Community
A Haven of Peace offered to Stockton Women and Children
One in four women experience severe intimate partner physical violence. When women build the courage to leave these situations, often with their children, they often have nowhere to go and no resources to provide.

“On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. In one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men,” according to National Statistics for Domestic Violence
To put this further into perspective, one in four women experience severe intimate partner physical violence. When women build the courage to leave these situations, often with their children, they often have nowhere to go and no resources to provide.
Places like Haven of Peace offer women and children a sanctuary to escape to in times like these. In 1957, women from 13 churches formed a temporary Board of Directors for the organization that would later become Haven of Peace, which would be the first homeless shelter for women and children in the San Joaquin Valley.
This group found a two-story home and turned it into the first shelter, later expanding to their primary location in French Camp, Calif.
Haven of Peace exists to provide women and children the tools to become self-sufficient. While many women who come to Haven are experiencing domestic violence, others come from jail, the streets or are displaced due to job loss.
The women who stay are all 18 years old or older, along with children of all ages for girls and up to 8 years old for boys, due to dormitory limitations.
Services include; Resident Case Management, Education Center, Life Skills Program, Parenting Classes, Financial Literacy, Bible Study and Devotionals, Book Bag Program, Transitional and Supportive Housing, Résumé Writing and Job Preparation, Drug and Alcohol Relapse Prevention, Individual and Group Counseling, Domestic and Sexual Abuse Support, Referrals, and Healthy Eaters Learning Program (H.E.L.P.) Nutrition Classes.
Haven for Peace is located at 7070 S. Harlan Road in French Camp, which is just outside of Stockton. Hours are Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Call (209) 982-0396 for information, concerns, or ways to donate/volunteer.
Arts and Culture
Berkeley’s Black Repertory Theater to Hold Fundraiser for Youth Programs
The Bay Area Jazz Society will hold a fundraiser and CD listening party to raise funds for youth programs at Berkeley’s Black Repertory Theater (BBRT), the only Black-owned-and-operated theater in the East Bay.

By Clifford Williams
Special to The Post
The Bay Area Jazz Society will hold a fundraiser and CD listening party to raise funds for youth programs at Berkeley’s Black Repertory Theater (BBRT), the only Black-owned-and-operated theater in the East Bay.
The event will take place at the BBRT on Sunday, Oct. 8 from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. at 3201 Adeline St., Berkeley, CA. Tickets are $25. The master of ceremonies will be KPFA’s Afrikahn Jamal Davis.
Many artists featured in “The Sounds of Oakland: Music from the Streets” compilation CD will perform with special guests including Larriah Jackson from “The Voice” Niecy ‘Living Single’ Robinson, one of the Bay Area’s most popular vocalists and Derick Hughes, who sang with Roberta Flack for many years, taking the place of Donnie Hathaway.
Other artists attending include Donnie Williams from “American Idol,” (the same year Jennifer Hudson and Latoya London appeared), and Williams’ sister, Terrill Williams. There will be live performances with food and drink for everyone, and the CD will be playing in the lobby when the performers take a break.
BBRT has had limited programming during and throughout the pandemic and is now struggling to regain continual of operations. Bay Area Jazz Society Executive Director Paul Tillman Smith, has an extensive background in theatre, starting with a stint as musical director for the Oakland Ensemble Theater’s Melvin Van Peebles play, “Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death,” featuring television star Ted Lange of the “Love Boat,” as director.
Tillman Smith is also the co-producer, along with Norman Connors, Levi Seacer Jr., and Nelson Braxton for the new Bay Area CD ‘The Sounds of Oakland: Music from the Streets.” Other artists listed on the CD may be in attendance, including Lenny Williams, Derick Hughes, and Lady Bianca to meet and greet guests.
The Berkeley chapter of the NAACP will also support the fundraiser.
The first 20 individuals attending the fundraiser will receive a free copy of the CD. Thirty percent of the CD sales will go into a fund to help aging artists who don’t have a pension and, in many cases, no social security.
For more information regarding the fundraiser and how to obtain tickets, contact Paul Tilman Smith at 510. 689.3332, or Bayjazz@gmail.com.
Black History
Remembering the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
The “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” brought an unprecedented throng to the National Mall on Aug. 28, 1963. From every corner of the U.S., marchers came to demand fair wages, economic justice, an end to segregation, voting rights and long overdue civil rights. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his incomparable “I Have a Dream” speech on that day.

By Gay Elizabeth Plair Cobb

Gay Plair Cobb
Editor’s note: The “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” brought an unprecedented throng to the National Mall on Aug. 28, 1963. From every corner of the U.S., marchers came to demand fair wages, economic justice, an end to segregation, voting rights and long overdue civil rights. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his incomparable “I Have a Dream” speech on that day. Below, Gay Plair Cobb shares her remembrance.
“Sleepy eyed, joining the early morning-chartered bus ride from New York City to Washington, DC … exhilarated, but not knowing what to expect in the late August heat
…. the yearning for justice, solidarity with others on the journey, the possibility of new legislation, and also the possibility of violence … We just did not know.
In the end, there were an amazing 250,000 of us, awed and inspired by Mahalia Jackson, John Lewis, Dorothy Height, James Farmer and, of course, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Dream that became our North Star is still our North Star 60 years later and into eternity. Grateful to have been a foot soldier then. Still grateful now.”

Poster for March on Washington.
Art
Oakland Celebrates Hiero Day 2023, Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop
Thousands of music fans showed up at Oscar Grant Plaza Monday, Sept. 4 to celebrate the 11th annual Hiero Day block party and commemorate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, featuring the Souls of Mischief, Oakland native Kev Choice, Mister F.A.B. and a special guest appearance by Common.

By Post Staff
Thousands of music fans showed up at Oscar Grant Plaza Monday, Sept. 4 to celebrate the 11th annual Hiero Day block party and commemorate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, featuring the Souls of Mischief, Oakland native Kev Choice, Mister F.A.B. and a special guest appearance by Common.
Hosted by the City of Oakland and Mayor Sheng Thao, the free event showcased over 30 live performances on three stages, including legendary, underground and undiscovered performers of hip-hop, R&B and other genres.
Souls of Mischief is part of the rap collective Hieroglyphics, which founded Hiero Day and this year celebrated its 30th anniversary.
“HIERO DAY (is) a driving force in the music festival culture in Oakland,” according to event organizers. “The event is widely regarded as a day to celebrate independent hip-hop music and serves as a Labor Day destination being one of the largest hip-hop music gatherings in the Bay Area.”
The event was held at Jack London Square last year, but this year, it moved to the plaza in front of Oakland City Hall, reflecting its new connection with the Mayor’s Office and the City of Oakland.
“I’m so grateful to be here in Oakland,” said Common said after receiving a “heavyweight champion” belt and proclamation from Mayor Thao. “Y’all inspired us … The music, the culture — Hieroglyphics influenced me.”
Said Mayor Thao: “Oakland is the heart of the Bay Area’s music, art and culture scene, and I am so grateful for all the work our Hiero Day organizers did to celebrate it.”
The City of Oakland this year is hosting three events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, including the collaboration with event organizers of Hiero Day. A special event was held on Sept. 10 to honor “50 years of women rooted in hip-hop,” including Pam the Funkstress, the Conscious Daughters, Traci Bartlow, and Mystic and Black.
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