Community
New Oakland Mural Will Celebrate Diversity, Support Local Black Artists And Enhance Social Justice Efforts In The Community

Large wooden panels outside a Kaiser Permanente building in downtown Oakland will soon be transformed into colorful art in support of the social justice movement and will ultimately be housed permanently in the Black Cultural Zone at the new Liberation Park.
Kaiser Permanente is donating the mural as part of its commitment to advancing equity, inclusion and diversity in our community. The partnership with ABG Art Group and the support being provided to local Black artists will result in a dynamic display representing racial equity and justice for all.
“Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to ending systemic racism in our nation and breaking down barriers to equality,” said Yvette Radford, vice president, Kaiser Permanente Northern California External and Community Affairs in the November 6 announcement. “As an organization with deep roots in Oakland, we want to do our part to help our community heal by showcasing the amazing contributions of Black artists and creating an inspirational-piece of art to remind us all of the importance of social justice, inclusiveness, and racial equity.”
Two well-known Oakland artists are currently creating the mural on wooden slabs outside of a Kaiser Permanente building on the corner of 20th and Broadway streets. ABG Art Group is one of OakArtist Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith paints a mural highlighting equity and diversity on a Kaiser Permanente building at 20th and Broadway streets in downtown Oakland. Kaiser Permanente is donating the mural as part of its commitment to advancing equity, inclusion and diversity in our community. The partnership with ABG Art Group and the support being provided to local Black artists will result in a dynamic display representing racial equity and justice for all.
“We are honored and excited to partner with Kaiser Permanente and curate this amazing art installation,” said Sorell Raino-Tsui, director ABG Art Group. “Kaiser Permanente has shown their deep commitment to the art community by sponsoring this piece, and I couldn’t be happier to bring two of Oakland’s best AfricanAmerican artists together to create something special.”
Artists Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith and Joshua Mays have deep ties to the Oakland community. Both have created some of the city’s most signature public art displays representing their cultural history and beliefs.
Wolfe-Goldsmith is an American painter and muralist, who is primarily self-taught. She is a large-scale muralist and has created murals throughout the United States, Costa Rica and Australia.
She is excited about the creation of the mural: “Amidst uncertainty and unrest, it is a crucial time to use art to push culture forward.”
Mays is an American painter, illustrator and muralist whose work typically features Black subjects in fantastical settings. In 2018, San Francisco Magazine named him as one of the “100 artists putting the East Bay on the map”.
Mays has created other murals in downtown Oakland and recognizes the importance of this piece: “With all that is unfolding in the landscape, I’m thrilled to use this platform to express all that is available within the current moment. I expect, through color, texture and narrative, we create a piece that reveals and transmits much needed doses of hope, perspective and possibility.”
The mural will take about two weeks to create and will remain temporarily on display in downtown for several months before it is permanently moved to the Black Cultural Zone, inside the new Liberation Park, which will showcase art that has cultural significance to the community.
Kerri Leedy is the public relations and media relations manager of Kaiser Permanente Northern California.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

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EXCLUSIVE OP-ED: President Joe Biden Commemorating Juneteenth
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — “I’ve always believed that we need to be honest about our history, especially in the face of ongoing efforts to erase it. Darkness can hide much, but it erases nothing. Only with truth can come healing, justice, and repair.”

By Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
46th President of the United States: 2021—2025
The people of Galveston, Texas, have been commemorating Juneteenth since the Civil War ended. Yesterday, in honor of the 160th anniversary, I went there to join them.
You can read about the events of Juneteenth, but there’s nothing quite like going to Galveston and seeing where it all happened.
After General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, Union troops marched across the South for two months, freeing enslaved people along the way. Their final stop was Galveston, an island off the Gulf coast of Texas. There, on June 19, 1865, Union troops went to Reedy Chapel, a church founded in 1848 by enslaved people, and posted a document titled simply “General Order #3.”
“The people of Texas are informed,” it said, “that, in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”
We can only imagine the joy that spread through Galveston – and across the state and nation – on that day and those that followed.
Yesterday, there was once again joy in Galveston, with a parade, picnic, and fireworks. There was also great solemnity, because Juneteenth is a sacred day – a day of weight and power.
The Book of Psalms tells us: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Juneteenth marks both the long, hard night of slavery and subjugation, and the promise of that joyful morning to come.
As President, I had the great honor of signing the law declaring Juneteenth a federal holiday. It was our nation’s first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was created in 1983.
Our federal holidays say a lot about who we are as a nation. We have holidays celebrating our independence… the laborers who build this nation… the servicemembers who served and died in its defense.
And now, we also have a national holiday dedicated to the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans.
Signing that law was one of my proudest acts as President.
Yet for 156 years, Juneteenth was not written about in textbooks or taught in classrooms. Still today, there are those who say it does not deserve a holiday. They don’t want to remember the moral stain of slavery and the terrible harm it did to our country.
I’ve always believed that we need to be honest about our history, especially in the face of ongoing efforts to erase it. Darkness can hide much, but it erases nothing. Only with truth can come healing, justice, and repair.
I also believe that it’s not enough to commemorate the past. We must also embrace the obligation we have to the future. As Scripture says, “Faith without works is dead.” And right now, we Americans need to keep the faith and do the work.
In honor of Juneteenth, let’s help people register to vote.
For decades, we fought to expand voting rights in America. Now we’re living in an era when relentless obstacles are being thrown in the way of people trying to vote. We can’t let those tactics defeat us. In America, the power belongs with the people. And the way we show that power is by voting.
So let’s reach out to family, friends and neighbors – especially those who have never voted before. Remind them that with voting, anything is possible. And without it, nothing is possible.
Yesterday in Galveston, we gathered in Reedy Chapel to commemorate Juneteenth, just like people have done for 160 years and counting. We prayed, sang, and read General Order #3 again. The pews were full of families. How many people must have prayed for freedom inside those walls. How many must have sent fervent thanks to God when slavery finally ended.
I remembered the words of my late friend John Lewis. He said, “Freedom is not a state. It is an act.”
Juneteenth did not mark the end of America’s work to deliver on the promise of equality. It only marked the beginning. To honor the true meaning of Juneteenth, we must continue to work toward that promise. For our freedom. For our democracy. And for America itself.
#NNPA BlackPress
Cities Across the U.S. Shrink or Cancel Juneteenth Events as DEI Support Wanes
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Across the country, Juneteenth celebrations are being scaled back or eliminated as public funding dries up and corporations withdraw sponsorship.

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
Across the country, Juneteenth celebrations are being scaled back or eliminated as public funding dries up and corporations withdraw sponsorship. In many communities, the once-growing recognition of the holiday is facing sharp resistance tied to the unraveling of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
In Denver, Colorado, the annual Juneteenth Music Festival, one of the largest in the nation—was cut from two days to one. Organizers said more than a dozen corporate sponsors walked away from commitments, leaving them with a financial gap that almost canceled the event. Norman Harris, the festival’s executive director, said several companies “pulled back their investments or let us know they couldn’t or wouldn’t be in a position to support this year.” Harris credited grassroots donors and small businesses for stepping in when larger backers stepped aside.
In Colorado Springs, the local celebration was relocated to the Citadel Mall parking lot after support from previous sponsors disappeared. Organizers noted that where there were once dozens of corporate partners, only five remained. The downsized event was pieced together with limited resources, but community leaders said they refused to let the holiday go unacknowledged.
Scottsdale, Arizona, canceled its Juneteenth observance after the city council voted to dissolve its diversity, equity, and inclusion office in February. Without the office in place, the city offered no support for planning or funding, leaving residents without an official celebration.
In San Diego, the Cooper Family Foundation lost a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts that had been earmarked for Juneteenth programming. Organizers said the decision forced them to personally finance key elements of the event, including cultural exhibits, performances, and youth engagement activities.
Bend, Oregon, called off its Juneteenth event entirely. Organizers cited political tensions and safety concerns, saying they could not secure the partnerships needed to proceed. A public statement from the planning committee described the current climate as “increasingly volatile,” making it difficult to host a safe and inclusive event.
West Virginia, which has recognized Juneteenth as a paid state holiday since 2017, will not sponsor any official events this year. State leaders pointed to budget constraints and recent decisions to eliminate DEI programming across agencies as the reasons for stepping away from public observance.
Austin, Texas, has also reduced its Juneteenth programming. While the city has not canceled events outright, organizers said diminished city support and fewer private contributions forced them to focus only on core activities.
“Thankfully, there was a wide range of support that came when we made the announcement that the celebration is in jeopardy,” said Harris. “But it shows how fragile that support has become.”
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