Laid Off Teacher Fights to Save Home

Posted on January 18, 2013 by abhatt

Gaylynne Hudson and supporters celebrate in front of the Wells Fargo Bank branch on Fruitvale Avenue in Oakland after learning the sale of her home has been postponed. Back Row (L to R) Gaylynne Hudson and Ann Colten. Front Row (L to R) Barbara Jean Knox, Marianne Etlinger and Dan Spalding.

By Danielle
Savage

Gaylynne Hudson, a laid off teacher who lives in Oakland, was facing immediate foreclosure of her home. With the help of friends who marched into Wells Fargo Bank, she was able to head off the auction of her house, winning a short-term extension.
She has been struggling to avert foreclosure on her Fruitvale District home since 2010.
Hours before Hudson’s home was scheduled to be auctioned, Hudson and about 25 others on Monday, Jan. 7 entered the Wells Fargo Bank at 3450 Fruitvale Ave. in Oakland.
“We started to call the bank’s manager and the loan representatives on our cell phones. They began to bring police. Then they locked the doors, then they brought more police,” said Jessie Ortiz, former colleague of Hudson’s at the Oakland Unified School District.
“We began to chant songs. By then there were no more customers in the bank – it was just us and the police. We weren’t going to commit any felony, said Ortiz.
“We did get a postponement for a month. We got to speak with somebody quite high up. I think this has kind of made them a bit scared.” Hudson noted.
Wells Fargo spokesperson Mariana Phipps said the bank’s mortgage division was looking into Hudson’s case.
“They haven’t been following the law,” said Hudson, referring to the Homeowner’s Bill of Rights, which went into to effect Jan. 1, only six days before the scheduled auction of Hudson’s home.
The new Homeowner’s Bill of Rights is a set of laws, backed by Attorney General Kamala Harris, that tries to halt mortgage fraud, prevent arbitrary evictions and ensure fair lending and borrowing practices for homeowners.
“The bank has been trying to sell my house for eight months. I made payments on time until I lost my job, and I have done everything I can,” she said. “There is not really any human element. The system is so complex that you can’t even figure it out,” she continued.
Hudson said she had been in a forbearance agreement with Wells Fargo—under which she made payments towards her mortgage—for six months, and once the agreement expired, she requested a new application package.
While negotiating for a renewal of her payment agreement with Wells Fargo, Hudson said she has also had to deal with collection agencies and law firms acting on behalf of the bank.
“This is about people being forced out of their own homes,” said Hudson. “I’m going to continue to fight not just for myself but for other people.”
Hudson has been supported by Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) in Oakland, which can be contacted at (510) 269-4692.

Peralta’s $250,000 Anonymous Gift

Posted on January 18, 2013 by abhatt

Romeo Garcia, the new executive director of the Peralta Colleges Foundation is all smiles as he holds a check for $250,000.

Gay Plair Cobb

Special to the Post

It was Jan. 3, the first day back from a week off for the holidays for Romeo Garcia, the new executive director of the Peralta Colleges Foundation,
Going through his mail, Garcia opened an envelope from the San Francisco Foundation that contained a check for $250,000. He was astonished.
Peralta Colleges Foundation had not even submitted a formal request for funding.
When he read the accompanying letter, he learned an anonymous donor decided to support the foundation with a quarter-million dollar gift for “general support.”
Because he was active in raising funds before, Garcia was aware of the practice of anonymous giving but never had received a gift of this magnitude.
He remembered that in mid-December three Peralta Colleges Foundation board members met with the San Francisco Foundation to discuss how the Peralta foundation helps with student scholarships and other awards for students at the four Peralta Colleges – Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, and Laney and Merritt Colleges in Oakland.
They discussed goals for 2013 and the challenges the foundation faced in fundraising. No money was requested. The speakers simply wanted to begin the conversation about the need for funds to support community college students.
After happily celebrating this windfall, Garcia called Karen Friedman, co-president of Peralta Colleges Foundation.
“That’s a mistake, right?” she asked. Garcia said, “No, it’s the real thing.”
Garcia then called other foundation board members, including Gay Cobb, and Co-President Gary Foss, who had met with the San Francisco Foundation.
Board members thought gift might be the result of a long-standing relationship that Cobb has with the San Francisco Foundation, including as a member of their Board of Directors for 10 years. But no one really knows who donated the money.
The happy mystery remains, although Friedman is sure that “Gay (Cobb) was instrumental in our getting the grant from the San Francisco Foundation.”
The badly needed funds will be used to build the capacity of the foundation to help students in need.
The money will help create an alumni database to encourage tens of thousands of former students to help today’s students with the high cost of education.
“These funds will help us … increase funding for scholarships and initiatives that promote student success,” said Garcia.

Dr. Muntu Davis Leads HIV/AIDS Training

Posted on January 4, 2013 by abhatt

Dr. Muntu Davis

Dr. Muntu Davis will lead a free interactive training on HIV testing, linkage to care and education measurement, 9 a.m. to noon, Friday, Jan. 11 at Cal Prep, 2811 Adeline St. in Oakland.
Dr. Davis is Health Officer for Alameda County Public Health Department. The goals of the training series are to increase community awareness on the current status of the HIV/AIDs state of emergency in the African American community in Alameda County and engage community members and stakeholders in joining the effort to address the epidemic in increased risk communities in the county.
The discussion with Dr. Davis will help attendees identify realistic measures to gauge how well agencies are delivering services. For more information or to register call 510-575-8245.

Artist Thomas Blackshear’s Collections Achieve International Acclaim

Posted on January 4, 2013 by abhatt

Thomas Blackshear, II, at one of his Bay Area appearances signing his popular figurines, which are multi-dimensional portraits of Black Americans. He is seen here with Post reporter Jesse Brooks at Hallmark in San Leandro recently.

By Jesse
Brooks

Internationally acclaimed artist Thomas Blackshear, II, known for his authentic depictions of African Americans. But he says when he set out to create a collection of figurines that would portray the beauty, elegance and dignity of African Americans, but it never crossed his mind that he would have one of the best selling figurine collections of all times.
He calls his work Afro Nouveau, a cross between Art Nouveau and Art Deco.
The Ebony Vision Collection was introduced in 1995. I know a lot of people that collect them. Each sculptures reflects unique characteristics of the African American culture, depicting a full range of emotions that are both powerful and at the same time subtle.
In 1991, Blackshear was commissioned by the U.S. Postal Service to illustrate a book called “I Have A Dream: A Collection of Black Americans on U.S. Postage Stamps.” The 68-page book tells the inspirational stories of 28 African Americans such as scholar W.E. B. Du Bois, Dr. Washington carver, journalist Ida B. Wells.
The book included a forward from Alex Haley. Blackshear says he and Haley became friends, during the project, “I still have his voice on my voicemail as he tried to reach me, three days before he died,” said Blackshear.
In 1992, his Black Heritage works exhibit premiered at the Smithsonian Institute of National Museum of American history. Blackshear tells me a new stamp will be coming in 2013.
He says it is only at the signings is that he realizes his fame, and compared to the normalcy of his life, it sometimes seem seems surreal. A born-again Christian for over 30 years, Blackshear says he knows his success has nothing to do with him, that it is only through God’s blessings and favor that he has the opportunity to use his talents to move people.

Berkeley Civil-Rights Scholar Releases New Book on Race

Posted on December 21, 2012 by abhatt

john a. powell

UC News Center

At a recent UC Berkeley book-launch event, sociologist Michael Omi described his colleague john a. powell as “two persons rolled into one” — “john the theoretician, who draws on a range of disciplines to rethink notions of race, racial identity and racism,” and “john the grounded and practical policy analyst.”
Both sides of the scholar are expressed in “Racing to Justice,” a new collection of essays by powell, as they do in his vision for the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, which he came to Berkeley to direct earlier this year. (He spells his name in lowercase in the belief that we should be “part of the universe, not over it, as capitals signify.”)
In the book he argues the country has not achieved a post-racial society and that there is much work to do to redeem the American promise of inclusive democracy. Culled from a decade of writing about social justice and spirituality, these meditations on race, identity, and social policy provide an outline for laying claim to shared humanity and a way toward healing Americans and securing their future.
“Racing to Justice” challenges readers to replace attitudes and institutions that promote and perpetuate social suffering with those that foster relationships and a way of being that transcends disconnection and separation.
Internationally recognized civil-rights scholar, powell has served as national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union and executive director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State, to name just two of his past roles.
At Berkeley, he holds the Robert D. Haas Chancellor’s Chair in Equity and Inclusion and professorships in African American studies, ethnic studies and law, where he teaches an advanced civil rights course.
Powell’s parents were sharecroppers in the South before moving to Detroit, where his father worked at General Motors, his mother as a nurse.
The sixth of nine children, he earned his undergraduate degree at Stanford and his law degree at Berkeley, and did a postgraduate human-rights fellowship at the University of Minnesota. He has two biological children, two stepchildren and a granddaughter.
For an interview with powell, go to http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/12/11/john-powell-profile/

