Black History

Lee Cherry, Engineer and Advocate for African Americans in Science, Dies at 76

He loved to travel, read, promote science, technology and the environment, highlighting the accomplishments of African Americans in this country and throughout the African Diaspora.

Published

3 years ago

August 13, 2021

Isabelle Price

Black Freedom Struggles, Martin Luther King March. Photo Courtesy UCF Libraries.

Lee Cherry

Oakland native Lee Cherry, a dedicated scientist, engineer and advocate for science education among African American youth and an active leader in the Black Freedom Movement in his youth, passed away on July 24, 2021. He was 76.

As a young teenager, Cherry was greatly influenced and involved in the Black Freedom movement. He became involved with his older brothers in the Afro-American Association, which was influential in Oakland during the early 1960s before the start of the Black Panther Party when the struggle for racial justice was evolving from the Civil Rights Movement to the rise of Black Power.

The Afro-American Association brought leaders like Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali to the East Bay for public discussions of philosophy, religion, economics, politics and other issues. Members and associates of this group – Ron Dellums, Judge Thelton Henderson, and Cedric Robinson – became some of the most influential cultural and political Black leaders of their generation.

Cherry organized Dignity Institute of Technology in 1967, which was later renamed the African Scientific Institute (ASI) in 1975. The ASI, which is on the web at https://sci-tech.squarespace.com/, is a network of scientists and technologists who participate in their communities. The organization is particularly interested in addressing the problems of developing countries, with special emphasis on capacity building, offering a forum for the exchange of technical information and expertise.

Historically, ASI concerned itself primarily with mentorship programs for minorities entering the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Over the years, the organization expanded its objectives to become project-development oriented.

The fourth of 11 children born to Knorvel Sr. and Lucy Cherry, Lee Cherry attended Clausen Elementary School, Oakland Middle School (now Oakland International HS) and graduated from Oakland Technical High School. He attended UC Berkeley and graduated from San Jose State University. Working as an electrical and environmental engineer, he had a professional career that spanned IBM, Lockheed Aerospace, PG&E, and the Department of Defense. He managed electrical defense contracts for the U.S. Navy.

Cherry met and married Lauran Michelle Waters of Wash., DC. The couple has two daughters, Dr. Aminah Cherry and Dr. Jamilah Cherry-Woodard.

He loved to travel, read, promote science, technology and the environment, highlighting the accomplishments of African Americans in this country and throughout the African Diaspora.

He was a dedicated researcher, which enabled him to converse with anyone on multiple subjects. If he didn’t know the subject matter, he would thoroughly research the topic so he could engage. He had an insatiable love for learning.

Lee Cherry leaves to mourn his passing his wife, Lauran Michelle; daughters Dr. Aminah Cherry, Dr. Jamilah Cherry (Terrell); brothers and sisters Loye, James (Cynthia), Bernice, Betty, LaVance and Louis; mother-in-law Faye Waters; uncle Al; grandchild Amari Woodard; nieces Chaleda/Corey, Aleiya, Baniah and many more nieces, nephews, cousins, friends and colleagues.

The Oakland Post’s coverage of local news in Alameda County is supported by the Ethnic Media Sustainability Initiative, a program created by California Black Media and Ethnic Media Services to support community newspapers across California.

Isabelle Price

Posts by Isabelle Price

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Activism

S.F. Black Leaders Rally to Protest, Discuss ‘Epidemic’ of Racial Slurs Against Black Students in SF Public School System

Parents at the meeting spoke of their children as no longer feeling safe in school because of bullying and discrimination. Parents also said that reported incidents such as racial slurs and intimidation are not dealt with to their satisfaction and feel ignored.

Published

4 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Rev. Amos C. Brown, president of the San Francisco NAACP and pastor of Third Baptist Church. Photo courtesy Third Baptist Church.

By Carla Thomas

San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church hosted a rally and meeting Sunday to discuss hatred toward African American students of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).

Rev. Amos C. Brown, president of the San Francisco NAACP and pastor of Third Baptist Church, along with leadership from local civil rights groups, the city’s faith-based community and Black community leadership convened at the church.

“There has been an epidemic of racial slurs and mistreatment of Black children in our public schools in the city,” said Brown. “This will not be tolerated.”

According to civil rights advocate Mattie Scott, students from elementary to high school have reported an extraordinary amount of racial slurs directed at them.

“There is a surge of overt racism in the schools, and our children should not be subjected to this,” said Scott. “Students are in school to learn, develop, and grow, not be hated on,” said Scott. “The parents of the children feel they have not received the support necessary to protect their children.”

Attendees were briefed last Friday in a meeting with SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne.

SFUSD states that their policies protect children and they are not at liberty to publicly discuss the issues to protect the children’s privacy.

Some parents said they have removed their students from school while other parents and community leaders called on the removal of the SFUSD superintendent, the firing of certain school principals and the need for more supportive school board members.

Community advocates discussed boycotting the schools and creating Freedom Schools led by Black leaders and educators, reassuring parents that their child’s wellbeing and education are the highest priority and youth are not to be disrupted by racism or policies that don’t support them.

Virginia Marshall, chair of the San Francisco NAACP’s education committee, offered encouragement to the parents and students in attendance while also announcing an upcoming May 14 school board meeting to demand accountability over their mistreatment.

“I’m urging anyone that cares about our students to pack the May 14 school board meeting,” said Marshall.

This resource was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library via California Black Media as part of the Stop the Hate Program. The program is supported by partnership with California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.