Black History

COMMENTARY: Ben Coleman was a local hero to many

Published

7 years ago

February 20, 2019

By Ken Foxworth

“I believe the first test of a truly great man is in his humanity and his integrity.” — Dr. Frank Wilderson, University of Minnesota V.P.

It is rare when you hear African American males describe about another male using these words: hero, honest, role model, mentor, integrity and most importantly, how he loved his community. One man spoken of in this way was named Ben Coleman; he passed away January 6, 2019.

People often think and talk about the negative things coming from Minneapolis North, but it is past time for us to talk about some of the good things. The first scholarship athlete at the University of Minnesota who graduated from North High School (aka Minneapolis North) was a football player named Richard Armstrong in 1976. The first basketball scholarship student-athlete from Minneapolis North was Ben Coleman.

One of Coleman’s greatest fans is Dr. Michael Favor, Football Hall of Fame All-American from North Dakota State University, former principal of Minneapolis North, and present principal of Southwest High School in Minneapolis. He said, “As an African American male growing up on the North Side, Ben Coleman was one of many of my heroes.

“Ben is and was a hero to me not only for his success at North High School, college, and in the pros. He was that hero that we could reach out to, so proud of his Minnesota roots and constantly giving back to so many,” Favor said.

Although my passion was football, I attended the Ben Coleman Basketball Camps because I wanted to be like Ben — a successful student athlete, an entrepreneur, and someone who was fully committed to giving back to the North Side community. I am truly thankful to have had Ben Coleman in my life. I offer my condolences to his family and friends and thank them for allowing Ben to be part of my life.

When Coleman came to the University of Minnesota in 1979-81, he was with some of the school’s greatest basketball players: Gary Cookie Holme, Mark Hall, Trent Tucker, Randy Brewers, Jim Peterson. His roommate Zebedee Howell was one of his closest friends on the team. Four of his teammates also played for the NBA.

Holme said, “Coleman was a great guy to be with on and off the court. His personality and his love for the game was always there. I was stunned that he always talked about North High School and how that was an important tool to go back and help his community.”

When Coleman transferred to the University of Maryland he did not know what to expect, but the fans and the coaches loved him. One of the sportswriters, Don Markus from The Baltimore Sun, wrote, “Had he spent four years at Maryland rather than just two, Ben Coleman’s name might appear on the school’s list of all-time scorers and rebounders. Instead he is in the record books as the player with the second-highest shooting percentage behind Buck Williams.

“Had Coleman spent his entire college career as a Terp [Terrapin] rather than transferring in as a junior following two seasons with his hometown Minnesota Gophers, Lefty Driesell might have won another ACC tournament title — maybe an NCAA title — with the 6’-9” forward’s help.

“As it was,” said Markus, “Driesell’s only ACC tournament championship in his 17 seasons came during Coleman’s senior year in 1983-84 when he and rising sophomore star Len Bias shared team-high scoring honors at 15.3 points. Coleman led the Terps in rebounding.”

“Ben was there for just two years, but he’s a true Terrapin,’ said former Maryland star Adrian Branch, who played three years with Coleman and later was a teammate of his and Williams with the New Jersey Nets.

It was incredible that Coleman was drafted in the 1984 second round for the Chicago Bulls while in the first round was one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Michael Jordan, who played for North Carolina. Coleman played European League Basketball as well as for the NBA Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, and the Detroit Pistons.

After his professional career was over, Coleman became involved in his community by teaching and showing others how to become entrepreneurs and philanthropists. He truly believed and practiced what the Bible says: “If you give a man a fish he will live for one day, but if you teach a man to fish he will live a lifetime.”

To the Honorable Ben Coleman, thank you for teaching us how to fish! You were truly, truly a great man with a great legacy indeed.

This article originally appeared in Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

Kenneth Foxworth

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Activism

Cassie ‘Mama C’ Lopez Honored as Oakland’s Mother of the Year

Cassandra “Mama C” Lopez, a dedicated parent, teacher, and activist, was honored as Oakland’s Mother of the Year for her unwavering commitment to community and justice.