New Presidents at Berkeley City and Merritt Colleges

Posted on December 21, 2012 by abhatt

Dr. Deborah Budd

Dr. Norma Ambriz-Galavizx

Dr. José M. Ortiz, Chancellor of the Peralta Community College District, has named Dr. Deborah Budd to lead Berkeley City College and Dr. Norma Ambriz-Galaviz to be the next president of Merritt College.
Dr. Budd is currently interim president at Berkeley City, and Dr. Ambriz-Galaviz is vice president of instruction at Mission College.
“Dr. Budd and Dr. Ambriz-Galaviz are both accomplished administrators who will bring much to their leadership roles at the colleges,” said Chancellor Ortiz.
Dr. Budd has over 16 years of administrative experience and nine years of teaching experience. She served over the past four years as the vice chancellor of Educational Services and as associate vice chancellor for Academic Affairs for the Peralta Community College District.
Prior to coming to Peralta, she was vice president of Educational Resources and Instruction for Foothill College in Los Altos Hills and worked for six years as the dean of Applied Health, Physical Education and Community Affairs at Chabot College in Hayward.
Dr. Budd received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Economics and Physical Education from UC Santa Barbara, her Master’s in Education from Stanford University and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from San Francisco State University.
Dr. Ambriz-Galaviz has served since 2008 as vice president of Instruction for Mission College of the West Valley Mission Community College District. She was employed for 17 years at Chabot College and also worked at Cabrillo and Hartnell Community Colleges holding various academic and student services positions, from psychology instructor, counselor, Special Student Services dean to Social Sciences Division dean.
She holds a Doctorate in Education-Organizational Leadership from the University of La Verne, a Master of Science Degree in counseling, a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from San Diego State University and an Associates of Arts Degree in Administration of Justice from Hartnell.
Dr. Ambriz-Galaviz is a member of National Hispana Leadership Institute, Association of California Community College Administrators, Silicon Valley Education Committee, California Community College Chief Instructional Administrators and the Alameda County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
State Senator Ellen Corbett recently recognized Dr. Ambriz-Galaviz for her outstanding service to the Latino community.

Perfect SAT Score for Philadelphia Student

Posted on December 20, 2012 by abhatt

Cameron Clarke, 18, a Germantown Academy senior.

By Jenice Armstrong

Cameron Clarke, 18, a senior at Germantown Academy in Philadelphia, Penn. has scored a perfect 2400 on the SAT.
That’s right. A perfect score. That hardly ever happens.
Although more than 1.66 million students took the SAT in 2012, only 360 test takers nationwide achieved a 2400, according to SAT officials.
It was Cameron’s second try. The first time, he received a fist-pumping 2190 – better than 98.5 percent of all test-takers. But deep down inside, he knew he could do better. .
“I put in a lot of work,” 18-year-old Cameron told me when I visited his house in Mount Airy. “I took a prep class with some of my friends, and I did a lot of practice tests from a book.
“But that only prepares you so much,” he explained. “The difference between getting, like, a 2400 and a couple of points lower is just focus.
“You can screw up or mess up on the smallest of things,” he said. “And I just feel like on that particular day, I was focused and I got kind of lucky, I guess, that I didn’t make any mistakes.”
His mother, Mary Jones, teaches Spanish at Father Judge High School. His dad, Peter Clarke, owns the Reef Restaurant and Lounge.

Students Raising Money to Attend Inauguration

Posted on December 20, 2012 by abhatt

Some of the Claremont Middle School students are: Back row – Xochi Heather-George, Sal Beeby, Kayla Keith, Nico Reno, Gabriel Ali, Jack Black, Tanner Anderson, Eli Parker, Leon Cole, Henry Moore, Sonia Aronson, Annika Prager, Natalie Foster; Front row: Aracely Borja, Zakiyah Stiggs, Jazmyn Gray, Sequoia Jackson, Lucy Flattery-Vickness, Grace Brekke, Sophie Schafer, Diamond Armstrong. Photo by Claudette Center.

A field trip to Washington D.C. may be a staple of American education, but when you’re traveling 3,000 miles to visit the national’s capital for a president’s inauguration, it can get complicated – and expensive.
But the obstacles have not deterred eighth graders at Oakland’s Claremont Middle School, who have organized a fundraising campaign to attend President Barack Obama’s inauguration in January 2013.
Many of the students cannot afford the trip, and most have never been to the East Coast, but they’ve been baking, vending, scraping and saving to collect money to make the trip.
Under the leadership of 8th grade teacher Claudette Center, 46 eighth graders have registered to go to Washington D.C. —which is expected to cost in excess of $79,000.
Of the 46 students, 26 submitted either full or partial scholarship requests totaling $22,300. Claremont parent Jean Parker has helped spearhead fundraising efforts, and says the first order of business is to ensure all the students can go.
“While we would like to raise enough to assist all students with the trip costs, we have made funding scholarship requests our first priority,” Parker said.
“At the December parent meeting, we determined we had $20,723, enough to fund 90 percent of the scholarships. We are continuing to fundraise so we can meet 100 percent of the scholarship requests.”
None of this would have been possible without the leadership of the teacher, who contributed seed money to get the project started and has donated countless hours to the cause of exposing Oakland children to the workings of American government.
“It has been a goal of mine to include a trip to Washington, D.C. as an integrated part of US History 8th Grade Curriculum,” Center explained. “I had hoped to enroll possibly 25 to 30 students, and I’m proud that the number has swelled to 46 students!”
Parent Teacher Association (PTA) fundraising, individual parent contributions, bake sales, candy sales, books sales, barbecues and raffles accounted for much of the additional $12,000. Salesforce, Credo Mobile and local realtor Ron Kriss made donations.
Students will be chaperoned by teachers and parents. The students will travel under the Smithsonian Student Travel package, which includes airfare, accommodations, meals, entrance fees and two tour guides.
Anyone who would like to help the young scholars visit Washington D.C., please visit: www.networkforgood.org and choose “8th Grade DC Trip January 2013” from the pulldown menu.

Peralta Colleges Board Elects New Officers

Posted on December 14, 2012 by abhatt

Meredith Brown

The Peralta Community College District’s Board of Trustees, at its annual organizational meeting held on Dec. 11, elected new officers for 2013.
Newly elected Trustee Meredith Brown, and three reelected Trustees, Nicky González Yuen, Cy Gulassa and Bill Withrow, were also sworn-in to serve for the next four years.
Cy Gulassa, representing Area 6, was elected president of the nine-member board, and Abel Guillén, who represents Area 7, was elected vice president.
Dr. José M. Ortiz, Chancellor of the District, was elected Board Secretary.
Student Trustees serving on the board are Sharon Clegg and Brian Cervantes.
A graduate of UC Berkeley with a M.A. in English, Cy Gulassa has taught at Frostburg State University in Maryland and the Philadelphia College of Art, as well as teaching English at De Anza College for 30 years.
He served as president of the Foothill-De Anza District Faculty Association for 15 years and founded the Bay Faculty Association. He lectures on community college reform and governance issues and has published over 150 articles.
Abel Guillén is vice president of Caldwell Flores Winters Inc., where he has advised on the issuance of $2 billion in general obligation bonds for schools and colleges throughout California.
In 2000, Guillén was a policy analyst for the Gore/Lieberman campaign. He has also been a research associate for the Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund in Washington, D.C.
Meredith Brown has over 20 years of experience in complex litigation and representing public agencies. From 1989 to 1994, she practiced construction and business litigation on behalf of nationally recognized public and private clients with an Oakland law firm.
In 2000, Brown established her own law firm, where she has continued to represent public and private clients She received a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University and her Juris Doctor Degree from Boston University School of Law in 1988.

I’Asha Warfield, California Teacher of the Year

Posted on December 6, 2012 by abhatt

I’Asha Warfield

I’Asha Warfield, instructor at Frick Middle School in Oakland, has received one of five 2013 California Teacher of the Year awards.
Warfield has taught English and reading intervention, and world history at Frick since 2000.
She also works as a coach in the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment program to help guide new teachers through their self-assessment process in order to clear their California credential.
“It is my aim that students are able to use their life experiences and connect them to the world through analysis and evaluation,” she said. “Simultaneously, I hope that with the skills they develop they are able to look beyond their own experience to critically and creatively engage in this world.”
Warfield serves as a representative in Frick’s Instructional Leadership Team to help assess the instructional needs of the school.
She also works as a consultant to the Bay Area Writing Project that presents teacher trainings on secondary literacy with an emphasis on writing.
Her prior experience includes working as a consultant with the California Reading and Literature Project; a corps member advisor at Teach for America Summer Institute; a collaborating teacher at the University of California, Berkeley and Mills College; and an assistant language teacher with the Japanese Exchange Teaching Programme, Miyagi, Japan.
“Ms. Warfield has an innovative way to ensure her students are learning, by having them write down their own daily learning targets,” said Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Instruction.
Warfield earned a Master of Science degree in Education at California State University, East Bay; and a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology at Occidental College.
She earned her Single Subject—English Teaching Credential at CSU, East Bay; and her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential at Patten University.

