Activism

Protests Surge as District Moves to Close Black and Latino Schools

This Saturday, there will be a rally for members of Oakland communities and affected school communities to fight against the closures beginning at 10 a.m. at Prescott Elementary at 920 Campbell St. in West Oakland. Prescott, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2019, is one of the predominately Black schools facing closure in June. The school community has pushed back against the district for years as central office administrators tried to suppress the school’s enrollment, urging families not to enroll their children at the school.

Published

2 years ago

February 12, 2022

Oakland Post

Day 8 of a hunger strike continues as Oakland Unified School Board is slated to take a vote Tuesday on a controversial proposal to close 16 schools. (Video: ABC 7)

By Ken Epstein

More than 2,000 outraged teachers, parents and community members attended a Zoom school board meeting Monday evening to speak out against the closures, consolidations and mergers of 15 predominately Black and Latino schools this year and next year.

Some Oakland schools facing closure this year are (From top, clockwise): Prescott, Horace Mann, Brookfield, Westlake, La Escuelita and Grass Valley. Photos courtesy of OUSD.

The meeting lasted until 3 a.m., with hardly a speaker supporting the closures, as hundreds of speakers opposed these draconian measures, demanding that school and community voices not be ignored. The board majority, led by Board members Gary Yee and Shanthi Gonzales, may be hoping to avoid prolonged protests by rushing to a vote at a special board meeting next Tuesday, Feb. 8 to finalize the closing of the schools in June.

Only Board members VanCedric Williams and Mike Hutchinson are opposing the closures.

This week’s Board meeting may have witnessed the largest turnout at a school board meeting since 2003 when State Receiver Randy Ward took over the reins of the school district and announced he was unilaterally closing about 25 schools.

At that time, thousands filled the street in front of the administration building and packed the hallways and boardroom, forcing terrified overseers to significantly reduce the numbers of schools on the chopping block.

The affected schools are now mobilizing their communities and reaching out to broader communities in Oakland. On Tuesday, Westlake Middle School students and staff walked out and marched to the district headquarters at 1000 Broadway, where several Westlake staff had started a hunger strike. Families, teachers, and students at La Escuelita also walked out and marched to the district office.

Prescott, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2019, is one of the predominately Black schools facing closure in June. The school community has pushed back against the district for years as central office administrators tried to suppress the school’s enrollment, urging families not to enroll their children at the school.

The school board and the district administration, while turning a deaf ear to the community, is seeking to satisfy the demands of the Alameda County Superintendent of Schools L. Karen Monroe and state-financed nonprofit agency, Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistance Team (FCMAT), which are demanding school closures and as much as $90 million in budget cuts.

FCMAT made its position clear in a Jan. 4 letter, which was sent to the district, calling for “affirmative board action to continue planning for, and timely implementation of, a school and facility closure and consolidation plan that supports the sale or lease of surplus property.”

Some activists point out that Oakland schools are caught in a vicious cycle at the hands of the state, Monroe and FCMAT. Saying the district was in fiscal crisis, the state and its representatives moved in and took over in 2003 and since then has never left.

While some hold out hopes that officials will someday be satisfied with the endless cuts and closures the state is demanding, it appears they don’t ever plan to give up their behind-the-scenes power over Oakland schools, say school observers.

School activists are also asking how the district can achieve the elusive goal of “fiscal stability” as long as these officials are the ones running OUSD’s finances and continuously moving the goalposts of the nebulous standards of fiscal health.

Since FCMAT arrived in 2003, it has been pushing for closing schools, according to observers of the school district. At first, FCMAT did not justify closures as a way to save money. They said there was a state formula for how much real estate a district should have per student at elementary, middle school, and high school levels — and the district was not aligned with this state formula.

In this writer’s experience, the story was going around the school district administration building in 2003 that there was a plan to transform the district of 58,000 students and over 100 schools into a district that was small enough “to fit in your hands.”

That’s when the rush began to bring charter schools into Oakland, reducing the public school student population by over 13,000 and placing more than 40 charters in the city, costing the district an estimated $57 million a year.

