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Former Athlete Rafer Johnson, Country Musician Charley Pride, both 86

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Charley Pride. Charleypride.com photo.

Black America lost two of its iconic figures this month.

Both born in 1934, Rafer Lewis Johnson died of a stroke on December 2 in Los Angeles and Charley Frank Pride was a COVID-19 victim who succumbed on December 12 in Dallas, Texas.

Both men were athletes, Johnson an Olympic decathlete, and Pride was once a pitcher in the Negro Leagues.

Born in Texas, Johnson moved with his family to the San Joaquin Valley town of Kingsburg and became a high school sports phenomenon while picking cotton with his father and siblings.

Johnson was a silver medalist in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, and a gold medalist in Rome in 1960, the same year Wilma Rudolph, Muhammed Ali, and Oscar Roberson competed.

He was the first Black captain of a U.S. Olympic team.

Johnson also played basketball under coach John Wooden for the UCLA Bruins 1958-59.

Besides his athletic accomplishments, Johnson was an actor, sportscaster, and co-founder of the California Special Olympics.

Drafted to play pro football, he did not play yet he gained renown for tackling Sirhan Sirhan, who assassinated presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy on June 5, 1968, along with football player Rosey Grier and journalist George Plimpton.

When the L.A. Olympics opened in 1984, a 48-year-old Johnson was the surprise final torchbearer who scaled the Coliseum steps to light the cauldron during the Opening Ceremony.

He would be inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2009 and receive the UCLA Medal — the school’s highest honor — in 2016. Johnson had been student body president in 1960.

Johnson is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, brother Jimmy Johnson, a former cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers, two children, and four grandchildren.

Pride started out in life hoping a baseball career would be his ticket out of poverty as the son of a sharecropper in Mississippi. He went to Nashville, Tenn., in 1963 where four years later Pride’s baritone and guitar talent on “Just Between You and Me” put the song into Country music’s top 10. In time, only Elvis Presley sold more records for RCA Victor than he did.

Between 1967 and 1987, Pride delivered 52 Top 10 country hits, won Grammy awards, and became RCA Records’ top-selling country artist. His musicality opened minds and superseded prejudice.

“We’re not color blind yet, but we’ve advanced a few paces along the path and I like to think I’ve contributed something to that process,” Pride wrote in his memoir.

Pride is one of three Black members of the Grand Ole Opry, DeFord Bailey and Darius Rucker being the other two.

His biggest hits were “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin,’” Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone,” and “Mountain of Love.”

He was voted Entertainer of the Year in 1971 at the Country Music Association Awards. He was inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. His last performance was on November 11 at the CMA Awards in Nashville.

Pride is survived by his wife, Ebby, three children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Deadline, Wikipedia, and Charley Pride.com were sources for this report.

Rafer Johnson. Legacy.com photo.

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Alameda County

Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley Gives Small Business a $30,000 Boost

On Jan. 6, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley (D6) presented a $30,000 check to small business owner William “Bill” Owens, owner of Cascos Martial Arts Studio at 74th and MacArthur in Oakland. Miley, whose business has been facing financial challenges due to COVID Pandemic restrictions, says he was nearing bankruptcy. “This check will go a long way and is greatly appreciated,” he said.

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Oakland Private Industry Council (OPIC) Business Managers Frank Smith, Diane Lewis with OPIC President Raymond Lankford, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, Cascos Martial Arts Studio Owner William "Bill" Owens, OPIC Board Members Kitty Epstein and Developer Alan Dones, Oakland City Councilmember Kevin Jenkins, and OPIC Business Manager Andrew Rodrigues. Photo By Carla Thomas.
Oakland Private Industry Council (OPIC) Business Managers Frank Smith, Diane Lewis with OPIC President Raymond Lankford, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, Cascos Martial Arts Studio Owner William "Bill" Owens, OPIC Board Members Kitty Epstein and Developer Alan Dones, Oakland City Councilmember Kevin Jenkins, and OPIC Business Manager Andrew Rodrigues. Photo By Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

On Jan. 6, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley (D6) presented a $30,000 check to small business owner William “Bill” Owens, owner of Cascos Martial Arts Studio at 74th and MacArthur in Oakland.

