Oakland

Oakland A’s Host Black Panther Bobblehead Night in Honor of Ryan Coogler

Published

8 years ago

May 14, 2018

Baltimore Orioles baseball centerfield, Bruce Maxwell, Oakland A’s Catcher and Vice President of External Affairs of the Oakland A’s Taj Tashombe showing Their Wakanda Pride. Photo by Shaniece Eagles.

By Shaniece Eagles

Black Panther Bobble Head Night was a hit for the Oakland Athletics with over 24,000 fans attending surpassing the average attendance by 7,800. With only 15,000 black panther bobble heads available, fans eagerly made their way to the arena in hopes of not missing the opportunity to experience and celebrate not only a special night but a culturally ground-breaking movie.

Taj Tashombe, Vice President of External Affairs of community Engagement and outreach for the Oakland A’s new ballpark said,

“Black panther night is a representation of how we need to be present in order to connect with the culture and our zeitgeist which is the spirit of our times.”

Tashombe has been overly present in the community. The vice president of public affairs hit the ground running straight into the community where he teamed with the Oakland A’s to organize a private screening and panel for the Black Panther movie to engage our African American youth. A room filled with black enterprise and excellence that day, Tashombe see’s the Oakland A’s as a meeting point for African Americans. As well as an environment we can all learn from by manifesting new relationships that will benefit the community.

Taj’s efforts have not gone unnoticed by the community or the African American players who play for Oakland A’s. A couple of the players shared their thoughts on black panther night and gave advice to the African American youth on how to handle being a minority in baseball.

‘’Black Panther Night was great. A lot of young African American kids. Boys and girls were sitting right behind home plate cheering me up right before I went to hit. It was really cool to see. I want to continue to see that,” said A’s Shortstop Marcus Semein.

Catcher Bruce Maxwell who’s been known for making powerful political stances had this to said, “You want to play baseball then go about it the right way, work harder than everyone else and be respectful. At the end of the day, if you’re the best player on the team, your color or race, where you come from doesn’t matter. I take prideful steps when there’s very little of us African Americans in the game of baseball because it can be done.”

Tashombe understands the importance of black voices needing to be heard on all economic and social class levels. As a minority in his profession, he credits his spiritual foundation for having the strength to overcome the lack of diversity.

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Activism

From Disparity Study to Solutions: Oakland Coalition and Mayor Barbara Lee Renew Commitment to Reform City Contracting

She committed to ensuring the coalition has direct access to City leadership by designating Assistant Deputy City Administrator Chuck Baker the primary liaison. Working alongside Deputy City Administrator Sofia Navarro, DWES Director Emylene Aspilla, Race and Equity Director Darlene Flynn, and other City departments, the coalition will continue advancing these priorities while maintaining regular communication with City leadership.

Published

18 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Present at the recent meeting on implementing recommendations on Oakland’s Disparity Study on city work contracts were (first row, l. to r.): Chuck Baker, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and Darlene Flynn. Second row, l. to r.) Samuel Adams, Erica Astrella, Chadwick Spell, Cathy Adams, Stanley Cooper, Maria Wagner, Len Turner, Derek Barnes, Paul Cobb. Photo courtesy of Oakland Mayor’s Office.

Special to The Post

On June 30, a coalition of minority business leaders, contractors and others met with Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee to discuss the City’s commitment to implement recommendations outlined in Oakland’s Disparity Study and eliminate barriers that have historically prevented Black and minority-owned businesses from fully participating in public contracting opportunities.

Representatives of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce (OAACC), National Association of Minority Contractors Northern California (NAMC NorCal), Construction Resource Center (CRC), and the East Bay Rental Housing Association (EBRHA) said the meeting represented an important milestone in a process that has been underway for several months.

On April 21, the Oakland City Council’s Life Enrichment Committee received a progress report from the Department of Workplace and Employment Standards (DWES), where Director Emylene Aspilla presented the coalition’s working document and outlined a collaborative implementation plan between the coalition and the City. That report established 30-, 60-, and 90-day objectives focused on five key priorities:

Reforming Local and Small Local Business Enterprise (L/SLBE) waiver practices
Strengthening prompt payment compliance
Improving procurement forecasting and transparency
Expanding contractor capacity building and business development
Increasing oversight, accountability, and public reporting

A series of working sessions was scheduled between coalition representatives, DWES, and the City Administrator’s Office to begin implementing those priorities but were temporarily delayed by the resignation of former City Administrator Jestin Johnson.

Rather than allowing that momentum to stall, OAACC President and CEO Cathy Adams requested a meeting with Lee to gain clarity on the City’s direction and reaffirm its commitment to implementing the recommendations contained within the Disparity Study.

Coalition leaders described the meeting as productive, candid, collaborative, and encouraging.

During the meeting, Lee spoke not only from her role as mayor but also from her experience as an 8(a) contractor and business owner, sharing that she understands firsthand what it takes to build and grow a successful company, employ a substantial workforce, compete for public work, and navigate the complexities of municipal contracting.

Mayor Lee also expressed her commitment to personally participate in future working meetings with the coalition.

“This meeting represents a renewed commitment to partnership,” said Adams. “Mayor Lee listened, engaged, and demonstrated that she wants to move beyond conversation and into implementation.”

CRC’s Len Turner said the roadmap is already in place. ““The City already has the evidence. What’s been missing is execution. …Now it’s time to deliver results.”

Mario Wagner, president of NAMC NorCal agreed that the next phase must focus on implementation, funding, and accountability.

“The coalition is ready to get to work. …The next step is ensuring these initiatives receive meaningful funding in the upcoming fiscal budget cycle. Just as important, the City must establish transparent reporting mechanisms that keep the public informed through regular progress reports, measurable benchmarks, and accountability.”

Coalition leaders also acknowledged that while City leadership has indicated it is reviewing Local and Small Local Business Enterprise waiver practices, the community continues to seek a formal response regarding existing long-term waivers, including waivers extending 10 and 25 years. The coalition believes those waivers should be comprehensively reviewed and, where appropriate, rolled back as part of the City’s broader contracting reforms.

The coalition is also calling on the City to include meaningful funding in the upcoming fiscal budget cycle to support implementation of the Disparity Study recommendations and establish better methods and mechanisms to keep the public informed through regular progress reports, measurable benchmarks, and transparent accountability.

The coalition’s immediate next step is to schedule a working meeting with Baker, Aspilla, Lee, and the appropriate City staff to review what has already been accomplished under the implementation framework.