Bay Area

Faces Around the Bay: Helena P. Hill

Helena P. Hill, 92, was born and raised on her grandfather’s farm in Plaquemine, Louisiana. “We had cows, chickens and horses. I even picked cotton.” She was the third-oldest child of Louis and Louella Brown, and one of 11 siblings. The closest school was eight miles away, so they home-schooled. Hill remembers her earliest “job” was assigned by her mother: “I was put in charge of the kitchen and stood on a chair to wash dishes and clean the counters.”

Published

1 year ago

March 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Helena P. Hill. Photo by Brian Anthony Butler.

Special to The Post

Helena P. Hill, 92, was born and raised on her grandfather’s farm in Plaquemine, Louisiana. “We had cows, chickens and horses. I even picked cotton.”

She was the third-oldest child of Louis and Louella Brown, and one of 11 siblings. The closest school was eight miles away, so they home-schooled. Hill remembers her earliest “job” was assigned by her mother: “I was put in charge of the kitchen and stood on a chair to wash dishes and clean the counters.”

She moved to California in 1950 and has been a resident and property owner in Berkeley and Oakland. “My first job in California was as a waitress at the California Hotel. I later went to the booths (set up by local employers) that were set up in Oakland and got a referral for a domestic position. They charged $10.”

She did domestic work for a few years, worked for the U.S. Post Office, and seven years at the Hunt Brothers Cannery in Hayward. She was employed by the U.S. government in San Francisco as a typist in the 1970s, and from 1978-92 worked for the American National Insurance Company until retirement.

Hill is a Legacy Lifetime member of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) and has served as past president of its East Bay Area section. With NCNW, she coordinated voter registration campaigns and traveled to South Africa as a delegate to the South African Unification Conference.

In the political arena, she opened her home to campaign for Tom Bradley’s first historic run for the first Black Mayor of Los Angeles in the early 1970s and traveled there to campaign in his behalf. She worked tirelessly for Barack Obama’s campaign and was later named a member of Obama’s honorary Kitchen Cabinet. She assisted Linda Shepherd, the late AC Transit Board president, with her struggles with AC Transit in the early 1980s.

Hill is a board member of the Black Repertory Group and an avid supporter of the Four Seasons Arts, Inc. She continues to enjoy the Four Seasons door-to-door transportation to their concerts.

Her philanthropy includes contributions to the Democratic Party.

She has one daughter and two grandchildren. She lives in Oakland and her home church is Acts Full Gospel.

Hill paraphrases her favorite scripture: Corinthians calls us to be ambassadors, sent out to work as a citizen of God’s Kingdom, representing truth and light in a world of deceit and darkness.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 7 – 13, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 7 – 13, 2025

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The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 30 – May 6, 2025

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Asm. Corey Jackson Proposes Safe Parking for Homeless College Students Sleeping in Cars

Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), is the author of AB 90, which would require community colleges and California State University campuses to create overnight parking programs where students can sleep safely in their vehicles. With one in four community college students in California experiencing homelessness in the past year, Jackson says the state must act urgently.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Assemblymember Corey Jackson. File photo.

By Bo Tefu
California Black Media

As California’s housing crisis continues to impact students, new legislation, Assembly Bill (AB) 90, promises to allow college students without stable housing to sleep in their cars on campus, offering a stark but practical solution aimed at immediate relief.

“This just deals with the harsh realities that we find ourselves in,” he said at a recent hearing.

The bill passed its first committee vote and is gaining attention as housing affordability remains a top concern across the state. California rents are more than 30% above the national average, and long waitlists for student housing have left thousands in limbo. CSU reported more than 4,000 students on its housing waitlist last year.

Supporters stress that the bill is not a long-term solution, but a humane step toward helping students who have no other place to go. A successful pilot program at Long Beach City College has already shown that safe, supervised overnight parking can work, giving students access to restrooms, Wi-Fi, and a secure environment.

However, the CSU and community college systems oppose the bill, citing funding concerns. Critics also worry about safety and oversight. But Jackson and student advocates argue the crisis demands bold action.

“If we know students are already sleeping in their cars, why not help them do it safely?” said Ivan Hernandez, president of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges.