Bay Area

Felecia Gaston Publishes New Book on Marin City

Felecia Gaston, the founder and director of Performing Stars of Marin, and The Marin City Historical and Preservation Society, will be promoting her new book, “a brand new start…this is home – The Story of World War II Marinship and the Legacy of Marin City.” Gaston will be in conversation with Cheryl Popp on Tuesday, April 25 at 6:00 p.m. at Sausalito Books by The Bay, 100 Bay St. in Sausalito.

Published

1 year ago

April 28, 2023

Oakland Post

Cover of book, left, and portrait of Felecia Gaston, right, at the Bartolini Gallery. Photo courtesy of Felecia Gaston.

By Godfrey Lee

Gaston will be in conversation with Cheryl Popp on Tuesday, April 25 at 6:00 p.m. at Sausalito Books by The Bay, 100 Bay St. in Sausalito.

“A brand new start…this is home” is a commemorative book for the Marin City 80 celebration, and includes “historical images, excerpts of oral histories, archival news, headlines and documents that have been previously published,” said Gaston.

It reveals the untold stories, experiences, and what the Black people in Marin City had endured for 80 years, and highlights the community’s dignity, character, and pride from the 1940s to the present.

The book also talks about the “influences and infringements from outsiders who have historically and continue to impose their vision for the community…and portrays the strength and tenacity of local advocates who wanted to decide their destiny,”

The book begins by casting back to the original inhabitants, the Coast Miwok Indians to the Azorean Portuguese of Southern Marin, Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor leading to the United States entry into WWII, the Bechtel Corporation’s contract to build the Liberty ships, and the people from near and far who did the work.

Gaston writes about the Marin Housing Authority building temporary homes in 1942, the beginning of a community in Marin City, outside developers, the Ku Klux Klan’s cross burning in Marin City, what the Marin Civic Center was proposing for the future of the land in Marin City in 1952, and how people such as Supervisor Vera Schultz, Mary Summers, Aaron Green, Lawrence Livingston, Jr., Lawrence Halprin, and John Carl Warnecke help to plan and shape Marin City.

The book references Marin City’s Black business owners from 1950s to the present, a professional sports archive, local entertainment groups, and individual entertainers such as George Duke, Tupac Amaru Shakur, Rap Group 51.50 Illegally Insane, and Evard “Avar the Star” Auxila.

The book narrative continues with the legacy of the Black Panthers in Marin City, Geronimo Pratt, the Marin City Community Festivals from 1975 to 1989, the Blues, the Jazz & Soul Festivals in The Park from 1998 to 2012, the Tuskegee Airmen and Veterans’ Day Celebrations, George “Rocky” Graham Park of 2015, Golden Gate Village in 2017, and the Trump Caravan, coronavirus pandemic, George Floyd protests, and the U.S. Census in 2020.

Gaston writes that Marin City community has tackled the “interconnected issues of systemic racism, housing inequity, gentrification, the collapse of the middle class, and (its) resilience.”

She says that after celebrating Marin City’s 80^th birthday, now is time introduce the Marin City Historical and Preservation Society in order to recognize her legacy, preserve her history and “contribute to the community’s growing vitality, richly deserved by the many residents who have invested deeply in this unique historical enclave.”

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Op-Ed Senate Bill 966 Threatens Health Equity in East Bay

My East Bay community is struggling to get by. A proposed State Senate bill would set us back even further. Serving the East Bay community has been my life’s work and my greatest joy. After leaving the Bay Area to complete my seminary, I returned home to found The Community Church in Oakland. From the outset of my time as the church’s pastor, I have been guided by the belief that my service must extend beyond the pulpit, because the health and economic needs of my community are so great. Our church has organized free food banks, COVID-19 testing clinics, and a housing and re-entry program for those suffering from addiction.

Published

1 week ago

July 19, 2024

Oakland Post

Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook

By Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook

Special to the Post

My East Bay community is struggling to get by. A proposed State Senate bill would set us back even further.

Serving the East Bay community has been my life’s work and my greatest joy. After leaving the Bay Area to complete my seminary, I returned home to found The Community Church in Oakland.

From the outset of my time as the church’s pastor, I have been guided by the belief that my service must extend beyond the pulpit, because the health and economic needs of my community are so great. Our church has organized free food banks, COVID-19 testing clinics, and a housing and re-entry program for those suffering from addiction.

Through my service, I have seen the challenges that our community members are facing. Oakland, my hometown, has the third-highest rate of violent crime in the state. The local economy is strained. Oakland-based businesses are leaving our community because they’re struggling to get ahead.

Both East and West Oakland has disproportionately high rates of respiratory illness due to heavy air pollution. While our local efforts have brought some aid to those in need, we are also counting on our state elected officials to help us address the systemic health disparities afflicting the community.

Chief among the health concerns of community members is having reliable and affordable access to prescription drugs. Equitable access to medications gives us the peace of mind that we can keep ourselves and our families healthy and safe. Our community should not have to choose between paying rent or purchasing prescriptions.

Unfortunately, rather than taking action to combat soaring prescription drug prices, some California lawmakers are pushing legislation that could raise patient costs at the pharmacy counter.

The Legislature is currently considering SB 966, a bill backed by special interests that would undercut the few tools we have to keep prescription drug costs contained, letting big drug companies increase their prices, profiting on the backs of working families – some of whom already live paycheck to paycheck.

SB 966 would target the fundamental programs through which small businesses, unions, and government health programs are able to offer their employees and members quality and affordable healthcare. Millions of Californians rely on these plans to obtain essential medications at the lowest-possible cost.

The bill would make it illegal for employers and unions to incentivize the administrators of their prescription drug plans to negotiate for the lowest possible cost for prescriptions. Right now, small businesses and unions can choose to pay these administrators more for taking on big drug companies and securing discounts – a choice that will be outlawed under this bill.

As a result, employers will have no leverage to stop big drug companies from setting sky-high prices, disproportionately impacting working families.

As these health costs quickly add up, employers will have little choice but to pass the increases down to their employees. That means California patients will see higher healthcare costs and co-pays.

From my perspective, most concerning is that the bill would exacerbate the health disparities impacting my community and other underserved populations. If SB 966 becomes law, the most vulnerable may be forced to skip prescription doses, stop filling their prescriptions, and avoid essential care.

By rejecting this cash grab by big drug companies, our state elected officials can send a clear message that they stand with the community, patients, and working families.

We cannot afford SB 966.

Rev. Dr. VanHook is the founder and pastor of The Community Church in Oakland and the founder of The Charis House, a re-entry facility for men recovering from alcohol and drug abuse.