Berkeley
OP-ED: Stem The Tide of Diabetes – Vote Yes On D
By Max Anderson
QUESTION:
Big Soda is spending millions of dollars to defeat Measure D. What is your personal connection to this issue?
Long before Big Soda decided to lay siege to any community that dared oppose its unhealthy crusade to saturate our communities with cloyingly sweet beverages and its billion dollar ad campaigns, my family suffered the ravages of diabetes.
My mother died at the age of 57 from complications of diabetes, including kidney disease and blindness. Every one of her four children has suffered from the disease.
Diabetes has cast a swath of disease and disability across a larger and larger demographic of families in this country and beyond.
The principle purveyors of this epidemic are the giant soda companies and their stockholders who prey upon the youngest and most vulnerable among us — costing us billions of dollars in healthcare, and leaving in its wake the damaged bodies and broken lives of more and more families.
The scientific evidence of the connection between sugary drinks and disease are legion and unshakable. Even big soda dares not contest the evidence.
QUESTION:
As you just noted, Big Soda spends little time or money denying the health risks of sugary drinks. Instead, most of their attack on D is to raise wording issues. As a health professional, can you address the issues at stake?
Here is the connection between sugary drinks and disease:
- Increased consumption of liquid sugar is causing, not just correlated to, epidemic levels of metabolic diseases, most notably Type 2 Diabetes Melitus;
- Robert Lustig, UCSF pediatrician, describes liquid sugar as a chronic toxin when consumed in excess. A 12 ounce can of soda is too much for any child to consume, and causes liver damage.
Dr. Lustig said: “Due to sugar consumption, our children are getting the same diseases as adult alcoholics.” - Health community professionals and nutritionists agree that the reduction in consumption of sugar sweetened beverages is central to curbing the incidence and prevalence of diabetes among children.
- Eliminating diabetes among children must be the focus of our efforts.
QUESTION:
Berkeley seems remarkably united in the face of this well financed negative corporate media campaign. What is at stake for Berkeley and nationally if Measure D is passed by the voters here?
The Yes On D campaign is endorsed by every elected official and every candidate running for office in Berkeley. Our community is remarkably united on this issue. The Ecology Center, Healthy Black Families, League of Women Voters (Berkeley, Albany & Emeryville), Berkeley NAACP, Latinos Unidos de Berkeley and the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club are among the many organizations supporting Yes on D.
It is within our power to establish a much more promising and healthy future for our children and our community. The corporations behind big soda care only about profits, and have no interest in the health of our children and our communities.
Max Anderson
We must stem the tide of diabetes, obesity and heart disease by taking this first significant step of leveling a 1 cent per ounce tax on the distributors of sugary drinks. In doing so, we will have begun to reassert the rights and responsibilities of our communities to end the corporate control of our families and our neighborhoods.
Max Anderson is a member of the Berkeley City Council, District 3.
Activism
Black Repertory Group Needs Volunteers to Help Shape the Next Generation of Artists and Leaders
Legendary performers such as Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover worked with and were inspired by BRG’s founders. More recently, Grammy award-winning artist Kehlani attended the Black Repertory Group Summer Day Camp for several years.
By Sean Vaughn Scott, Special to The Post
For more than 60 years, the Black Repertory Group (BRG) has changed lives through the arts.
Founded in 1964 by educators and visionaries Birel L. Vaughn and Nora Vaughn, BRG has become one of America’s oldest continuously operating Black theater institutions. For generations, it has preserved culture, developed talent, and provided opportunities for young people to discover their voices and their potential.
The results speak for themselves.
Legendary performers such as Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover worked with and were inspired by BRG’s founders. More recently, Grammy award-winning artist Kehlani attended the Black Repertory Group Summer Day Camp for several years.
Long before international recognition, Kehlani performed on the BRG stage. During a summer day camp production of “Princess and da Frog,” she portrayed Ray, the lovable firefly whose light guided others through the darkness. Her journey is proof that today’s camper may become tomorrow’s artist, entrepreneur, educator, or leader.
Located at 3201 Adeline St. in Berkeley, BRG continues that mission through its Youth Summer Day Camp of the Arts.
