Hilltop Church of Christ, 3000 Hilltop Mall Road in Richmond (Minister and wife Donald and Brenda Thomas), on Saturday, Nov. 10 honored residents of Richmond and surrounding communities by hosting its 8th annual Every Day Is a Day of Thanksgiving. Last year, the event served over 2,000 community members. This year several twists were...
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By Lloyd G. Madden BAPAC President Richmond has reason to celebrate the victorious election results of candidates and state and local ballot measures. And, for those who were on the losing side of Measure N, the so-called “soda tax,” and the City Council races, we think they would be well served to accept the...
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Just days after last week’s election, members of the Greenlining Coalition – including OCCUR, El Concilio, West Angeles Church, Allen Temple Baptist Church Black Economic Council and other member organizations – met with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to discuss issues critical to the country’s economy and their ongoing impact on low- and moderate-income...
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By Kitty Kelly Epstein The following are questions and answers on how policies regarding the Oakland Army Base Project will impact African American employment. Q: Why is the rate of African-American employment on the new Oakland Army Base project even an issue? A: Historically, only small numbers of African-Americans have been employed on Oakland...
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Allen Lee Weathersby, Jr., born May 16, 1948, passed away on Oct. 31. He was a military veteran who retired from Todd Shipyard. He will be missed by his daughter Ayanna Weathersby, family and friends. Funeral services were held at Evangelistic Outreach Center, 1743 Foothill Blvd. in Oakland on Wednesday, Nov. 14.
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By Camryn Crump Bay Area gospel musician, singer and songwriter Charlene Moore celebrated her 61rst birthday on Friday, Nov. 2 by treating family, friends and fans to a night of her sultry, soulful storytelling voice and skilled piano playing. Appearing at Floyd Pellom’s 57th Street Gallery in Oakland, Moore quickly had the crowd, hand...
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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...
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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...
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By Clinton Etheridge It was bittersweet leaving Gambia in summer 1972 as the first Black Peace Corps volunteer in country. Even then, I knew I had just experienced two of the best years of my life: seeing Africa from the bottom up and giving back as a math teacher. In 1970 at the start...
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By Lee Hildebrand Some might call Quinn DeVeaux’s music retro R&B, but ultra-retro is more like it. Born 36 years ago in Gary, Indiana, and based in the East Bay for the past dozen years, the singing guitarist delivers seven rhythm-and-blues songs from the 1950s and ‘60s, plus a couple church songs of earlier...
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By Angel Jennings, Los Angeles Times In an unprecedented move, officials of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest black pulpit in the city, have rejected the troubled Los Angeles pastor assigned to lead its flock. The Rev. John J. Hunter was recently transferred from First AME, one of the nation’s most prominent Black...
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By Lee Hubbard In a hotly contested race for supervisor in San Francisco’s District 5, London Breed, executive director of the African American Cultural Center in the Western Addition, defeated incumbent Christina Olague in five rounds of instant run off voting to become the new supervisor of the district. “During the race, I stayed...
Read more →The San Francisco Branch of the NAACP will hold its election of officers and at large members of the Executive Committee Sunday, Nov. 18 at the West Bay Conference Center Gallery A, 1290 Fillmore St. in San Francisco. Polls will be open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. To cast a ballot in a...
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By Kia Croom The Davis Chapel will celebrate its 70th anniversary with a harvest revival entitled, “A Call to Repentance,” Nov. 14 – 16 at St. Peter CME Church, 5324 Cypress Ave. in El Cerrito. All are invited to attend the three-day celebration, which features Davis Chapel’s Pastor Cassandry Keys on Wednesday; Pastor Lummie...
Read more →Measure N was written to tax merchants a penny per ounce on sugary drinks. By Lisa Fernandez NBC The high-profile measure in Richmond asking residents to decide whether to tax sodas and other sugary beverages fizzled on Election Day. The the No on Measure N won with 68 percent of the vote. The controversial...
