Arts and Culture

Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, PIC Lead Effort to Save East Oakland Martial Arts School

For over 50 years Sifu Bill and Mary Owens have owned and operated Cascos Martial Arts Academy in East Oakland. They have specialized in teaching self-defense, cultural awareness, educational values, and self-confidence to students of all ages. But the COVID-19 pandemic has nearly brought down the dojo located at 7415 MacArthur Blvd.

Published

11 months ago

November 7, 2023

Oakland Post

Witnessing the receipt of the donation to the Private Industry Council are from left; Linda Taylor, Sifu Bill and Mary Owens, Nate Miley, Ray Lankford and Shawn Easki Adams.

By Post Staff

For over 50 years Sifu Bill and Mary Owens have owned and operated Cascos Martial Arts Academy in East Oakland.

They have specialized in teaching self-defense, cultural awareness, educational values, and self-confidence to students of all ages. But the COVID-19 pandemic has nearly brought down the dojo located at 7415 MacArthur Blvd.

The Owens hoped that students would return after the shutdown and they did, but not in the numbers they had before. Having prided himself for never turning away a student who could not pay, last summer Bill Owens found himself far behind on his mortgage.

Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley helped them secure a small grant to try to recover from the pandemic, but they have been served with a foreclosure notice anyway.

Miley has again responded by making a $5,000 donation to the Private Industry Council (PIC), which will, in turn, provide aid to the dojo. The Oakland Post is planning to match Miley’s contribution.

Post Publisher Paul Cobb said he will help Miley and PIC Executive Director Ray Lankford raise the funds to prevent the dojo from closing.

“We must fight for constructive programs to save our youth in the same manner that the community rallied to raise more than $80,000 to prevent foreclosure of the North Oakland Baptist Church’s properties,” Cobb said.

The Cascos Martial Art Academy has been recognized as being an integral part of Oakland’s history and has received hundreds of trophies and awards for being one of the longest-running martial arts schools in California.

In addition to traditional martial arts training, they also teach OFA, which is short for Ofanics.

OFA is a unique, evolutionary martial art form taught nowhere else in the world, as it was created and developed over many years at Cascos Martial Arts Academy.

The techniques taught and used within the exercises and drills fuse the beautiful art of Chinese Kung Fu with African American culture, where each self-defense or fighting stroke becomes a rhythmic musical delivery.

On June 25, 2021, Congresswoman Barbara Lee of Oakland wrote a letter acknowledging the immensely positive impact that Cascos Martial Art Academy has had on the community.

Bill and Mary have also received commendations from members of the California State Assembly for exemplary teaching and support for the youth in the community. Having served more than 6,000 students, the couple’s impact is not just local but worldwide.

The Owens’ are asking the community to help them preserve this legacy by inviting the public to attend and participate in the free, self-defense program called “Black Girls Missing,” which is designed for young girls and women of all ages. This program builds self-confidence, self-appreciation, self-discipline, and awareness.

The first class and kick-off of the “Black Girls Missing Program” will be held Sat. Nov. 11, from 7-9 p.m. at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle at 410 14 St. in Oakland CA. It’s a workshop and a party. Wear something comfortable.

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Art

Phenomenal Woman’ Maya Angelou Monument Unveiled at San Francisco Main Library

In a joyful community celebration attended by over 200 people, including Mayor London Breed, the highly anticipated ‘Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman’ monument to Dr. Maya Angelou was unveiled at the San Francisco Main Library on Sept. 19. Oakland-based artist Lava Thomas created the 9-foot bronze and stone monument in the form of a book featuring a portrait and quotes from the celebrated author, poet, civil rights activist and former San Francisco resident.

Published

1 week ago

October 2, 2024

Oakland Post

Attending the unveiling of the monument to the late Dr. Maya Angelou were, from left, Dr. Gina M. Fromer, CEO Glide Foundation; San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Rosa Johnson, (Angelou’s niece); Ralph Remington, San Francisco director of Cultural Affairs; Lava Thomas, artist and creator; Denise Bradley-Tydus, former interim director of Cultural Affairs; San Francisco Poet Laureate Genny Lim, and San Francisco City Librarian Michael Lambert. Photo by Linda Parker Pennington.

By Linda Parker Pennington

Oakland-based artist Lava Thomas created the 9-foot bronze and stone monument in the form of a book featuring a portrait and quotes from the celebrated author, poet, civil rights activist and former San Francisco resident.

The work was commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commission in response to legislation passed in 2018 by San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, requiring at least 30% female representation in the public realm.

Attending the unveiling were Angelou’s grandson, Elliott Jones, social advocate, philanthropist, and board member of the Dr. Maya Angelou Foundation; and Rosa Johnson, Angelou’s niece and family archivist, who spoke about the historic unveiling of this first public monument portraying a Black woman in San Francisco’s history.

Oakland Post

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Arts and Culture

San Jose Jazz Fest ‘24: Fun, Food and an Unforgettable Frankie Beverly Farewell

SAN JOSE — The sounds of summer echoed through the heart of town during the 3-day-long San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2024, held Aug. 9 – 11. Multiple stages hosted a variety of iconic performers such as Incognito; local favorites like Tia Carroll; and trailblazers such as Herbie Hancock. Guests enjoyed dozens of vendors featuring art, gifts, and clothing. Tasty bites included flame-grilled barbeque, seafood and a variety of desserts

Published

3 weeks ago

September 16, 2024

Oakland Post

Frankie Beverly performing at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2024. Photo Courtesy of Frankie Beverly.

