Black History

Organization honors four leaders for Black History Month

WAVE NEWSPAPERS — The Foundation Center LA was filled to capacity when the Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation honored four community leaders who have made significant contributions to the community.

Published

7 years ago

March 14, 2019

Oakland Post

By Shirley Hawkins

SOUTH LOS ANGELES — The Foundation Center LA was filled to capacity Feb. 12 when the Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation honored four community leaders who have made significant contributions to the community.

Honored were Leo D. Sullivan, president and CEO of Leo Sullivan Multimedia and creator of the interactive website Afrokids.com and AfroKidsTV.com; Jeanette Bolden, owner of the 27th Street Bakery and a former track and field Olympian; Ron Turner, general sales manager at 102.3 KJLH radio; and Gloria Zuurveen, founder of PACE news.

Special tributes filled the room in honor of Marva Smith Battle-Bey, the founder of the VSEDC, who died in 2016.

“You make Marva Battle-Bey proud because the legacy of entrepreneurship continues through you,” said Apryl Sims, who served as mistress of ceremonies. “All of our ancestors stood and endured so that each and every one of us could be here right now. Let’s continue to lift each other up for the future generations to come.”

The VSEDC offers a variety of business workshops, including an entrepreneurial training class and a business plan writing class.

Joseph T. Rouzan II, president and CEO of the VSEDC, thanked board chair Bill Holland and board members and as well as the event’s sponsor, Boston Private Community Investment, for their unwavering support for local entrepreneurs.

“We are honoring the achievements of remarkable African Americans who have made tremendous marks in their respective industries and beyond,” Rouzan said.

“Vermont Slauson takes pride in our nearly four-decade history of fighting for economic resources that help South Los Angeles residents thrive and celebrate the glorious contributions of black Americans,” Rouzan said. “This month and all year reminds us of how far we’ve come and inspires us to achieve so much more.”

Rouzan said that because of Battle-Bey’s sharp business acumen and foresight, she was able to negotiate the purchase of two busy shopping centers in South Los Angeles that are owned by the VSEDC.

Sims, a fourth generation entrepreneur at the health food venue Simply Wholesome, added that Simply Wholesome recycles dollars throughout the community by purchasing products from more than 100 local vendors. Sims also is the creator of Life in a Bottle, a line of cold pressed juices sold exclusively at Simply Wholesome.

Applause filled the room as Bolden, a third-generation entrepreneur, ascended to the podium and said that she was gratified to receive her award.

She said that her grandfather, Harry Patterson, started the 27th Street Bakery in 1956.

The bakery is the largest manufacturer of sweet potato pies on the West Coast and produces fruit, sweet potato, pecan, pumpkin and peach pies that are sold at Ralph’s, Smart and Final, Louisiana Fried Chicken, 7-Eleven, Albertson’s and KFC.

“My grandfather, Harry Patterson, said to never cut corners when making our pies and to always use the highest quality ingredients,” Bolden said. “He advised us to take care of the business yourself and to always work hard.”

Bolden said she is continuing his legacy by teaching her children how to operate the business.

Bolden won an Olympic gold medal in the 1984 Olympics in the women’s 4 by 400 meter relay. She spent 24 years as a collegiate women’s track and field coach, including serving as head coach at her alma mater, UCLA.

Among her numerous track and field achievements, Bolden served as the U.S Olympic Women’s head coach in 2008.

Animator Sullivan smiled as the crowd applauded and he thanked VSEDC for his award. Sullivan has produced and directed educational, training and public service films for various educational film companies, working as a producer, director, animator, layout artist, storyboard artist and writer at studios including Warner Brothers, New World, Filmnation, Hanna Barbera and Walt Disney.

He also has managed animation studios all over the world including the countries of Thailand, Spain, France, Canada and the United States.

“I’m trying to forge communication with the youth through media by building our children’s self-esteem and cultural heritage with positive images by teaching life lessons, family values, respect and responsibility,” he said.

“A lot of media outlets put trash in the young people’s minds and that’s what I want to fight against. That’s why I launched AfroKids.com and AfroKidsTV,” said the animator, who added that both outlets promote positive, uplifting stories that can currently be viewed on Roku, Amazon and YouTube.

Pausing, he added that he developed the Leo Sullivan Multimedia Foundation to offer a hands-on, introductory workshop in animation and game development to disadvantaged youth between the ages of 10 to 15.

“I focus on the kids from the next generation. If we don’t give them any direction, other folks will take over their minds,” he said.

Turner, sales manager at KJLH Radio, is instrumental in connecting businesses to the station’s listening audience. He also is credited with helping to create Southern California’s largest African-American targeted event, the Taste of Soul.