Dr. Natasha Crosby Accepts Morehouse Position

Posted on November 30, 2012 by abhatt

Dr. Natasha M. Crosby

Dr. Natasha M. Crosby will be headed to Atlanta, Georgia to work at Morehouse College after accepting a position as academic advisor for the science and math department.
A native of Oakland, Dr. Crosby graduated from Berkeley High School with honors and continued her education at Hampton University in Virginia where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology, graduating cum laude.
She earned her Ph.D. in molecular, cellular and developmental biology from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana where she conducted research on diabetes, an area of interest chosen to impact the African-American community.
She also studied at the University of Helsinki in Helsinki, Finland where she worked with scientists from around the world on a research project on the glutamate receptor and its role in memory loss.
Back in Oakland, she conducted research at Children’s Hospital Research Institute on the use of nanodisks as drug delivery vehicles in treating cancer.
During summers, Dr. Crosby has also worked with the Summer Math and Science Honors Academy (SMASH), teaching biology to high school freshman and sophomores.
She is the daughter of Kenneth and Neola Crosby and granddaughter of Martha J. Brown.
Dr. Crosby has always been fascinated by how the body works, and she enjoys helping people and epecially encouraging students to pursue a career in science.

Lights and Insight on Temple Hill

Posted on November 23, 2012 by abhatt

Elder Douglas R. Clement (left) and Ron McClain. community relations specialist for Temple Hill Public Affairs Committee. Photo by Stephen V. Brooks Photography, svbrooksphoto@aol.com

By Robert M. Arnold

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) Oakland Temple Visitors’ Center, graced by a beautiful statue of the Christus, is open every day of the year from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The Oakland Family History Center downstairs has trained genealogists available to help visitors find their family roots.
The lighting of Temple Hill will occur at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 24. The church will light up the Oakland sky. Throughout the month of December, Temple Hill will shine in splendor.
Free tickets, artist, performance details, and show times are available at TempleHillEvents.com
Tens of thousands of visitors come at Christmas time to see the beautifully lit grounds, to look at the nativity scene snugly nestled over the water cascade, and to enjoy the many Christmas programs, which are free and open to the public
Elder Douglas R. Clement recently assumed director duties for visitors coming to Oakland’s Temple Hill Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Elder Cement is a retired insurance executive. He and his wife Karen come to Oakland with many years of lay church and volunteer experiences.
Most recently, they presided over the missionary and ecclesiastical operations of the LDS Church in Budapest and Hungary.
Visitors should call ahead to find out when the Family History Center is open. More information is available at Oakland Temple Visitor’s Center, 4766 Lincoln Ave., Oakland, CA 94602, or call (510) 531-1475; email: clemntd@ldschurch.org.

Warfield, Chris Hanson, Alameda County Teachers of the Year

Posted on November 16, 2012 by abhatt

Chris Hanson

I’Asha Warfield, representing Oakland Unified School District, and Chris Hanson, representing Alameda Unified School District, recently won this year’s Alameda County Teacher of the Year awards.
Among the teachers who received teacher of the year recognition from individual school districts in the county were the following:
Alameda County Office of Education: Kim Boerner, Quest Academy; Alameda Unified: Chris Hansen, Lincoln Middle School; Berkeley Unified: Liliana Aguas, LeConte Elementary School; Eden Area ROP: Deborah Reinerio, San Leandro High;
Hayward Unified: Laura Retzlaff, Burbank Elementary; New Haven Unified: Todd Szyslowski, Cabello Student Support Center; Oakland Unified: I’Asha Warfield, Frick Middle; Oakland Unified: Stephen Davis, Global Family School ; San Leandro Unified: Jennifer Achten, John Muir Middle; and San Lorenzo Unified: Pamela Fobert, Corvallis Elementary.

West Oakland Middle School Opens Health Center

Posted on November 16, 2012 by abhatt

Josefina Alvarado-Mena

The West Oakland Middle School community recently celebrated the opening of a new school-based health and family resource center, made possible by Lifelong Medical Care, Alameda County, the City of Oakland, and Safe Passages.
The health center offers comprehensive medical, dental health, health education and youth development services under one roof, as well as a resource center that provides family support and educational services.
The expansion of health and family services at West Oakland Middle School, located at 991-14th St. in Oakland, includes a triage room, two medical exam rooms, a dental exam room, separate medical and dental laboratories, an area for medical providers to chart, a conference room and three confidential consult rooms.
The Family Resource Center, spread between two floors, provides offices for mental health services, a space with equipment for families to exercise, on-site laundry, multiple training and workshop rooms, and a kitchenette.
“Healthy communities are a prerequisite for healthy kids and strong schools, so it’s essential that we address the conditions in our city which interfere with the development of children,” said school district Superintendent Tony Smith.
“It’s unconscionable that a Black boy born in West Oakland has a life expectancy 15 years less than that of his white counterpart born in the Oakland Hills,” he said.
The planning for the West Oakland Middle School Health Center and Family Resource Center began five years ago when the City of Oakland, Alameda County, the school district, Youth Ventures, Safe Passages (lead entity) and Atlantic Philanthropies partnered to create five full-service community schools at West Oakland, Madison, Roosevelt, United for Success and Coliseum College Preparatory/ROOTS.
“The idea is to keep the children and their families at the center of the work,” said Josefina Alvarado-Mena, CEO of Safe Passages, the lead entity for the Elev8 Oakland.
“We know that there is no magic bullet and that the answer lies in the integration of a multitude of services and professionals working together towards one end goal –to improve the lives and outcomes of our most important asset – our youth,” she said.
The health center is operated by LifeLong Medical Care, which has been providing health services to West Oakland residents since 2007 through its downtown Oakland clinic at 16th and Jefferson.
“There are so many challenges for our youth today, ranging from asthma to lack of accessibility to healthy foods,” said Brenda Shipp, COO of LifeLong Medical Care.

YMCA of the East Bay Honors Volunteers of the Year

Posted on November 16, 2012 by abhatt

Chesna Pokharel

Xavier Sanders

Ranisha Evans

Kamaria Mckinng

The YMCA of the East Bay recently hosted its 133rd annual meeting and volunteer recognition ceremony, celebrating its extraordinary volunteers who they see as vital partners with the YMCA’s cause: to strengthen the foundation of the community.
“Without volunteer support, the Y would not have the resources to nurture and develop youth, promote healthy living, and support our neighbors each and every day,” said Robert A. Wilkins, president and CEO of the YMCA of the East Bay.
More than 170 people attended the event, which celebrated just a few of the East Bay Y’s many outstanding volunteers in Richmond and West Contra Costa, downtown Oakland and other communities.
Eleven adults received the Y’s Volunteer of the Year awards while nine youth were presented with the Y’s Youth of Character awards and scholarships.
Larry Taylor, a volunteer for many years at Camp Loma Mar, the Y of the East Bay’s summer camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains, was inducted into the Y’s Hall of Achievement and awarded this year’s Lifetime Achievement for Service Award.
It is estimated that over the many years of his involvement with the Y of the East Bay, Taylor, a resident of Castro Valley, contributed more than 16,000 volunteer hours.
Youth award winners included Xavier Sanders – Downtown Oakland YMCA,
Chesna Pokharel – Fremont Newark YMCA, Kamaria Mckinng – Hilltop YMCA,
Ranisha Evans – Urban Services Eastlake YMCA, Anthony Varner – Urban Services M. Robinson Baker YMCA, and Lavontae Hill – West Contra Costa YMCA.
Among the 2012 Volunteer of the Year Award Recipients were: Alfred Toles – Downtown Oakland YMCA, Rachel Gonzalez – Eden Area YMCA,
Joanne Linzey – Fremont Newark YMCA, Fran Welstand – Hilltop YMCA, and Dr. Cherilyn Brunetti, MD – West Contra Costa YMCA.

Toastmasters Conference Features Dana LaMon

Posted on November 15, 2012 by abhatt

Dana LaMon

By Randie Ellington,
Post Contributor

The Toastmasters International District 57 of Northern Fall Conference recently featured Dana LaMon, an internationally-known motivational speaker and author who has inspired audiences around the world, from China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Africa, Botswana, and over 30 states.
About 250 Toastmasters attended the conference, held Nov. 2 and Nov. 3 at the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo, participating in business meetings and educational sessions on Toastmaster quality club experiences and improved speaking techniques.
LaMon has been a professional speaker for 21 years. In 1992, he earned the distinction of World Champion of Public Speaking, from Toastmasters International, winning the annual International Speech contest. The following year Toastmasters awarded him the Accredited Speaker designation, an accolade given to only 65 Toastmasters in the organization’s 88-year history.
Blind since the age of four, LaMon grew up in Compton, California, one of 12 siblings, and now lives in Lancaster, California. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from Yale University and a law degree from the University of Southern California.
He has been a member of the California State Bar since 1978. He served as an Administrative Law Judge for the California Department of Social Services from 1981 to 2010. LaMon is the author of several motivational books, including, “Making the Moment Meaningful: Creating a Path to Purpose and Fulfillment,” and “The Soul’s Mirror: Reflections on the Fullness of Life.”
LaMon speaks to a wide range of audiences, from corporate executives to kindergarten students and from religious congregations to prison inmates. To learn more about LaMon go to his website: http://www.danalamon.com/
The conference was capped off with a Humorous Speech Contest and The Evaluation Contest. Several local Toastmasters competed in the District contest finals, including Toastmasters Esther Chambers, (Evaluations), Patrick Lee and KSuzanne Massey (Humorous Speech).
In order to be among the six finalists in each category, a Toastmaster would have already won their Club, Area and Division contests. Members from over 150 clubs from Southern Alameda County to the Oregon border participate in the annual fall contests.
Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Founded in 1924, the organization currently has more than 270,000 members in 13,000 clubs in 116 countries.
For information about local Toastmasters clubs, visit www.toastmasters.org.

