Bay Area
Bernard J. Tyson, First Black CEO of Kaiser Permanente, 60
Just 24 hours after sitting on a panel in front of 5,000 Black techies at the annual AfroTech gathering at the Oakland Convention Center, Bernard Tyson, the first Black CEO of Kaiser Permanente, died on November 10.
Kaiser Permanente, the health insurance and hospital system Tyson led as CEO since 2013 – and chairman since 2014 – announced the 60-year-old executive’s sudden death.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce that Bernard J. Tyson unexpectedly passed away early today in his sleep,” Kaiser Permanente wrote in a statement published on the organization’s web site. The cause of death was not yet known.
“On behalf of our Board of Directors, employees and physicians,” Kaiser’s statement continued, “we extend our deepest sympathies to Bernard’s family during this very difficult time. An outstanding leader, visionary and champion for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.”
Tyson is survived by his wife, Denise Bradley-Tyson, and three sons: Bernard J. Tyson, Jr., Alexander and Charles.
Later on Sunday, Americans across the country – and Californians across the state – joined Tyson’s shocked family members, colleagues and loved ones to remember the Bay Area native’s many contributions to his home state and country.
“I am heartbroken upon learning of the passing of Bernard Tyson,” said U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA). “Bernard dedicated his life to making health care more accessible for our communities. My prayers and condolences are with his family and loved ones during this time.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also issued a statement shortly after finding out about Tyson’s death Sunday.
“Jennifer and I are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of health care pioneer and our dear friend Bernard Tyson,” the governor wrote. “Bernard’s vision and influence made an impact at home and abroad, and he led with excellence on behalf of millions of Kaiser patients and thousands of employees.”
Tyson, known across the country as one of the leading experts on U.S. health policy, was the only Black CEO of a billion-dollar corporation of a similar size in California. If Kaiser were publicly traded and were not a non-profit corporation, it would have been the 42nd largest Fortune 500 company in the United States.
Tyson was also one of only five Black CEOS in the United States leading a major corporation. Kaiser Permanente administered 12.2 million health plans in 2018 and reported a net income of $2.5 billion. The corporation’s operating budget hovers just under $80 billion and it runs more than 700 medical facilities, including hospitals, across the United States.
People who knew Tyson also remember him as a champion of racial justice and an advocate for diversity and equality in the work place.
“I’m devastated,” Magic Johnson tweeted. The ex-NBA star and businessman was Tyson’s close friend.
“He was a visionary and championed for best quality and affordable healthcare, especially in underserved communities,” Johnson wrote in another tweet. “Bernard spent over 30 years at Kaiser and as an African-American man, I was so proud when he was named CEO.”
In 2017, Time Magazine included Tyson on its list of the world’s 100 Most Influential people.
The Golden Gate University alum (undergrad and graduate degrees) also served on a number of boards, including the American Heart Association and the San Francisco-based technology company Salesforce.
“A light unto this world has gone out,” tweeted SalesForce CEO Marc Benioff. “He always did so much for others and the world. One of the world’s greatest CEOs.”
Kaiser has appointed Gregory Adams, a former executive vice president, to replace Tyson as interim chief executive and chairman.
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. also issued a statement:
“We are saddened by the sudden death of Bernard Tyson, chairman and chief executive officer of the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Inc., who was a pioneer in the healthcare insurance industry.
His role as an advocate for racial justice and workplace diversity was a start. He set the agenda forever for the uninsured, the underinsured and the insured. Bernard Tyson was always there for those whose backs were against the wall.
As the debate rages on around the country for expanded healthcare for those who are locked out, his voice will be sorely missed.
I hope the Kaiser Permanente board will honor his legacy and that his replacement will have his values and his broad view.
May his soul rest in peace.”
Arts and Culture
Faces Around the Bay Dr. Carl Blake, Pianist
Born in Liberty, Missouri, Carl Blake, a virtuoso and respected pianist, made his most recent migration to the East Bay in 1999. One might have seen him performing recently at Noontime Concerts in San Francisco, or at the Piedmont Center for the Arts in Oakland. He is Director of Music at The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco. He was also co-organizer and collaborative pianist at Herbst Theater for The Majesty of the Spirituals concert in 2022 and has held several church positions in the Bay Area.
By Barbara Fluhrer
Born in Liberty, Missouri, Carl Blake, a virtuoso and respected pianist, made his most recent migration to the East Bay in 1999.