“We have served the African-American community for 54 years,” said Turner. “We not only entertain, we educate — and we have to make sure that KJLH stays viable for another 54 years.”

Pausing, Turner added, “Our ongoing fight is to secure advertising dollars from companies that feel that African Americans don’t buy Cadillacs, Tide or Mercedes Benzes,” he said.

Zuurveen, founder of PACE News, a licensed minister and a staunch supporter of education, said, “History is very critical, especially black history, because we are being wiped out.”

Zuurveen said she started the publication after hearing a teacher at her daughter’s school declare that black children were going to grow up to become “hoochie mamas” and “gang bangers.”

“Every Wednesday, I was at the school board to complain. I wrote articles about that teacher,” she recalls, adding that because of the articles, the teacher eventually resigned.

“We have to get serious about our history and legacy so that we can survive,” Zuurveen said. “Our history is too important to let slide.”

This article originally appeared in the Wave Newspapers.

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Activism

The Ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Hold Day of Advocacy at the Capitol in Sacramento

A member of the “Divine Nine,” Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., was founded on Jan. 13, 1913, at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The organization was established by 22 women who sought to shift the group’s focus from social activities to public service, academic excellence, and social activism.

Published

4 hours ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Sen. Laura Richardson (D-San Pedro) presents a Senate resolution to the Delta Theta Sigma Sorority Farwest Region at the State Capitol on May 4. Photo courtesy of the Senate Rules Committee.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

On May 4, members of the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., convened at the California State Capitol for the organization’s 23rd annual Delta Days in Sacramento.

The two-day advocacy event brings together chapters from across California to engage directly in the legislative process, connect with lawmakers, and advocate for policies impacting Black communities.

Members of the sorority were honored on the Senate floor by Sen. Laura Richardson (D-San Pedro), who is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta.

Richardson welcomed the Farwest Region during the presentation of a Senate resolution recognizing outgoing Regional Director Kimberly Usher for her leadership and service.

“In addition to the Far West Region, we are led by a fearless leader, regional director Kimberly Usher. She has now served her full term of what’s allowed,” Richardson said. “We are going to be having our regional conference, but we wanted to give it to her here, officially recognizing her service.”

The resolution was co-authored by Richardson and fellow members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) and Delta Sigma Theta, Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego) and Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom (D-Stockton).

Usher has served in the leadership role since 2022.

“We are founded on sisterhood that is deeply rooted in scholarship, service, and social action,” said Weber Pierson, a member of the Gamma Alpha chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

“Today, we continue a legacy of empowering communities and upholding the high cultural, intellectual, and moral standards established by our founders over a century ago,” she added.

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Activism

OPINION: The Fire of Oakland’s Justin Jones

Jones made headlines three years ago when he was one of a pair of Justins. Along with fellow State Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), he fought their removal from the state house in Tennessee and won reinstatement. Now, Pearson is running for Congress and Jones is still fighting for all of us.

Published

5 hours ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville). File photo.

By Emil Amok Guillermo

You may know Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville).

He grew up in Oakland and the East Bay. His mother is Filipino. You can tell by his full name Justin Shea Bautista Jones.

His father is African American.

He is fighting for all of us.

Now, Pearson is running for Congress and Jones is still fighting for all of us.

The recent 6-3 Supreme Court decision barring the use of race in drawing congressional districts marks a major turning point in U.S. history.

The decision took away the Voting Rights Act’s power to assure minority voices were both heard and represented.

“What we’re seeing now is this new Jim Crow system in which Black and Brown communities are without voice in our political process,” he told Fredricka Whitfield on CNN last weekend.

“That’s a canary in the coal mine for the rest of the nation. If they come for one of us, they’re coming for all of us, and some of my message to America is that the South is the front line of democracy,” Jones said. “They are dismantling multi-racial democracy here in the South, in states like Tennessee and Louisiana. But they aren’t going to stop here.”

That’s why Jones said we have to start paying attention to the South, and start helping them fight back there,” he said.

“I want to be clear that this terror, this type of system they’re enacting, are the same systems my grandparents told me about who grew up in Tennessee, a system where people like me couldn’t even be in political office. That’s the time they’re bringing us back to and I’m not sounding the alarm to be alarmist. But I am sounding it because we’ve seen this before in our history.”

Jones talked about Reconstruction and about what happened between the end of the 1800s and the beginning of the 1960s, when there was no Black political representation.

It’s a rebellion to keep our democracy going forward, he said.

“Stand with us and help us fight back against this extremist power grab — this racist power grab against our vision of a multi-racial democracy,” Jones added.

