Bay Area
Despite Humble Beginnings in East Oakland
What does commitment and dedication look like? It can be seen in Mrs. Nina Gardner-Meeks who, as a young Black woman, had a dream and love for Oakland’s Black youth and went on to dedicate herself to Oakland Unified School District students for 51 years.
OUSD Educator’s Hard Work Led to Success
By Post Staff
What does commitment and dedication look like?
It can be seen in Mrs. Nina Gardner-Meeks who, as a young Black woman, had a dream and love for Oakland’s Black youth and went on to dedicate herself to Oakland Unified School District students for 51 years.
Mrs. Meeks came from humble beginnings.
The third oldest of nine children, Nina grew up with few resources and attended five different elementary schools as she moved from place to place in East Oakland until her parents could afford to buy a house in Sobrante Park.
Mrs. Meeks attended Hamilton Junior High and graduated from Castlemont High School in 1972.
The fact that her parents were unable to pay for college did not deter her. She found a way by working to pay for her tuition and books. With persistence, she graduated in 1976 with a B.S. in Recreation, from California State University, Hayward.
In 1979, Nina married James E. Meeks, Sr. and continued to study, receiving her teaching
credentials from the University of California, Berkeley in 1981.
But she didn’t stop there.
In 1984, she obtained a master’s degree in counseling from CSU Hayward, followed in 1989 by a credential in School Administration also from CSU Hayward. She accomplished all of this while raising three children and preparing them for school.
Nina has worked in many capacities at many different schools, including as instructional assistant, teacher, assistant principal, academic counselor, and summer school principal. For the last 19 years, she has been an academic counselor at Roosevelt Middle School.
In her five decades in the field of education, Nina has touched thousands of young students’ lives.
On a personal note, Nina has been a faithful member for over 40 years of the Church of The Living God, located at 1450 47th Ave. in Oakland. A former president of the adult choir, she is chair of the Trustees Board, an outreach missionary and is also involved in the church’s women ministry which helps feed the homeless.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
Bay Area
State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference
California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.
By Carla Thomas
California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco.
The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.
“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.
ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.
“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.
More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.
Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.
“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.
“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.
“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.
By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”
Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”
Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.
“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”
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