For one in six people in Alameda County, hunger is a reality. This summer, the San Leandro Library will join other libraries across California in collecting 10,000 pounds of food for those in need. To kickoff the summer food drive, the San Leandro Public Library will offer Food For Fines from Monday, June 3...
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Mayor Stephen Cassidy has announced that the historic Manor Shopping Center neon sign will be illuminated on Friday, May 24, for the first time in over 30 years. The Optimist Club of San Leandro and the City of San Leandro split the $13,400 cost of restoring the neon sign, with the city using funds...
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The San Leandro Public Library will celebrate Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month with Winnie Wong, guzheng musician, Thursday, May 30, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Main Library, 300 Estudillo Ave. in San Leandro. Admission is free. The guzheng is a plucked-string traditional musical instrument that has existed in China for over 2500...
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DeFremery Park, which was the home to the USO for African Americans in World War II, will be receiving a facelift and a makeover of its historic grounds. Friends of deFremery Park held a reception May 3 to recognize McElhaney’s work and last month’s Earth Day cleanup of the park. More than 175 volunteers...
Read more →By Jesse Brooks For over a decade, Blacks have been disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. Although they account for over half of new infections each year in the United States, African Americans account for a low percentage of experimental vaccine participants. According to Dr. Susan Buchbinder, director of Bridge HIV research department at the San...
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Ora McClendon, affectionately known as “Carol” to family and friends, passed away on April 14 at the age of 90. She was born Ora Hopkins on Dec. 15, 1922 in the Jackson Parish of Quitman, Louisiana to Green and Rose Hopkins. She graduated from Chatum High School in Quitman and was a faithful member...
Read more →Rev. Clarence L. Johnson announced that the annual revival of the Mills Grove Christian Church, 5410 Fleming Avenue, Oakland, will begin with a reception at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 17. Praise Dancers will perform and sermons will be delivered by Rev. Elvis Knox and B.K. Woodson. A continental breakfast with music by the...
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By Tanya Dennis Representative Mel Watt, Democrat Representative from North Carolina was named to replace Ed DeMarco on May 1st as the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) after a year of protests from housing activists. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley called Demarco’s actions “inexplicable” and joined New York’s Attorney General Eric...
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Kaiser Permanente, the largest health-care provider in Northern California, has announced that it will invest $11.7 million in the Oakland community. The investment will help keep children and teens healthier year-round by expanding school-based health centers, and will also enhance programs that promote learning and job-related opportunities. Through funds established by Kaiser Permanente at...
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Amsterdam News Staff The Amsterdam News has learned, and the U.S. Embassy has confirmed, that Malcolm Shabazz – grandson of Malcolm X, was killed in Mexico. Several reports around the circumstances of his death, stilled unconfirmed, have rummored that he died early Thursday morning, May 9, 2013 from injuries sustained after he was thrown...
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By Ashley Chambers With Mother’s Day approaching, Sankofa African Arts & Jewelry at 120 Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland has pieces fit for a Queen. One of a kind amber, silver, and gem stone jewelry fill the display in this local shop accessorized with unique handbags, African fabrics and artifacts, handmade masks, drums, incense,...
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The Temple Hill Symphony Orchestra is presenting its Spring Concert, “Blast Off,” on Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m. at Oakland Temple Hill’s Inter-stake Center Auditorium. Presented by Jay Trottier, the orchestra’s new conductor, with help from Dr. Scott Holden, head of the BYU Music Department, and the Golden Gate...
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By Post Staff Professor, author, and East Bay resident, Margo Okazawa-Rey, became known to thousands of educators with her 1998 co-edited book, “Beyond Heroes and Holidays.” This collection of analytical essays and curricular materials for K-12 educators challenged the prevailing approaches that focused on a list of famous figures and ethnic holidays during the...
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By Jesse Brooks For over a decade, Blacks have been disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. Although they account for over half of new infections each year in the United States, African Americans account for a low percentage of experimental vaccine participants. According to Dr. Susan Buchbinder, director of Bridge HIV research department at the San...
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Centerforce, a leading organization that serves youth, families and formerly incarcerated adults – will hold a celebration and fundraising event Wednesday, May 15 from 5 p.m.- 8 p.m. at Coliseum Lexus of Oakland, located at 7273 Oakport St. For over 30 years, Centerforce has been a national leader in providing evidence-based programs to...