Read more →Jobseekers are encouraged to attend the city’s next HIREvent, noon to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 14 the Hotel Whitcomb, 1231 Market St. in San Francisco. San Francisco’s 17th annual event will bring together employers from the private and public sectors that want to hire for a variety of positions, ranging from entry-level to...
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The U.S. Postal Service has announced a date for the final hearing for the sale of Berkeley’s historic main Post Office, which is angering community members who believe that meeting was arranged so community attendance will be low. At a packed hearing in mid-September, Postal Service assured community members it would work with the...
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Mayor Tom Bates won reelection this week, easily defeating leading opponent Kriss Worthington 55 percent to 21 percent. City Council winners were Darryl Moore ion District 2, Max Anderson in District 3, Laurie Capitelli in District 5 and Susan Wengraf, who was unchallenged in District 6. Measure S, the controversial “sit-lie” ordinance, has failed...
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By Lee Hildebrand “We’re havin’ a great carnival here ‘cause the Giants are slammin’,” vocalist Michelle Jacques, leader of the band Celle! and Friends told the festive crowd at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco while introducing “Down at the Carnival Ball,” an original composition in the tradition of Professor Longhair’s “Mardi Gras in...
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Phat Fades barbershop has moved to a new location inside Bayfair Mall, 15555 E. 14th St., Suite 123 in San Leandro. “Home of the unlimited haircut,” Phat Fades is the hotspot to get a fresh look, whether it’s a tapered cut, beard trim, Mohawk, or head-turning design. Owner Ray Johnson says he has created...
Read more →Wells Fargo Home Mortgage customers facing financial hardships can attend a free workshop where the bank’s retention team members will be on hand to assist customers and discuss concerns and options. The workshop will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 12 at the Oakland Marriott Convention Center – East Hall,...
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By Gregory Taylor The battle over the South China Sea Islands has erupted again. It seems this happens every few years so one country can put a contending country on notice that there is still an unresolved issue of ownership. Since April 2012, there has been a rekindling of these antediluvian disputes as to...
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By Clinton Etheridge It was a chance encounter with history – and maybe destiny. When Alex Haley and I crossed paths in Gambia in March 1972, little did I know that he would go on to produce “Roots,” the book and TV-miniseries that would take America and the world by storm. At that time,...
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By Post Staff London Breed, candidate for District 5 Supervisor, is a lifelong San Franciscan and native of District 5. She grew up in the public housing projects in the Western Addition. According to Breed, she was inspired by the many committed and caring people she met as she was growing up. “They were...
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By Ashley Chambers With a kickoff that combined a fashion show and live music, Zuggol (pronounced zug-gle) celebrated the beta launch of its goal-oriented iPhone app at its Do Anything Expo on Saturday, Oct. 13. Sponsored by Lamborghini, Velvety Wine and Fusion Soul SF, the upscale event was held at British Motors in San...
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By Kia Croom Nearly 50 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., led a 50-mile march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, to increase African American voter registration. Battling tear gas, cattle prods and police batons, it took Dr. King and the marchers three attempts to complete the march, a pivotal event that focused national...
Read more →By Lloyd Madden BAPAC President Nobody on either side of the proposal to tax businesses that sell sugar-sweetened beverages in Richmond is arguing that obesity and weight gain isn’t a problem in our community. The differences are over whether a city tax such as Measure N that by design would result in higher grocery...
Read more →The Alameda County Registrar of Voters will be open Saturday, Nov. 3 and Sunday, Nov. 4 to so voters can cast their ballots early for the Nov. 6 General Election. Alameda County voters can come to the Registrar of Voters office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday or Sunday to vote in...
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The Berkeley race for mayor has been spiced up by the late entrance of City Councilmember Kriss Worthington and the unknown impact of the first Berkeley use of ranked choice voting. Worthington’s theme, “It’s Time,” is usually followed by a list of what he proposes to do as mayor. Invariably he mentions his plans...
