Community

MBK Golf Tournament Raises Funds For Local Programs

THE AFRO — In their attempt to expand the vision and opportunities for young African American men, My Brothers Keeper (MBK) took to the links for the first time. MBK’s Prince George’s and Montgomery County chapters joined forces to tee off the inaugural My Brother’s Birdies charity golf tournament at the TPC Avenel Course in Potomac, MD.

Published

7 years ago

July 29, 2019

Special to the AFRO

By Mark F. Gray

In their attempt to expand the vision and opportunities for young African American men, My Brothers Keeper (MBK) took to the links for the first time. MBK’s Prince George’s and Montgomery County chapters joined forces to tee off the inaugural My Brother’s Birdies charity golf tournament at the TPC Avenel Course in Potomac, MD.

The tournament was more than just a fellowship and networking event for avid golfers who took advantage of playing at a PGA tournament caliber course. It was a chance for MBK to promote the success of young men in the MBK network and give them an opportunity to gain a broader perspective on what it takes to become a professional success.

“We want these young people to know the sky’s the limit,” Prince George’s County MBK Executive Director Robert Johnson told the AFRO. “Bringing to them an event like this gives them a chance to look at business leaders as role models to help them reach their aspirations.”

President Barack Obama launched the MBK program in February 2014. Since its inception, the goal has been to address issues facing young men of color and to ensure they are given an opportunity to reach their full potential. In 2015, the MBK Alliance was launched and in 2017 the Alliance became an initiative of the Obama Foundation. As a part of the Obama Foundation, MBK Alliance focuses on building safe and supportive communities for boys and young men of color where through local programs and private sector partnerships.

The Prince George’s County chapter of MBK was established in 2016 and has taken a different approach than the others around the country, Johnson says. Their concept involves connecting local businesses and other non profit organizations to leverage the collaborative resources for creating a pipeline of college students and to establish a network of mentorship programs throughout the county.

MBK in Prince George’s County has developed and cultivated relationships by partnering with organizations such as Jacob’s Ladder, the Concerned Black Clergy and 100 Black Fathers. They have been very aggressive in developing a college to leadership pipeline where the professional businessmen help their younger proteges focusing on mentorship, college readiness, job creation and reducing gang violence.

MBK’s college to career mentorship pipeline creates new mentors through building relationships with current professionals that establishes a generational network of men who give back to the community. Once the mentorship has been established professional business leaders take a college student under their wing for help in developing a professional persona and using teaching strategies to give them a perspective on succeeding in the corporate world.

During their mentorship, college students reach back into the communities also. They become the role models for high school and provide guidance and strategies that prepare them for the academic world beyond graduation. That mentoring starts at places such as SAT leadership academies in Bowie and District heights and enrichment programs at Bowie High School.

“Everyone pays it forward,” Johnson said. “We take a collaborative approach through our mentorship programs to provide as many support networks as possible.”

The golf tournament raised funds to benefit the programs that are being produced by the chapters in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties. Organizers hoped the event will generate a chance for new relationships to develop.

“We’re using the game of golf to engage new community partners to rally around the critical initiatives and programs,” says Justin Harrison, program director with MBK Golf Classic. “The classic is a vehicle for the next generation of young men to learn and play golf, and provide mentors an opportunity to connect with them.”

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

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Community

Four Candidates, Including Incumbent Barbara Lee, Qualify for Oakland Mayor’s Race

POST NEWS GROUP — Four candidates, including incumbent Mayor Barbara Lee, filed their papers to run for office by last Friday’s deadline, and the City Clerk issued a list this week of those who are qualified to run.

Published

20 hours ago

August 15, 2026

bpusa-syndication

View of downtown Oakland, California and City Hall. iStock photo.

By Post Staff

The four mayoral candidates who will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot are:

Brenda Grisham. A business owner in East Oakland and public safety advocate, Grisham led the successful recall campaign against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. As part of her platform, she pledges to work with local, state, and federal partners to secure stricter gun control measures and investments in community violence intervention programs.

