Bay Area

Educators Donate Stimulus Checks to Help Local Families in Need

Published

4 years ago

April 16, 2020

Oakland educators are joining with community groups to ask teachers and other members of the community who have the financial means to contribute all or a portion of their soon-to-arrive federal government stimulus checks to help local families, particularly undocumented families, that are struggling to survive as a result of the public health and economic crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

One effort is backed by the teachers’ union, the Oakland Education Association (OEA), working closely with other organizations in the community.

“We are going to be working with a fund that Centro Legal and other community groups have started to support our vulnerable youth, particularly new-comer undocumented students, homeless youth and foster youth,” said OEA President Keith Brown.

Centro Legal de la Raza has created the Oakland Undocumented Relief (OUR) Fund to “provide critical support to immigrant Oakland workers who have lost their jobs and income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the aggressive public health measures necessary to combat the spread of this disease.”

“While many Oaklanders can turn to existing safety net programs, including unemployment insurance, public benefits, and new federal and local relief efforts – undocumented workers are largely excluded from those programs. OUR Fund will address this critical gap in our social safety net and will help support the most vulnerable members of our community who are impacted by this crisis,” according to the Centro Legal website.

In addition to the teachers union, this fund is backed by the labor union Unite Here! Local 2850, the Unity Council and Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) the Bay.

The OUR Fund so far has 2,000 applicants, of whom 9% are Oakland residents, and about 75% have kids. According to organizers, the fund has already raised more than $50,000 and has begun issuing $500 grants.

They expect to distribute 500 payments by the end of the month.

To be eligible, applicants must have worked in Oakland, must not be eligible for unemployment benefits and have lost their job or income due to COVID-19.

Organizers say that 100% of individual donations go to families. Foundation money will pay for staff and other overhead costs.

Another effort, started by principals and other Oakland educators, is working through a website, StimulusPledge.org, and is backed by the Oakland Unified School District and the nonprofit Oakland Public Education Fund, which is in charge of distributing the donations.

So, far, this effort has received 89 donations and 67 pledges from teachers, school administrators and community members, said to organizer Anita Iverson-Comelo, a principal at Bridge Academy in Oakland, quoted in the East Bay (EB) Times.

Iverson-Comelo said she decided to organize the fund-raising drive when her husband learned they would receive stimulus checks.

“I couldn’t in good conscience keep it,” she said during a news conference quoted in the EB Times. So far, teachers and administrators at eight schools have signed to support the fund.

“As principals, we know there is a huge need in the community. Everyone is struggling, but undocumented families receive the least support and are particularly vulnerable,” she said.

For information about the OUR Fund and to apply for a grant, go to www.centrolegal.org/our-fund/

Ken Epstein

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

6 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference

California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

Published

1 week ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

American Business Women’s Association Vice President Velma Landers, left, with California State Controller Malia Cohen (center), and ABWA President LaRonda Smith at the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the ABWA at the Black Wealth Brunch.

By Carla Thomas

The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.

ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.

“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.

More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.

Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.

“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.

“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.

“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.

By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”

Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”

Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”