John Collins, Buffalo Soldier, Rode a War Horse

By Paul Cobb

John Collins, 90, one of the last U.S. all-horse cavalrymen. Photo courtesy of John Collins and collage by Adam L. Turner.

While the Black Tuskegee airmen were shooting down planes and patrolling the skies with their red tails in the European Theater of Operations, the all-Black US Army Buffalo Soldier Division, trained to fight from the backs of war horses, arrived in Africa in 1943, at two locations, Casablanca, Morocco and Oran, Algiers in North Africa, to defeat the Nazi forces during World War II.
The all-Negro Second Cavalry Division was the last all-horse cavalrymen to ride in the United States Army.
John E. Collins, now in his 90th year, was born in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1924, at a time when the glorious epic stories of the Buffalo Soldiers were synonymous with the historic folklore of the Black Cowboys who helped tame the American West.
In 1943, Collins was drafted in Phoenix, Arizona and sent to Fort Clark, in Brackenville, Texas.
“I was in the last all-horse Division in the U.S. Army which included the Buffalo Soldiers and its four horse cavalry regiments,” said Collins.
 “I was proud to be a part of the Buffalo soldiers because our troopers were considered to have a high degree of esprit de corps (morale) and courage.”
He was a horse cavalryman, private first class, who served in the 9th and 27th Cavalry regiments in Texas.
The Buffalo Soldiers arrived overseas at two locations, the 9th and 27th regiments at Assi Ben Okba, near Oran, Algeria, aboard the troopship USS Gen. Anderson; and the 10th and 28th regiments arrived in Casablanca aboard the troopship USS Billy Mitchell.
 “After arriving in North Africa, the four regiments reassembled at a staging area. We received the bad news that our entire division was to be dismantled while on foreign soil,” Collins said.
 “Our units were transformed overnight into hard labor units, port battalion stevedores, truck quartermasters, engineers, hard labor services units and replacements for the 751st tank battalion, 92nd Infantry Division and other all-Negro hard labor units, though the Division was combat trained.”
Realizing that the morale and the storied courage of the disappointed Buffalo Soldiers could be undermined, the War Department summoned NAACP Executive Secretary Walter White to Oran to calm the restless spirit of the thousands of colored troopers who were righteously indignant and to persuade them not to  riot.
White’s Harlem Renaissance writings and activist credentials, earned from fighting Ku Klux Klan lynchings, helped to make him palatable to the group of proud African American war horsemen on African soil.
“We were hurt, and the scar from this regret forever remains,” said Collins. … Continue Reading

African-American and Woman-owned Firm Yolanda’s Construction Administration and Traffic Control

By Kia

Yolanda Jones

Croom

Yolanda Jones is the proprietor of Yolanda’s Construction Administration & Traffic Control, an African-American and woman-owned firm that provides support for public and private sector clients on engineering and construction projects.  
The company’s staff has extensive experience in the transportation industry, including rail transit and highway and roadway projects and other heavy civil projects.  Team members are Caltrans-certified in construction management, inspection and testing for transportation projects.  
Company experts have worked on large public infrastructure construction projects to support project administration, labor compliance, traffic control and community outreach. … Continue Reading

John Collins, Buffalo Soldier, Rode a War Horse

By Paul Cobb

John Collins, 90, one of the last U.S. all-horse cavalrymen. Photo courtesy of John Collins and collage by Adam L. Turner.