One might have seen him performing recently at Noontime Concerts in San Francisco, or at the Piedmont Center for the Arts in Oakland. He is Director of Music at The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco. He was also co-organizer and collaborative pianist at Herbst Theater for The Majesty of the Spirituals concert in 2022 and has held several church positions in the Bay Area.
Blake obtained a Bachelor of Music from Boston University and continued post-baccalaureate studies in Jamaica before earning a Master of Arts in Music at San Jose State University. He was the recipient of two Fulbright residencies in Honduras and completed a third residency at the University of St. Petersburg in Russia. He has a Doctor of Musical Arts from Cornell University.
At age 19, Blake, then an undergraduate piano major at Boston University, was “discovered” by Impresario Dr. W. Hazaiah Williams, who is the Founder and Director of Today’s Artists/Four Seasons Arts.
Williams honored Blake by awarding him the first Marian Anderson Young Artist Award. Anderson personally presented the award at the Masonic Auditorium in S.F. Subsequently, Blake was presented by Dr. Williams in his San Francisco debut at The Herbst Theatre. Williams subsidized a year of study abroad for Blake at the Paris Conservatory of Music. Additionally, Williams sponsored Blake’s New York Weill Hall debut, where he has performed twice since. Blake performed several times at the Yachats Music Festival in Oregon.
Blake continues to perform nationally and abroad. His hobbies are reading, baking and travel. He says, “I’m still pumping ivories, as Belgian pianist Jeanne Stark described the disciplined practice of concert piano.”
Art
Marin County: A Snapshot of California’s Black History Is on Display
The Marin County Office of Education, located at 1111 Las Gallinas Ave in San Rafael, will host the extraordinary exhibit, “The Legacy of Marin City: A California Black History Story (1942-1960),” from Feb. 1 to May 31, 2024. The interactive, historical, and immersive exhibit featuring memorabilia from Black shipyard workers who migrated from the South to the West Coast to work at the Marinship shipyard will provide an enriching experience for students and school staff. Community organizations will also be invited to tour the exhibit.
By Post Staff
The Marin County Office of Education, located at 1111 Las Gallinas Ave in San Rafael, will host the extraordinary exhibit, “The Legacy of Marin City: A California Black History Story (1942-1960),” from Feb. 1 to May 31, 2024.
The interactive, historical, and immersive exhibit featuring memorabilia from Black shipyard workers who migrated from the South to the West Coast to work at the Marinship shipyard will provide an enriching experience for students and school staff. Community organizations will also be invited to tour the exhibit.
All will have the opportunity to visit and be guided by its curator Felecia Gaston.
The exhibit will include photographs, articles and artifacts about the Black experience in Marin City from 1942 to 1960 from the Felecia Gaston Collection, the Anne T. Kent California Room Collection, The Ruth Marion and Pirkle Jones Collection, The Bancroft Library, and the Daniel Ruark Collection.
It also features contemporary original artwork by Chuck D of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group Public Enemy, clay sculptures by San Francisco-based artist Kaytea Petro, and art pieces made by Marin City youth in collaboration with Lynn Sondag, Associate Professor of Art at Dominican University of California.
The exhibit explores how Marin City residents endured housing inequities over the years and captures the history of plans to remove Black residents from the area after World War II. Throughout, it embodies the spirit of survival and endurance that emboldened the people who made Marin City home.
Felecia Gaston is the author of the commemorative book, ‘A Brand New Start…This is Home: The Story of World War II Marinship and the Legacy of Marin City.’ Thanks to the generous contribution of benefactors, a set of Felecia’s book will be placed in every public elementary, middle, and high school library in Marin.
In addition, educators and librarians at each school will have the opportunity to engage with Felecia in a review of best practices for utilizing the valuable primary sources within the book.
“Our goal is to provide students with the opportunity to learn from these significant and historical contributions to Marin County, California, and the United States,” said John Carroll, Marin County Superintendent of Schools.
“By engaging with Felecia’s book and then visiting the exhibit, students will be able to further connect their knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of this significant historical period,” Carroll continued.
Felecia Gaston adds, “The Marin County Office of Education’s decision to bring the Marin City Historical Traveling Exhibit and publication, ‘A Brand New Start…This is Home’ to young students is intentional and plays a substantial role in the educational world. It is imperative that our community knows the contributions of Marin City Black residents to Marin County. Our youth are best placed to lead this transformation.”
The Marin County Office of Education will host an Open House Reception of the exhibit’s debut on Feb. 1 from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.. All school staff, educators, librarians, and community members are encouraged to attend to preview the exhibit and connect with Felecia Gaston. To contact Gaston, email MarinCityLegacy@marinschools.org
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 10 – 16, 2024
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