Berkeley
Persistent Residents Keep Fighting for a Bus Stop
By Pamela Drake
It is one of the features of life today in Oakland that bus stops the community needs disappear without explanation, and residents find themselves having to join forces and complain for months for anyone to hear them.
Ignored by the mayor and city staff, it seems their concerns may have finally found a champion in Councilmember at Large Rebecca Kaplan.
At the Oakland City Council Rules and Legislation Committee on March 10, community activists asked to schedule a report on the restoration of the 30th Street and Broadway bus stop, which was removed last July at the request of the city administration.
The bus stop originally was removed due to construction of the now-opened Sprouts Farmers Market Grocery Store.
AC Transit had expected the removal would only be temporary and a new stop would be placed in front of Summit Bank’s small Oakland office. The bus stop is regularly used by riders to get to nearby medical appointments and is an important connection for them, many of whom are seniors or disabled.
When the bank demanded that the city remove the stop, which they claimed made their customers feel unsafe, the city complied against the wishes of AC Transit, which runs the 51A line on Broadway to downtown Oakland and Alameda.
Since that time, Riders for Transit Justice, a member group of the Alliance for Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), has been pleading with the bank to relent and requesting that the mayor’s office intervene to restore the stop.
The activists have organized demonstrations including Christmas cards and caroling at the bank in December and Valentine cards in February with the theme: “We Luv Our Bus Stop.
These mostly elderly peaceful protesters have been met with police vans, but there have been no arrests or citations.
The activists include members of the Block by Block Organizing Network, the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club, the Sierra Club and AC Transit Board President Christian Peeples, himself a disabled rider.
The transit justice group has attended meetings of the Planning Commission and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. They sent letters to Mayor Libby Schaaf outlining the problem.
However, they received no response until they spoke at Open Forum of a City Council meeting.
According to the group’s leader, community volunteer Kit Vaq, the removal of this stop has created a real hardship for seniors, disabled and others who depend on the bus to get to their doctors’ appointments or shop at the new grocery store.
“The removal of our bus stop is another example of gentrification in the Uptown Oakland neighborhood,” she said.
The Riders for Transit Justice never received a response from the mayor’s office, but the City Council expressed shock after speakers talked at Open Forum, pointing out that there had been no public process when this stop was abruptly removed.
Council Member at Large Rebecca Kaplan, a former AC Transit director, promised to see the bus stop returned.
She is working with AC Transit, and says the city’s Public Works Committee, which she chairs, will discuss the issue on April 12.
”Broadway and the Broadway/Valdez District Specific District Plan are designated as transit corridors,” said Kaplan. “We are supposed to be adding transit there, not removing it.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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