While the Black Tuskegee airmen were shooting down planes and patrolling the skies with their red tails in the European Theater of Operations, the all-Black US Army Buffalo Soldier Division, trained to fight from the backs of war horses, arrived in Africa in 1943, at two locations, Casablanca, Morocco and Oran, Algiers in North Africa, to defeat the Nazi forces during World War II.
The all-Negro Second Cavalry Division was the last all-horse cavalrymen to ride in the United States Army.
John E. Collins, now in his 90th year, was born in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1924, at a time when the glorious epic stories of the Buffalo Soldiers were synonymous with the historic folklore of the Black Cowboys who helped tame the American West.
In 1943, Collins was drafted in Phoenix, Arizona and sent to Fort Clark, in Brackenville, Texas.
“I was in the last all-horse Division in the U.S. Army which included the Buffalo Soldiers and its four horse cavalry regiments,” said Collins.
 “I was proud to be a part of the Buffalo soldiers because our troopers were considered to have a high degree of esprit de corps (morale) and courage.”
He was a horse cavalryman, private first class, who served in the 9th and 27th Cavalry regiments in Texas.
The Buffalo Soldiers arrived overseas at two locations, the 9th and 27th regiments at Assi Ben Okba, near Oran, Algeria, aboard the troopship USS Gen. Anderson; and the 10th and 28th regiments arrived in Casablanca aboard the troopship USS Billy Mitchell.
 “After arriving in North Africa, the four regiments reassembled at a staging area. We received the bad news that our entire division was to be dismantled while on foreign soil,” Collins said. … Continue Reading

Commemorating National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

By Valerie
Jarrett

On this, the 12th annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, (which is Feb. 7), I remember my sister-in-law’s fight with the disease. Tragically, she did not win that fight – she left behind a devastated husband and five-year old daughter.
But it is in her memory, and the memory of all the friends and loved ones we have lost, that we vow to keep working toward the day when HIV/AIDS is history.
This past December, on World AIDS Day, President Obama spoke about the United States’ commitment to ending HIV/AIDS. In a speech at George Washington University, he told the audience, “Make no mistake, we are going to win this fight.  But the fight is not over … not by a long shot.”
Sadly, this is especially true in the African-American community. Black Americans represent 12 percent of the U.S. population, but they account for 44 percent of new HIV infections. Among young Black gay men alone, infections have increased by nearly 50 percent in just three years, and black women account for the largest share of HIV infections among women. We each must do our part by getting tested regularly, and by educating those in our community about what they can do to help end the epidemic.
President Obama is committed to doing his part as well. In 2010, he released the nation’s first comprehensive HIV/AIDS plan. Together with Secretary (Hillary) Clinton, he has helped assemble a coalition of governments, healthcare professionals, and service providers. They have set a goal that would have been unthinkable just a few decades ago: an AIDS-free generation, in which virtually all children are born HIV-free, and prevention tools help them stay HIV-free throughout their lives.
We will not achieve this goal overnight. But we know that we must keep making progress, each and every day. For our communities and our families, the stakes are simply too high for us to be satisfied with anything less.
So today, we do more than commemorate those we have lost. We rededicate ourselves to the work ahead. Because even when it comes to an epidemic as devastating as HIV/AIDS, we have the chance to write our own destiny. As President Obama  said in December, “We can end this pandemic.  We can beat this disease.  We can win this fight.”
For more information about National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and this Administration’s efforts to fight HIV/AIDS in the Black community, visit www.aids.gov.
Valerie Jarrett is Senior Advisor to the President.

Charles Reid Gospel Festival at Richmond Memorial Auditorium

By David Scott

First Lady Of Gospel Pastor Shirley Caesar.

Reid’s Records is presenting the first annual Charles Reid Gospel Festival Saturday, Feb. 18 at 3 p.m.  and 7:30 p.m. at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium, 403 Civic Center Plaza in Richmond.
The line up of stars includes First Lady Of Gospel Pastor Shirley Caesar, performing with The Legendary Rance Allen Group. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Charles Reid Foundation and the Mother Ann Wright Foundation.
The concert is named after Charles Roger Reid, someone who played an important role in the Richmond community and whose legacy continues through the Charles Reid Foundation
Reid, the Uncle Of David Reid, CEO of Reid’s Records, was born on Sept. 22, 1898, in Angels Camp, Calif., the second of 13 children of Thomas Henry Reid. Sr., and Virginia Parker Reid.
Charles Reid grew up in Berkeley. A gifted athlete at Berkeley High School, he ran the 100-yard dash in 10 seconds flat, played basketball and eventually became a star pitcher in 1935 for the Semi-Pro Pierce Giants Negro League in Richmond.
Reid played with Negro legends like Chick Hafey, Ernie Lombardi and Lefty Gomez. However, his true passion was helping underprivileged kids to chase their dreams.  
He took the time to steer youngsters in the right direction by keeping them busy.
He organized youth basketball games, and as many as 100 Richmond youth played until midnight. … Continue Reading