Free Symposium for Black Students Considering Law School

Posted on November 15, 2012 by abhatt

U.S. federal Judge
Thelton Henderson

U.S. federal Judge Thlelton Henderson will be the keynote speaker at a free symposium for African American students who may be considering a career in the practice of law, co-sponsored by the Charles Houston Bar Association and Berkeley Law.
The symposium will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 1 at the UC Berkeley School of Law in Berkeley. The day’s schedule will highlight topics such as the law school application process, admissions, financial aid, student life and career options and opportunities.
Symposium attendees will have the opportunity to interact with prominent minority attorneys and judges as well as faculty, students, and admissions officers from Bay Area law schools.
Among the speakers will be Eva Jefferson Paterson, president and co-founder of the Equal Justice Society.
Panels will discuss strategies for success and personal experiences of accomplished African American attorneys and judges. Potential students will receive guidance directly from the admissions personnel of various law schools
Black students from various Bay Area law schools will talk abut their experiences.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
To register go to www.law.Berkeley.edu/14389.htm. For information contact Colin Brown at cbowen@claybowen.com or (510) 868-1190.

California Leads Nation in Exonerations of Wrongfully Convicted

Posted on November 10, 2012 by abhatt

A new research group finds that at least 200 wrongful convictions have been thrown out since 1989 in California, costing those convicted more than 1,300 years of freedom and taxpayers $129 million.

The California Wrongful Convictions Project, launched by U, Berkeley, School of Law (Berkeley Law) and Hollway Advisory Services, a criminal justice research firm, announced these findings in preliminary data released recently
The project’s long-term objective is to identify wrongful convictions in California and to quantify their economic impact. The project has defined wrongful convictions to include those where all counts are dismissed by the court or by the prosecutor after conviction, as well as those where the conviction was reversed and the individual was completely acquitted on retrial.
In addition to the costs to individuals and their families of life lost behind bars, the direct costs of incarceration and compensation calculated so far total $129 million ($144 million when prison costs are adjusted for inflation).
This figure does not yet include the costs of legal representation and court proceedings necessary to overturn the convictions, an amount expected to be substantial given the multiple trials and years of appeals routinely undertaken by wrongfully convicted individuals.
A detailed report to be released in 2013 will include the full costs of legal representation, court proceedings, and appeals, as well as costs related to confirmed misconduct by prosecutors, government investigators or police. It will also track the reasons why convictions are overturned.
“The project’s final analysis will include the time, money and resources wasted on all cases that were overturned and dismissed due to misconduct and legal errors, including those where innocent people are wrongfully charged,” said Rebecca Silbert, a project director and senior associate at Berkeley Law’s Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy. “We know that there are errors in the system; what has been missing until now is a precise analysis of the financial impact on California.”
Preliminary findings reveal that California leads the nation in exonerations as defined by the National Registry of Exonerations with 120, surpassing Illinois (110), Texas (100), and New York (100). The National Registry requires a post-conviction showing of new evidence for inclusion;
Since 1989, courts have exonerated or dismissed convictions against 214 Californians. Reasons include official misconduct, insufficient evidence, findings of innocence, ineffective defense, and legal error;
The vast majority of these wrongfully convicted individuals served time in state or federal prison before their convictions were thrown out, collectively losing 1,313 years of their freedom;
40 percent of individuals in the dataset were initially sentenced to 20 years or more in prison, including many who received life, life without parole, or death sentences before their convictions were overturned;

Holy Names Awarded $5 Million Federal Grant

Posted on November 2, 2012 by abhatt

Dr. Julie Henderson (left) and Rosa Parks in the 90’s. Henderson worked with Parks in Detroit for three years before coming to California to do her doctorate at Stanford University. Parks wrote one of her letters of recommendation. Henderson said, “I developed the philosophical foundation that supported my application for this project from Mrs. Parks who frequently reminded me that it’s the “regular, everyday people who change the world.”

Holy Names University (HNU) was awarded a five-year, $5.1 million Transition to Teaching Grant by the U.S. Department of Education – one of the five awarded in California.
The Transition to Teaching program supports efforts to recruit mid-career professionals and recent graduates with degrees outside of education into the teaching profession. It helps these recruits to become teachers through alternative certification routes.
The program also emphasizes the placement of teachers in high-need schools.
This grant expands HNU’s teacher certification program by focusing on the recruitment and training of culturally and linguistically diverse students. It aims to increase the number of teachers from under represented groups to work in some of California’s highest-needs schools, including the Oakland Unified, West Contra Costa and Hayward Unified School Districts.
“I pursued this grant because I learned a long time ago, both as a teacher and school principal, that it takes 3-5 years of work in schools to become a really good teacher – the kind of teacher who knows and cares as much about their students and the community as s/he does the subject matter… and who considers this ‘job’ to be a spiri¬tual vocation,” said Dr. Julie Henderson, Assistant Professor of Education and the program’s founder and director.
“Our undergraduates already embody that kind of caring and community commitment, so helping them to become teachers by giving scholarships and providing strong mentors is a win-win for everyone,” she said. “Five years from now, we will have prepared at least 150 HNU graduates to be outstand¬ing teachers for Oakland, Hayward and West Contra Costa.”

City Wins $25,000 Grant for Richmond High Writing Program

Posted on October 26, 2012 by abhatt

Mayor Gayle McLaughlin

Cities of Service announced this week it has awarded Richmond a $25,000 grant to expand WriterCoach Connection, a service initiative designed to address the student achievement gap.
Richmond is one of 18 U.S. cities to be awarded a grant to support mayors who are using volunteers in a strategic way to address priority problems in their communities.
“I am deeply committed to growing the service movement in our city,” said Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin. “This grant award will support our efforts to both engage volunteers in a meaningful way and enhance the learning experience for our high school students with one-on-one individualized assistance.”
Richmond’s grant from Cities of Service will support recruiting and training 130 community volunteers to serve as writing coaches at Richmond High School. Coaches will work one-on-one with 120 to150 students to develop students’ writing and critical thinking skills.
The city has teamed with Community Alliance for Learning to implement this education initiative. “We are pleased to partner in this Cities of Service initiative with the City of Richmond, the first municipality to offer this kind of collaboration to help us bring crucial writing support to public-school classrooms,” said Robert Menzimer, executive director, Community Alliance for Learning.

San Antonio Neighborhood Meeting on Crime and Public Safety, Education and Jobs

Posted on October 26, 2012 by abhatt

Members the San Antonio OCO Cluster discussed safety, jobs and education at this June 21 community meeting. Seated, from left to right, John McConn, Marilyn Anderson, Rev. Marty Peters (Victory Baptist), Rev. Mary Gilmore (Faith Chapel); standing, from left to right, OCO organizer Jesus Rodriguez, OCO organizer Rev. Ken Chambers (WestSide Baptist), Sr., Rev. Dr. Phillip Lewis (Israelite Baptist), Rev. Kevin Ary (Israelite Baptist), and Rev. Gary Golden (Foothill Baptist). Photo by Stephen V. Brooks Photography, svbrooksphoto@aol.com

By Ashley
Chambers

Clergy and community members in the San Antonio district of East Oakland have been organizing for the past three months on critical issues of crime and public safety, education and jobs for the community, mobilized by Pastor Ken Chambers, Sr. of West Side Missionary Baptist Church and organizer with Oakland Community Organizations (OCO).
A meeting for community members to discuss their concerns and seek solutions will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 30 at Foothill Missionary Baptist Church, 1530 Foothill Blvd. in Oakland, Pastor Gary Golden.
Oakland Councilwoman Pat Kernighan, Councilmember At-Large Rebecca Kaplan and Police Chief Howard Jordan are expected to attend.
“We’re hoping to better our community and do something for the children of our community, particularly minority children, by making sure that they have some guidance in order to navigate through the educational process in a way that’s productive for them,” said. Dr. Phillip Lewis, pastor of Israelite Baptist Church.
The meeting will explore solutions to rising crime, such as organizing weekly night walks, similar to those already held in the San Antonio district by Rev. Marty Peters of Victory Baptist Church.
There will be musical performances by Center Street Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Langston; Imani Community Church, Pastor Dr. George Cummings; and the Allen Temple Baptist Church Male Chorus, Pastor Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Jr.
For more information, contact Rev. Ken Chambers, Sr. at (510) 239-6969.

Chevron’s Fuel Your School Program

Posted on October 19, 2012 by abhatt

By Greg Lydon

A happy group of second grade students at Peres Elementary School in Richmond received school materials through Chevron’s Fuel Your School program on Tuesday, Oct. 16.
Townsend Bryson’s classroom lit up as the project materials were presented to the students for the first time.
The gift is part of an innovative collaboration with DonorsChoose.org, an online charity to help students in need.
All year, public school teachers across the U.S. post classroom project requests on the website, requesting support that ranges from pencils to microscope slides and even live tarantulas for use with biology lessons.
Chevron is donating $1 for every fill up of eight gallons or more between Oct. 1 to Oct. 31 at participating Chevron and Texaco stations in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, up to a total contribution of $1 million.
“This is the third year that the Fuel Your School program will have a direct impact on the local public schools in Richmond,” said Nigel Hearne, Chevron Richmond Refinery General Manager.
“We are committed to investing in STEM (science, math and technology) education programming in the West Contra Coast Unified School District to help (the district) realize its vision of improving access to quality education for all students,” he said.
This year the program expanded to nine areas, including Portland, Houston and Orange County, along with the Bay Area.
Consumers can track classroom projects in need of funding and see how much money is being earned for public schools in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties by visiting www.FuelYourSchool.com.
Donations earned through Fuel Your School will be used to fund eligible classroom projects from Oct. 2 through Nov. 30 or until funds generated by this program have been exhausted by eligible projects.

