Community

Chevron and DonorsChoose.org Partner at Peres Elementary School

Published

12 years ago

October 22, 2014

Kelly Fimbres, who has been teaching for 10 years at Peres Elementary School in Richmond, thinks outside the box when it comes to her students. Over the years she has used DonorsChoose.org to fund over 68 classroom projects and supplies.

Chevron’s Fuel Your School program in partnership with DonorsChoose.org recently gave Timbres a surprise visit providing her class with two Apple iPad minis and an Apple iPod Nano including all the accessories. The excitement of the 20 second graders was heightened by Oakland A’s mascot Stomper who hand delivered the boxes.

Fimbres humbly shared how through the DonorsChoose.org platform she was able to get a crock pot, blender, gardening supplies, and create a greenhouse and miniature garden right outside her classroom. With a passion for nutrition, Fimbres has her students make breakfast smoothies, apple sauce, and even created a class cookbook.

“I want my children to learn to eat healthy, have a love of learning and to know that they are applying STEM, science, technology, engineering and math when preparing meals and projects,” she said.

Eighty-five percent of the school’s population is English Language Learners. Fimbre’s students are from low-income families and qualify for the school’s lunch program.

“Being able to use the DonorsChoose.org online platform to broadcast my classrooms’ needs has been a tremendous help. With the right supplies and resources these children will be even more prepared at every level,” Fimbres said.

Mike Wirth, Executive Vice President of Downstream and Chemicals at Chevron, congratulated Fimbres and inspired students with his love of science and technology. As he shared his educational path, Wirth encouraged the students to continue in STEM as they enjoyed a science project in class.

“With teachers like Fimbres and Chevron’s commitment to education, students will be more prepared for their future and competing globally,” Wirth said.

Carolina Martin, DonorsChoose.org Senior Vice President, Partnerships and Business Development, said her organization is a great value to teachers who face budget cuts and come out of pocket for school supplies.

“We encourage more teachers to use our platform to meet the growing needs of students in the educational system – it gets the community involved in supporting tomorrow’s leaders,” she said.

Elizabeth Carmody of the Contra Costa County Unified School District and Chevron Community Engagement Manager Andrea Bailey commended Fimbres’ teaching style.

“It really takes teachers like Ms. Fimbres to give children a great start and Chevron is a proud supporter of her efforts in line with our commitment to education,” said Bailey.

Since 2010, Chevron’s Fuel Your School program has committed $140 million toward education in the U.S. focusing on science, technology, engineering and math from early education through employment.

To date, the Fuel Your School program has generated nearly $4 million to support more than 500 schools and 4,000 classroom projects in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. For more information visit DonorsChoose.org.

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Community

Four Candidates, Including Incumbent Barbara Lee, Qualify for Oakland Mayor’s Race

POST NEWS GROUP — Four candidates, including incumbent Mayor Barbara Lee, filed their papers to run for office by last Friday’s deadline, and the City Clerk issued a list this week of those who are qualified to run.

Published

1 day ago

August 15, 2026

bpusa-syndication

View of downtown Oakland, California and City Hall. iStock photo.

By Post Staff

The four mayoral candidates who will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot are:

Brenda Grisham. A business owner in East Oakland and public safety advocate, Grisham led the successful recall campaign against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. As part of her platform, she pledges to work with local, state, and federal partners to secure stricter gun control measures and investments in community violence intervention programs.

Barbara Lee. A former congressional representative and state Assembly member, Lee was elected by voters in a special election last year for a two-year term. Now running for a four-year term, she points out that her administration achieved major successes in addressing some of the city’s major challenges, including balancing the city budget, dramatically reducing crime, and making significant inroads into homelessness and illegal dumping.

Mindy Pechenuk. An educator and activist, Pechenuk is a registered Republican and supporter of Lyndon LaRouche, who has been described by observers as a conspiracy theorist and cult leader. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in last year’s special election and for the at-large council seat in 2024. She seeks to end Oakland’s police commission and MACRO and invest in more police while launching a new local war on drugs.

Julius Robinson. While little information is available so far about Robinson, he was quoted in a KTVU story about Thao’s recall, stating that people in Oakland want to come together as a community but lack infrastructure and leadership.

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Black History

Oakland Observes Black August with Block Parties, Film Showings, Workshops

POST NEWS GROUP — Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

Published

1 day ago

August 15, 2026

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George Jackson wrote two books: “Soledad Brother,” and “Blood in My Eye” before her was killed in an attempt to escape prison on Aug. 21, 1971.

By Jana Lang, Propel Youth Reporter

Study. Train. Fast. Fight.

These are the four tenets of Black August, a month dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of political prisoners and Black revolutionaries in the struggle for Black liberation.

Observers are urged to study the history of the Black struggle for freedom, train their bodies for health and self-defense, fast to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, and fight ongoing oppression alongside their communities and local political organizations.

Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

While in prison, George befriended fellow prisoner W.L. Nolen, who introduced him to the works of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Frantz Fanon. This radicalization coupled with his experiences of violence while imprisoned led to him writing and publishing two books, “Soledad Brother” (1970), and “Blood in my Eye” (1972). In January of 1970, George and two other prisoners were charged with murdering a corrections officer at Soledad State Prison in Monterey County.

On Aug. 7, 1970, Jonathan Jackson burst into a Marin County courtroom armed with a shotgun to demand the freedom of the Soledad Brothers. He, along with the inmates he freed, was shot and killed while driving away. This involved one of the Black Panther Party’s most notable associates, Angela Davis, because the shotgun was registered in her name. She was later acquitted of charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder in 1972.

On Aug. 21, 1971, George Jackson was assassinated by a corrections officer after attempting to escape and free other inmates. As a result, there were uprisings and protests within prisons all over the country that year, calling forth resistance against racial oppression and mass incarceration.

Since its outset, Black August has evolved across the country, taking many forms to honor this history and embody the four tenets.

In Oakland, the upcoming Black August Experience, hosted by Youth Alive! and the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), is a free, family-friendly event celebrating the legacy of Black August. Activities include free food and drinks, a kids’ activity zone, interactive workshops, live cooking and boxing demonstrations, and more.

Happening on Aug. 21 from 4-8 p.m. at the EOBA Patio, Carolyn Flynn, director of administration at EOBA, said the event, in its second year, will be an opportunity to engage with people in person through food, shared space, and education.

“We do regular classes in education, and those are ongoing programs that we offer, but we wanted to have [an opportunity] for our neighbors to utilize this space.” Combined with Youth Alive’s work in community violence prevention and youth leadership, this event surely aims to bring the Oakland community together to capture what Black August means today.

Here are additional Black August events happening in Oakland:

Forum and Community Discussion hosted by the Oakland Liberation Center, 1499 Fruitvale Ave., Aug. 14, 7 p.m.

“George Jackson/San Quentin” Screening hosted by Nostalgic for Nothing Cinema at Moments Co-Op, 410 13th St., Aug. 16, doors at 6 p.m., show at 6:30 p.m. (Masks required and scent-free)

Commemorating the Struggle, Building the Altar for Liberation: Black August at Bandung Books, 2269 International Blvd., Aug. 23rd, 1-5 p.m.

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.