Richmond Actor Dorian Lockett Stars in Stage Play “Fences”

By Kia Croom

Jim “Dorian” Lockett. Photo by Joe L. Fisher, BAPAC.

Richmond resident and actor Jim “Dorian” Lockett has a starring role in the stage play “Fences,” written by Pulitzer Prize winning, African American playwright August Wilson and directed by Gene Kahane, currently showing at the Altarena Playhouse in Alameda.
Lockett plays Troy, a middle-aged garbage man who is struggling to support his family.  His character once had aspirations to play major league baseball and believes his race was a barrier. Troy’s day-to-day frustrations ultimately affect his relationships in his immediately family.  
As  if life itself is not frustrating enough for Troy, he has an unfinished fence in his backyard. But what is he trying to keep out?  
For the last 10 years, Lockett has been pursuing acting on and off before kicking his acting career into high gear.   
“At first, I was scared to move to Los Angeles, like most actors do,” he said. “But when I hit 30, I decided I’d give it a try. I had to get out and start doing it. It has been a fun ride.”
Lockett is no stranger to the stage. In fact, most of his work has been on local productions, including “To Kill a Mockingbird,”  “Of Mice and Men” and others.  He has also taken roles in the Investigation Discovery Network show, “I Almost Got Away with It,” which follows stories of fugitives doing anything they can to escape from prison.
In addition to “Fences,” Lockett is featured in a Langston Hughes Touring Series, where he and a group of actors travel to schools performing Langston Hughes poems. The touring series is appearing at local schools including El Cerrito High.
Lockett is an Oakland native and father of six boys. He is available for booking and speaking engagements and can be reached at (510) 962-2497.
“Fences” will appear at the Altarena Playhouse in Alameda through Sunday, Feb. 19.  Tickets are  $19 for students and senior citizens and $22 for adults.  For information or to purchase tickets visit www.altarena.org or call (510) 523-1553.

Your Biz Consulting Offers Grant Writing Workshops, March 8

The Your Biz Consulting Firm is presenting a “Show Me the Money” Grant Writing Workshop Series, sponsored by the Black American Political Action Committee (BAPAC) and the Post News Group.  
Beginning and experienced grant writers from city, county and state agencies, as well as from nonprofits, K-12, colleges and universities, are encouraged to attend.
The first workshop of the series will take place Friday, March 9 from 8 a.m. to noon at 1000 Broadway, Suite 109 (Trans Pacific Centre Building), in downtown Oakland.
Taught by Kia Croom, accomplished grant writer and journalist, the workshop series provides instruction for both beginning grant writers and experienced professionals. Topics will include the essential grant components, building agency credibility, creative ways to make a grant proposal stand out and identifying and submitting grant proposals.  
The cost is $75 per workshop. Participants who register  for all three workshops will receive a discounted tuition rate. Registration includes all tuition, fees and materials, including the “Show Me the Money” grant writing workbook and templates. Registrants are encouraged to bring their project ideas to the workshop, as well as any funding announcements they may be considering.
Kia Croom is the proprietor of the Your Biz Consulting Firm. She has 10 years of experience in nonprofit program development, grant writing and fundraising.  She established the Your Biz Consulting Firm in 2005 and has since raised more than $5 million dollars on behalf of nonprofit organizations in California and throughout the Southeast.
Kia Croom holds a Bachelors degree in Journalism, a Master  of Arts in Public Administration and a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management.
Your Biz Consulting Firm offers custom grant writing services for nonprofits. The company’s consultants prepare high-quality, customized grant proposals that get funded. For a free grant consultation or to learn how a company can host a grant writing training, email info@getmygrants.com or call (510)- 575-1876.

