Bay Area

IN MEMORIAM: Frankie Jacobs Gillette

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1925, Frankie Jacobs Gillette was the third of three daughters and a son born to the late Natalie Taylor Jacobs and Frank Walter Jacobs. In 1932, her father, a Baptist minister, was called from Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, to Messiah Baptist Church in Bridgeport, Conn., where Frankie attended local public schools. She was a graduate of Hampton University and Howard University, where she received a Master of Social Work degree.

Published

2 years ago

March 19, 2022

Oakland Post

Frankie Jacobs Gillette

April 1, 1925 – February 26, 2022

Frankie Jacobs Gillette, beloved aunt, friend, retired social worker and educator, entered into eternal rest on Feb. 26, 2022, in San Francisco, California, after a brief illness.

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1925, Frankie was the third of three daughters and a son born to the late Natalie Taylor Jacobs and Frank Walter Jacobs. In 1932, her father, a Baptist minister, was called from Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, to Messiah Baptist Church in Bridgeport, Conn., where Frankie attended local public schools. She was a graduate of Hampton University and Howard University, where she received a Master of Social Work degree.

Frankie’s social work career began with community organizations in Illinois, New Jersey and Michigan. In California, Frankie was a federal government administrator implementing War on Poverty programs operated through the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity/Community Services Administration.

Frankie grew up in the church and was a faithful supporter of her church home in San Francisco, Bethel A.M.E. Church. In 2010, she was honored as “Christian Woman of the Year.” Frankie was an active parishioner until her death, and was instrumental in church improvement activities, fundraising initiatives, and the installation of an elevator on the church grounds.

Frankie’s local community involvement was extensive and frequently honored. She shared her fundraising and mentoring talents freely. Notable activities included: Commissioner, San Francisco Human Rights Commission; Member, San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau; Chairperson, San Francisco-Abidjan Sister City Committee; and Trustee, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco. She was most proud to be a founding Board Director of the Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD).

On the national level, Frankie was National President (1983-1987) of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc. During her tenure, Frankie was recognized by Ebony magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential Black Americans” for 1984. Frankie also held life memberships in the NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women, the Links, Inc., and Delta Sigma Theta, Inc.

Frankie was preceded in death by her parents, three siblings and her loving husband and true soulmate of 46 years, Maxwell C. Gillette. Married in 1976 by distinguished theologian Howard Thurman, they lived their lives guided by his admonition to “ask what makes you come alive and go do it.”

She will be lovingly missed by her two nieces, Renata Henry, and Karen Sarjeant (Larry), her grandnieces Kiera Henry, Nicole Henry, and Shani Sarjeant, and her grandnephew, Omari Sarjeant, and several nieces and nephews in the Bay Area and throughout the world.

A memorial service will be held at Bethel AME Church, 916 Laguna St., San Francisco (415) 921-4935 on March 26, 2022, at 1 p.m. COVID-19 safety protocols will be observed; masks and proof of vaccination are required.

Please consider memorial contributions in Frankie’s honor to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and/or the Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco.

Oakland Post

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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.

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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.

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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.”