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

6 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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Arts and Culture

Richmond Preps for Full Weekend of Cinco de Mayo Festivities

Cinco de Mayo festivities in Richmond and San Pablo are some of the bests in Bay, and organizers say that tradition will be alive and well at this weekend’s annual parade and festival. The action kicks off Saturday, May 4, with the 16th Annual Cinco de Mayo Richmond/San Pablo Peace & Unity Parade. The parade of floats, performances, and community organizations starts at 10 a.m. at 24th Street and Barrett Avenue and Richmond and ends at 12:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church, 1845 Church Lane in San Pablo.

Published

4 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Scene from the 2023 Cinco de Mayo parade from Richmond to San Pablo. Photo courtesy The Richmond Standard.

By Mike Kinney

The Richmond Standard

Cinco de Mayo festivities in Richmond and San Pablo are some of the bests in Bay, and organizers say that tradition will be alive and well at this weekend’s annual parade and festival.

The action kicks off Saturday, May 4, with the 16th Annual Cinco de Mayo Richmond/San Pablo Peace & Unity Parade. The parade of floats, performances, and community organizations starts at 10 a.m. at 24th Street and Barrett Avenue and Richmond and ends at 12:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church, 1845 Church Lane in San Pablo.

The parade’s Grand Marshall this year will be community organizer Diego Garcia, owner of Leftside Printing.

The festivities continue Sunday with the Cinco de Mayo Festival along 23rd Street, which last year drew over 100,000 people, according to the 23rd Street Merchants Association. This year’s festival will again run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. between the intersections of Rheem Avenue and Clinton Avenue. It will feature two entertainment stages, one sponsored by La Raza 93.3 FM at 23rd and Rheem, and another sponsored by Radio Lazer FM at 23rd and Clinton.

Both events are important for the city and the region’s Latino community.

San Pablo Mayor Genoveva Calloway, who co-chairs the parade alongside John Marquez, president of the Contra Costa Community College District Board of Trustees, says Saturday’s festivities are about bringing the Richmond and San Pablo communities together in unity.

“This truly connects the spectators and people in the parade as one,” Calloway said. “The parade showcases the real communities of Richmond and San Pablo – our nonprofits, schools, horse riders, classic cars and trucks, our local businesses. All of these people represent the heartbeat of our community.”

Rigo Mendoza, vice president of the 23rd Street Merchants Association, said that at its heart, Richmond’s Cinco de Mayo Festival celebrates the date the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

But John Marquez started up the popular festival to bring the community together and also to exhibit the community’s businesses and culture to visitors, Mendoza said. The gathering was also a way to promote peace in the community.

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Art

Mario Van Peebles’ ‘Outlaw Posse’ Screened at Oakland’s Grand Lake Theatre

Published

5 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Film director Mario Van Peebles, who also stars in “Outlaw Posse,” appeared at a press conference held at RBA Creative on MacArthur Boulevard hosted by the Oakland International Film Festival. Photo By Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Oakland International Film Festival hosted a screening of “Outlaw Posse” at the Grand Lake Theatre on Monday. Special guests included director/actor Mario Van Peebles and his co-star, Oakland native Scytorya Rhodes. The film is Peebles’ second western, the first being ‘Posse,’ 13 years ago. Filmmaker Van Peebles shared his passion for independent artistry and producing projects with his son, Mandela, who also starred in the film, along with Whoopi Goldberg and Cedric the Entertainer. Next week, The Post will publish an in-depth interview featuring Peebles’ reflections on his work, future projects, and continuing his father’s legacy and Rhodes on her grandfather, a real-life cowboy.

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Arts and Culture

Kedrick Armstrong: New Music Director for the Oakland Symphony

The Oakland Symphony Announced Kedrick Armstrong as its Next Music Director. In addition to conducting the orchestra’s public concerts, Armstrong will also actively participate in the Oakland Symphony’s many education and community engagement programs, designed to inspire a love of music in people of all ages.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Kedrick Armstrong is the new music director for the Oakland Symphony. Photo credit Scott Chernis.

By Post Staff

The Oakland Symphony Announced Kedrick Armstrong as its Next Music Director.
In addition to conducting the orchestra’s public concerts, Armstrong will also actively participate in the Oakland Symphony’s many education and community engagement programs, designed to inspire a love of music in people of all ages.

Armstrong is the successor to previous music director and Conductor Michael Morgan, who passed away in 2021 after a 30-year tenure at the Symphony.

Armstrong will open the Oakland Symphony 2024-2025 season on October 18.

Armstrong, who is 29 and hails from Georgetown, South Carolina, is currently the creative partner and principal conductor of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony.

The Chicago Tribune has praised Armstrong for his ability to “simply let the score speak for itself.” He enjoys a wide range of repertoire, spanning early music to premiering new works, using his joy and curiosity for all music to cultivate understanding and collaboration within diverse communities.
“I am deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the new music director of the Oakland Symphony,” Armstrong said. “As a Black conductor, I find it humbling to stand on the shoulders of both Michael Morgan and Calvin Simmons,” the most recent and the first African American music directors of the Symphony, respectively.

Armstrong led three programs at the Symphony between 2022 and early 2024, which showcased his broad knowledge of the classical repertoire and enthusiasm for spotlighting diverse voices.
On his Oakland Symphony subscription debut on Feb. 16, Armstrong led the world premiere of “Here I Stand: Paul Robeson,” an oratorio by Carlos Simon on a libretto by Dan Harder, commissioned by the Oakland Symphony.

Armstrong was selected unanimously by the Oakland Symphony’s board of directors and musicians after an extensive two-year search. “The search committee was overwhelmed by Kedrick’s scholarship and curiosity about all kinds of music, from classical and jazz to gospel and hip-hop,” said. Dr. Mieko Hatano, executive director of the Oakland Symphony. “We are thrilled to have him join us at the Oakland Symphony.”