Berkeley

Larry Moore’s Three-Decade Fight for Justice

Published

12 years ago

June 11, 2014

For 29 years, Larry Moore has been struggling to clear his record after a bureaucratic mistake attached another person’s criminal record to his name.

In that time, he has endured what some may view as insurmountable obstacles, but he is still fighting that battle to clear away the barriers that stand in the way of him obtaining his teaching credential.

< p>In 1976, Moore had to start fighting for his identity after he was mistakenly associated with another Larry Moore who had been convicted in San Francisco of robbery and burglary. Though he contacted the state Department of Justice repeatedly, it took the DOJ decades to recognize and correct their mistake.

As a result, over the decades-long process Moore faced many barriers with employment, housing, discrimination, and had to scramble to provide for his family.

“Each day was a struggle,” he said. “It was a frustrating process, but because I was taught to endure and be resilient, the struggle just made me stronger. That’s why I am still fighting the same fight today that I have been fighting since May 12 1976.”

With the help of criminal attorney Len W. Holt, Moore’s record was expunged in 2005 clearing his wrongful association with the 1976 crimes, but that was only the first step in the battle to clear his name.

“This error has caused [Moore] great aggravation and distress from the numerous employment opportunities he has lost,” according to a 2012 letter addressed to the DOJ on Moore’s behalf.

One such opportunity was a job with Head Start. After receiving an official letter of employment, he was indefinitely blocked from working at any Head Start organization due to his “erroneous association” with the 1976 convictions.

He was determined to never give up. “You have to fight for your rights,” said Moore, who holds a bachelor’s, masters and doctorate degrees.

“Without having knowledge of what you can and cannot do, your rights will be trampled, and you will be disregarded as a human being,” he added.

Through the advocacy of the East Bay Law Clinic and his lawyer Akila Atkins, the DOJ has rectified their mistake in wrongly associating Moore with the incorrect criminal history. Head Start recently hired Moore to start working this fall.

However, this mistaken identity may still be haunting Moore. After taking classes to complete his teaching credentials last summer, he is still waiting for his state fingerprint clearance, unable to receive his valid credential because of what is labeled as an unresolved “issue.” This has affected his employment as an educator with the Oakland Unified School District.

Moore continues to remain optimistic and uses his own experience to show others how to exercise their rights in the criminal justice system.

“This adversity has made a stronger individual out of me and I continue fighting the fight, not just for myself but for each person I come into contact with that has had their rights infringed upon,” said Moore.

If Moore ever doubts what his determination has been able to achieve, he can look at the letter he received from his attorney, dated Aug. 17, 2012: “I heard back from the DOJ and received a letter acknowledging that they made a mistake in erroneously associating you with this other man’s case.”

For more information, contact Larry Moore at (510) 228-5696.

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Activism

Black Repertory Group Needs Volunteers to Help Shape the Next Generation of Artists and Leaders

Legendary performers such as Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover worked with and were inspired by BRG’s founders. More recently, Grammy award-winning artist Kehlani attended the Black Repertory Group Summer Day Camp for several years.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Courtesy image.

By Sean Vaughn Scott, Special to The Post

For more than 60 years, the Black Repertory Group (BRG) has changed lives through the arts.

Founded in 1964 by educators and visionaries Birel L. Vaughn and Nora Vaughn, BRG has become one of America’s oldest continuously operating Black theater institutions. For generations, it has preserved culture, developed talent, and provided opportunities for young people to discover their voices and their potential.

The results speak for themselves.

Long before international recognition, Kehlani performed on the BRG stage. During a summer day camp production of “Princess and da Frog,” she portrayed Ray, the lovable firefly whose light guided others through the darkness. Her journey is proof that today’s camper may become tomorrow’s artist, entrepreneur, educator, or leader.

Located at 3201 Adeline St. in Berkeley, BRG continues that mission through its Youth Summer Day Camp of the Arts.

BRG is currently accepting applications and maintains an open enrollment program. Students may enroll throughout the summer as space permits and immediately become part of the BRG family.

