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Derrick Muhammad Appointed to the Oakland Port Commission

Muhammad is a resident of West Oakland, a maritime lawyer, and a former leader of the ILWU. He is a lifelong Oakland resident and a third-generation ILWU member. He is also known as an environmental advocate opposed to allowing a coal terminal in Oakland.

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Derrick Muhammad of the International Longshore Workers Union (ILWU), celebrates his historic appointment to the Oakland Port Commission at D. Monaghans on the Hill in Oakland. Photo courtesy of Kitty Kelly Epstein. Mayor Barbara Lee appoints Derrick Muhammad of the International Longshore Workers Union (ILWU), to the Oakland Port Commission at D. Monaghans on the Hill in Oakland. Photo courtesy of Kitty Kelly Epstein.
Derrick Muhammad of the International Longshore Workers Union (ILWU), celebrates his historic appointment to the Oakland Port Commission at D. Monaghans on the Hill in Oakland. Photo courtesy of Kitty Kelly Epstein. Mayor Barbara Lee appoints Derrick Muhammad of the International Longshore Workers Union (ILWU), to the Oakland Port Commission at D. Monaghans on the Hill in Oakland. Photo courtesy of Kitty Kelly Epstein.

By Kitty Kelly Epstein

On Wednesday at D. Monaghans on the Hill in Oakland, guests celebrated the historic appointment of International Longshore Workers Union (ILWU) member, Derrick Muhammad, to the Oakland Port Commission.

Mayor Barbara Lee explained the significance of her making this appointment, “This is the first time a representative of the people who actually work at the Port has been on the Port Commission.”

Muhammad is a resident of West Oakland, a maritime lawyer, and a former leader of the ILWU. He is a lifelong Oakland resident and a third-generation ILWU member. He is also known as an environmental advocate opposed to allowing a coal terminal in Oakland.

The Port of Oakland is the economic engine of the region, and the Port Commission also manages the Oakland Metropolitan Airport and related real estate. ILWU Local 10 is a unique organization with a long history of international solidarity and racial justice actions. They have rallied against the privatization of Port property and refused to handle cargo that was headed to South Africa when it had an apartheid government, among many other actions.

Muhammad thanked the mayor, Oakland City Council members, the National Coalition of 100 Black Men, and supporters who worked on his appointment.

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Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025

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Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025

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IN MEMORIAM: William ‘Bill’ Patterson, 94

Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.

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William "Bill" Patterson, 94. Photo courtesy of the Patterson family.

William “Bill” Patterson, 94, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2025, at his home in Oakland, CA. He was born on May 19, 1931, to Marie Childress Patterson and William Benjamin Patterson in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from Dunbar High School and traveled to Oakland, California, in 1948. William Patterson graduated from San Francisco State University, earning both graduate and undergraduate degrees. He married Euradell “Dell” Patterson in 1961. Bill lovingly took care of his wife, Dell, until she died in 2020.

Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.

He served on the boards of Oakland’s Urban Strategies Council, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, and the Oakland Workforce Development Board.

He was a three-term president of the Oakland branch of the NAACP.

Bill was initiated in the Gamma Alpha chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

In 1997 Bill was appointed to the East Bay Utility District Board of Directors. William Patterson was the first African American Board President and served the board for 27 years.

Bill’s impact reached far beyond his various important and impactful positions.

Bill mentored politicians, athletes and young people. Among those he mentored and advised are legends Joe Morgan, Bill Russell, Frank Robinson, Curt Flood, and Lionel Wilson to name a few.

He is survived by his son, William David Patterson, and one sister, Sarah Ann Strickland, and a host of other family members and friends.

A celebration of life service will take place at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center (Calvin Simmons Theater) on November 21, 2025, at 10 AM.

His services are being livestreamed at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1250167107131991/

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Euradell and William Patterson scholarship fund TBA.

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