Miley, whose business has been facing financial challenges due to COVID Pandemic restrictions, says he was nearing bankruptcy. “This check will go a long way and is greatly appreciated,” he said.

For Miley, starting 2024 on a high note was important. “I can’t think of a better way to start the new year,” he said. “Small businesses are vital to our communities and when you help a committed business owner, you help a community. It’s an honor to add value by contributing to a small business that has trained so many young people, watched them grow up and have viable careers.”

OPIC Business Outreach Team Members Diane Lewis and Frank Smith celebrated the new collaboration with the martial arts studio.

“It’s always exciting to launch new programs,” said Lewis. “It’s encouraging to see Black men supporting one another and helping them rise to another level,” said Smith.

The check was presented to Owens along with the Oakland Private Equity Council (OPIC).

Pastor Raymond Lankford of the Oakland Community Church and president of the (OPIC) was also present.

“This is martial arts studio has been a big part of this community and helping support Mr. Owens is a win-win for the community,” said Lankford.

OPIC Board Member Kitty Epstein also praised Owens.

“It’s important to support this business and its contribution to the community,” said Epstein.

Cascos Martial Arts Studio has been in business for more than 50 years. Owens and his wife Mary have taught the community the art of self-defense together. “When COVID happened, we were hit with social distancing regulations in our small space,” explained Owens. “We went from having a couple hundred students to a few.”

After the check presentation, Owens invited attendees to see his training in action.  For him, teaching the art of self-defense has included naming his moves and techniques after cultural icons like Martin Luther King, Jr. and other activists.

Owens says he bridged the innate rhythms and movements of African American culture with the techniques of Asian martial arts. However, upon traveling the world, Owens noticed many of the moves were less fluid.

“Often the moves are more frigid, and our influence has added more fluid movements,” said Owens as he moved, mimicking some boxing movements and fancy footwork.

“We want to ensure Owens is in business for years to come,” said Pastor Raymond Lankford, president of the Oakland Private Industry Council.

Owens also demonstrated how women and the elderly can protect themselves from theft, injury, or even being trafficked. 2022 statistics noted that of the 1500 people reported missing, over half were African American.

“We have to teach our young people these techniques. We can all support small businesses and expand services throughout the community,” added Owens who plans to add a mobile service to his business.

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Activism

Business Owners Talk Future of Economic Development in Oakland at Downtown Event

The city of Oakland is taking steps to streamline permits for businesses to entice them to stay and bring new projects to the city. Additionally, the city is committing $200 million for affordable housing, which is “unprecedented in the city of Oakland” says Councilmember Nikki Fortunato-Bas, who was also at the event. “We have committed to supporting our community, supporting our local businesses and really showing that we can work together for safer communities,” Fortunato-Bas emphasized in an interview with the Post.

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Improving downtown blight like the graffiti on this building façade in Oakland is one area business owners hoped would bring more foot traffic to the area. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

By Magaly Muñoz, Post Staff

Developers and business owners in the Bay Area came together for the “Oakland Structures” event hosted by San Francisco Business Times to discuss economic development projects in Oakland last Thursday.

Mayor Sheng Thao opened up the event as the keynote speaker, sharing her experiences from her first year in office and the measures her administration has taken to address the key issues plaguing the city.

Thao inherited the largest deficit Oakland has ever seen- $360 million- and came into her position as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were hitting the city hard. The once bustling city has faced difficulties as people transitioned to hybrid or work-from-home jobs, which has caused foot traffic to slow down and businesses to lose clientele.

“I refuse to stop until we get our businesses back up and running at full capacity, and make sure that people feel safe, not just safe in the commercial corridors, but safe everywhere,” Thao said.

Thao shared that the economic development in Oakland is slowly, but surely, growing as new companies bring their business to downtown. PG&E has recently been among the bigger corporations that’s settled in Oakland, bringing 7,000 jobs with them, which will not only open up potential opportunities for Oaklanders, but also increase foot traffic for businesses in town.

Thao acknowledged several initiatives that have already been implemented to give the city a boost, including Five After Five, a cost-effective parking program; Activate Oakland grants, which gives businesses up to $15,000 to host events that will bring the community to downtown; and the film initiative to encourage filmmakers and TV shows to shoot their projects in Oakland.