Jumoke Hinton-Hodge Hosts McClymonds High Alumni Event

Posted on October 19, 2012 by abhatt

Youth to Be Honored for “Giving Back” to the Community

Jumoke Hinton-Hodge

Oakland Unified School District Candidate Jumoke Hinton-Hodge will host a celebration and acknowledgment of 21st Century successful alumni of McClymonds High School in Oakland, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Friday, Oct 26, at 1050 West Grand Ave. in Oakland.
Hinton-Hodge said the event will recognize the excellence of many McClymonds youth who are committed to giving back to the community. These graduates have attended colleges and universities, including California State East Bay, UC Berkeley and UC Riverside and have earned degrees in political science, communications, theater and performance, as well as fashion design and production.
To honor young adults and to encourage greater appreciation of West Oakland, which is frequently negatively stereotyped, Skylier Blanchard, founder and CEO of Skylier Wear Production Studio, is lending the space to the community for the event.
Devonique Murphy, a McClymonds graduate in 2007 and UC Berkeley graduate in 2012, is an intern and assistant at the Skylier studio.
Promoting this gathering, Hinton Hodge seeks to develop increased opportunities for Oakland’s youth and bridge networks for community development.
The event will celebrate the accomplishments of filmmakers, designers, educators and social activists.
For more information call (510) 918-4403.

High School Students Organize for Obama

Posted on October 12, 2012 by abhatt

Founders of the youth-led organization, Oakland Youth for Obama, Rebecca Dharmapalan (left) and Kerby Lynch (right), both students at the Oakland School for the Arts.

By Ashley
Chambers

When President Obama came to visit Oakland in July, his speech at the Fox Theatre lit a spark that inspired two high school students from Oakland School for the Arts (OSA).
Junior Vocal Arts student Rebecca Dharmapalan and senior Literary Arts student Kerby Lynch decided to form a youth-led organization, Oakland Youth for Obama (OYFO), to build a coalition of politically conscious young adults and mobilize youth involvement in the upcoming election.
The OSA students recently held their first meeting on Saturday, Sept. 29 in Uptown Oakland where a group of friends from over six high schools came together over cupcakes and licorice, to talk about how to increase youth participation in politics and spread the message among their peers.
“Politics directly affects what we do every single day, the way we walk around, the way we eat, with taxes, the way we live; it directly affects us,” said Dharmapalan, the event chair and co-founder of the youth group.
“I think it’s so important for youth to understand getting involved in politics now is really going to affect the foundation for the way we’re living when we’re adults.”
Encouraging political engagement, the event provided an open forum for students to respond to President and First Lady Obama’s speeches at the Democratic National Convention and to voice their concerns about their most pressing issues.
“It’s not every day you see someone like him [Obama). He makes the impossible possible. He started off as a community organizer, he started off so small and he rose up to the ranks to really make change on massive levels, so he gives this hope to the impossible and that’s the change I want to do,” said Lynch, the group’s other co-founder and a self-proclaimed “Obama enthusiast.”
“ That gives me hope, to know that they [Barack and Michelle] did it, then I can do it.”
Dharmapalan and Lynch gave their own motivational speeches to the group. They opened the floor for Bryan Parker, chair of the Oakland Workforce Investment Board and Commissioner of the Port of Oakland, and Shonda Scott, CEO of PR firm 360 Total Concept, to encourage students to broadcast the message of civic engagement.

Chinese Visit PIC One-Stop Career Center

Posted on October 12, 2012 by abhatt

Gay Plair Cobb of Oakland Private Industry Council (PIC) gave a warm “Ni Hao” to a Vocational Education Delegation from the province of Liaoning in China on Thursday at PIC’s One-Stop Career Center in Oakland. Sponsored by the Sag Economic Technical Exchange Department, twenty-two delegates came to visit the Career Center to gather information about their employment resources, job training programs, and partnerships with other agencies such as the Workforce Investment Board. Pictured, from left to right, PIC staff Shaoying Yu and Aifen Chen, Xu Hua, Deputy Director-General at the Liaoning Provincial Bureau of Employment and Talent Service, Anne Chan, PIC Rapid Response Manager, Gay Plair Cobb, Chief Executive Officer of Oakland PIC, Li Fucheng, Foreign Experts Division Chief at the Liaoning Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, and Zhang Lianchang, Deputy Director-General, Anshan Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security in the Liaoning province. Photo by Ashley Chambers.

New Study Seeks Answers in HIV Epidemic

Posted on October 11, 2012 by abhatt

Dr. Hyman M. Scott

By Jesse
Brooks

Testing for HIV is the entryway to care. Thirty years into the AIDS epidemic, we continue to search for new and innovative ways to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS, especially among disproportionately affected populations.
Dr. Hyman M. Scott, M.D., M.P.H. a research Fellow at University of California San Francisco, will be using the recently FDA approved, over the counter, in-home HIV tests in a study he will be leading called HOME.
HOME will utilize a new multistage HIV prevention intervention, based on technology and clear navigation to facilitate and support HIV self-testing, as well as linkage to HIV prevention and treatment services.
The interventions will target young Black and Latino men who have sex with men in San Francisco and Oakland.
Individuals will have access to an oral test that empowers them to learn their HIV status in the comfort of their own home and obtain referrals to care if needed.
Born in Chicago and raised by his grandparents, Scott became interested in HIV at age 12 when his mother shared with him her HIV test results, which were negative.
“That was the moment that HIV was no longer a faraway place,” he said of that moment. “It no longer was just a gay white man’s disease in San Francisco, but a disease that affected us, African Americans. Her testing made it real.”
From that time on, he knew he would work in medicine in the HIV field.
Hyman says as a young intern, his first patient was a Black woman with six children. After getting to know her, he realized their lives were similar. He feels honored that at such an early time in his practice, he had a chance to see the caring side of HIV.
Although the medications made the woman severely ill, she continued to take them, not for her own health, but to be able to survive to care for her family. “That was a real eye opener,” about the challenges people who live with HIV face, he said.
Scott opted to stay in the U.S. rather than to train abroad. “I’ve always had interest in the domestic epidemic,” Scott said. “There are plenty of marginalized populations here at home.”
Among young men who have sex with men, the increase in HIV was largely driven by infections among young African American men. The question is why is this happening, said Scott, who hopes his study will produce the answers.
The study gives him the opportunity to try something different, which he hopes will be a game changer.
The first and only Rapid HIV test became available for over the counter this month, available for purchase online and at CVS Retail Stores nationwide.

McClymonds High 50th Year Reunion

Posted on October 11, 2012 by abhatt

The class of 1962 of McClymonds High School, “School of Champions,” in West Oakland will celebrate its 50th year reunion on Saturday, Oct. 20 at HS Lordships, Windsor Court Room, 199 Seawall Drive in Berkeley.
A no host bar reception will begin at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. This is an old school spirited event, and attendees are to dress appropriately. The keynote speaker is William “Bill” Patterson, and the faculty guest of Evelyn Jackson, former school librarian.
For information, contact Carol (Westbrook) Curtis at (510) 532-3341, Joe Ellis at (650) 245-9141, Pave Patton (209) 834-5437, Linda (Sorina) Love (510) 893-0899 or Jeanie (Sanders) Gambriel (925) 757-1462.

Fruit Trees Planted at Local Schools

Posted on October 5, 2012 by abhatt

A fruit tree was planted Monday at Washington Elementary School in Richmond. Photo by Jamie Soja, sojaphotography.com

Nutiva in partnership with Common Vision this week planted fruit trees at Washington Elementary School and Levonya Dejean Middle School in Richmond, marking the beginning of a five-year project to plant an orchard of 15-30 fruit trees in every public elementary, middle and high school in the area.
The day’s events included a whole school assembly and puppet show put on by Oakland-based Big Tadoo Puppet Crew.
“This is exactly the kind of event that shows who Richmond is,” said Mayor Gayle McLaughlin.
“We’re helping foster the next generation of mindful citizens and leaders, teaching our children the connection between plants, our planet and staying healthy. We are thrilled that Nutiva has moved its headquarters to Richmond and has so quickly become a valuable part of our local community.”
For more information go to www.nutiva.com and www.commonvision.org

Applications Open for School Trustee

Posted on October 5, 2012 by abhatt

The Sausalito Marin City School District is accepting applications for the open seat on the Governing Board, replacing Trustee Mark Trotter, who has recently resigned.
Trotter had served on the board since 2006.
Applications will be accepted through noon, Oct. 10 at the district office, 200 Phillips Drive, Marin City.
Copies of the application are available online at www.smcsd.org or at the district office during business hours.
Applicants must live within the boundaries of the Sausalito Marin City School District and be a registered voter. All applications will become public record upon receipt by the district.
The candidate appointed to fill this vacancy will serve as a trustee until the next regular board election in November 2014.
The four current Governing Board Members will interview the candidates in an open session at a board meeting on Thursday, Oct. 11 at 5:30 p.m. at the district office.
For information contact Kathleen D. Blazei, the Superintendent’s Secretary, at kdblazei@smcsd.org or call (415) 332-3190.