By Carla Thomas

SAN JOSE — The sounds of summer echoed through the heart of town during the 3-day-long San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2024, held Aug. 9 – 11.

Multiple stages hosted a variety of iconic performers such as Incognito; local favorites like Tia Carroll; and trailblazers such as Herbie Hancock.

Guests enjoyed dozens of vendors featuring art, gifts, and clothing. Tasty bites included flame-grilled barbeque, seafood and a variety of desserts.

Oakland entrepreneur Ava Carrie and several friends said it was great to get out, enjoy the sun and hear great music. “This is a wonderful festival and just a great time with friends,” said Carrie.

Festival goer Cin-Dee said she flew in from Virginia to celebrate her birthday in the Bay Area. She was saddened that she missed Frankie Beverly’s farewell tour that kicked off in March when he performed in her area on the east coast, capping a 50-year career. When Cin-Dee noticed Maze would feature Beverly in the line up at the San Jose Jazz Festival, in a tribute to him, she made sure to cut short her touring of Santa Cruz to not miss the performance on Sunday evening. “I am so happy to be here and have this opportunity to see Frankie with Maze,” she said, dancing to the music. “This is really special and it’s great to see Frankie on stage and hear my favorite songs.”

Maze performed favorites in tribute to Beverly while introducing their new lead singer, Tony Lindsay. During the last stretch of the concert, Beverly performed, “Happy Feelings,” and “I Wanna Thank You.” The performance was emotional for Beverly as the audience stood up and danced during the entire performance, capturing the historic moment on their cell phones.

Maze was founded by Beverly in 1970 in Philadelphia and was recognized by Marvin Gaye when they relocated to the Bay Area in 1971. The group went on to earn nine gold albums between 1977 and 1993 with mega hits such as “Happy Feelin’s” and “Before I Let Go.” Beverly, known for his soulful baritone voice, wrote hit after hit during his five-decade career. Beverly said he was initially inspired by the pacesetting R&B doo-wop group Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.

Performances at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest also included the John Santos Sextet, the San Jose Jazz High School All Stars, Faye Carol, Delfaeyo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, David Benoit Quartet, Andre Thierry Accordion Soul, Ayo Brame, The Family Stone, and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra.

Oakland Post

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Arts and Culture

African American Historic Ties to Blue Jeans Revealed in Indigo-Dyeing Workshop at Black-Eyed Pea Festival

Oakland-based artist Reshawn Goods, also known as Bushmama, will host a hands-on workshop that connects present-day blue jeans to the skills of enslaved Africans at the 9th Annual Black-Eyed Pea Festival on Sept. 14 at Marston Campbell Park at 17th and West streets. Indigo is a plant that is cultivated in a number of places around the world, including India and and Africa. Indigo dyes were introduced in America as a result of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Many of the enslaved African people knew how to propagate indigo to create dye from the plant.

Published

4 weeks ago

September 10, 2024

Oakland Post

Workshop participants show how the dye looks on their skin. Prolonged exposure over years of dyeing will make the blue skin permanent. Photo courtesy Reshawn Goods

By Daisha Williams

Indigo is a plant that is cultivated in a number of places around the world, including India and Africa.

Indigo dyes were introduced in America as a result of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Many of the enslaved African people knew how to propagate indigo to create dye from the plant. Indigo was used to dye clothes throughout all of West Africa, often referred to as blue gold. Wearing these clothes was a symbol of wealth. The Yoruba of Benin, the Manding of Mali, and the Hausa of Kano were renowned for indigo processing and dyeing.

According to Goods, the Europeans liked the colors that this dye produced and made slaves continuously produce it. Another crop that they cultivated was cotton, still something used for much of our clothing today.

When talking about the historical significance of indigo for Black Americans Goods said, “Slaves at that time were given a ration of clothes once a year… this cloth was very coarse and harsh to the skin. So, one slave decided to dip their clothes in the indigo vat and this was the early beginnings of what denim became to be. People will say that Levi Strauss created jeans, but we created jeans.”

At Goods’ workshop, attendees will be able to use cotton, indigo, and denim to create patches that resonate with them that will be used to form a family quilt. This fun and free craft has a lot of historical significance.

“When you go to school you learn about slaves, but you don’t learn about where they came from or what they brought with them,” said Bushmama. “That’s not part of the narrative… we brought so much with us, and that part is not shared. I feel that if we knew how powerful we were it would help us to elevate. That would help to dismantle white supremacy.”

Bush has been creating ever since she was young. Her first exhibition was in 1994 and was also where she sold her first piece. Since then, she has continued using art to create awareness within the Black community.

Before the counterculture of the 1960s, dungarees weren’t even sold in department stores but rather Army-Navy and hardware stores. They were really cheap but sturdy and only made in men’s sizes. Eventually, blue jeans began to be used by designers and became fashion statements that can cost hundreds of dollars.

Many Black Americans are unfamiliar with this history, and with conservative pushback against things like Critical Race Theory, many pieces of history like this are left untold.

That’s why having workshops like these is so important, it shines a light on the parts of history that have been hidden in the shadows while empowering the Black community by connecting them to their roots.