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Survivors, Officials Attend State Memorial Honoring 35 Firefighters Who Died on Duty

The state formally presented a United States flag to each of the families of the honorees, whose names are being added to the Fire Fighter’s Memorial Wall in Capitol Park on the east side of the State Capitol.

Published

7 months ago

November 5, 2023

Oakland Post

The family of Ronald Yale Wiley visits the California Firefighters Memorial Wall to trace his name engraved on the monument. Wiley, who died in the line of duty in 2007, was a deputy marshal for Richmond’s Fire Department. Photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

The California Fire Foundation hosted its 2023 Annual California Firefighters Memorial and Procession Ceremony on Oct. 14 at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Sacramento.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond attended the event, which was organized to honor 35 firefighters who died in the line of duty. Among the honorees was Ronald Yale Wiley, an African American deputy fire marshal from Richmond who died on duty in 2007.

“We’re recognizing and celebrating the life and times of people who tried to make the world a little bit gentler,” Newsom said of the fallen. “They stood tall because they bent down on one knee to help lift other people up. People that came from every conceivable walk of life, political background, and different generations. The 35, we memorialize here today — all with a singular love, and that is a love for public service.”

Thomas Jay, retired Fire Battalion Chief for Riverside, leads the indoor procession at the California Firefighters Memorial Ceremony at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento. The event honored 35 firefighters who died in the line of duty. Photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

Nearly 1,000 people attended the ceremony. The procession showcased firefighting apparatuses and was marked by the presence of hundreds of active-duty firefighters from all over California, forming a “sea of blue.”

Accompanying them were the Pipes and Drums of California Professional Firefighters, honor guards from dozens of fire departments, the families of fallen firefighters from across the state, and various state officials and guests.

The ceremony commenced with a bagpiper playing at the Memorial Wall, a monument built in Sacramento in 2002 to honor the memory, sacrifice and bravery of firefighters who paid the ultimate price while keeping Californians safe.

“When they were called to duty … they came through and they gave as much as anybody is expected to give for their community,” said Brian K. Rice, the president of California Professional Firefighters. “This ceremony is a tribute to that selfless dedication, and more than that, a tribute to the families that stood behind these men.”

In 2007, honoree Wiley was returning to his office from a meeting in Vallejo when the city-owned vehicle he was driving crashed and burned on the Carquinez Bridge on I-80. Wiley, 47, was 16 years into the profession when the incident happened, his son Dante told California Black Media. Dante Wiley attended the ceremony with his wife, children, uncle, and other family members.

“This was a powerful event,” the younger Wiley said of the ceremony. “I brought my three children out here with me so that they can have a better understanding of who my father was.”

Dante Wiley is one of the 20 Black firefighters among Richmond’s 97 firefighters. He said his uncle also spent 30 years as a firefighter in Oakland.

Nationwide, the number of Black professional and volunteer firefighters is relatively low. According to Data USA, there were 324,149 firefighters in the United States in 2021. Of this figure, 4.38% were women and 95.6% were men. Black firefighters represented 7.4% and Hispanics made up 11.2%. White firefighters were 82.2% of the total.

California has around 35,000 firefighters, Rice said at the ceremony. In many jurisdictions, the workforces do not reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. During a 12-year stretch from 1993 to 2005, for example, the San Bernardino City Fire Department (SBCFD) did not hire any Black firefighters.

Now, SBCFD, one of the oldest and largest fire departments in San Bernardino County, has hired a total of 19 Black firefighters, according to Factors Affecting the Hiring of Black Firefighters, a report by James M. Fratus. The late Jimmy Jews became San Bernardino’s first Black firefighter in 1971.

Dante Wiley is actively involved in recruiting efforts.

“I do believe representation matters, and so does education,” Wiley said. “When I mean education, I mean outreach.

“I was fortunate because I saw it every day with my father and, before him, my uncle. A lot of people don’t have that exposure,” Wiley continued. “One of my goals is to get out there and talk to people at high schools, junior colleges, or colleges. Is it for everybody? No. But there are different ways you can go out there and help people. For me, I just want to be of service for my community.”

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Oakland Post: Week of June 12-18, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 12-18, 2024

Published

3 days ago

June 14, 2024

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.

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ICAC Invites Community to Benefit from Safe Car Park Program

The Interfaith Council of Alameda County (ICAC) will hold a meeting to announce a faith-based expansion of overnight safe car parking for unhoused families on Thursday, June 13, 2024, from 1-2 p.m. at Williams Chapel Baptist Church located at 1410 10th Avenue in Oakland. The ICAC President, Rev. Ken Chambers, announced that Williams Chapel, pastored by Rev. Kenneth Anderson, and members of ICAC, has also planned to open an overnight safe car parking program and day center to provide unhoused neighbors and families with wrap-around services.

Published

3 days ago

June 13, 2024

Oakland Post

Chambers said, "ICAC's goal is to just serve Oakland by helping to make the community surrounding 10th Avenue and International Boulevard both welcoming and safe."

by Post Staff

The ICAC President, Rev. Ken Chambers, announced that Williams Chapel, pastored by Rev. Kenneth Anderson, and members of ICAC, has also planned to open an overnight safe car parking program and day center to provide unhoused neighbors and families with wrap-around services.