WWII Airmen Fought for Equal Rights

By Michael K. Martin,
Legal Editor

Arrested African-American officers of the 477th Bombardment Group at Freeman Field, Indiana, await transport to Godman Field, Kentucky, April 1945. The Freeman Field Mutiny was a series of incidents at Freeman Army Airfield, a United States Army Air Forces base near Seymour, Indiana, in 1945 in which African American members of the 477th Bombardment Group attempted to integrate an all-white officers’ club. The mutiny resulted in 162 separate arrests of black officers, some of them twice. Three were court-martialed on relatively minor charges. One was convicted. In 1995, the Air Force officially vindicated the actions of the African-American officers, set aside the single court-martial conviction and removed letters of reprimand from the permanent files of 15 of the officers. The mutiny is generally regarded by historians of the Civil Rights Movement as an important step toward full integration of the armed forces and as a model for later efforts to integrate public facilities through civil disobedience.

With the observance of the birth anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the release of the historical film “Red Tails,” thoughts turn to the Freeman Field Mutiny of 1945.  
The Freeman Field Mutiny was a rebellion by Black members of the U.S, Army Air Corps, officers who had been banned from the officers club at Freeman Field, the Air Corps installation at Seymour, Indiana.  It was a civil rights action that predated the movement later led by Dr. King.
Before 1948, the United States military was strictly segregated.  One result of this segregation was the absolute absence of African American flyers in the Air Corps.  In 1941 President Roosevelt issued an executive order establishing the Fair Employment Practices Commission to ensure equal participation by Black people in all phases of the federal government, including the military.
 One of the results of this action was the admission of African Americans to the Army Air Corps to be pilots of fighter planes.  These Black pilots became the Tuskegee Airmen, undergoing training at Tuskegee Airfield in Tuskegee, Alabama.  Their service in Europe as fighter escorts for bombers was, by all accounts, heroic.
During the ongoing training cycles of African American fighter pilots at Tuskegee, the Army Air Corps, in 1944 began to train African American personnel to be pilots, navigators, bombardiers, radiomen, and gunners in B-25 bombers.  
These men comprised the 477th Bombardment Group.  The 477th arrived at Freeman Field, an Army Air Corps installation near Seymour, Indiana, in March 1945, to await its July 1, 1945 combat assignment date.
The officers club at Freeman Field was “whites only.”  The newly arrived Black officers were to use the newly vacated non-commissioned officers club.  The Black officers rejected these separate-but-unequal accommodations.  
The feeling among the airmen was, according to Leslie A. Williams, 92, a Tuskegee Airman who now resides in San Mateo, was defiant and indignant.  The group felt, Williams told me, “ ‘We’re officers now.  We can take a strong stand against this.’”  This sentiment is underscored in the book “The Freeman Field Mutiny,” by Lt. Col. James C. Warren, USAF (ret). “The kind of man selected to become a pilot – an officer, and a leader of men,” wrote Col. Warren, “was highly unlikely to submit to what they knew was a clearly illegal policy.”
Accordingly, a protest by the Black officers ensued.  Every evening several waves of Black officers entered the club and attempted to get served.  They were, each evening, refused service, placed under arrest and confined to their quarters and the mess hall.   In the course of the protest a total of 104 African American officers were arrested, and charged with disobedience of a military directive.  One officer, Lt. Roger C. Terry, was charged with jostling a superior officer.  The officers faced a court martial.
Ultimately, all the African American officers were acquitted, except for Lt. Terry, who was found guilty of the jostling charge and fined $150.  The result of the protest and court martial was a change in command of the 477th.  
Lt. Col. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., who was among the first class of Tuskegee Airmen, and their commanding officer overseas, was named commanding officer at Freeman Field on July 1, 1945.  All white commanders at the field were transferred elsewhere.
It was the dream of many in the 477th, according to Mr. Williams, to fly a bombing mission escorted by the Tuskegee Airman fighter group – an all Black air combat mission.  The battalion never saw combat, however, as the war ended that August.  Still, the result of the stateside events in which they engaged was a complete transformation of the battalion command and the entire nature of the Army Air Corps.  
The Freeman Field Mutiny, as it became known, was a successful implementation of the tactics and attitudes that sustained the civil rights movement led by Dr. King beginning some 10 years later.  The dignified, firm, but nonviolent resistance to unjust regulations and their application proved effective in the military in 1945, as it was to prove effective in civilian circumstances in the ensuing years.  
The Tuskegee Airmen, in addition to spreading pride throughout the African community with their exploits in combat, set an example, through peaceful protest stateside that lives on.