Mindblown Labs, African-American Tech Start-up

Posted on October 5, 2012 by abhatt

Team members of Mindblown Labs, from left to right: Kilimanjaro Robbs, Trevin York, Keegan Stone, Cherise Wilson, Tracy Moore II, and Jason Young.

Mindblown Labs, a new education technology start-up, has launched an online Kickstarter campaign to raise at least $60,000 to launch a new mobile game, Mindblown Life.
Mindblown Life is a mobile social game that combines life-simulation elements and edgy humor to help young adults develop money management and financial literacy skills.
Mindblown Life puts players at the heart of the game. They create a customizable avatar, choose their career, and perform reflex-based mini-games at work to earn “Money,” “Skill,” and “Reputation” points.
They socialize and collaborate with real life friends (e.g., play the mini-games together, attend their concerts, or, if having a rough month, crash on their couches, etc.).
In this fun and inviting context, they learn about everything from credit card debt and credit score management to budgeting and saving.
Mindblown Labs believes this project is especially valuable to the African-American community. Surveys indicate that many African-Americans lack personal money management skills and do not understand how to leverage financial tools to accumulate wealth.
For example, African-Americans have a greater incidence of home foreclosures and debt delinquencies than other ethnic groups and are more likely to fall victim to high-cost financial services, due to predatory lenders.
Financial literacy doesn’t eliminate all of the barriers, including discrimination, that exist.
Nevertheless, understanding fundamental money management concepts will help Black people understand how to effectively leverage their financial resources and not be taken advantage of.
This knowledge is crucial if African-Americans are to close the wealth gap.
Jason Young, Founder and CEO of Mindblown Labs, knows only too well how financial illiteracy can impact an entire family. During his sophomore year of college, on the day after Christmas, he and his family were evicted from their home.
After graduating with an A.B. in Economics from Harvard and working on Wall Street as a senior specialist for Merill Lynch, he ended up in San Francisco as an early employee for Wikinvest.
During his time at Wikinvest, he realized that a lot of people, regardless of their education level or socioeconomic class, were clueless about personal finance and budgeting.
“Millions of students are leaving high school and college without gaining a basic level of financial literacy. Mindblown Life enables us to reach people where they are,” Young said.
The Kickstarter campaign runs from Oct. 2 – Nov. 1. To contribute, visit www.mindblownlabs.com/ks.
For more information, visit www.mindblownlabs.com, www.hiddengeniusproject.org or call 510-863-4254.

Civil Rights Leader is First USF Diversity Scholar

Posted on September 28, 2012 by abhatt

Clarence B. Jones

Civil rights leader and scholar Clarence B. Jones is University of San Francisco’s inaugural Diversity Scholar Visiting Professor.
Jones, a friend, counsel, adviser, and speechwriter to slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., assisted King in drafting his celebrated “I Have A Dream” speech and personally smuggled the famous “Letter From Birmingham Jail” out of the Birmingham, Alabama city jail on scraps of newspaper and toilet paper.
At USF, Jones is teaching the undergraduate course “From Slavery to Obama,” which features readings, lectures, and guest speakers that highlight the people and events that shaped America’s efforts to abolish slavery, address its historical consequences, and create a society based on racial equality.
The course is a tribute to the legacy of King’s leadership, a leadership that transformed America, Jones said. “It is designed to enable honest and critical discussion of race in our country.”
The USF Office of Diversity Engagement Community Outreach established the semester-long visiting professorship to bring leaders on social justice issues to campus to teach and engage the USF community.
“Dr. Jones is a living legend, and this is a remarkable opportunity for our students,” said Mary J. Wardell, associate vice provost of Diversity Engagement and Community Outreach. “As an internationally recognized leader in the civil rights movement, Dr. Jones brings an unmatched level of experience to the classroom.”
USF awarded Jones an honorary doctorate in humane letters in 2011. In 2008, the Museum of African American History honored him for his work during the civil rights movement. Former President Bill Clinton presented him with a White House Letter of Commendation in 1999.
In 1967, Jones was the first African American to become a partner in a Wall Street investment firm. Fortune Magazine twice named him businessman of the month.
Jones has appeared on a number of television and radio programs, including “The O’Reilly Factor,” “The Tavis Smiley Show,” and NPR, and he currently blogs for The Huffington Post.
Jones is co-author of the books “What Would Martin Say?” “Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech That Transformed a Nation,” and “Uprising: Understanding Attica, Revolution, and the Incarceration State.”
Article by Kathleen de Lara, courtesy of University of San Francisco.

New Law Reforms School Takeovers

Posted on September 28, 2012 by abhatt

Sandre Swanson

Governor Jerry Brown has signed AB 2279, a law that returns full local control to school districts that are repaying an emergency state loan by authorizing the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to remove the appointed trustee under certain conditions.
“The term of an emergency loan is typically 20 years, and existing law requires an appointed trustee to serve until the state loan is repaid, regardless of a district’s progress or demonstrated fiscal responsibility,” said Assemblymember Sandre Swanson.
“While the superintendent is required to appoint a trustee to monitor the school district, he lacks the authority to remove that trustee when the school demonstrates financial recovery. AB 2279 gives the superintendent this important tool while protecting the local district and safeguarding taxpayer money,” Swanson said.
AB 2279 allows the state superintendent to remove an appointed trustee, under specified conditions, from a district that is repaying an emergency state loan.
According to Swanson, this new law addresses concerns raised in hearings by the Select Committee on State School Financial Takeovers, which identified in some communities conflicts between the state administrator and the governing board.
“AB 2279 will give the state superintendent the authority to step in when necessary to resolve that conflict in an organized and constructive fashion while developing a positive learning environment for children,” he said.
The bill also gives the county superintendent the power to stay and rescind the actions of the governing board, if he or she determines that the actions may affect the district’s financial stability.
“The school emergency loan process was designed to help struggling schools through tough financial times,” he said “The process was not intended to compromise the ability of local parents and school board officials to participate in the education of their children,” Swanson said.

Colleges Get $15 Million Jobs Grant

Posted on September 28, 2012 by abhatt

Dr. Jannett Jackson,
College of Alameda President

Dr. Elñora Webb,
Laney College President

The Peralta Community College District is part of an East Bay Consortium of colleges led by Los Medanos College from the Contra Costa Community College District that was awarded a $14.9 million grant this week from the Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Initiative.
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis announced Thursday more than $500 million in grants for community colleges and universities nationwide.
Colleges from around the U.S. will receive funds to expand job training through local employer partnerships.
Peralta Colleges – Berkeley City College, College of Alameda and Laney College and Merritt College in Oakland – are part of an East Bay Consortium that also includes Contra Costa College, Diablo Valley College, Los Medanos College, Ohlone College, Chabot College, Solano College, CSU East Bay and University of California, Berkeley.
Peralta will receive $5.4 million of the $14.9 awarded to the consortium, with College of Alameda and Laney College each receiving $1.8 million ($600,000 each per year over the three year grant period) and Merritt College and Berkeley City College each receiving $900,000 ($300,000 each per year for three years).
“I am very pleased that the Department of Labor has recognized the unique role that community colleges play in workforce development and job training,” said José M. Ortiz, Ed.D., Chancellor of the Peralta Community College District. “I want to also thank Congresswoman Barbara Lee for her support during this grant process.”
The grants are designated to provide training in such fields as manufacturing, transportation, health care, science, technology and engineering. The program was created in 2009 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and funded within the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.
Funds will be used for community colleges around the country for targeted training and workforce development to help economically dislocated workers who are changing careers.

Swanson: “Gay Plair Cobb does the job for Oakland”

Posted on September 28, 2012 by abhatt

Gay Plair Cobb, chief executive officer of Oakland Private Industry Council (PIC), receives a state proclamation from Assemblyman Sandré Swanson.

Gay Plair Cobb, chief executive officer of Oakland Private Industry Council (PIC), has received a state proclamation from Assemblyman Sandré Swanson honoring her path-breaking efforts to create jobs and job training programs, which have led to opportunities for thousands of people.
The proclamation, which was presented at a Workforce Investment Board meeting at Oakland City Hall, recognized Cobb as an active promoter of women´s and workers’ rights. She served as Swanson’s representative on the California Workforce Investment Board from 2007 to 2012.
“(She) has been instrumental in establishing PIC’s community service programs that have received national recognition for their innovative approach to providing job training for those most in need,” the proclamation said.
Cobb, who graduated from Queens College, City University of New York and received a Master of Social Work degree from UC Berkeley, served as Western Regional Administrator for the Women’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor and was a member for 24 years of the Alameda County Board of Education.