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Activism

Lend A Hand Foundation Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Lend A Hand Foundation Celebrates 25th Anniversary at the Scottish Rite Center in Oakland. On stage: KTVU Fox 2 Broadcasters Roberta Gonzales and Dave ClarkDance-A-Vision Founder, Carla Service, Vice Mayor Kimberly Mayfield-Lynch, California State Assemblymember Mia Bonta and Lend A Hand Foundation Executive Director Dee Johnson with the Dance-A-Vision Dancers. Photo By Carla Thomas

Published

1 day ago

May 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Lend A Hand Foundation Celebrates 25th Anniversary at the Scottish Rite Center in Oakland. On stage: KTVU Fox 2 Broadcasters Roberta Gonzales and Dave ClarkDance-A-Vision Founder, Carla Service, Vice Mayor Kimberly Mayfield-Lynch, California State Assemlbymember Mia Bonta and Lend A Hand Foundation Executive Director Dee Johnson with the Dance-A-Vision Dancers. Photo By Carla Thomas

By Carla Thomas

The Lend A Hand Foundation (LAHF) celebrated the 25th anniversary of the organization’s Stay In School Program on May 9 at the Scottish Rite Center in Oakland.

Themed “Together We Can Empower Our Youth to Stay in School,” the event featured a pre-event reception featuring Oakland’s Kev Choice Ensemble.

The ensemble featured Oakland School for the Arts student, Ayo Brame, a 16-year-old, up-and-coming tenor saxophone jazz musician. The master and mistress of ceremonies were local broadcasters Dave Clark and Roberta Gonzales of KTVU Fox 2. Clark’s wife, Lucretia also supported the program.

A special appearance featured Dwayne Wiggins of Tony! Toni! Toné! on guitar, performing the group’s hit song “Anniversary” as guests dined on salmon, chicken, beef and vegetarian entrees prepared by the Food Network “Chopped” Champion, Chef Rashad Armstead of Oakland. California State Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) provided the keynote address and the Carla Service Dance-A-Vision youth dancers energetically performed a hip hop routine throughout the audience in white leotards as attendees clapped along. An auction led by Auctioneer Franco Finn assisted in raising funds for the organization with prizes that included a luxury resort vacation and other items.

LAHF presented District 5 Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson and District 4 Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley with Lifetime Supporter Awards. LAHF presented the Trailblazer Award to Guy Richardson of Ernst and Young; Dante Green of Kaiser Permanente; Antioch Attorney Gordon Greenwood of the Kazan McClain Partner’s Foundation; and Sarah Yoell of PG&E.

Oakland Unified School District Superintendent, Dr. Kyla Trammel Johnson acknowledged LAHF’s impact.

“Each year, LAHF gives backpacks and school supplies to thousands of students across Oakland,” said Johnson. “In 2022 the effort topped 25,000 students. No matter the need, big or small, involving lots of students or just one, Lend A Hand is always there ready to make a difference in the lives of our young people.”

Founder and executive director of LAHF Dee Johnson took the stage as the DJ played the Sledge Sisters’ “We Are Family.”

Guests gave Johnson a standing ovation as she thanked supporters and presented many of them with gifts.

“It’s heartbreaking to know some children don’t have clothes or supplies for school,” said Johnson. “The babies really need our support and when we deliver supplies to them, it makes them really happy.”

Since the LAHF Annual Stay in School Program began in 1999, it has provided over 150,000 educational school supply kits to students throughout Alameda County, including Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville, and San Leandro, among other cities.

“This past August, we provided for over 12,000 students with supplies, with the help and support of our very generous donors,” said Johnson. “This year, we aim to do all we can to match that amount or provide even more.”

For more information visit: www.LendaHandFoundation.org

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Activism

Chef Cleaz and Mistah F.A.B. Host “You Still Have A Son” Mother’s Day Dinner

Oakland Chef Cleaz and Bay Area rapper, author Stanley Cox, aka Mistah F.A.B., hosted a Mother’s Day dinner on Monday, May 13, at Pierre Pierre, a restaurant in the Tribune building in downtown Oakland. The restaurant was decorated with balloons and flowers for the event, and each mother received a bouquet of red roses.