Mother Novalean Harris, 95

By Kia Croom

Mother Novalean Harris

Community icon, church leader and entrepreneur Mother Novalean Harris died on Jan. 11 of natural causes.  She was 95 years old. Her memorial was held Jan. 20 at Hilltop Community Church.
Mother Harris is remembered for her involvement in the community and her church.  A dedicated and dependable leader, she participated in many church auxiliaries and served in a variety of capacities including serving as the first vice president of the Women Missionary Union, participating in the Bochum Five Singers, organizing the church’s food and clothing giveaway program and supervising the soup kitchen.
Mother Harris was also an accomplished businessman. She aspired to become an entrepreneur and took interest in the field of cosmetology. She enrolled at Charm Beauty College in Oakland, earning a cosmetology license.  She opened Novalean’s Beauty Salon, the first Black-owned beauty salon in North Richmond.  
She eventually moved the salon to its present location, 401 Harbor St. She served as a mentor and inspired other aspiring cosmetologists to open their own salons.  
Harris was born in Bernice, Louisiana.  At the age of 5, her family moved to El Dorado, Arkansas, where she attended school and eventually met her husband George H. Harris and started a family.
The couple relocated to Richmond in 1943, seeking opportunities and a better way of life. They joined North Richmond Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of the late Rev. F.W. Watkins. She immediately took to the church and became actively involved in its ministries.
Mother Harris was well known among many local and state political candidates who she supported with advice, good food and fundraising efforts. The City of Richmond declared May 1, 2008, “Mother Novalean Harris Day.” A special bench with her name was engraved and placed in front of the North Richmond Missionary Baptist Church in her honor.
Mother Harris is survived by her youngest son Rev. James Harris; daughter Carolyn Smith-James; her six grandchildren, Charlotte Allen, Cynthia Cotton, Robert D. Smith, James R. Harris Jr., Catheryn Richardson and Jama Harris; eight great-grandchildren; 1 great-great grandchild; and many nieces, nephews and extended family members.

Richmond Will Be Home of New Berkeley Lab

By Kia
Croom

Map showing the perimeters of the new campus, located just off of Highway 580. (Photo courtesy of: Lawrence Berkeley National Labs).

Beating out the proposals of other East Bay cities, Richmond learned this week that it had won the competition to become the home of the new second campus of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Richmond will house the second campus, which will allow for the lab’s future growth and accommodate 800 workers who cannot fit in the lab’s Berkeley hills facility and scattered off-site locations.
The project will also create more than 2,500 construction jobs and potentially generate millions of dollars in tax revenue for the city.
The campus will be built on the 120-acre site in the Richmond Inner Harbor, known as the Richmond Field Station, land that the university already owns and that is only 20 minutes from the existing campus.
The Black American Political Action Committee (BAPAC) was among 700 community members who demonstrated their support of this project at the LBNL Town Hall meeting, which took place last summer.
BAPAC agrees with City Manager Lindsay who said, “Providing a warm welcome mat was undoubtedly a major factor in their decision.”
“I congratulate the Lab for its selection of Richmond as it recognizes the City of Richmond’s emergence as one of the green tech centers of the East Bay,” said Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner.
Kia Croom is a  contributing writer for the Richmond Post.