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Democrat Linda Dorcena Forry, a Haitian-American from Dorchester, Boston, won her party’s nomination in the race for the First Suffolk state Senate seat. Her opponent will be Joseph Anthony Ureneck in Boston’s May 28 election. If elected, Forry will be the first woman and minority to represent the Boston district and the first Haitian-American...
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The premiere of “Free Angela and All Political Prisoners,” written and directed by Shola Lynch with questions and answers by Angela Davis, will take place Tuesday, May 7 at 7 p.m. at the Landmark Piedmont Theater, 4186 Piedmont Ave. in Oakland. In this historical vérité style (observational) documentary marking the 40th anniversary of Davis’...
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The Oakland City Council will decide Tuesday, May 7 whether to extend an ordinance that requires crematoriums to obtain a Major Conditional Use Permit (CUP) in order to operate in Oakland, a rule that was adopted last May. Among those urging the council to make the ordinance permanent are East Oakland residents, Allen Temple...
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By Carla Thomas Acts Full Gospel Church of God in Christ’s Youth Department presented a “Diamonds In the Rough” Debutante Ball last Saturday night at HS Lordships Restaurant in the Berkeley Marina. Themed “Celebrating our Strengths and Accomplishments,” the black tie gala showcased over a dozen young women in white ball gowns with matching...
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A pillar of girl and women empowerment, Girls Inc. of Alameda County recently held its 25th Annual Strong, Smart, and Bold Luncheon where four young ladies, Keisha Hayfron, Sharon Yu, Luna Flores, and Lisset Perez, were awarded with Girls Inc. scholarships. The organization also honored Bay Area journalist Belva Davis, producer of Disney Pixar’s...
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By Janet Peterson Deseret News “I want to start with the common belief we have that African-American personal histories are unknown and unknowable. Indeed, this is a common idea both among professional historians, and among those of us who do genealogies,” stated Dr. Leslie Harris, keynote speaker at the 9th annual African-American Genealogy Conference...
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By Jesse Brooks A candlelight vigil was held Monday on the anniversary of the unsolved murder of Brandy Martell, who was killed last year at the corner of Franklin and 13th streets in downtown Oakland. The vigil was meant to raise awareness of continued violence against the transgender community. Martell, 37, who identified as...
Read more →By Ebony Tinsley A trip to the emergency room can be an expensive nightmare for households. It is a place that is often filled with frustrated patients and their relatives who feel vulnerable and neglected. While the emergency room is designed for those who are suffering serious and unexpected medical conditions, there are more ...
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By Sarah Jane Weaver, LDS Church News Each youth has gained something from the Hotdogs and Homework program, held on Tuesday nights at the Church of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Harlem. Clever Clark, 7, just learned to read; and Daisy Sorcia, 14, doesn’t mind doing homework, but prefers to have fun. Hotdogs and Homework...
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Attorney General Kamala Harris has announced California’s National Mortgage Settlement Grant Program has awarded $9.4 million to 21 organizations in order to assist Californians affected by the state’s foreclosure crisis. “The foreclosure crisis has inflicted wide-ranging and deep harm to California homeowners and communities,” said Harris. “These grants will give homeowners and families the...
Read more →The East Oakland Rotary Club is offering a $1,000 George T. Jackson Scholarship to high school seniors. The scholarship will go to nine students who: reside in the East Oakland area; attend an accredited high school in East Oakland; and need financial assistance to enter a four-year college Students must also have at least...
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Ginger Howard, a 17-year old golf player, has officially become a member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) making her the youngest ever. She is also the fifth Black American woman to join the LPGA Tour. While her popularity is still very low, all of that will likely change as Howard continues to...
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Dancer, author, actress and playwright Ruth Beckford is hosting a workshop on how to stay open to new experiences after the age of 80. The workshop – “So I live to 80, then what?” – will be held on Saturday, May 18, featuring a panel of women who remain active and continue to pursue...
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Toastmasters International District 57 of Northern California is featuring Ed Tate, successful trainer, author and international speaker at the Oakland Airport Hilton Friday May 3 and Saturday, May 4. Tate won Toastmasters International’s “World Championship of Public Speaking” in 2000. He is one of two keynote speakers at the conference He will also speak...