Published

1 day ago

May 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Chef Cleaz, owner of Pierre Pierre Restaurant, and rapper and author Mistah F.A.B. announce special event "You Still Have Son" Mother's Day dinner. Photo Courtesy KTVU Channel 2.

By Carla Thomas

The restaurant was decorated with balloons and flowers for the event, and each mother received a bouquet of red roses.

Organized for mothers who have lost their children, for mothers in need of extra love on Mother’s Day, the event gave the hosts an opportunity to remember their own mothers while doing something special for over 100 mothers in the community.

Both men recounted the deep sense of grief they faced in the loss of their mothers and recognized the many mothers who have outlived their children.

“We were in my restaurant, and F.A.B. was having dinner and said he wanted to do something special but wasn’t sure what it would look like,” said Chef Cleaz. “We continued to brainstorm, and at first F.A.B. wanted to come up with ways to bring more business to my new restaurant and serve the community. But days later, F.A.B. came up with the idea for mothers.”

“In these tough times. we know life can get you down'” explained F.A.B. “And expect to lose a parent, but a parent should not lose their child, and with Mother’s Day around the corner, we decided to show moms in need of something special and extra love.”

F.A.B. also knew that Chef Cleaz had recently lost his mother, which made the idea even more appropriate to them.

So, the day after Mother’s Day, F.A.B. and Cleaz hosted “You Still Have A Son, Momma” at Pierre Pierre.

“We wanted moms to still feel appreciated under the covenant of family and love,” said F.A.B.

“I remember my mother being my rock,” said Cleaz. “My mom played a very important part in my life, and not having her anymore gave me the impetus to do something in her honor. She gave me a lot in her lifetime. F.A.B. offered to pay for the entire event, but I said, let’s collaborate.”

“My mom was my best friend, and on Mother’s Day I cry and listen to music so I can get the tears out. But I’m happy because I’m living my purpose, continuing to evolve as a man and father to Liberty and Legacy and continue making my mom proud.”

Initially, Cleaz and F.A.B. planned for 50 to 75 guests, but after they advertised the event via social media posts, the RSVP’s kept rolling in. At last count,120 mothers responded.

F.A.B. said he did not plan on turning anybody away if there were more guests. “If they’re coming, there is a void of love that they are coming for,” he said. Chef Cleaz’s staff donated their time, and entertainer Dyson the Voice brought his band and sang all night.

“We wanted to see all the beautiful women out there,” said F.A.B. “We wanted to see lots of beautiful smiles, faces, and we want the mothers to feel appreciated.”

F.A.B. said his sister Theresa lost her son and that he knows at a very personal level how deep the loss of a child is through her. “You never really get over the loss, you deal with it. You try to make life better for those around you.”

Pierre Pierre is located at 401 13th St. Owner Chef Cleaz is a renowned celebrity chef from the vibrant culinary scene of San Francisco. Born from humble beginnings, he has forged an extraordinary path to culinary stardom, exemplifying Black excellence with each delectable dish he creates.

A dedicated father and loving husband, his commitment to family values extends far beyond his home, as he tirelessly helps anyone he sees in need.

Chef Cleaz has built an empire rooted in his passion for food and a deep respect for cultural heritage. His vision is to establish a sanctuary of culinary artistry, where creole and soul food recipes take center stage. He aims to create a space that the community can proudly call its own, a place where shared meals become moments of togetherness and cultural celebration.

Through his culinary creations, he invites visitors to savor not just his delectable dishes but also the history, traditions, and stories that infuse every plate.

F.A.B. is an American songwriter, entrepreneur, community organizer, and activist whose music career began in the late 1990s when he was discovered by Jazzy Jim and Gary Archer. He was featured on a number of Mac Dre’s Thizz Nation mixtape compilations and quickly gained prominence in the San Francisco Bay Area Hyphy Movement.

F.A.B. is the owner of D.O.P.E. clothing store and other businesses. He is known for hosting community block parties, school supply giveaways, and holiday parties for the underserved. He also created Thug Therapy, a movement for men to receive mental health support, which inspired the work of another community organizer, the late Shantell Herndon, creator of FLY Girl Therapy and Healing Circles.