Richmond’s D’vondre Woodards Attends President’s State of the Union Address

Devonne Boggan (left), Director, City of Richmond Office of Neighborhood Safety joins D’vondre Woodards (center) and Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez) just before Miller and Woodards walked to the Capitol to listen to President Obama’s State of the Union. Miller had asked Boggan to select a Peacekeeper to attend the State of the Union as his guest.

U.S. Rep George Miller met Tuesday with D’vondre Woodards, a 22-year-old young man who grew up in Richmond and was Miller’s invited guest to President Obama’s State of the Union speech.
Woodards serves as a Senior Fellow as part of the City of Richmond Operation Peacemaker fellowship.
Miller, Woodards and other Peacekeeper fellows met for an hour before President Obama’s State of the Union Address. Peacekeepers shared their personal stories with Miller, including the reasons that compelled them to join the Peacekeepers program.
Miller encouraged the young men to stick with the program and congratulated them on their milestones.
Woodards shared with Miller that he just finished his first semester at Contra Costa Community College and hopes to attend Morehouse College or Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University to continue his studies.
He asked Miller about his path to becoming a Congressman. Miller explained that he, too, attended a local community college before attending San Francisco State University and University of California Davis.
Miller also spoke to the group about his work, expressing his concern about the gridlock in Congress.  “You know what they say, ‘politics is like war without the guns,’” he told the Peacemakers. “This is serious business that we engage in here – the American people win and lose based on what Congress is deliberating. Students will get money to help pay for school, or they won’t.’”
The primary purpose of the Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS) Peacemaker Fellowship is to save lives. The fellowship is designed to create a viable space for selected individuals ages 16-25 to contribute in a real way to building and sustaining community peace, health and well-being, with the express purpose of eliminating gun violence in Richmond.
Each member of Congress receives one ticket for a guest to sit in the visitors’ gallery of the House of Representatives to watch the speech,
Woodards has been involved with the Fellowship program for more than a year.  He has already achieved Senior Fellow status as a result of his willingness to work with rival neighborhood individuals to create peaceful resolutions to existing conflicts.  
He attends school and works. Raised in Richmond, Woodards credits the power and impact of the Fellowship opportunity and mentoring for his personal transformation.  He said that he now mentors young men in his community as a result of his appreciation for those people who mentored him at critical times in his life.

Tuskegee Airmen Are Action Heroes in “Red Tails”

By Lee Hubbard

Twenty-two members of Tuskegee Airmen class 45A posing in front of a single engine airplane in 1945. Photograph is marked “45-A (SE)” on the upper right corner was taken at Tuskegee, AL.

The Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black pilots in the Armed Forces during World War II, flew over 1,500 missions and shot down more than 100 German aircraft between 1943 and 1945, including three of the first German jets ever used in combat.
Their planes – P-51 Mustangs were painted with a red tail – were feared by the enemy and respected by allies.  Their story is brought to the screen in the film “Red Tails” that opened  recently in theaters.  
Directed by Anthony Hemingway, “Red Tails” was produced by George Lucas. The film stars Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Nate Parker, R&B singer Neyo and rapper Method Man.
The film is an action adventure inspired by stories of Tuskegee Airmen’s real life stories.
“It boils down to a bunch of young men thrust into an incredible situation who, against all odds, do a phenomenal job and come out heroes – they’re really the knights of the contemporary age,” said Lucas.
While the film focuses largely on the Tuskegee Airmen’s flights and fights in the European war, another story unfolds at home.  In the U.S. they had to deal with army officials who tried to keep them from flying, due to the racist belief that Blacks could not fly.  
“I thought their story would make a great film, an inspirational one that shows the incredible things these men went through to patriotically serve with valor and help the world battle back the evils of fascism,” Lucas said. “It is an amazing story, and I wanted to memorialize it.”
Lucas and others who worked on the film spent hundreds of hours with the surviving Tuskegee Airmen, visiting them in their homes and attending the annual Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. National Convention.
The film is rooted in history but is not a dull tales, showing young men who were under pressure to perform in the war and to set an example to the larger society.  The script was written by John Ridley and Aaron McGruder, creator of the comic strip and Boondocks television show.
“This is an adventure movie and not a civil rights movie,” said Dr. Roscoe Brown, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen who consulted on the film. “It is about us overcoming the obstacle of racism with excellence and friendship, camaraderie and discipline. Those are the eternal lessons that affect anybody.”