“Knowledge is Power” Youth Leadership Fair

Posted on September 28, 2012 by abhatt

Oakland Civic Pride and Peralta Colleges are hosting a “Knowledge Is Power’” Youth Leadership Forum and College-Career Faire for young people ages 12 to 20, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday Oct 13.
The free event, which will be held at the Waterfront Hotel at 10 Washington St. in Oakland’s Jack London Square, will feature candidates from local campaigns and Get Out the Vote activities.
Students will have a chance to learn about the importance of voting, volunteering, school success, college readiness, science and math opportunities, scholarships, skill trades, character and leadership development and financial planning.
Oakland Civic Pride was founded in 1989 and is a volunteer nonprofit youth-centered agency that works with schools, churches, businesses and organizations to help youth develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors they need to be successful.
The organization, headed by Carol Lee Tolbert, provides scholarships and recognizes individuals and businesses that provide community leadership.
For information go to www.civicpride.net.

Eliminate Toxic Flame Retardants

Posted on September 22, 2012 by abhatt

Senator Mark Leno

By Senator
Mark Leno

For years I have worked with my colleagues in the legislature to eliminate the use of toxic flame retardant chemicals in California.
Our state’s antiquated and unique fire safety standard demands that manufacturers around the globe put harmful flame retardant chemicals into our furniture, electronics, children’s products and clothing – despite evidence showing that they do not protect us from fires.
In fact, these chemicals do more harm than good. Flame retardant chemicals may delay the start of a fire by seconds, but significantly increase the incidence of carbon monoxide and smoke, potentially increasing fire deaths.
Scientists have found that exposure to even small doses of flame retardants can cause substantial harm to human health and the environment. Evidence links exposure to these commonly used chemicals with numerous health conditions including cancer, neurological abnormalities, birth defects, lowered IQ, and impaired fertility.
While the chemicals are used around the world, Americans have the highest level of flame retardants in their bodies. Toddlers, who spend a lot of their time on floors and furniture products that contain these chemicals, have exposure levels measuring many times higher than their mothers.
Despite evidence validating the toxicity of these chemicals, our efforts to adopt a revised fire safety standard that poses less harm have failed. In the past five years I have authored four bills related to California’s outdated flammability standards, known as Technical Bulletin 117.
My last bill, authored in 2011, would have allowed consumers the choice of purchasing furniture and baby products that are fire safe and do not contain toxic flame retardants. That bill, and all of the others, was defeated by the chemical industry’s front group, Citizens for Fire Safety.
Fortunately, I believe the public discussion on flame retardant chemicals is beginning to change course. Earlier this year, the Chicago Tribune authored a series of investigative stories, “Playing With Fire,” that examined the lobbying efforts of the chemical industry.
The Tribune detailed the deceptive and unethical practices three different chemical companies use to successfully hinder legislative proposals to regulate flame retardant chemicals in California and other states. Citizens for Fire Safety intentionally misrepresents the health risks of these chemicals and uses racial profiling tactics to mislead community leaders to believe in unproven benefits of flame retardants. It also hires expert witnesses who fabricate stories about children dying in fires in order to halt any progress on controlling these toxic substances.
Following the Chicago Tribune series, Governor Jerry Brown announced plans to review California’s decades-old fire safety standard, which essentially mandates the use of toxic chemicals. While the adoption of a new standard will take time, I am encouraged that our Governor recognizes the harm caused by these toxic chemicals and has directed his administration to take action.
To help ensure that our efforts to adopt useful and safe fire standards go beyond California, I introduced a resolution in late June urging Congress to pass the Safe Chemicals Act. If passed by Congress, the Safe Chemicals Act would restrict the use of flame retardants and other harmful compounds in communities across the country, an effort being led by U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Dick Durbin.
I am hopeful that our collective efforts at the state and federal level will help ensure that the furniture and consumer products we use and manufacture are safe and free from dangerous, toxic substances.
For more information on the Chicago Tribune series, “Playing With Fire,” visit www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog.
Senator Mark Leno represents the Third Senate District of California, which includes parts of San Francisco and Sonoma Counties and all of Marin County.

$20 Million Gift for Global Health to Launch Hub at UCSF

Posted on September 22, 2012 by abhatt

The Global Health Sciences and faculty building will be strategically located at 4th and 16th streets, across from the future hospitals. Schematics courtesy of architecture firm WRNS Studio.

By Kristen Bole, UCSF

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has received a $20 million gift from philanthropist Chuck Feeney to build a new hub for Global Health Sciences at the UCSF Mission Bay campus.
Feeney made the gift through The Atlantic Philanthropies, the foundation he created in 1982.
This commitment brings Atlantic’s total support of UCSF Mission Bay to more than $292 million, making Feeney the single greatest contributor to any campus in the University of California system.
The new gift will allow UCSF, for the first time, to have one physical location for global health researchers, scientists and students, and will jumpstart the University’s vision to become one of the world’s leading centers for global health sciences.
“There is tremendous interest among our faculty and students in having a global impact on health, ranging from the most remote villages in Africa to cities here in the United States,” said Jaime Sepúlveda, MD, DrSc, MPH, executive director of UCSF Global Health Sciences.
“This building will enable us to place scientists, students and health care professionals in one physical space, on one of the most dynamic health sciences campuses in the world, to train the next generation of leaders in this field.”
The gift and building will enable UCSF to create a hub for global health research and education, by tapping the intellectual capital of the San Francisco Bay Area, which includes some of the world’s top universities, centers of innovation in both biosciences and technology, and entrepreneurship. The region is also suited as a global health center due to its diverse population and position as a gateway to both Asia and Latin America.
“We have an opportunity here in San Francisco to have an impact on global health that is unique in the world,” Sepúlveda said. “This building will help us achieve that.”
The gift also furthers Feeney’s vision for UCSF Mission Bay to become “one of the major bioscience centers of the world,” helping improve health for people worldwide. As such, this investment builds upon his long-term efforts to support health and education throughout the world, from district hospitals in Vietnam to the Irish university system and his alma mater, Cornell University. In July 2012, Atlantic announced its plans to give away the remaining $1.3 billion of its endowment by 2016, on top of the $6.2 billion the foundation has already donated to mission-driven organizations around the world.
The Global Health Sciences and faculty building will be located at 4th and 16th streets, across from QB3 and the future hospitals.

Roughly 1,200 faculty, staff and students at UCSF currently are engaged in global health activities, which reach almost every country in the world. In response to that engagement and student interest, UCSF created the nation’s first master’s program in global health sciences. Now entering its fifth year, the program currently has 40 students, Sepúlveda said the program expects to double its student body.
Article courtesy of UCSF

Most Parents Not Saving to Send Children to College

Posted on September 21, 2012 by abhatt

State Treasurer Bill Lockyer

California parents value a college education more than a good-paying job for their kids, but most have not started saving to help pay the costs of obtaining a higher education, according to a new survey conducted for ScholarShare, the state’s “529” college savings plan.
“The good news is parents realize the importance of a college degree to their kids’ future and economic prosperity,” said State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, who serves as chairman of the ScholarShare Investment Board (SIB).
“The bad news is higher education costs continue to rise, and most parents have not been able to start making preparations to help ensure their family can afford those costs. A ScholarShare account can help fill that critical financial need,” he said.
In the survey, conducted by Hart Research Associates, 84 percent of parents considered it “very important” that their children attend college. That’s a higher ranking than having a good paying job (75 percent) or owning a home (69 percent). Latino (93 percent), Black (88 percent) and Asian (90 percent) parents said attending college was “very important” at significantly higher rates than white parents (72 percent).
78 percent of parents said a college education was more important now than it was 10 years ago.
Another sign of the importance parents place on going to college: Asked what they would be willing to do to improve their current financial situation, more parents said they definitely or probably would be willing to delay their retirement (65 percent) or save less for their retirement (46 percent) than delay saving (45 percent) or save less (40 percent) for their kids’ college education.
But while parents consider a college education crucial, most are worried about being able to afford it and have not started saving to help pay the costs. 53 percent said they are “very concerned” about their ability to pay for their children’s higher education. Just 43 percent of parents have a college savings account, according to the survey, while 56 percent do not.
Named for the section of the IRS code under which they were created, 529 plans are highly regarded for their tax-advantaged status. Earnings on investments grow tax-deferred, and disbursements, when used for tuition and other qualified higher education expenses, are federal and state tax-free.
ScholarShare accounts may be opened with as little as $25, or $15 when combined with regular, automatic monthly contributions of at least $15.
ScholarShare accounts can be opened online at www.scholarshare.com. For information about the SIB, visit www.treasurer.ca.gov/scholarshare. ScholarShare is on Twitter and Facebook.

College Awareness Program Turns 20

Posted on September 21, 2012 by abhatt

From left to right: Lorraine, daughter Shani and Don Provost.