The city of Oakland is taking steps to streamline permits for businesses to entice them to stay and bring new projects to the city. Additionally, the city is committing $200 million for affordable housing, which is “unprecedented in the city of Oakland” says Councilmember Nikki Fortunato-Bas, who was also at the event.

“We have committed to supporting our community, supporting our local businesses and really showing that we can work together for safer communities,” Fortunato-Bas emphasized in an interview with the Post.

As the holiday season approaches, Fortunato-Bas urges the community to shop and dine locally, all the way from the Fruitvale to Grand Lake, areas she represents, as this will help boost and support these businesses.

During a panel with investors and business owners who have new projects breaking ground as early as 2024, a pressing question emerged among the attendees and panelists was “Is Oakland the right city to maintain and bring in businesses?”

Real estate developer Riaz Taplin, CEO and founder of Riaz Capital, said that people need to want to come back to the office and revitalize the commercial corridors of the city, but also that businesses need the support of the government sector to thrive.

He feels as though new entrepreneurs who are starting out in Oakland today do not have the advantage that many, like himself, did pre-COVID, where they could just walk into a city office and be helped on how to get the right permits because everything and everyone was so accessible.

More people would feel enticed to come back downtown if they felt that they were safe, so public safety needs to be high on the list of priorities for the city, Taplin said, emphasizing issues such as litter, vandalized business fronts and homeless encampments.

“Something needs to happen to make Broadway a place people want to go,” Taplin said after sharing a story about downtown Alameda being the busiest area with the most foot traffic out of Oakland and San Francisco.

Another panelist, Oakland Roots president Lindsay Barenz, shared that although Oakland is struggling to keep sports teams, the time is now to invest in those projects to keep the sports culture in the city.

“A sports team can be a critical component to that [a place where people enjoy living],” Barenz said.

She emphasized that the Oakland Roots see themselves as significant to the culture of Oakland as institutions like the zoo, museum, and Fairyland. She believes that the morale boost that a sports team can provide is what Oakland needs.

When asked to give a headline of what is to come in Oakland in the next five to 20 years, Taplin said, “Clean it and they will come.”

 

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California Black Media

Gov. Newsom and Gov. DeSantis Go Head-to-Head in Nationally Televised Debate

Conservative Fox News personality Sean Hannity moderated the duel, during which the TV pundit, more than once, injected his opinion, and appeared to be providing subtle assists to DeSantis. As the debate progressed, it was clear that opinions about each topic discussed was representative of the philosophical and political chasm that divides liberal and conservative America, and a preview of campaign mudslinging that is bound to intensify as the 2024 presidential campaign ensues.

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The debate between Gov. Gavin Newsom and Gov. Ron DeSantis was moderated by Fox News personality Sean Hannity. California Black Media image.
The debate between Gov. Gavin Newsom and Gov. Ron DeSantis was moderated by Fox News personality Sean Hannity. California Black Media image.

By California Black Media

In an intense, 95-minute-plus televised faceoff between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Nov. 30, the men traded jabs and putdowns, defended their respective gubernatorial records, disagreed sharply on how to solve the country’s most pressing problems, and expressed clashing views on the performance of the Biden-Harris administration.

Conservative Fox News personality Sean Hannity moderated the duel, during which the TV pundit, more than once, injected his opinion, and appeared to be providing subtle assists to DeSantis.

As the debate progressed, it was clear that opinions about each topic discussed was representative of the philosophical and political chasm that divides liberal and conservative America, and a preview of campaign mudslinging that is bound to intensify as the 2024 presidential campaign ensues.

“I’ll tell you why I’m here,” Newsom said. “I’m here to tell the truth about the Biden-Harris record and also compare and contrast Ron DeSantis’ record and the Republican Party’s record” with that of California.

DeSantis blasted Newsom’s management of the COVID-19 crisis and criticized Newsom for prevalent crime, homelessness and deteriorating social conditions in California cities.

“You have the freedom to defecate in public in California,” DeSantis said. “You have the freedom to pitch a tent on Sunset Boulevard. You have the freedom to create a homeless encampment under a freeway and even light it on fire. They’re not the freedoms our founding fathers envisioned.”

Newsom took a jab at DeSantis’ presidential candidacy, predicting that the Florida Governor would be endorsing GOP frontrunner Donald Trump soon.

“There’s one thing we have in common,” Newsom said. “Neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024.

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