Bay Area

Speaking at New Hope Baptist, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao Promotes Community Initiatives

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, speaking recently at New Hope Baptist Church at 5717 Foothill Blvd. in East Oakland, pledged to bring new investments to the community to improve the quality of life and educational opportunities for Oakland residents.

Published

7 months ago

October 5, 2023

Oakland Post

(l-r) Pastor Ray Lankford, Mayor Sheng Thao, Rev. Joe Smith and Rev. Lawrence Van Hook gathered in Smith’s office prior to her speech at new Hope Baptist Church to pray for peace and solutions for Oakland's citizens. Photo by jonathanfitnessjones@gmail.com

By Ken Epstein

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, speaking recently at New Hope Baptist Church at 5717 Foothill Blvd. in East Oakland, pledged to bring new investments to the community to improve the quality of life and educational opportunities for Oakland residents.

One initiative is Rise East – which is already funded with a $50 million matching grant that “will be invested in Deep East Oakland, bringing together communities,” she said.

Privately funded, Rise East will focus on an East Oakland community known as “40×40,” – 40 blocks by 40 blocks, which run from Seminary Avenue to the Oakland-San Leandro border and from MacArthur Boulevard to the Bay. This area is home to the largest concentration of Black residents (over 30,000) who remain in Oakland’s flatland neighborhoods.

“Fifty million dollar is a lot of money, but I believe that’s a drop in bucket for many generations that have been left out,” said Thao. This is the beginning of what we call ‘community safety.’”

She said that much more money is needed and will be raised to deliver on these promises. “Many foundations have said they want to support Oakland, and I say, ‘Put your money where your mouth is,” she said.

Part of this project will be to assure that residents have adequate housing, she said. “If you don’t have housing, you’re going to be unsafe; I know this because I have been unhoused.”

Mayor Thao also pledged to deliver on an initiative to provide educational opportunities for young people, introducing what she called her “legacy project,” the Transitional Age Youth Hub, or TAY-Hub.

The goal of the project is “to invest in young people so in the future they are able to have good-paying jobs so they can continue … being here for generations.”

“Imagine a college campus with housing, technical training, counselors, facilities with childcare, so you don’t have to worry about daily needs so you can be successful,” she said.

The idea for this campus was developed by people at Camp Sweeney, “an institution for young people that many institutions have given up on,” said the mayor.

While the plan for the youth hub did not start with her, she said, “I’m going to lead the way to make sure it happens.”

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

20 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

5 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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Bay Area

State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference

California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

Published

6 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

American Business Women’s Association Vice President Velma Landers, left, with California State Controller Malia Cohen (center), and ABWA President LaRonda Smith at the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the ABWA at the Black Wealth Brunch.

By Carla Thomas

The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.

ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.

“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.

More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.

Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.

“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.

“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.

“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.

By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”

Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”

Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”