Berkeley

For Women’s History Month, Honor Mental Health Worker Gigi Crowder

Published

11 years ago

March 26, 2015

The subject of mental illness has been taboo in the African American community for too long.

Too often these issues have been locked behind closed doors, viewed as “family business.” Many people misunderstand what a mental health condition is and don’t talk about this topic.

African Americans are 20 percent more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population, but the lack of knowledge leads many to believe that a mental health condition is a personal weakness.

For communities of color, there is still great lack of awareness of what mental illnesses are and what one can do to recover.

This month of Women History, we salute a shero who works hard to better our community – Gigi Crowder, a native of Oakland, California, who has become the voice and champion for mental health in the Bay Area.

Crowder a mother of two 21-year-old twin young men, is a consumer advocate and a strong believer in social justice.

She has worked in the Behavioral Health Care field for more than 27 years after completing her studies at the UC Berkeley. As a family member of several loved ones who have received private and public mental health services, she is a strong advocate for promoting culturally responsive behavioral health services for all clients, consumers and family members.

Crowder uses her role as Alameda’s County’s Ethnic Service Manager and Culturally Responsive Coordinator to change the delivery of services and the trajectory of current outcomes when it comes to the African American community.

She was instrumental in producing a game changing report – called the African American Utilization Report – published in 2011, which shows how African Americans were utilizing services of Behavioral Health at disproportionately higher rates than other races but were not experiencing positive outcomes.

In spite of advances in diagnosis and treatment, medical evidence has proven that racial and ethnic minorities typically tend to receive a lower quality of care than non-minorities and that minority patients experience greater morbidity and mortality.

“Behavioral health care is not a one size fit all system,” says Crowder. “We found that services were not being delivered in a culturally appropriate and sensitive manner.”

Alameda County has the second largest population of African Americans in California, and 66 percent of those who are receiving behavioral healthcare services Alameda County reside in Oakland.

Throughout the country, adult African-American consumers with serious emotional or mental health condition are often wrongly diagnosed, and instead of receiving treatment, are winding up in the criminal justice system.

Black youth often receive inappropriate mental health diagnosis and services while in foster care in juvenile justice settings. Compounding these issues, African-American adults are less likely to receive mental health assessments and, once assessed, often are misdiagnosed and labeled with mental health conditions that are much more severe than indicated.

African-Americans are often overlooked for early mental health issues, such as depression and an anxiety, and contributing factors such as environmental stress and historical trauma are rarely acknowledged.

African-Americans have an even higher rate of service utilization in local alcohol and other drug programs. Statistics indicate that more than 70 percent of all consumer served in the behavioral health care system have co-occurring diagnosis of alcohol and substance abuse.

Much of this can be attributed to self-medication due to trauma and attempt to mass mental health issues.

Crowder feels that continued efforts to engage community and build collaborations with faith/spiritual communities will enhance wellness and recovery, eliminate stigma and discrimination through education and correcting misinformation.

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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.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Courtesy image.

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.

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.

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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.

Published

3 weeks ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley.

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.

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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.

Published

10 months ago

September 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Farwest Regional Director, Kimberly Usher, Mayor Barbara Lee, US Representative Lateefah Simon, and Farwest Regional Representative, Radiya Ajibade. Photo courtesy of Farwest Regional Photographer Vicki P. Love.

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.

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.