“While there is a litigation strategy, it’s important to maintain what he called a “movement strategy” that leads to the largest voter mobilization and registration that has ever been seen in the South,” he encouraged.

In 2026.

“Tennessee is an oppressed state,” Jones said. “It’s a state where one in five Black voters can’t vote because of felony disenfranchisement. It is where you can use a gun permit to vote, but you can’t use a student ID card to vote.

That’s the Asian American African American voice of Justin Jones.

Read his words for inspiration.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a veteran journalist, commentator, and comic stage monologist. His new show “69, Emil Amok: Anchorman—The News Made Me Do It,” is at the San Diego Fringe at New Destiny/Lincoln Park, 4931 Logan Ave. Ste. 102. May 14-23, at various times. Get tickets here.

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EBMUD Enshrines the Legacy of its First Black Board Member William ‘Bill’ Patterson

Patterson, who died in 2025 at the age of 94, was remembered as a tireless advocate, mentor, and public servant whose influence shaped generations across the East Bay.

Published

2 days ago

May 15, 2026

Oakland Post

William “Bill” Patterson, Jr. Courtesy Peralta College District

By Carla Thomas

On Tuesday, May 12, Oakland honored a towering community figure, William “Bill” Patterson, with the unveiling of a bronze plaque and the renaming of the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) boardroom in downtown Oakland.

Board members, family, colleagues, and mentees gathered to reflect on Patterson’s enduring legacy at the meeting.

Patterson, who died in 2025 at the age of 94, was remembered as a tireless advocate, mentor, and public servant whose influence shaped generations across the East Bay.

“This is well deserved,” said Patterson’s cousin, Maria Simon. “He was such a big part of the Oakland community. It’s heartwarming to know he was known by so many people.

“So many credit him with helping them get their first job. It was especially meaningful when he held the Bible for Mayor Barbara Lee’s swearing-in. He truly believed in the goodness of people, in possibilities, and in the power to bring things to fruition.”

Oakland NAACP President Cynthia Adams described Patterson as a father figure. “He took me under his wing,” she said. “This recognition is a very special moment.”

Fellow NAACP member Robert “Bob” Harris echoed that sentiment, recalling Patterson as “a great member of the NAACP and a proud Kappa Alpha Psi man.”

Patterson’s son, William Patterson Jr., reflected on his father’s professional life.

“My father loved his community, and he loved working with EBMUD and spoke highly of his colleagues,” he said, standing alongside cousin Rise Jones Pichon, a former Santa Clara County Superior Court judge.

EBMUD Board President Luz Gómez praised Patterson’s resilience and dedication.

“As his health declined, he would spend half the day in the hospital and still come to our meetings,” she said. “There will never be another like him.”

Activist Cheryl Sudduth highlighted Patterson’s commitment to workforce development and youth empowerment. “He had the vision to bring water careers to students and the next generation,” she said, noting that participants in one of his initiatives received $2,000 stipends.

Sudduth also summed up one of Patterson’s guiding philosophies: “He told me it’s not enough to have a seat at the table. You need to have access to quality resources, the tools to build the table, and the skills to ensure everyone there can contribute. We should be more than a representation; we should reflect determination.”

EBMUD Board Member Andy Katz emphasized the importance of remembrance.

“When you die, you die twice, physically, and then when people stop saying your name,” he said. “By honoring him this way, his name will continue to be spoken for years to come.”

Others in attendance reflected on Patterson’s broad impact.

“It was a joy to watch him accomplish so much,” said EBMUD Board Member Marguerite Young.

Business leader, Delane Sims added that Patterson became a trusted advisor to multiple Oakland mayors.

“We need young people to learn about him so they can become leaders capable of creating meaningful change,” Sims said.

Following public comments, attendees witnessed the unveiling of the bronze plaque in the boardroom foyer, along with signage officially renaming the space in Patterson’s honor.

Born in 1931, Patterson devoted more than seven decades to public service in Oakland and the broader East Bay. Appointed to the EBMUD Board in 1997, he served for 27 years and became its first African American board president. His leadership extended beyond water governance into civil rights, education, and community development.

A three-term president of the Oakland NAACP, Patterson also advised Oakland’s first Black mayor, Lionel Wilson, and played a key role in advancing equity, public health, and environmental justice. He served on the Urban Strategies Council and the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, further shaping public policy.

In 1971, Patterson was a founding director of the Peralta Colleges Foundation, which provides financial assistance and support to students across Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College.

In addition, Patterson mentored countless young people through Oakland’s recreation programs, helping guide future leaders and even professional athletes. Though slight in stature, Patterson will always be remembered as a giant of a man.