Young Adults Complete Project SEARCH Internships

Project SEARCH interns and their advisors. From left to right - Back row : Sam Crosby-Hogg (intern), Chris Brochard (intern),Meghann McLaughlin (intern), Amit Sharma (intern),Maria Einaudi (Project SEARCH Teacher) Nathan Norling (intern), Travis Collins (Job Coach); Middle Row: Michael Morales (intern), Jessica Moreida (intern), Charlotte Hallam (intern), Madison Schleder (intern), Christen Dinh (intern), Katie Eskridge (Project SEARCH Coordinator). Front row: Tina Lee (Job Coach), Ross MacDonald (Job Coach).

Ten young adults with developmental disabilities are being honored this week at a graduation ceremony for completing yearlong internships with Alameda County as part of a special collaboration that provides on-the-job experience for individuals with special needs.
 The graduates are the second group to complete their internships with the county as part of its Project SEARCH Program, which allows interns to develop their job skills by becoming fully immersed in a large workplace and opens the door to possibilities for gainful employment.  The program is a partnership between Alameda County, East Bay Innovations and the Oakland Unified School District.
 Seven of the 10 members of the first graduating class of Alameda County’s Project SEARCH program transitioned into permanent jobs after completing the program in January 2011.  Already, one of the latest graduates has secured a full-time job and several others are pursuing some promising leads.
 Friday’s graduation includes presentations of diplomas and talks by local officials involved in the internship project.  Some of the young graduates will also be available for interviews following what is sure to be an uplifting event.
 Project SEARCH began in 1996 at Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital and has since become a national program championing work opportunities for individuals with disabilities.   The Alameda County program was launched in October 2009 as the first public sector Project SEARCH program in California.  Later this year, the program will be receiving an award from International Project SEARCH for its 70 percent job placement rate for 2011.
 Six Alameda County departments participated in Project SEARCH: the Assessor, Auditor-Controller/Clerk-Recorder, County Administrator’s Office, Human Resource Services, Public Defender and Sheriff.
To provide the interns with a range of experience, the program called for each of the interns to complete assignments with three different county departments during their yearlong stints.  
To learn more about the program go to eastbayinnovations.org.
 

