San Francisco, Special Interests Articles

    Leslie-rainer

    An African-American teacher in south Florida has been suspended in response to claims that she called a Haitian boy “the little chocolate boy nobody wanted.” Leslie Rainer, 46, was suspended for 10 days without pay following a hearing with the Broward County School Board. She allegedly has a history of anti-Haitian comments, having told...

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    Obama Harvard Video Released, Shows Young Obama At 1991 Protest For Derrick Bell, Diversity

    by  • March 7, 2012 • Bay Area, Berkeley, General Articles, Marin County News, News Articles, Politics and Government, Richmond News, San Francisco, South County, Vallejo News

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    Before Andrew Breitbart’s unexpected death, the conservative blogger and journalist had promised to release video footage of President Barack Obama that he said would change the election. Now, BuzzFeed has unearthed the video it believes Breitbart was referring to, according to the site’s editor-in-chief, Ben Smith. If this is indeed the footage in question,...

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    Report Finds Systemic Foreclosure Irregularities

    by  • March 4, 2012 • Berkeley, General Articles, Marin County News, Oakland News Articles, Post News Feature Story, Richmond News, San Francisco, South County, Vallejo News

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    By Tanya Dennis San Francisco County officials recently turned over an audit report to Attorney General Kamala Harris and the San Francisco District Attorney last week regularities in 99 percent of foreclosed homes that were audited. The study, commissioned by Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting, and compiled by Aequitas Compliance Solutions, a mortgage regulatory compliance firm,...

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    City Leaders Host African American Commissioners

    by  • March 4, 2012 • Berkeley, General Articles, Marin County News, Oakland News Articles, Post News Feature Story, Richmond News, San Francisco, South County, Vallejo News

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    By Carla Thomas Mayor Ed Lee and Supervisor Malia Cohen hosted a private reception this week honoring San Francisco’s current African American commissioners. “This is like a family meeting to stress the importance of our collective responsibilities to move our community forward,” said Supervisor Cohen at the reception on Monday evening, Feb. 27 at...

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    Masons Gear Up for Election 2012

    by  • March 4, 2012 • Berkeley, General Articles, Marin County News, Oakland News Articles, Post News Feature Story, Richmond News, San Francisco, South County, Vallejo News

    Features 1 1

    By Mister Phillips, Esq. The California political director of President Obama’s reelection campaign spoke recently at the homecoming dinner of Monarch Lodge #73 to build support for the campaign. Peggy Moore, state director of Organizing for America, spoke at the Feb. 17 dinner about Obama’s accomplishments. including historic health care reform and encouraged the...

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    Godfather Jerrold Hatchett Holds Birthday Fundraiser

    by  • March 4, 2012 • Berkeley, General Articles, Marin County News, News Articles, Oakland News Articles, Richmond News, San Francisco, South County

    News 3

    By Kia Croom Jerrold Hatchett, known and loved throughout the Richmond community as “the Godfather,” celebrated his 60th birthday with a benefit for the Juneteenth Family Day, Parade & Festival that will take place this summer. The birthday celebration, attended by more than more 600 of Hatchett’s co-workers, relatives and friends, was held Feb....

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    Speaker Addresses “The Attack on Women”

    by  • March 4, 2012 • Berkeley, General Articles, Marin County News, News Articles, Oakland News Articles, Richmond News, San Francisco, South County, Vallejo News

    News 2

    Dr. Carole Joffe of UC San Francisco’s Bixby Center for Reproductive Health will speak 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 28 on the “The Attack on Women” – birth control, choice and other women’s issues arising from the race for the White House. Dr. Joffe will be the speaker at the monthly meeting of the Berkeley-East...

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    Hancock Introduces “Homeowner Bill of Rights”

    by  • March 4, 2012 • Berkeley, General Articles, Marin County News, News Articles, Oakland News Articles, Richmond News, San Francisco, South County

    News 1

    Senator Loni Hancock (D-Oakland) announced this week she is introducing two bills to protect homeowners and tenants from unfair and unethical practices by banks and mortgage companies. The Hancock legislation is part of the six-bill package known as the “California Homeowner Bill of Rights,” unveiled Wednesday by Attorney General Kamala Harris and legislative leaders...