The College Awareness Program, Inc. of Oakland was founded in 1992 by a husband and wife team, Don and Lorraine Provost, who traveled with their two children on a cross-country trip to visit as many colleges from Texas to Washington, D.C.
Along the way, the family visited small liberal arts historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) that were related to the Presbyterian Church, among as many other HBCU schools they could fit into their schedule.
Many of these schools were not widely known in the Bay Area, where many high school counselors were being laid off, making it unlikely that students would find out about these schools and the financial aid packages they offered.
So an idea was born to introduce Bay Area students, particularly African American students, and their families to the university opportunities that exist.
The plan was to help students especially seniors, who had not made up their minds on what college to attend or did not believe that they could go to a four-year institution.
Now after 20 years, the Presbyterian couple and a board with a mix of faith-based and community-based organizations have worked tirelessly to present an annual program that includes college awareness nights and college awareness tours.
As a nonprofit, the group receives funding from the Office of Racial Ethnic Ministries of the Presbyterian Church, USA; the Presbytery of San Francisco, Berkeley; East Oakland Rotary; and private donors.
This program is open to junior and seniors regardless of race, creed, color or gender. Annually, this program serves over 100 students through college fairs, presentations and personal interviews.
The group depends on the efforts of its volunteer board: Traci Harris, Vickii Collins, Jonathan Mobley, Nina Tanner Smith, Marilyn Stovall Bobino, Kathy Kennedy, Jean Gregory, Aumont Phipps, Anita Smith, Rev. Earl Dunnam, Chad Provost, Shani Provost and Xanthe McNeal.
For information, email collegeawrenesss@sbcglobal.net or call (510) 569-3864.

Law Updates, Adds Diversity to State History Curriculum

Posted on September 14, 2012 by abhatt

Senator Loni Hancock

Governor Jerry Brown this week signed into law S.B. 1540, Senator Loni Hancock’s bill to revise how history and social sciences are taught in public schools.
“It is a serious shortcoming that our basic instructional materials are so outdated,” Senator Hancock said. “California textbooks don’t even mention the 9/11 tragedy or the election of Barak Obama to the Presidency.”
The new law authorizes the State Board of Education to develop a new instructional and curriculum framework for teaching history and social sciences in K-12 classes. The existing framework is based on standards last adopted in 1998.
A new framework was developed in 2009, but its adoption was suspended for budgetary reasons. As a result, California schools are still using textbooks and instructional materials based on 14-year old standards.
“We have an obligation to students and teachers to ensure that California schools will have materials that reflect the contributions of the many diverse cultural and religious groups in this country, as well as events in the second decade of this century – and not just those prior to 1998,” Senator Hancock said.
“I believe, along with the Sikh community of California and many others, that education is the key to tolerance, understanding and to avoiding tragedies like the shooting outside a Sikh temple in Wisconsin last month,” she said.
For the first time, information about the Sikh religion and culture, as well as information about other religious and cultural groups in California, will be included in the new instructional framework.

If the Poor Vote, They Can Swing the Election

Posted on September 14, 2012 by abhatt

Undergraduates Learn Hands-On Science Research

Posted on September 14, 2012 by abhatt

Ayesha A. Appa

Shellby Fabian

University of California San Francisco’s Pre-Health Undergraduate Program (PUP) offers undergraduate college students from the Bay Area and around the country a combination of mentorship, classroom training and networking support with the goal of attracting them to careers in clinical and translational science.
“(The program) gives undergraduates an opportunity to explore a career path that they may not have considered before,” said Peter Chin-Hong, MD, MAS, director of the program and an associate professor in the UCSF School of Medicine.
College students interested in the health sciences long have had “shadowing experiences” following providers who see patients, which offers a glimpse into clinical medicine, he said. “What has been missing is a corollary experience in clinical and translational research.”
The PUP program recently completed its latest five-week training cycle that culminated with presentations by 21 graduates.
The program includes a one-week orientation followed by a Designing Clinical Research (DCR) course. As part of the program, PUP participants are matched with pre-doctoral trainees who are part of the Clinical and Translational Research Fellowship Program. The trainees, who are already involved in research of their own, involve PUP undergraduates in their work.
“The most valuable aspect of the program for me was working with my mentor,” said PUP participant Shellby Fabian, a sociology major from Amherst College. She described the program as “extremely inspiring” and noted that she gained skills that are transferable to various areas, such as senior thesis research, working in teams and networking.
“I have always been curious about a career in health, but undecided about whether or not it was for me,” she said, adding that she emerged from the training with a newfound interest in becoming a physician.
PUP mentors benefit from the program as well, said Ayesha A. Appa, a fourth-year UCSF medical student who served as Fabian’s mentor.
“Mentorship is a keystone element of the medical profession, and developing as a clinician, researcher or just a human in medical school can be largely attributable to mentor-mentee relationships of various kinds,” Appa said. “The PUP program was the first opportunity that not only allowed me to practice being a mentor, but also provided instruction in mentorship skills.”
“I loved the opportunity to provide a nuanced introduction to the medical field,” she said, recalling that the excitement of pursuing a novel investigation is what cemented her own commitment to medical research. “It is such an enriching experience to connect with someone at an earlier phase of the process, and learn how best to help them along.”
The training program continues to expand, and this year has been its most diverse ever, said PUP coordinator Christian Leiva. The most recent PUP students represented a wide range of majors — from history to Spanish to biology — and seven different schools, including UC Berkeley, Loyola Marymount University, San Francisco State University, University of the Pacific, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Amherst College and Harvard University.
Working with mentors, the latest PUP students were involved in diverse research questions including:
Is school connectedness associated with peer victimization (as bully, victim, or bully-victim) among middle- and high school-aged students in California public schools?
What are the factors predicting health care utilization by chronically ill individuals recently released from California state prisons returning to San Francisco?
For information visit http://accelerate.ucsf.edu/training/pup

Civil Rights Veteran Bob Moses to Speak

Posted on September 14, 2012 by abhatt

Bob Moses

Bob Moses, a leader of the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project and director of the Algebra, Project will speak about quality education as a constitutional right and the necessity for “demand side” pressure for change, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday, Sept. 21 at Mills Grove Christian Church, 5410 Fleming Ave. in Oakland.
The event is fundraiser to help pay legal fees Ronald Bridgeforth, another civil rights veteran.
More recently, Bob was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 1982 for his work in Mississippi. He used the fellowship to start the national Algebra Project, which teaches math to urban and other poor students.
For information call (510) 534-4722.

WriterCoach Connection Needs Volunteers to Help Students

Posted on September 13, 2012 by abhatt

This fall, WriterCoach Connection (WCC) begins its fourth year at Fremont High School in Oakland’s Fruitvale District.
The organization trains local volunteers to work one-on-one with students, helping them develop writing, literacy, and critical thinking skills. It provides support for both teachers and students, supplementing teachers’ work in the classroom by giving individual attention and feedback to students on their writing assignments.
As the name implies, the volunteers are coaches, teasing out the potential that students already have within.
The group is in need volunteers. Many of those who volunteers are concerned about public education’s current state of crisis, a crisis from which the Oakland Unified School District is by no means exempt. In the past few years, OUSD has made a number of sacrifices in order to balance a multi-million dollar deficit.
According to WriterCoach Connection, parents and educators, concerned adults and citizens, can ask themselves the question: what can each of us do, right now, to keep Oakland students from falling through the cracks until we can repair the education system?
WriterCoach Connection is not a charity but, along with the hundreds of other non-profits and organizations operating in Oakland, a necessity for improving students’ chances at succeeding. .
In addition to being in Oakland, WCC is active in other cities across the East Bay, including Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito, and Richmond. The organization has over 500 volunteers at 12 sites and is always hoping to expand.
You don’t have to be a writer or teacher to volunteer; you just have to enjoy working with teenagers. The commitment is small—one to two hours for two to four weeks a month (depending on the students’ schedules) throughout the school year.
If you are interested in joining WCC, you can visit www.writercoachconnection.org to find more information, register, and sign up for a training, or you can get in contact with the Oakland volunteer coordinator Camille Graves at oakwcc@gmail.com or (510) 306-1792.
You can also visit the table at the Volunteering for Oakland Fair at Westlake Elementary School (2629 Harrison Ave.) this upcoming Saturday, Sept. 15, from 1 p.m.-3 p.m.

Two Bay Area Scholars Complete Doctorates

Posted on September 7, 2012 by abhatt

Nacole Predom Love

William F. Ellis

By Post Staff

Two Bay Area scholars, Nacole Predom Love and William F. Ellis, have completed doctoral degrees this summer with research about the history of pirate radio stations and the omission of the legendary Paul Robeson from the public school curriculum in the U.S.
Dr. Love’s dissertation studied pirate radio stations that she and her filmmaker husband, Lyle Love, are now preparing as a documentary film for entry in the Sundance film festival.
The dissertation documented the history of pirate radio as a path for alternative viewpoints and interviewed participants in a local pirate radio station, Berkeley Liberation Radio, about their work.
She highlighted the role of pirate radio in new legislation that legalizes community radio but refuses to legalize those who created it in the first place.
Dr. Ellis took an action research approach to study how the life and work of Paul Robeson has been excluded from school curriculum, despite Robeson’s record of achievement as a scholar, athlete, Phi Beta Kappan, actor in both popular and Shakespearean theater, a singer and an international advocate for peace and justice.
One example provided by Ellis was a textbook that mentions Robeson very briefly in the context of the Harlem Renaissance but gives no clue to his ideas, his voice as an African-American or his effectiveness as a political advocate.
Dr. Ellis is a veteran teacher-educator who has worked in collaboration with the Bay Area Paul Robeson Centennial Committee and local teachers to rectify this situation, at the same time he studied its impact.
Both Dr. Love and Dr. Ellis received their doctorates from the Fielding Graduate University at a ceremony held a month ago in Alexandria, Virginia.