Read more →Alameda County on Wednesday became one of the first counties in California to sign on with First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign to fight childhood obesity. County officials joined representatives of Oakland-based Revolution Foods at a local school to publicize the new initiative focusing on healthier food choices and exercise as the keys...
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By Ashley Chambers In the wake of more than 100 homicides this year and a community that is still reeling from the foreclosure crisis, some Oakland faith leaders spoke out at a press conference Tuesday, Oct. 30 in West Oakland. Over 25 East and West Oakland clergy joined together to speak out against the...
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Small business owners often feel all alone – with no one to keep them from making a critical mistake or from missing a golden opportunity. However, East Bay entrepreneurs who attend the fourth and final 2012 Small Business Symposium at the Crowne Plaza in Union City on Nov. 8 will have an opportunity to...
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By Jesse Brooks Darnell Livingston, an AIDS activist who was known for his willingness to stand up and speak out, died on Aug. 31. I met Livingston when he attended Alameda County Planning Council meetings, a group that allocates federal and statewide funds for people living with HIV. Though he was HIV negative, he...
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Ryan Douglas h as worked as a chef preparing students’ meals for eight years — first at the University of California, Riverside campus, and for the last five years, with the Riverside School District. There he oversees 34,000 meals a day, including breakfast, lunch, and even supper. Douglas is at the forefront of a...
Read more →By Post Staff The story of jobs at the Oakland Army Base might make a good movie. There have not been any car chases, but there has been every other sort of drama. Two years ago, Oakland’s African-American organizations were not even invited to the conversations the Army base developer was holding in his...
Read more →By Carla Thomas Oakland City Council President Larry Reid held a celebration Oct. 24 at the corner of McArthur and Durant streets in East Oakland, as a demolition team knocked down an old Giant Burger fast food franchise to make room for Oakland 34, a new housing development for seniors. The development will include...
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By Godfrey Lee Paul Nave, “The Marin Assassin,” ended his boxing career with a victory against Justin Danforth of Milwaukee, winning a unanimous decision with scores of 80-72 and 79-73 from the judges. The fight took place Friday night, Oct. 19 in Albert Park Field in San Rafael. Under the bright lights, the main...
Read more →The City of San Leandro is sponsoring a free homebuyer education seminar, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 3 at San Leandro’s City Hall, 835 14th St. The recent elimination of redevelopment agencies in California has taken a toll on home ownership programs in the Bay Area. In spite of funding reductions, the...
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Learn the basic principles of floral design and easy ways to arrange fresh flowers. Create wonderful floral arrangements you could give away as a gift for special occasions, or simply enjoy yourself at home. Beginners and students with prior floral arrangement experience ages 50+ are welcome. Bring your own scissors and/or flower cutters to...
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Filmmaker Susheel Bibbs will introduce the history making Hyers Sisters to San Francisco audiences in “An Offering in Word and Song: The Hyers Sisters – Voices for Freedom,” at 2 p.m. on Nov. 4 at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco. In 1871 Anna and Emma Hyers of Sacramento became the...
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By Lee Hubbard The race for District 5 in San Francisco is heating up, with some of Christina Olague’s opponents are beginning to say, “Anybody but Olague.” As the supervisor appointed by Mayor Ed Lee, she has been viewed by many as the frontrunner in the race from the start, with the support of...
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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...
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By Joe Fisher BAPAC, Treasurer Supporters of Measure N, the regressive “soda tax” on the November ballot that would raise grocery bills in Richmond, are now going as far as accusing their opponents of not being able to think for themselves and having been bought off by the soft drink industry. The charge most...
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BART Board: Maria Alegria City Council: Nat Bates By Kia Croom In what is widely viewed as a pivotal national, statewide and local election, the Black American Political Action Committee (BAPAC) is announcing its endorsements and voter-assistance for anyone needing help getting to the polls. “Our message is that...
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