BRG is currently accepting applications and maintains an open enrollment program. Students may enroll throughout the summer as space permits and immediately become part of the BRG family.
We are also proud to be a multicultural opportunity program, welcoming children and families from all backgrounds, cultures, and communities. Through theater, music, dance, public speaking, visual arts, technical theater, and leadership development, students gain confidence, discipline, creativity, and lifelong skills.
As our programs grow, so does our need for volunteers.
We are seeking community members to assist with youth mentoring, registration, costumes, set construction, painting, props, ushering, photography, social media, marketing, technical theater, and fundraising activities. Whether you volunteer for a few hours or throughout the season, your support directly impacts the lives of young people.
BRG also partners with churches, civic organizations, alumni associations, fraternities, sororities, and community groups through theater party fundraisers, group sales, and buy-out performances. These partnerships have helped organizations raise funds while supporting arts and cultural programming.
The theater also serves as the home of the Berkeley NAACP Chapter, which meets every second Saturday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m.
For more than six decades, the Black Repertory Group has remained committed to one belief: every child deserves an opportunity to shine.
The next great artist may already be among us.
The next Kehlani may already be walking through our doors.
We invite you to volunteer, enroll, participate, and become part of the legacy.
For more information please go to www.blackrepertorygroup.com, call (510) 652-2120, or email info@blackrepertorygroup.com
Sean Vaughn Scott is the director of the Black Repertory Group.
Bay Area
UC Berkeley Named Top Public University in the U.S. and No. 7 in the World by ‘U.S. News’
Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014. “A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.
The 2026 Best Global Universities rankings evaluated 2,250 research institutions from more than 100 countries
By Lila Thulin
U.S. News & World Report has ranked UC Berkeley No. 7 in its 2026 list of the best global universities, which assesses more than 2,250 research institutions worldwide.
Berkeley also claimed the honor of top public university in the U.S.
Released on Monday, the list evaluates universities from more than 100 countries on 13 metrics such as global and research reputation (as reported by academics and peers) and number of highly cited scholarly papers.
Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014.
“A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.
The rankings also assess a university’s strength in various subject areas; these assessments are separate from U.S. News’ 2026 Best Graduate Programs rankings released in April.
This year, Berkeley was named in the top three nationally in seven subject areas – environment/ecology, ecology, water resources, physics, computer science, chemistry, and engineering – and in the top five for a total of 17 subjects. Subject rankings are based heavily on scholarly publications and citations as well as reputation.
In September, U.S. News also released its 2026 Best Colleges list, in which Berkeley was also named the No. 1 public institution among American universities.
That honor joins other accolades judging campus to be the best public university in the country, such as those from Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education.
Arts and Culture
Farwest Region Deltas Celebrate Centennial With “September Breakfast” Honoring Vivian Osborne Marsh
The region was established in 1925 under the leadership of Vivian Osborne Marsh, who became its first Regional Director. Marsh was a pioneering scholar and civic leader, earning recognition as the first Black woman to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in anthropology from UC Berkeley.
By Antoinette Porter
Hundreds of members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and their guests gathered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union at the University of California, Berkeley, to mark the 100th anniversary of the sorority’s Farwest Region.
The region was established in 1925 under the leadership of Vivian Osborne Marsh, who became its first Regional Director. Marsh was a pioneering scholar and civic leader, earning recognition as the first Black woman to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in anthropology from UC Berkeley.
Marsh went on to serve as Delta Sigma Theta’s 7th National President, where she launched the sorority’s National Library Project to expand access to books in underserved Black communities in the South. During her presidency, the organization also became a prominent voice in the civil rights movement, lobbying Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation.
Bak in the Bay Area, Marsh devoted her career to advancing educational opportunities, mentoring young people, and strengthening community life. That commitment continues to shape the region, which supports initiatives in education, social justice, and economic development. Current projects include raising scholarship funds for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, voter education campaigns, and health and wellness programs.
A century after its founding, the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta remains active across California and other western states, carrying forward Marsh’s vision of service and advocacy.
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