Berkeley

County Leaders Respond to Top Court’s

Published

7 years ago

July 4, 2019

Over 120 local community and elected leaders rallied June 27 to celebrate the Supreme Court’s decision to block the citizenship question on Census 2020, which was proposed by the Trump Administration.

Participants included labor leaders, teachers, librarians, affordable housing leaders, immigrant rights advocates, health care providers, the Alameda County Community Foodbank, Urban Strategies Council, Greenlining Institute, and representatives from the Public Defender’s office.

The census coalition pledges to remain vigilant if the Census Bureau and Trump Administration choose to continue their pursuit of including the question, to inform Alameda County residents about the Census process. The Alameda County Complete Count Committee will spend the remaining 251 days until the Census begins educating and empowering everyone about the importance of getting counted

The Supreme Court, acting Thursday, found that the Census Bureau’s rationale to add a citizenship question (“for the purposes of enforcing the Voting Rights Act”) was “contrived” and in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act.

The Supreme Court sent the case back to the lower court so the Census Bureau can present its justification at a future hearing. However, the Bureau claims to have a print deadline of July 1, 2019, so it is unclear whether the Census Bureau will wait until the fall to or will commence in printing next week without the question.

Standing on the steps of the Alameda County Superior Courthouse, dozens of people chanted “Our Community Counts! Our Community Belongs!” followed by speeches from immigrant advocates, elected officials, and allies.

The County of Alameda has established a Complete Count Committee to ensure an accurate count of its residents. The Committee will work with trusted messengers of immigrant communities to convey the importance of the Census and specifically to dispel the myths and fear caused by the proposed citizenship question.

Outreach efforts will include workshops in multiple languages, Questionnaire Assistance Centers throughout Alameda County, Census Weeks at schools and colleges, and more. The 2020 Census can be completed online, via mobile device, by phone, and on paper.

A number of leaders in the county weighed in on the Supreme Court decision.

“This was an unnecessary question designed to threaten and intimidate our immigrant communities who rightfully feel that the federal government would use this data against them,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee.

“I will continue to fight to ensure that we have a census that meets the constitutional requirement for an accounting of all individuals regardless of citizenship – and to ensure that our immigrant neighbors are treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.”

Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan said, “The citizenship question was a direct attack on immigrant communities intended solely to ignite fear and deter immigrant communities from participating in the Census.”

Added County Supervisor Nate Miley, “We have approximately 247,000 immigrants in Alameda County and we need the Census to be accessible to every single one of them. Next spring, we’ll open Questionnaire Assistance Centers in many neighborhoods and our partners will host workshops in multiple languages.”

Said Emma Paulino, senior organizer of Faith in Action East Bay, “The Census is used to distribute billions of dollars to Alameda County. For every single person not counted, we lose nearly $10,000 over a decade for our community. That means billions of dollars are at stake. An undercount will reduce housing units for low-income working families.”

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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.

Published

4 days ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley.

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.

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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.

Published

10 months ago

September 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Farwest Regional Director, Kimberly Usher, Mayor Barbara Lee, US Representative Lateefah Simon, and Farwest Regional Representative, Radiya Ajibade. Photo courtesy of Farwest Regional Photographer Vicki P. Love.

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.

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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Arts and Culture

Cal Performances Presents Angélique Kidjo & Yo-Yo Ma in Sarabande Africaine at UC Berkeley Greek Theatre on Aug. 30

On Saturday, Aug. 30, the pair will debut the Bay Area premiere of Sarabande Africaine, joined by pianist Thierry Vaton, percussionist David Donatien, and special guest Sinkane. The program illuminates centuries of musical interplay between African traditions and Western classical forms, using the Baroque sarabande dance, and its African ancestor, the Congolese spirit dance Zarabanda, as a gateway to exploring the deep, interconnected roots of global music.

Published

10 months ago

August 25, 2025

Oakland Post

Angelique Kidjo and Yo-Yo Ma. Wikimedia photos.

By Carla Thomas

On Labor Day weekend two of the world’s most celebrated musicians and cultural ambassadors, Grammy Award–winning vocalist Angélique Kidjo and legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma join forces for an evening of music, history, and cultural dialogue at UC Berkeley’s historic Hearst Greek Theatre.

Both Kidjo and Ma have built careers not only as great performers but as passionate advocates for cultural understanding. Sarabande Africaine is as much a conversation about shared heritage as it is a musical performance, blending genres, geographies, and histories.

“Every day there are moments when all of us can feel we are on the inside of something and also when we feel we are on the outside of something,” said Yo-Yo Ma. “To be able to understand both at the same time and oscillate between the two gives us a larger perspective on the world.”

“If your mind is open, and there is no fear, it’s easier to listen, and to question yourself,” said Kidjo.

The upcoming performance is presented within Cal Performances’ Illuminations: “Exile & Sanctuary” series for the 2025–26 season. The production explores exile as more than just physical displacement, but a disruption in identity and belonging, while sanctuary represents both refuge and the creative space where new connections and communities can take shape.

Cal Performances’ Illuminations bridges performances with UC Berkeley’s academic research, pairing the arts with conversations about urgent global issues.

Kidjo’s continued partnership with Cal Performances includes her 2021–22 artist-in-residence, premiering her music-theater work Yemandja, set in 19th-century West Africa during the transatlantic slave trade.

She also participated in the Bias in Our Algorithms and Society panel alongside campus leaders like Jennifer Chayes, and joined the Black Studies Collaboratory for a dialogue on music, diaspora, and the world.

She has since returned to Berkeley for multiple performances, most recently in 2024 at Zellerbach Hall.

Yo-Yo Ma’s history with Cal Performances spans decades, beginning in 1997. One notable project includes the 2018 performance of Bach’s complete cello suites at the Greek Theatre, a testament to his devotion to creating “transformative concert experiences in iconic spaces.”

For tickets and more information, visit calperformances.org.