Published

34 minutes ago

May 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Cassandra Lopez, known as “Mama C,” is surrounded by family, friends, and neighbors at Oakland’s annual Mother of Year celebration at the Morcom Rose Garden, Saturday, May 9. Photo by Mateenah Floyd-Okanlawon.

By Ken Epstein

The City of Oakland recognized Cassandra, “Mama C,” Lopez – parent, teacher, community activist, and justice warrior – as Oakland’s Mother of the Year in a celebration at Oakland’s Morcom Rose Garden on Mother’s Day weekend.

Long recognized as a leader in her community, she was nominated by District 3 City Councilmember Carroll Fife to receive the city’s 73rd annual Mother of the Year award.

Speaking at the crowded ceremony on Saturday, May 9, where Mama C received roses and a proclamation from Mayor Barbara Lee, Fife said she felt honored to nominate Lopez, an “amazing woman – a hell-raising humanitarian, for the energy, the passion, but most of all the love for community” that makes her one of those “exceptional women whose lives, exemplify love, sacrifice, leadership, and unwavering commitment to the family and community they serve.”

Cassie Lopez was born in 1945 to Pauline and Calvin Weaver, a family that had left Florida and Jim Crow for the east side of Detroit. From an early age, she was instilled with a sense of Black awareness, love, and the importance of community in the face of hardships, including poverty, freezing winters, low pay, and slum landlords.

Fifty-five years ago, she married Juan Lopez. The couple has three children and has lived for decades in a neighborhood on the edge of downtown Oakland near Mosswood Park.

Said her husband, Juan, “Mama C has been a selfless mother of our own children, and she also became a teacher. Our home became a second home for many young people. For some, it was refuge from difficult home situations, and for others, a safe place to hang out.

“Throughout the years, Mama C was sometimes a foot soldier and other times a leader, immersed in some of the biggest national and citywide struggles of the day,” Juan said. “But less known to many is the role she played day in and day out where the rubber hits the road.

“For 35 years, she has shepherded the Mosswood Park and Recreation Center – through its good and bad times. If the Center exists (and thrives) today, it has to do with Mama C, working alongside neighbors, center directors, community advisory council, and when necessary, community coalitions, city officials, the religious community, and the labor movement.”

Said Mateenah Floyd-Okanlawon, “I am an old friend of my sister here. We met in 1970 in the sugarcane fields of Cuba, where we were helping the Cuban government harvest their sugar. We have been friends ever since. She has always been someone who does not give in to despair.”

David Johnson, an educator in Oakland, was one of the neighborhood children who grew up in the community created by Mama C and her family

“Cassandra Lopez is a beacon of light, full of compassion. She has dedicated her life to quality education to the poor and working class,” serving for 40 years as a Spanish teacher in Oakland schools, he said.

“She has dedicated her life to speak truth to power, justice to the silent, and as a member of the community, she advocates for programs and resources,” he said.

In her remarks, Mama C recognized the influence and power of all mothers. “Together, we all stand on the backs of our mothers. Mothers play a special role in society. We give when we have almost nothing left to give. We hurt when some people don’t see the hurt and the pain that our families endure. But we keep on moving forward.”

Looking at what African Americans, other people of color and working people face in the country today, she said, “We are deserving of the very best because our hands, our bodies produce the wealth of world, and yet we get the least. We see our country wholesale being stolen away from us, and we are told to grin and bear it. We’re not bearing it; we’re fighting against it.”

Continuing, she said, “There’s enough wealth in this world that there should be no hunger in the world. There should be nobody without a decent place to live. Nobody should be sleeping on the street. Teachers should get the freedom to be creative and tell the stories that exist in this nation that make us strong and great.

“We have a lot to do. We cannot despair. We cannot run. People are learning, and together, collectively, we can do it.”