Community

Reflections on 12 years of Service on the OUSD school board

I have often said that I was responsible for the most essential asset of Oakland – Our Youth! It has been my job to cultivate their brilliance and ensure that educators believe in the brilliance of our students. My prayer for OUSD is they will continue to take courageous steps to interrupt the status quo and eradicate mindsets that have low expectations of our students. We should be bolder in serving the children – they deserve better.

Published

3 years ago

December 12, 2020

Kiki

By Jumoke Hinton-Hodge, OUSD Trustee, District 3

I woke up most of those mornings before board meetings with a prayer that I might be in service. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve. What an incredibly humbling experience working inside the complexity of OUSD — hearing the voices of young people, the struggles of parents, along with the inspiring hope they all embodied.

I have been honored to serve them.

Since I began serving on the board in 2008, I have witnessed the incredible growth of many of Oakland’s young people. They are now educators in Detroit, attorneys in Oakland, health care providers across the nation, influencers in the world!

Some have come back to Oakland to serve. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have served hundreds of thousands of youth of Oakland and support their innate brilliance.

I have often said that I was responsible for the most essential asset of Oakland – Our Youth!

It has been my job to cultivate their brilliance and ensure that educators believe in the brilliance of our students. My prayer for OUSD is they will continue to take courageous steps to interrupt the status quo and eradicate mindsets that have low expectations of our students. We should be bolder in serving the children – they deserve better.

Thank you, parents of Oakland, no matter the school your child attended. You trusted us with your greatest gift. You brought us your best, and every day, I was mindful our work should have always been focused on students’ success.

My prayer for the children of Oakland: Success is yours – Know your gift and don’t let anybody steal your joy! It’s your right to demand every adult invest in your education and your wellbeing.

To the newly elected trustees, I pray you will care more for the children than your endorsements, your affiliations, your degrees and simply serve the children. At every board meeting, please ask the question, “How are the Children?”

I have been on a faith walk as a trustee for 12 years. I learned how to be courageous, speak my truth, listen to multiple perspectives, and truly respect and understand the power I was given was to ensure the liberation of our children. That was the most important part of my service.

There aren’t enough words (or strong enough memory) to recognize all of the people and capture how many walked alongside me on this journey. Oscar Wright created a pathway for so many. I have some beautiful angels walking with me in spirit – the Honorable Alice Spearman, Timothy White, Nedir Bey, Micshell Bunton, Rachel Willis Henry, and the Honorable Sylvester Hodges.

There were many days when I would ask, “What would Dr Marcus Foster, Dr. Ida Jackson and my dad, Oscar Lee Hinton, Do? I stand on some mighty shoulders.

I am grateful. Looking forward to continued work for the liberation of my people!

Director Jumoke Hinton-Hodge served OUSD District 3 from 2008-2020.

Kiki

Posts by Kiki | Website

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

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

Published

4 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

Posts by Oakland Post

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

1 week 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

Posts by Oakland Post

City Government

Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Published

1 week ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

Special to The Post

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.

Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”

According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.

“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.

At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”

While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.

“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.

The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.