Events

41st Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration

Published

7 years ago

January 30, 2019

The Dream Starts With Me Celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., began with opening remarks by Supervisor and Board Chair, John M. Gioia. Entertainment was provided by the Contra Costa School of Performing Arts and the Los Medanos College Gospel Choir.

The keynote address was provided by Sheryl Lane, the director of Building Block for Kids.

Sheryl Lane, a native of Richmond, is the daughter of parents who were born and raised in the segregated South and moved to California in pursuit of greater opportunity.

Lane holds a Master’s of Science in Urban Policy and Management from the Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at the New School in New York City. She holds two BA’s, one in sociology and another in psychology and social behavior, both from UC Irvine. In 2017, Sheryl completed eight years of service as a member of the Richmond Planning Commission.

Contra Costa County is pleased to have Sheryl Lane share her thoughts in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.

Rev. Donnell R. Jones is the recipient of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors’ 2019 Humanitarian of the Year Award. He was chosen for his leadership and service to the community spanning 27 years.

In his work in Contra Costa County and beyond, Jones cares deeply about advocating for peace, justice and violence prevention. He is the pastor of New Direction Ministries and the owner of New Soul Cafe, both in Richmond.

He has served as a community organizer and interim director of Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting Community Organization. He is currently working as a contractor with the Richmond Police Dept., collaborating with such entities as Crime Prevention, Immigration, Education, Economic Development, NAACP and Pastoral Alliances. Contra Costa County was pleased to present him with the 2019 Humanitarian of the Year Award.

Yassna Ahmadi, a senior at Pinole Valley High School, is the recipient of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors 2019 Student Humanitarian Award. She was chosen for her passionate leadership and the impact she has already made durning her high school career. Ahmadi is an honors student and president of the student body. As the lead writer for the school newspaper, “Spartan Ink,” she has written over a dozen articles on topics addressing real world concerns from immigration to LGBTQ issues to women’s rights. She oranized and spoke at the school’s memorial ceremony after last year’s masssacre at the Parkland School in Florida. She is an activist who “has a great sense of respect toward her peers and adults,” notes her school principal. She is proud of her Muslim heritage, while including the African American Student Union among her many activities.

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Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

Published

2 days ago

July 5, 2026

Oakland Post

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Arts and Culture

Prescott Circus Theatre Presents Free Summer Performance Series

Now in its 41st year, the Prescott Circus Theatre is a nationally recognized performing arts education program for Oakland youth. The circus offers safe environments that challenge Oakland youth, through circus arts training, to develop the skills and confidence to thrive on stage, in school, and in life.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Prescott Circus showcase pathways pyramid. Photo courtesy of Prescott Circus.

By Post Staff

The Prescott Circus, Oakland’s longest-running youth circus, is returning this summer with its free shows. Join the Prescott Circus’s young stars as they share their joys and talents through stilt-dancing, tumbling, juggling, and more.

At the heart of this one-hour show, which demonstrates teamwork, pride, and joy, are Oakland Unified School District students ages 8 – 17 from more than 10 different schools

This is accomplished through no-cost school and community programs for more than 300 Oakland youth each year. Performing company members from Prescott, where the program began, perform and make appearances at as many as 40 Bay Area events each year.

The summer program is funded in part by Oakland Fund for Children and Youth, California Arts Council, Port of Oakland, and the West Davis & Bergard Foundation.

Performances will be held Tuesday, July 14, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. (ASL interpreted) and Wednesday, July 15, 11 a.m., at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland. For free reservations go to

https://PrescottCircusSummerShows.eventbrite.com

For group reservations for camps, childcare centers, senior centers, go to www.prescottcircus.org

A community show will be held Saturday, July 18, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., at DeFremery Park,1651 Adeline St., Oakland.

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Inaugural Juneteenth Awards Ceremony Celebrates the Fillmore’s Black History, Leadership and Resilience

Addressing more than 100 Black and Asian attendees, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie stated “San Francisco is reliant on the Black community, and we must invest in this community.”

Published

2 weeks ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, Rev. Dr. Amos Brown, Pastor Emeritus of Third Baptist Church, SF Mayor Daniel Lurie. Photo by Linda Parker Pennington.

By Linda Parker Pennington

The Fillmore Community Ambassadors held its first annual Juneteenth Wesley Johnson White Horse Awards ceremony on June 19 inside the newly reopened Fillmore Heritage Center.

The event featured awards for former San Francisco mayors London Breed and Willie Brown, along with Third Baptist Church Pastor Emeritus, Rev. Dr. Amos Brown.

The Koret Heritage lobby at the newly reopened center at 1330 Fillmore St. held a standing-room-only, culturally diverse and multi-generational audience while the art gallery featured photos of Fillmore community members in action, red Japanese lanterns, art and calligraphy, and Chinese artwork, giving the space a multicultural feel.

Addressing more than 100 Black and Asian attendees, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie stated “San Francisco is reliant on the Black community, and we must invest in this community.”

District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood acknowledged that “the Fillmore community has had a difficult history. Thanks to Rev. Amos Brown’s continuous focus on accountability and resistance, you hold us accountable and continue to inspire us.”

Mahmoud is referring to the Fillmore’s Japanese residents who were forced from their homes and sent to concentration camps during World War II. Black people occupied those homes until the return of their Japanese neighbors and then gave them back, while homes that had been unoccupied were lost. The presence of the Asian community on Juneteenth is a testament to that shared history.

In receiving his honor, Amos Brown elicited a powerful spontaneous call-and-response, where members of San Francisco’s many Black churches proudly shouted out the names: “Bethel AME! Providence Baptist! Jones Memorial! Glide!”

Awards program Master of Ceremonies Shawn Richards of Brothers Against Guns warmly introduced Breed, highlighting her many accomplishments, particularly on “March 16, 2020, when she became the first mayor to shut down a major U.S. city due to COVID-19, saving thousands of lives.”

The audience was captivated by Breed’s emotional speech touching on past traumas, present conditions, and future hopes for the neighborhood where she grew up.

She recalled another trauma of the neighborhood during the City’s redevelopment era in the 1960s, where Black residents were forced to move with a promise of being able to return that was largely unfulfilled.

“We remember when this land was just a field because they bulldozed hundreds of Victorian homes that Black people owned. They built the Fillmore Center, where most Black people can’t afford to live or start their own business. But we are still here.”