Bay Area

Part of Ninth Street in West Oakland Named For Huey P. Newton

This is a very special holiday,” Fife said, and challenged the crowd to work for change in the city. The bronze of Newton is being created by sculptor Dana King, who on Wednesday said, “The Panthers were about people.”

Published

6 years ago

February 18, 2021

Kiki

Dr. Huey P. Newton

Three blocks of a West Oakland street were named Wednesday morning for a co-founder of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense.

The street sign for Dr. Huey P. Newton Way, in honor of the late activist, was unveiled on Ninth Street near Mandela Parkway.

Numerous people attended the gathering including Newton’s widow, Fredrika Newton and newly elected Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife.

“This place is both darkness and light,” Fredrika Newton told a crowd of perhaps 100 people who gathered to see the unveiling.

Newton took his last breath nearby in 1989, when he was shot by Tyrone Robinson. On Wednesday – February 17 — in 1942, Huey Newton was born.

Fredrika Newton is now the president of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, which seeks to preserve and promote the history, ideals, and legacy of the Black Panther Party.

She initiated Wednesday’s street-naming, which was carried forward to the City Council.

In October, for the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party, a bronze bust of Huey Newton will be unveiled at the head of the street that was named for him Wednesday morning.

Work is also underway to create a Black Panther Party monument in Oakland like the Rosie the Riveter monument in Richmond. The foundation has received $100,000 per year for two years toward the monument, a museum and the archival of The Black Panther newspaper, the foundation announced lastJune.

“This is a very special holiday,” Fife said, and challenged the crowd to work for change in the city.

The bronze of Newton is being created by sculptor Dana King, who on Wednesday said, “The Panthers were about people.”

“Huey is coming home for the people,” she said.

The Black Panther Party was founded in 1966 in Oakland by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.

Newton was fatally shot by Robinson, a member of the group Black Guerilla Family. Robinson was convicted of murder in 1991 and sentenced to 32 years in prison.

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Activism

Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Published

19 hours ago

August 29, 2026

Post News Group

Dawna Williams, EOBA executive director speaks to attendees at the Black August Eperience on Aug. 21. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Flynn of EOBA.

By Jana Lang Propel Youth Reporter

Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA) and Youth Alive! came together on Aug. 21 to share with their community all that Black August means to them.

Held on EOBA’s patio at 816 98th Ave. in Deep East Oakland, the two organizations hosted their second annual Black August Experience, featuring a food tasting, financial literacy and mindfulness workshops, and voter registration with the League of Women Voters Oakland (LWV).

Black August is known as a time to uphold the legacy of prisoners who protested their conditions by fasting, fighting, and educating themselves on the economic and political circumstances that contributed to their incarceration.

According to its website, “EOBA is a multi-service youth and community development hub that goes far beyond the ring. While rooted in the discipline of boxing, for nearly 40 years EOBA has also integrated robust programs in workforce development, food justice, afterschool enrichment, financial literacy, mentorship, and wellness.”.

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Through Coro California, another leadership organization serving young people across the state for 80 years, they gained a broader understanding of Black August.

EOBA Executive Director Dawna Williams spoke about how much she learned about Black August from the youth who created it. “I let them educate me,” she said. Instead of talking about prison reform and mass incarceration, Williams and youth interns found that Black August meant so much more. “We would have done a disservice if we had just focused on who the people were and what their situation was…We tried to take their message from back in the day and make it relevant to the young people today. What do they need to know?”

Youth interns created and placed posters around the patio to help participants understand how traditional Black foodways, civic engagement, financial literacy, and the power of education are relevant to Black resistance today.

An EOBA member described Black August with Youth ALIVE! as “a whole vibe. “This year we added the Fun Zone for the kids, because you really cannot go wrong with a Fun Zone. I also loved seeing everyone chillin’ in the outdoor lounge, catching some Vitamin D and just enjoying a Friday evening together.”

The food tasting, a popular event from last year, featured traditional Black foods such as black-eyed peas, johnny cakes, and fried chicken. Led by Williams, the tasting included a talk about how these traditional foods were made and why they are forms of Black resilience.

The “‘Plate of History’ was a favorite of the online writers. “Fun, educational, and did I mention delicious? Our Taste of History cook, Angela Southall, served up some good eats while connecting food to history and culture.”

The writer also commended the “League of Women Voters Oakland for their civic leadership and for getting our young people informed, ready, and registered to vote.”

Overall, it was a “good Friday event in East Oakland,” the writer said.

Upcoming Black August events: 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.

The websites for East Oakland Boxing Association, Youth Alive! and CORO are sources for this report.

Jana Lang is an Oakland resident, teacher, gardener and poet participating in the Propel News Initiative.