Bay Area

IN MEMORIAM: Oakland Mourns the Passing of Gladys Green, 98

Gladys Green married her high school sweetheart George Green when he returned from World War II. The couple moved to Oakland in 1946 to escape the Jim Crow South and shortly thereafter her parents, brothers and cousins followed her. The couple had four children: Joy, Charles, Glenn and Beverly. She had nine grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.

Published

2 years ago

May 5, 2022

Oakland Post

Gladys Green

Gladys Green transitioned from this world in her home quietly surrounded by her loving family, on March 28. She was widely known as someone who lived life on her terms — a bright light in the community and in the lives of her family and friends. She was 98.

For more than 40 years, she served in leadership for her community, as a neighborhood activist and community champion for low-income and underserved residents and as a driving force in successful efforts to curb gun violence and advance businesses and social programs to address needs in the District 7 community and throughout the City of Oakland and Alameda County.

Active in the community in many ways, Mrs. Green was chair of the Alameda County-Oakland Community Action Partnership (AC-CAP) Board for the last 25 years and a member for approximately 28 years. On the board, she worked to eliminate poverty and blunt its impacts, improve the community by creating pathways that lead to economic empowerment and prosperity.

Among her many awards and recognitions, she was inducted in 2015 into the Alameda County Women’s Hall of Fame for her outstanding community service. In 20013, she received the City of Oakland’s MLK Citizens Humanitarian Award, nominated by the Department of Human Services.

Summing up her life in her own words, she said, “I have had a very good life with no regrets, I’ve been blessed.”

She was born Dec. 20, 1923 in Mississippi to Myrtis and Clarence Lewis, Sr. The family moved to New Orleans, Louisiana when Gladys was six months old. She was active in her father’s church, teaching and working.

She married her high school sweetheart George Green when he returned from World War II. The couple moved to Oakland in 1946 to escape the Jim Crow South and shortly thereafter her parents, brothers and cousins followed her.

The couple had four children: Joy, Charles, Glenn and Beverly. She had nine grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.

Mrs. Green and her husband were members of the Amigos De Porres social club. Members of the club were former New Orleanians who moved to the Bay Area, holding black tie formals, Sunday afternoon teas, luncheons and cocktail parties. Their friendships spanned more than 50 years.

She loved to cook and to be surrounded by family and friends.

During the holidays, she hosted dinners for family and friends. No one left the house without plates of food and a gift.

Her love for the Golden State Warriors was remarkable. She never missed a game and would go over play by play yelling at the TV if the referee called a foul against the Warriors.

Mrs. Green enjoyed traveling. She visited Mexico, Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Italy, France, Spain, Colombia, and traveled throughout the United States including Alaska, and Hawaii.

In 1962, she and her husband became parishioners of Saint Benedict’s Catholic Church. She was active for 60 years in the church, where she served as Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, was an electoral and Eucharistic Minister, St Vincent DePaul Representative for St. Benedict, Peter Claver, Ladies Auxiliary, with the Cartagena Award.

She was preceded in death by her husband George, her son Glenn, both parents and three brothers.

She leaves to mourn her passing, Joy Green-Armstrong, Charles Green, Beverly Green and many nieces, nephews, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and numerous dear friends.

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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

7 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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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

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.

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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

2 weeks 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.”