Activism

Protests Surge as District Moves to Close Black and Latino Schools

This Saturday, there will be a rally for members of Oakland communities and affected school communities to fight against the closures beginning at 10 a.m. at Prescott Elementary at 920 Campbell St. in West Oakland. Prescott, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2019, is one of the predominately Black schools facing closure in June. The school community has pushed back against the district for years as central office administrators tried to suppress the school’s enrollment, urging families not to enroll their children at the school.

Published

4 years ago

February 12, 2022

Oakland Post

Day 8 of a hunger strike continues as Oakland Unified School Board is slated to take a vote Tuesday on a controversial proposal to close 16 schools. (Video: ABC 7)

By Ken Epstein

More than 2,000 outraged teachers, parents and community members attended a Zoom school board meeting Monday evening to speak out against the closures, consolidations and mergers of 15 predominately Black and Latino schools this year and next year.

Some Oakland schools facing closure this year are (From top, clockwise): Prescott, Horace Mann, Brookfield, Westlake, La Escuelita and Grass Valley. Photos courtesy of OUSD.

The meeting lasted until 3 a.m., with hardly a speaker supporting the closures, as hundreds of speakers opposed these draconian measures, demanding that school and community voices not be ignored. The board majority, led by Board members Gary Yee and Shanthi Gonzales, may be hoping to avoid prolonged protests by rushing to a vote at a special board meeting next Tuesday, Feb. 8 to finalize the closing of the schools in June.

Only Board members VanCedric Williams and Mike Hutchinson are opposing the closures.

This week’s Board meeting may have witnessed the largest turnout at a school board meeting since 2003 when State Receiver Randy Ward took over the reins of the school district and announced he was unilaterally closing about 25 schools.

At that time, thousands filled the street in front of the administration building and packed the hallways and boardroom, forcing terrified overseers to significantly reduce the numbers of schools on the chopping block.

The affected schools are now mobilizing their communities and reaching out to broader communities in Oakland. On Tuesday, Westlake Middle School students and staff walked out and marched to the district headquarters at 1000 Broadway, where several Westlake staff had started a hunger strike. Families, teachers, and students at La Escuelita also walked out and marched to the district office.

Prescott, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2019, is one of the predominately Black schools facing closure in June. The school community has pushed back against the district for years as central office administrators tried to suppress the school’s enrollment, urging families not to enroll their children at the school.

The school board and the district administration, while turning a deaf ear to the community, is seeking to satisfy the demands of the Alameda County Superintendent of Schools L. Karen Monroe and state-financed nonprofit agency, Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistance Team (FCMAT), which are demanding school closures and as much as $90 million in budget cuts.

FCMAT made its position clear in a Jan. 4 letter, which was sent to the district, calling for “affirmative board action to continue planning for, and timely implementation of, a school and facility closure and consolidation plan that supports the sale or lease of surplus property.”

Some activists point out that Oakland schools are caught in a vicious cycle at the hands of the state, Monroe and FCMAT. Saying the district was in fiscal crisis, the state and its representatives moved in and took over in 2003 and since then has never left.

While some hold out hopes that officials will someday be satisfied with the endless cuts and closures the state is demanding, it appears they don’t ever plan to give up their behind-the-scenes power over Oakland schools, say school observers.

School activists are also asking how the district can achieve the elusive goal of “fiscal stability” as long as these officials are the ones running OUSD’s finances and continuously moving the goalposts of the nebulous standards of fiscal health.

Since FCMAT arrived in 2003, it has been pushing for closing schools, according to observers of the school district. At first, FCMAT did not justify closures as a way to save money. They said there was a state formula for how much real estate a district should have per student at elementary, middle school, and high school levels — and the district was not aligned with this state formula.

In this writer’s experience, the story was going around the school district administration building in 2003 that there was a plan to transform the district of 58,000 students and over 100 schools into a district that was small enough “to fit in your hands.”

That’s when the rush began to bring charter schools into Oakland, reducing the public school student population by over 13,000 and placing more than 40 charters in the city, costing the district an estimated $57 million a year.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Protests Save 7 Oakland Schools; Board Moves Ahead to Close or Merge 11 Others

Don't Miss

Voting Error Leads to 6-Year Prison Sentence for Black Woman in Tennessee

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Agricultural Engineer Effie Gant Plans Bay Area Farmers Market Initiative

Published

1 day ago

July 18, 2026

bpusa-syndication

Agricultural Engineer Effie Gant displays watermelons from her Sacramento farm at the Temescal Festival in Oakland. Photo by Carla Thomas.

In her 80s and still actively working as an agricultural engineer, Effie Gant continues to break barriers in urban farming and community leadership.

The certified USDA grower and respected urban farmer, based in South Sacramento, was recently spotted vending at the Freedom Farmers’ Market by the Temescal Street Fair on Saturday, July 11, where she proudly displayed dozens of sweet, juicy watermelons.

Festivalgoers gathered not only to purchase her produce but also to enjoy activities like the popular watermelon-eating contest. Yet beyond the festive atmosphere, Gant has a larger vision.

Gant is now setting her sights on the Bay Area, where she plans to launch a farmers’ market to increase access to fresh, locally grown food.

Known for her leadership in sustainable agriculture and food justice, she brings decades of hands-on experience and community advocacy to regions where food access remains inconsistent.

She has built a strong reputation through her work with Meadowview Urban Farm and the Yisrael Family Urban Farm, cultivating crops such as watermelons, honeydew melons, and collard greens. Her approach emphasizes sustainability, education, and empowering residents to grow their own food, even in small urban spaces.

As a USDA-certified grower, Gant blends technical expertise with grassroots engagement to combat food insecurity.

Beyond farming, Gant serves as CEO and President of Highways to Hedges, a nonprofit focused on environmental justice and community development. She is also president of the Hampton Station Neighborhood Association and board chairman for HHCORE, where she advocates for safety, equity, and economic opportunity.

Her proposed farmers market will connect small-scale farmers with urban communities while elevating Black farmers and other underrepresented growers.

“I want to teach the next generation about farming and how lucrative it can be,” Gant said. “You don’t need hundreds of acres. You can start with one acre or even your backyard.”Gant also noted her involvement in a collective of farmers who supply produce through government-supported programs.

“We operate as a team, and we all benefit,” she said.

Through workshops, speaking engagements, and hands-on training, Gant and her organization continue to educate communities about agriculture and food justice. Her market initiative will emphasize affordability, cultural relevance, and nutrition education.

Her broader work includes creating edible forests in partnership with Soil Born Farms, planting fruit trees directly in neighborhoods to expand food access. As a mentor with the Center of Expertise on Food Justice and Health Equity, Gant remains a leading voice in building sustainable and resilient food systems.

Gant says she welcomes the community to join her in creating a new farmer’s market.

“Farming is essential to life,” she said. “I want to train as many people as I can to use food and farming as a tool for empowerment, health, and long-term change.”

bpusa-syndication

Posts by bpusa-syndication

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of July 15 – 21, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 15 – 21, 2026

Published

1 day ago

July 18, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

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

5 days 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.