Barbara Lee. A former congressional representative and state Assembly member, Lee was elected by voters in a special election last year for a two-year term. Now running for a four-year term, she points out that her administration achieved major successes in addressing some of the city’s major challenges, including balancing the city budget, dramatically reducing crime, and making significant inroads into homelessness and illegal dumping.

Mindy Pechenuk. An educator and activist, Pechenuk is a registered Republican and supporter of Lyndon LaRouche, who has been described by observers as a conspiracy theorist and cult leader. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in last year’s special election and for the at-large council seat in 2024. She seeks to end Oakland’s police commission and MACRO and invest in more police while launching a new local war on drugs.

Julius Robinson. While little information is available so far about Robinson, he was quoted in a KTVU story about Thao’s recall, stating that people in Oakland want to come together as a community but lack infrastructure and leadership.

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Black History

Oakland Observes Black August with Block Parties, Film Showings, Workshops

POST NEWS GROUP — Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

Published

22 hours ago

August 15, 2026

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George Jackson wrote two books: “Soledad Brother,” and “Blood in My Eye” before her was killed in an attempt to escape prison on Aug. 21, 1971.

By Jana Lang, Propel Youth Reporter

Study. Train. Fast. Fight.

These are the four tenets of Black August, a month dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of political prisoners and Black revolutionaries in the struggle for Black liberation.

Observers are urged to study the history of the Black struggle for freedom, train their bodies for health and self-defense, fast to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, and fight ongoing oppression alongside their communities and local political organizations.

Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

While in prison, George befriended fellow prisoner W.L. Nolen, who introduced him to the works of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Frantz Fanon. This radicalization coupled with his experiences of violence while imprisoned led to him writing and publishing two books, “Soledad Brother” (1970), and “Blood in my Eye” (1972). In January of 1970, George and two other prisoners were charged with murdering a corrections officer at Soledad State Prison in Monterey County.

On Aug. 7, 1970, Jonathan Jackson burst into a Marin County courtroom armed with a shotgun to demand the freedom of the Soledad Brothers. He, along with the inmates he freed, was shot and killed while driving away. This involved one of the Black Panther Party’s most notable associates, Angela Davis, because the shotgun was registered in her name. She was later acquitted of charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder in 1972.

On Aug. 21, 1971, George Jackson was assassinated by a corrections officer after attempting to escape and free other inmates. As a result, there were uprisings and protests within prisons all over the country that year, calling forth resistance against racial oppression and mass incarceration.

Since its outset, Black August has evolved across the country, taking many forms to honor this history and embody the four tenets.

In Oakland, the upcoming Black August Experience, hosted by Youth Alive! and the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), is a free, family-friendly event celebrating the legacy of Black August. Activities include free food and drinks, a kids’ activity zone, interactive workshops, live cooking and boxing demonstrations, and more.

Happening on Aug. 21 from 4-8 p.m. at the EOBA Patio, Carolyn Flynn, director of administration at EOBA, said the event, in its second year, will be an opportunity to engage with people in person through food, shared space, and education.

“We do regular classes in education, and those are ongoing programs that we offer, but we wanted to have [an opportunity] for our neighbors to utilize this space.” Combined with Youth Alive’s work in community violence prevention and youth leadership, this event surely aims to bring the Oakland community together to capture what Black August means today.

Here are additional Black August events happening in Oakland:

Forum and Community Discussion hosted by the Oakland Liberation Center, 1499 Fruitvale Ave., Aug. 14, 7 p.m.

“George Jackson/San Quentin” Screening hosted by Nostalgic for Nothing Cinema at Moments Co-Op, 410 13th St., Aug. 16, doors at 6 p.m., show at 6:30 p.m. (Masks required and scent-free)

Commemorating the Struggle, Building the Altar for Liberation: Black August at Bandung Books, 2269 International Blvd., Aug. 23rd, 1-5 p.m.

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.