Uncategorized

James Noel Speaks About His Painting

Published

13 years ago

March 15, 2013

Top photo: Rev. Dr. James Noel and Bettie Hodges. Second row, from left: The Noel Family: Kaiya (daughter), Rev. James Noel, Diana (wife), Amada (daughter). The Jerome Clay Ensemble: Jeromy Clay (keyboard), Ed Serrano (drums), Phil Organo (Bass). Bottom row from left: The New Liberation Gospel Choir: Cathy Campbell, Jonetta Holmes, Trenell Mason, Chris Grant, Kaiya Noel. Florence Williams. Magician Hollywood St. James. Photos by Godfrey Lee

By Godfrey Lee

Rev. Dr. James Noel spoke in Marin City recently at the opening reception of his exhibit, “The Rhythm Of My People – Blackness In Three Moods,” sharing his reflections about his work as a painter.
Rev. Noel, a minister of New Liberation Presbyterian Church in San Francisco and professor at the San Francisco Theological Seminary, discussed how his faith, activism, and identity have come to be expressed in his paintings.
The reception was Saturday, March 9 at the Hannah Gallery in Marin City.
Entertainment included the Jerome Clay Ensemble, with Jerome Clay on keyboard, Ed Serrano on drums and Phil Organo on bass guitar. The group was accompanied the New Liberation Gospel Choir, with Cathy Campbell, Jonetta Holmes, Trenell Mason, Chris Grant, and Kaiya Noel. Also performing were Florence Williams, magician Hollywood St. James and Deborah Thomson.
Noel had met Betty Hodges, director of the Hannah Gallery and the Freedom Schools, in 1967 while they were both attending UC Berkeley. At the time, they talked about educational opportunity.
In 1976, Noel met Hodges again when he became the pastor of St Andrew Presbyterian Church in Marin City. In 1979, Noel founded the Marin City Community Development Corporation and served as its first president.
Noel and Hodges still have a vision of helping youth in Marin City achieve higher education. Noel believes that a connection must be made between the church, the community and university. The gap has to be bridged between religious culture and secular culture, so the whole community walks and works together.
Noel paints in order to create and communicate images “without having to say what it means.” He tries to communicate the mood, feelings, history, and experience of people who were oppressed and had ugliness and fragmentation imposed on their lives.
In the midst of degradation, they pulled themselves together, held onto their humanity and created something beautiful and positive.
Noel captures the beauty of a people who refuse to be defined, shaped or conditioned by ugliness. It is their spirit, love and creativity that Noel tries to depict in his images.
“We can paint a picture that allows us to imagine a world where people are not sent off to war, where we’re not killing each other, where there are no drive-by shootings, where there are no homeless people, where all God’s children can sit at the welcome table,” he said.
“You cannot go into the world focusing on justice if you don’t also have a perception and sensibility about the beauty of God’s creation,” he added. “It is yourself that is beautiful, and there is no need to see beauty anywhere else.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Uncategorized

Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

7 months ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Special to The Post

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department (Oakland HCD) announced its awardees for the 2024-2025 New Construction of Multifamily Affordable Housing Notice of Funding Availability (New Construction NOFA) today Five permanently affordable housing developments received awards out of 24 applications received by the Department, with award amounts ranging from $7 million to $28 million.

In a statement released on Jan. 16, Oakland’s HCD stated, “Five New Construction Multifamily Affordable Housing Development projects awarded a total of $80.5 million to develop 583 affordable rental homes throughout Oakland. Awardees will leverage the City’s investments to apply for funding from the state and private entities.”

In December, the office of Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 City Councilmember, worked with HCD to allocate an additional $10 Million from Measure U to the funding pool. The legislation also readopted various capital improvement projects including street paving and upgrades to public facilities.

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is the media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

12 months ago

January 30, 2025

Oakland Post

Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 city councilmember. File photo.

Special to The Post

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units, including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Alameda County

Oakland Acquisition Company’s Acquisition of County’s Interest in Coliseum Property on the Verge of Completion

The Board of Supervisors is committed to closing the deal expeditiously, and County staff have worked tirelessly to move the deal forward on mutually agreeable terms. The parties are down to the final details and, with the cooperation of OAC and Coliseum Way Partners, LLC, the Board will take a public vote at an upcoming meeting to seal this transaction.

Published

1 year ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

Alameda County Board of Supervisors Chairman David Haubert. Official photo.

Special to The Post

The County of Alameda announced this week that a deal allowing the Oakland Acquisition Company, LLC, (“OAC”) to acquire the County’s 50% undivided interest in the Oakland- Alameda County Coliseum complex is in the final stages of completion.

Oakland has already finalized a purchase and sale agreement with OAC for its interest in the property. OAC’s acquisition of the County’s property interest will achieve two longstanding goals of the County:

The Oakland-Alameda Coliseum complex will finally be under the control of a sole owner with capacity to make unilateral decisions regarding the property; and
The County will be out of the sports and entertainment business, free to focus and rededicate resources to its core safety net

In an October 2024 press release from the City of Oakland, the former Oakland mayor described the sale of its 50% interest in the property as an “historic achievement” stating that the transaction will “continue to pay dividends for generations to come.”

The Board of Supervisors is pleased to facilitate single-entity ownership of this property uniquely centered in a corridor of East Oakland that has amazing potential.

“The County is committed to bringing its negotiations with OAC to a close,” said Board President David Haubert.