We are also proud to be a multicultural opportunity program, welcoming children and families from all backgrounds, cultures, and communities. Through theater, music, dance, public speaking, visual arts, technical theater, and leadership development, students gain confidence, discipline, creativity, and lifelong skills.

As our programs grow, so does our need for volunteers.

We are seeking community members to assist with youth mentoring, registration, costumes, set construction, painting, props, ushering, photography, social media, marketing, technical theater, and fundraising activities. Whether you volunteer for a few hours or throughout the season, your support directly impacts the lives of young people.

BRG also partners with churches, civic organizations, alumni associations, fraternities, sororities, and community groups through theater party fundraisers, group sales, and buy-out performances. These partnerships have helped organizations raise funds while supporting arts and cultural programming.

The theater also serves as the home of the Berkeley NAACP Chapter, which meets every second Saturday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m.

For more than six decades, the Black Repertory Group has remained committed to one belief: every child deserves an opportunity to shine.

The next great artist may already be among us.

The next Kehlani may already be walking through our doors.

We invite you to volunteer, enroll, participate, and become part of the legacy.

For more information please go to www.blackrepertorygroup.com, call (510) 652-2120, or email info@blackrepertorygroup.com

Sean Vaughn Scott is the director of the Black Repertory Group.

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Bay Area

UC Berkeley Named Top Public University in the U.S. and No. 7 in the World by ‘U.S. News’

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014. “A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley.

The 2026 Best Global Universities rankings evaluated 2,250 research institutions from more than 100 countries

By Lila Thulin

U.S. News & World Report has ranked UC Berkeley No. 7 in its 2026 list of the best global universities, which assesses more than 2,250 research institutions worldwide.

Berkeley also claimed the honor of top public university in the U.S.

Released on Monday, the list evaluates universities from more than 100 countries on 13 metrics such as global and research reputation (as reported by academics and peers) and number of highly cited scholarly papers.

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014.

“A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

The rankings also assess a university’s strength in various subject areas; these assessments are separate from U.S. News’ 2026 Best Graduate Programs rankings released in April.

This year, Berkeley was named in the top three nationally in seven subject areas – environment/ecology, ecology, water resources, physics, computer science, chemistry, and engineering – and in the top five for a total of 17 subjects. Subject rankings are based heavily on scholarly publications and citations as well as reputation.

In September, U.S. News also released its 2026 Best Colleges list, in which Berkeley was also named the No. 1 public institution among American universities.

That honor joins other accolades judging campus to be the best public university in the country, such as those from Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education.

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Arts and Culture

Farwest Region Deltas Celebrate Centennial With “September Breakfast” Honoring Vivian Osborne Marsh

The region was established in 1925 under the leadership of Vivian Osborne Marsh, who became its first Regional Director. Marsh was a pioneering scholar and civic leader, earning recognition as the first Black woman to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in anthropology from UC Berkeley.

Published

10 months ago

September 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Farwest Regional Director, Kimberly Usher, Mayor Barbara Lee, US Representative Lateefah Simon, and Farwest Regional Representative, Radiya Ajibade. Photo courtesy of Farwest Regional Photographer Vicki P. Love.

By Antoinette Porter

Hundreds of members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and their guests gathered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union at the University of California, Berkeley, to mark the 100th anniversary of the sorority’s Farwest Region.

Marsh went on to serve as Delta Sigma Theta’s 7th National President, where she launched the sorority’s National Library Project to expand access to books in underserved Black communities in the South. During her presidency, the organization also became a prominent voice in the civil rights movement, lobbying Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation.

Bak in the Bay Area, Marsh devoted her career to advancing educational opportunities, mentoring young people, and strengthening community life. That commitment continues to shape the region, which supports initiatives in education, social justice, and economic development. Current projects include raising scholarship funds for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, voter education campaigns, and health and wellness programs.

A century after its founding, the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta remains active across California and other western states, carrying forward Marsh’s vision of service and advocacy.