By Post Staff

After 57 years, the Athletics have left Oakland following a home series this week.

Though Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced legislation to keep the team in Oakland, she could not get the backing she needed from other legislators in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

Lee tried 15 months ago, the day before Nevada politicians approved $380 million in public funds to build a Las Vegas ballpark.  Lee proposed a bill that would have stopped the A’s move by requiring a hefty exit fee that would have made them reconsider a move.

“That’s only fair,” Lee said in an interview in the Los Times by sportswriter Bill Shaikin. “That’s the only fair way to do it,” she said. “You’ve got to compensate the community, because the community has invested a heck of a lot.”

However, Lee’s bill could not go forward without the backing it needed.  First, it went to the House Judiciary Committee chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan, the Ohio Republican.  Jordan did not co-sponsor Lee’s bill or permit the committee hearing required for the bill to move forward.

“We put up a good fight. The city put up a good fight, the county, everyone,” said Lee.

“Unfortunately, we are losing a team that really, in the day, exemplified Black excellence in Oakland. It’s more than just the team leaving. It’s a part of Oakland’s history, and our culture,” she said.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 27 – January 2, 2024

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By Tamara Shiloh

William DeHart Hubbard, born on November 25, 1903, in Cincinnati, Ohio, was a trailblazing figure in American sports history.

Hubbard grew up in Cincinnati. While attending Walnut Hills High School he excelled in academics and athletics. This earned him a scholarship to the University of Michigan in 1921, where he studied in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. In college, he quickly made a name for himself as an exceptional track and field athlete.

Hubbard was the only African American on the school’s track team; he was also the first African American varsity track letterman at the university. In his college career, Hubbard won several meets including being a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion, eight-time Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) champion, and seven-time Big Ten Conference champion in track and field. His 1925 outdoor long jump of 25 feet 10¹⁄₂ inches stood as the Michigan Wolverines team record until 1980, and it is still second. His 1925 jump of 25 feet 3.5 inches stood as a Big Ten Championships record until Jesse Owens broke it in 1935 with what is now the current record of 26 feet 8.25 inches.

In 1924, he was selected to represent the United States at the Paris Summer Olympics.

Competing against some of the best athletes in the world, Hubbard made history by winning the gold medal in the long jump by jumping 24 feet 5.5 inches. This victory made him the first African American to win an individual gold medal in the history of the modern Olympic Games.

In 1925, Hubbard broke the long jump world record with a leap of 25 feet 10⁷⁄₈ inches at the NCAA championships. In 1927, he bettered that with a jump of 26 feet 2.25 inches — which would have been the first ever over 26 feet — but meet officials disallowed it, claiming that the take-off board was an inch higher than the surface of the landing pit. He also competed in the hurdles at the 1926 AAU championships. He graduated with honors in 1927.

He specialized in the long jump, a sport that would soon bring him international fame.

Hubbard’s Olympic success was not just a personal triumph but a milestone for African Americans in sports. His victory challenged the prevailing stereotypes of the time and inspired a generation of Black athletes to pursue their dreams in the face of adversity.

After his Olympic success, he continued to excel in track and field. He set an additional world record in 1925 with a jump of 25 feet 10.75 inches, which stood for several years. His accomplishments were not limited to athletics, as he also became involved in civic and business endeavors after his graduation from the University of Michigan in 1927.

Following his athletic career, Hubbard returned to his hometown of Cincinnati, where he took on various roles serving his community and the progress of African Americans. He worked as a manager for the Department of Colored Work for the Cincinnati Public Recreation Commission and later became a race relations adviser for the Federal Housing Administration.

Hubbard passed away on June 23, 1976. As the first African American to win an individual Gold Medal in the Olympics, he not only paved the way for future generations of athletes but also demonstrated the profound impact that sports can have on societal change.

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By Carla Thomas

On Aug. 9, in downtown Oakland at Oakstop, a co-working and event space, dozens of journalists and broadcasters convened to hear an historic announcement from NBA icon Jason Kidd and NBA All Star and Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.

The duo told the world that they have joined forces to raise an ambitious $5 billion dollars to empower underserved and marginalized communities. The week prior, Brown set the goal in motion by creating the Boston XChange in preparation to do the same in the Bay Area as the Oakland XChange.

“True systemic change requires collaboration, shared vision, and collective impact. By working with community partners, thought leaders, and cultural influencers, our goal is to cultivate a powerful network of support and innovation,” shared Brown.

Through the new nonprofit XChange enterprises in Boston and Oakland and his sphere of influence, Brown has set his intentions in motion jumpstarting a path toward generational wealth and cultivating cultural innovation in underserved and underrepresented communities. Designed to provide opportunities at the intersection of business and culture, Brown says the XChange will use a place-based strategy to drive solutions for better cities, integrating real estate development, business education, technology, and cultural competency to foster economic growth.

Chapters in Boston (BXC) and Oakland (OXC) will serve as organizing hubs, utilizing commercial real estate to empower underserved communities.

Kidd says he was inspired by Brown’s concept and the two have committed millions of dollars from their own fortunes to kick off the venture. Kidd and Brown, both Oakland natives, see a bright future for their hometown.

“We welcome anyone that is willing to make a commitment to the future and health of the community and put it on a path toward generational sustainability,” said Kidd, during the press conference.

“The racial wealth gap is not limited to Boston — It’s a national issue, affecting Oakland and cities throughout the country, revealing how some groups are better positioned to make critical investments in their futures that benefit their families and communities,” said Kidd.

Kidd has also made significant philanthropic contributions to his hometown, such as funding the Willie Keyes Recreation Center in West Oakland.

The XChange will create and showcase scalable and repeatable models for shared real estate ownership and impact investments to facilitate asset building for sidelined community members that can be adopted across the country. They will engage professional athletes, business leaders, philanthropists, and influencers who are passionate about solving wealth inequality in the cities they love, using a replicable model that maximizes impact while uplifting existing organizations working to bridge the wealth gap.

“Using this strategy, The XChange presents an opportunity for individual cities to tailor the model to the unique needs and strengths of their communities, replicating and refining it for optimal impact,” said the Oakland XChange’s founder Trevor Parham.

“Place based strategies are important for unifying and revitalizing underserved communities and our lived experiences inform market insights and social solutions that help foster sustainable economic development. I’m proud of Oakstop’s track record for community-led social impact and our synergy with the Boston XChange.”

Boston XChange board member Riz Shah was also on hand along with local politicians, Caroll Fife, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12), and Lateefah Simon, candidate for U.S Congress. They all shared their excitement for the new venture.

For more information visit:  www.oaklandxchange.org

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