Activism

Community Celebrates Lifetime Achievements of Ex-Berkeley Mayor Gus Newport

Newport, who is now in his mid-80s, was born in Rochester, New York. While living there, he was leader of the Monroe County Nonpartisan Political League, where he worked with Malcolm X to defend nine Black Muslims who were attacked and arrested during a worship service.

Published

4 years ago

April 21, 2022

Ken Epstein

Gus Newport meets friends and well-wishers at a celebration of his lifetime of commitment to social justice, organized by the Middle East Children's Alliance, Monday night at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley. Photo by Ken Epstein.

By Ken Epstein

A large crowd turned out Monday evening, March 28, to pay tribute to Eugene “Gus” Newport, former Berkeley mayor and a grassroots leader with a long history of activism in the Civil Rights Movement and the struggle for human rights in the U.S. and globally that has continued up to the present.

Newport’s friend and fellow activist, actor Danny Glover, hosted the event.

Some of the speakers were in-person while others appeared live on a large monitor behind the stage at the Freight and Salvage. Among those who honored Newport were Angela Davis, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and singer Holly Near. Newport’s son, who was present, and his daughter who livestreamed from Atlanta, spoke lovingly of their father. His wife, Katherine Kasch, was also there. The event was a fundraiser for the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA).

Newport was a founding member of the alliance and served for years as chair of MECA’s board. MECA founder Barbara Lubin also spoke at the celebration.

Moving to New York, he was mentored by Harlem Congressman Adam Clayton Powell and Malcolm X, helping him found the Organization of African American Unity.

Newport served as mayor of Berkeley from 1979 to 1986. He was one of the first U.S. mayors to ride in a Gay Freedom Day Parade in 1979. Under his leadership, Berkeley became the first city to divest from companies that supported apartheid in South Africa.

More recently, he traveled around the country to support Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign.

Newport has supported human rights around the world and within the U.S. He:

Traveled to war zones in solidarity with the people of El Salvador;
Worked for Palestinian liberation;
Headed the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative in Boston, creating a national model for a neighborhood run “by and for the people;”
Helped oversee the rebuilding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina;
Mentored young activists;
Served on the faculty of UC Berkeley, MIT and Yale;
Serves on the National Council of Elders, an organization of key social justice activists over 65;
Received the 2019 Khalil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Award from the Arab American Institute Foundation.

Ken Epstein

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Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

Published

5 days ago

March 7, 2026

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

2 weeks ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

3 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.