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    Chevron Celebrates Black History Scholarship Winners

    by  • March 4, 2012 • Berkeley, General Articles, Oakland News Articles, Richmond News, San Francisco, South County, Special Interests Articles

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    Chevron’s Black History Awareness Celebration on Feb. 22 highlighted the 2012 recipients of the William King Scholarship awards. Four awards were given to seniors from local high schools: Arianna Bell and Sydney Taylor from Salesian High, Darren Sims from Hercules High and Jael Agbabiaka from Middle College High in San Pablo. Latressa Alford from...

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    Multi-Ethnic Hall of Fame Hosts John Carlos

    by  • March 4, 2012 • Berkeley, General Articles, Marin County News, Oakland News Articles, Richmond News, San Francisco, South County, Special Interests Articles

    Article 4

    The Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame and Everett & Jones hosted about 100 people at reception and book signing Feb. 16 for 1968 Olympian John Carlos at Everett & Jones in Oakland. Carlos signed his book, “The John Carlos Story,” which is in its second printing. The event was held as an Olympian Reunion...

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    Economics of Happiness Conference in Berkeley

    by  • February 25, 2012 • Berkeley, General Articles, Special Interests Articles

    Helena Norberg-Hodge

    An Economics of Happiness conference will bring together respected thinkers and activists in the worldwide localization movement to focus on an agenda for change—away from jobless growth towards sustainable livelihoods; from large-scale sweatshops towards scaled-down business; from a globalized system of inequality towards an economics of happiness. The three-day event will be held March...

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    Freedman’s Bank Still Connecting Families

    by  • February 25, 2012 • Bay Area, Berkeley, Featured, February 24 2012, Oakland News Articles, Post News Feature Story, Richmond News, San Francisco, South County, Vallejo News

    Darius Gray copy

    Editor’s note: In partnership with the Deseret News, we bring you this story about how the Mormon church digitized the Freedman’s Bank Records as a resource to unite African American families.   Part I By Trent Toone, Deseret News The cousins from New Jersey can still vividly recall a day two years ago when...

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    Black Music and Social Movements

    by  • February 23, 2012 • Berkeley, News Articles

    Howard Wiley

    Saxophonist and composer Howard Wiley is presenting a musical trip through the 20th Century, exploring the impact of Black music on American culture, highlighted by The Angola Project, a tribute to the music of Angola State Prison. Wiley and guest speaker, Ethnomusicologist Daniel Atkinson (of the Angola Project and Smithsonian Institute), will explore the...

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    John Collins, Buffalo Soldier, Rode a War Horse

    by  • February 9, 2012 • Berkeley, February 24 2012, John Collins, Oakland News Articles, Richmond News, San Francisco

    By Paul Cobb While the Black Tuskegee airmen were shooting down planes and patrolling the skies with their red tails in the European Theater of Operations, the all-Black US Army Buffalo Soldier Division, trained to fight from the backs of war horses, arrived in Africa in 1943, at two locations, Casablanca, Morocco and Oran,...

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    Why Banks Won’t Modify Loans

    by  • February 8, 2012 • Berkeley, Oakland News Articles

    By Tanya Dennis People may wonder why some homeowners in need never seem to obtain loan modifications from their banks. Though they submit the paperwork, it is lost over and over again, and they are asked to resubmit the application.The whole process becomes clearer when we hear what home loan modification expert Catherine Gheen...

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    John Collins, Buffalo Soldier, Rode a War Horse

    by  • February 8, 2012 • Berkeley, February 24 2012, Marin County News, Oakland News Articles, Richmond News, San Francisco

    By Paul Cobb While the Black Tuskegee airmen were shooting down planes and patrolling the skies with their red tails in the European Theater of Operations, the all-Black US Army Buffalo Soldier Division, trained to fight from the backs of war horses, arrived in Africa in 1943, at two locations, Casablanca, Morocco and Oran,...

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    WWII Airmen Fought for Equal Rights

    by  • February 7, 2012 • Berkeley, February 24 2012, Marin County News, Oakland News Articles, Richmond News, South County

    By Michael K. Martin, Legal Editor With the observance of the birth anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the release of the historical film “Red Tails,” thoughts turn to the Freeman Field Mutiny of 1945.  The Freeman Field Mutiny was a rebellion by Black members of the U.S, Army Air Corps,...