Rev. Chambers said additional support for the program will also come from Bishop Bob Jackson, Pastor of Acts Full Gospel Church and Pastor Phyllis Scott, head of the Oakland Police Chaplaincy Program.

Chambers said, “ICAC’s goal is to just serve Oakland by helping to make the community surrounding 10^th Avenue and International Boulevard both welcoming and safe.”

David Longhurst, a member of Oakland Temple LDS Church and an ICAC board member, said

“We can make the city of Oakland safer, one block at a time, by connecting our community and neighbors.”

Chambers said ICAC has a $450,000 grant commitment from the City of Oakland and a $2.5M grant request has been presented to Nate Miley, President of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors President Nate Miley to cover and expand ICAC’s Safe Car Park Program located at West Side Missionary Baptist Church to additional locations including Center Street Baptist Church, Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church, Corinthians Baptist Church, Allen Temple Baptist Church, Acts Full Gospel Church, and other congregations.

Dr. Ken Chambers said he and ICAC are assisting congregations on how to receive a one-time $5,000 grant. “ICAC has plans for several tiny homes with kitchens, living space and bathrooms that we hope will become available this fall in partnership with the State, County and City of Oakland.”

Chambers is appealing to the public to help with transitioning the unhoused populations into tiny homes or affordable housing. “If you or anyone you know is living out of a car and needs a safe place to park overnight, visit interfaithAC.org, call 510-239-6681, or stop by the ICAC hub at 732 Willow Street, Oakland, CA 94607 between the hours of 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.”

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Calif. Leaders Discuss Foster Care Reform Strategies for Black and Brown Youth

Before becoming a nationally recognized social justice leader and a member of California’s Mandated Reporting Taskforce, Shane Harris spent 13 years as a foster care youth after he lost both of his parents. As President of the national civil rights organization, People’s Association of Justice Advocates (PAJA), he’s aiming to solve some of the toughest challenges Black and Brown children in the foster care system face.

Published

6 days ago

June 10, 2024

Oakland Post

Shane Harris, PAJA President and member of the California Mandated Reporting Taskforce (center) with Hafsa Kaka, Senior Advisor on Homelessness to Governor Gavin Newsom and Dr. Janet Kelly, Founder & Director of Sanctuary of Hope LA (far right) (Lila Brown CBM)

By Lila Brown, California Black Media

Before becoming a nationally recognized social justice leader and a member of California’s Mandated Reporting Taskforce, Shane Harris spent 13 years as a foster care youth after he lost both of his parents. As President of the national civil rights organization, People’s Association of Justice Advocates (PAJA), he’s aiming to solve some of the toughest challenges Black and Brown children in the foster care system face.

During National Foster Care Month in May, Harris visited the Sanctuary of Hope in Los Angeles to host a roundtable meeting with current and former foster youth, many of whom, like Harris, have beat the odds and become successful professionals.

According to the federal government’s Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, there are nearly 370,000 American children and youth in foster care.

Nationally, Black children are overrepresented in foster care. According to datacenter.kidscount.org, Black children represented 14% of the total child population in the United States. However, they represented 23% of all children in foster care. Harris pointed out that one out of every four foster youth go homeless upon exiting foster care in California. Across the state, there are nearly 65,000 children in foster care, he added. Of the 65,000 children in foster care across California, 14,000 of them are Black American.

Harris also announced a new effort already underway to push for the removal of the term “case” in L.A. County when referring to foster youth during the roundtable which featured Hafsa Kaka, Senior Advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom and Janet Kelly, the Founder and Director of Sanctuary of Hope. The session focused on solving problems foster youth face.

Sharing personal stories, insights, and various visions for policy changes, the participants discussed numerous solutions and addressed specific concerns about ongoing challenges with the foster care system.

One top priority was how to close the foster care to homelessness pipeline for the disproportionate number of Black and Brown children in LA County’s and the state’s foster care system.

“When you see the direct connection between the disproportionate rates of Black children in foster care and the disproportionate rates of Black people in the general homeless population, there is a very clear connection there in which our foster youth are coming out of care,” stated Harris during opening remarks.

Kaka said the governor has been intentional about making sure that foster children are homeless prioritized as the state addresses homelessness.

“This is a critical moment for foster care,” said Kaka. “The systems that are working together are looking at leveraging federal, state and local funds.”

Harris said he has already begun efforts in San Diego County to drop the word “case” when referring to homeless youth.

“We are asking for a 90-day public input period, in which the county CEO and leadership can facilitate discussions with the community on replacement terminology. There’s plenty of ideas,” Harris elaborated.

Kelly said a majority of the youth who go through the Sanctuary of Hope program are young people who have experienced some form of housing instability or housing crisis.

“The goal of the work that we do is really centered around helping young people leave here with leadership skills and other forms of what we call protective factors in order for them to continue on with their stabilization journey and become loving, caring and active citizens in this world,” Kelly said.