Business

OP-ED: Upholding Our Values and Standing Against Discrimination

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “I’m outraged that anyone at Toledo Transmission – or any facility – would ever face threats or discrimination. My heart goes out to anyone who was touched by this bigotry. This is not who we are. I and the entire leadership team at GM, condemn – in the strongest possible terms – any type of intimidating or intolerant behavior…” — Gerald Johnson, General Motors North America Vice President of Manufacturing & Labor

Published

7 years ago

February 12, 2019

Oakland Post

General Motors Vice President Operational Excellence Gerald Johnson at the GM Global Headquarters Wednesday, April 12, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Jeffrey Sauger for General Motors)

By Gerald Johnson, General Motors North America Vice President of Manufacturing & Labor

Recently, the Toledo Blade and other media outlets have reported on racial discrimination issues at Toledo Transmission. I am General Motors’ vice president of North American Manufacturing. The plant in Toledo is under my team’s supervision. I want the city of Toledo and the African American community to know exactly how I feel about this situation personally and professionally, and I want to reaffirm our values as a company and the stand we maintain against discrimination.

I’m outraged that anyone at Toledo Transmission – or any facility – would ever face threats or discrimination. My heart goes out to anyone who was touched by this bigotry. This is not who we are. I and the entire leadership team at GM, condemn – in the strongest possible terms – any type of intimidating or intolerant behavior. If we find that someone has engaged in such discriminatory behavior and violated our no-tolerance policy, we will terminate them. We are proud of the culture of diversity and inclusiveness that we enjoy and we plan to protect it.

From the news reports, I understand some people are questioning how the issues have been dealt with at the plant. Even before the media coverage started, my team had been working aggressively to address these issues since they were reported internally. Here are a few important actions we have taken:

We immediately investigated the issues and took action to remove any offensive material. Sadly, we have not found the culprits in all cases but we continue to investigate. In addition, we have and are taking additional steps to ensure that no such conduct happens again, and that we find those responsible for such acts.
We have engaged law enforcement and engaged a handwriting expert.
We have also reiterated our strong anti-harassment/anti-discrimination stance to all employees and we are working with outside experts on additional training to reinforce our policies.
We have provided additional security, cameras and support to employees expressing concern for their safety.
We have stopped production at the plant across all shifts to conduct mandatory anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training for all employees in Toledo.
We have rolled out this training across the country in manufacturing and non-manufacturing sites with 50,000 of our people attending in-person sessions in 2018.
We reiterated our promise that employees can report any concerns, without fear of retaliation, and we provide multiple ways for them to do so safely and anonymously.

Recently, we met with Rev. Jesse Jackson and influential members of the Black, Hispanic and Asian Pacific Congressional Caucuses to discuss ideas to strengthen our diversity and inclusion efforts.

We believe in our workforce. The bad actions of one or a few do NOT represent the people of Toledo Transmission, the surrounding Northwest Ohio community nor GM in total. Every day, 99 percent of GM employees show up to work with a spirit of teamwork, helping one another build great products for our customers. Our company has a strong record of diversity and inclusion – I know this personally as a 38-year employee who has worked in six plants during my career.

Everyone at GM is expected to uphold a set of values that are integral to the fabric of our culture. That culture is predicated on an environment that is safe, open and inclusive. We have zero tolerance for behavior that does not live up to these values.

We believe discrimination is unacceptable – anytime, anyplace. My leadership commitment to our organization is that I will do everything I can to insure these values are maintained and protected. I expect the same commitment from leaders across our business. Together, we can aggressively address these issues and prevent such behavior from ever occurring at our workplaces.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

3 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.