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    Tuskegee Airmen Are Action Heroes in “Red Tails”

    by  • February 7, 2012 • Berkeley, February 24 2012, Marin County News, Oakland News Articles, Richmond News, San Francisco

    By Lee Hubbard The Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black pilots in the Armed Forces during World War II, flew over 1,500 missions and shot down more than 100 German aircraft between 1943 and 1945, including three of the first German jets ever used in combat. Their planes – P-51 Mustangs were painted with a...

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    Young Adults Complete Project SEARCH Internships

    by  • February 7, 2012 • Berkeley, Featured, February 24 2012, Oakland News Articles, Richmond News, San Francisco

    Ten young adults with developmental disabilities are being honored this week at a graduation ceremony for completing yearlong internships with Alameda County as part of a special collaboration that provides on-the-job experience for individuals with special needs. The graduates are the second group to complete their internships with the county as part of its Project...

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    Alas, Etta James, the Queen of Blues, Who Started Here, Has Gone

    by  • February 7, 2012 • Berkeley, February 24 2012, Oakland News Articles, Richmond News, San Francisco

    By Marc H. Morial, President and CEONational Urban League “At last…My love has come along. My lonely days are over.  And life is like a song.”  Etta James’ signature hit record, “At Last.”On January 20, the legendary matriarch of the Blues, Etta James, died at the age of 73 in her hometown of Riverside,...

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    Oakland Schools Seeking Diverse Teachers

    by  • February 7, 2012 • Berkeley, Education, Oakland News Articles

     To meet the needs of Oakland students, local educators have developed a recruitment and development pipeline so students of color can see and connect with adults with common experiences.  Teach Tomorrow in Oakland (TTO)— which began as a partnership between former Mayor Dellums’ office and the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD)—is committed to recruiting...

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    Swanson’s Hearing on School Takeovers

    by  • February 7, 2012 • Berkeley, Featured, Oakland News Articles

    Assemblymember Sandré Swanson, Chair of the Select Committee on State School Financial Takeovers, is holding a hearing this week to discuss “State Receivership: The Experiences of Bay Area School Districts – What Works, What Doesn’t, and How to Improve the System.“The hearing is the second in a series of statewide investigative meetings conducted by...

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    Governor’s Budget Hurts the Most Vulnerable, Say County Officials

    by  • January 21, 2012 • Berkeley, Oakland News Articles, Richmond News, San Francisco

    Alameda County officials are concerned that Governor Brown’s latest budget proposal –containing deep cuts to welfare, health care, childcare and in-home care programs – will disproportionately impact the community’s most  vulnerable residents. While crediting the Governor with offering a balanced approach of voter-approved tax increases and program cuts to close the State’s $9.2 billion shortfall...

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    Cuban Doctors in Forefront of Haiti’s Fight Against Cholera

    by  • January 9, 2012 • Berkeley, Oakland News Articles, Philanthropy

    As Haiti’s fight against cholera continues, it appears Cuban doctors are leading the way when it comes to aid.Over the last two years, Haiti’s earthquake and subsequent cholera epidemic have ravished the country’s population, but doctors from Cuba have never waned in their medical support for the country.More than 476,000 people in Haiti have...

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    California’s Pre-existing Health Condition Plan Gets New Funds

    by  • January 3, 2012 • Berkeley, Oakland News Articles, Richmond News

    California will receive $118 million in federal funds to add to its 2012 coverage of adults with pre-existing medical conditions.The state-run, federally funded Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan was created last year to insure the uninsurable – those who because of their medical conditions have been denied coverage by insurers or who have had to...

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    NAACP Goes to UN to Defend Voting Rights

    by  • January 3, 2012 • Berkeley, Oakland News Articles, Richmond News, San Francisco, South County

    The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is petitioning the UN over what it sees as a concerted effort to disenfranchise Black and Latino voters ahead of next year’s presidential election.T he NAACP recently presented  evidence to the UN high commissioner on human rights of what it contends is a conscious...

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    Master Seals Praise Dancing Angels

    by  • January 3, 2012 • Berkeley, Oakland News Articles, San Francisco

    By Ashley Chambers Praise dancers at Master Seals Worship Center in Oakland celebrated their Pastor and his wife’s one-year anniversary on Sunday, December 4. Pastor Tyrone Hall and Apostle Peggy Hall were showered with words of endearment and musical praise from several distinguished pastors and their congregations.The Bishop T.L. Smith Angels danced to the...

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