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President Barack Obama has warned his daughters that if they get tattoos, he and his wife will get matching ones on the same place on their bodies. In an interview on NBC’s Today show, the president said he hoped the “family tattoo” threat would discourage teen rebellion. Obama said he had warned Malia, 14,...
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By Gretchen Kell, UC Berkeley News Minh Dang, a UC Berkeley graduate student whose courageous personal story prompted her work fighting the commercial sexual exploitation of children and launched her into the national spotlight, was named by the White House today (Monday, April 29) as a Champion of Change. Dang and 14 other Asian...
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Oakland Attorney Walter Riley, pictured above with his wife attorney Barbara Rhine, was honored April 27 with a testimonial dinner by the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild along with hundreds of lawyers, activists, authors and supporters of the causes he has championed for more than 40 years. The City...
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By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor Oakland’s Local 55 Firefighters Union ended a planned lobbying and media campaign before it got off the ground after learning that the City of Oakland was reversing a decision to continue rotating closures of two of the city’s 32 fire stations. A spokesperson for Local 55 said this week that...
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Obray Van Buren, Community Enhancement Officer of United Association of Union Plumbers, Fitters, Welders & HVAC Local 342 and member of the Oakland Workforce Investment Board, was honored last Friday evening by the Alameda Labor Council as unionist of the year. Attorney General Kamala Harris was the keynote speaker at the annual award dinner,...
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Loni Hancock By Danielle Savage Newly released results of two investigations into the causes of the fire at the Chevron Richmond Refinery have set off fresh discussions in Richmond and around the East Bay about what must be done to prevent future disasters. The fire, which took place in August, resulted in six...
Read more →Vocal music students at the Oakland School for the Arts (OSA) are preparing to perform in “Spotlight,” a one-night show on Thursday, May 2 at the Fox Theatre in Uptown Oakland. The show will take the audience on a journey into competitive singing reality TV shows such as American Idol, Making the Band, and...
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By Uche J. Uwahemu Upon arrival in the United States in 1995, Menbere Aklilu began living her American dream as a hostess at Salute Evita Ristorante in Richmond. Little did she suspect that seven years later she would become the owner of Salute Evita. The restaurant is nestled at the Marina Bay in Richmond,...
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By David Browne, Rolling Stone Richie Havens, who brought an earthy soulfulness to the folk scene of the Sixties and was the first act to hit the stage at Woodstock, died of a heart attack on Monday. He was 72 and was living in Jersey City, New Jersey. Last month, Havens announced he would...
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Elaine Brown, former leader of the Black Panther Party, will give the second in a series of lectures at Marcus Books on May 11, 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Oakland store, 3900 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Born in North Philadelphia, Brown’s story is one of a poor Black woman who managed...
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Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) has announced that his bill to reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS and other STDs in California prisons passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee. The Prisoner Protections for Family and Community Health Act (AB 999) now moves to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. “Sexually transmitted disease is a tragic reality of life...
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By Ashley Chambers Shedding light on modern day mental and emotional health challenges, the inspirational gospel play “For Every Mountain” is returning to the stage after a successful run last year. Presented by Totally Led Ministries under Rev. George Brown and Grace Baptist Church in Oakland under Pastor Charles L. Hopkins, the play is...
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By Ashley Chambers At this year’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Fest, Zelana Smith, Micaela Clark, and Thomas Logwood from Castlemont High School demonstrated the power of young voices winning the 2013 “Write to Live” essay contest. Begun in 2011, the contest is based on the book “Write to Live, Telling Our Stories,”...
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The Mormon Helping Hands program mobilized more 5,000 volunteers to conduct community service project on April 20 and 27 throughout the Bay Area. The largest project this year took place in Oakland where Mormon Helping Hands 2013, in partnership with Rebuilding Together Oakland and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, led an...
Read more →Filing tax forms was a fresh reminder to many that both their income and employment status are in need of a boost. Whether that means rejoining the workforce, finding a better job or going in a different career direction, the East Bay’s HIREvent in Emeryville offers an ideal venue to explore a broad array...
Read more →City staff and representatives from nonprofit housing developer BRIDGE Housing Corporation will present an update on the proposed Cornerstone building, which is part of the San Leandro Crossing development project at the San Leandro BART station, Monday, May 6, at 7 p.m. in City Council chambers. The Cornerstone building will consist of 200 affordable...
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