Alas, Etta James, the Queen of Blues, Who Started Here, Has Gone

By Marc H. Morial,
President and CEO
National Urban League

Etta James

“At last…My love has come along. My lonely days are over.  And life is like a song.”  Etta James’ signature hit record, “At Last.”
On January 20, the legendary matriarch of the Blues, Etta James, died at the age of 73 in her hometown of Riverside, Calif.  
In a life filled with struggle, heartache and illness, Etta James was able to carve out one of the most eclectic careers in recording history and earn a place of royalty in the annals of American music.  Many young people today may only know Etta James through Beyonce’s acclaimed portrayal of her in the 2008 movie, “Cadillac Records.”
Born Jamesetta Hawkins in 1938, she began singing in church at the age of 5.  She released her first recording, “Roll with Me Henry,” at the age of 15.  In 1960, she signed with Chess Records and had a long list of R & B, jazz, blues and pop hits, including “Something’s Got a Hold on Me,”  “All I Could do was Cry,” and her 1961 soulful rendition of “At Last,” which became an iconic pop standard.
 President Obama and the First Lady appropriately chose “At Last” for their first dance at their inaugural ball in 2009.  
 In her 1995 autobiography, “Rage to Survive,” which she co-authored with David Ritz, Etta James described her struggles as the daughter of a 14-year-old single mother, growing up in poverty, facing both sexism and racism, and her bouts with drugs, jail and rehab that threatened several times to end her career.  
Speaking of the fury she developed and that was common to many African Americans of her generation, she wrote, “Rage.  You can hear it in my music.  It’s always been there.  I had it when I was a little kid.  I have it now.  I’ve been racing, raging through life as long as I can remember.”
Fortunately, Etta James was able to channel that rage into her music.  Her life is a lesson in overcoming adversity and never giving up.  Due her range of styles and the diversity of her repertoire, she did not fit neatly into any musical category.  
She was a 1993 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, joined the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and entered the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001.  She toured with greats like Jackie Wilson, the Rolling Stones, and jazz flutist Herbie Mann.  Her six Grammy’s include one for Best Jazz Performance and one for Best Blues album.   Rolling Stones Magazine ranks her 22 on its list of the 100 greatest singers of all time.  She inspired generations of singers who came after her, including Bonnie Raitt, Brandy, Kelly Clarkson and, of course, Beyonce.
In her later years, Ms. James developed several debilitating health problems, including dementia, diabetes and leukemia, which was the cause of her death.  She is survived by her husband of 42 years, Artis Mills and two sons, Donto and Sametto James.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and we join all Americans in mourning the passing of a musical genius, America’s Matriarch of the Blues, Ms. Etta James.

Exhibit Marvin X Opens in Berkeley

Left to right: Marlene, Ramal, Jordan, James, Marvin, Jahkyl, Tee-Tee, Shanika, Julian, Janye, Aries.

Exhibit Marvin X opened Jan. 13, with a visit by students from Berkeley High (B-Tech).
Students said they enjoyed the exhibit, hosted by Marvin X’s student writers, Aries Jordan and Toya Carter. Accompanying the students was math teacher Ramal Lamar, a student of Marvin X’s Academy of da Corner, who is also a graduate student in Math at Cal State Eastbay. The Master Poet narrated his exhibit. Aries Jordan and Toya Carter read from his selected writings.
This is a rare opportunity to view the archives of an internationally known poet called “USA’s Rumi,” who was one of the founders of the Black Arts Movement, the most radical artistic and literary movement in American history.
Marvin X was associated with the Black Panthers, the Nation of Islam, the Black Student movement and Black Studies. The author of 30 books, his early writings appeared in major Black radical publications during the 60s, including Soulbook, Black Dialogue, Black Theatre, Journal of Black Poetry, Negro Digest/Black World, Black Scholar and Muhammad Speaks.
He occasionally writes in the Oakland Post newspaper and maintains several blogs on the Internet.  His archives were acquired by the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley.
Exhibit Marvin X features the writer’s personal archives and will be shown at Black Bird Press Publishing House, 1222 Dwight Way in Berkeley.
The exhibit is open by appointment during January and officially opens in February on Saturday evenings 7 p.m.-10 p.m., reservations only, space limited. The cost of admission is $20, seniors and students $10, no one turned away for lack of funds. Call (510) 575-2225 for reservations. Group rates available for schools, colleges and organizations.

Governor’s Budget Hurts the Most Vulnerable, Say County Officials

Alameda County officials are concerned that Governor Brown’s latest budget proposal –containing deep cuts to welfare, health care, childcare and in-home care programs – will disproportionately impact the community’s most  vulnerable residents.
 While crediting the Governor with offering a balanced approach of voter-approved tax increases and program cuts to close the State’s $9.2 billion shortfall through FY 2012-13, Alameda County Administrator Susan S. Muranishi said the County has faced deficits totaling more than $465 million over the past three years – shortfalls resulting in part from State cuts to local government funding.
“Years of challenges to the State’s financial health have meant services critical to our most vulnerable populations have been pared to the bone,’’ Muranishi said.  “It is therefore quite disheartening to learn that 2012 brings yet another round of bad news for people suffering most during these tough economic times, including families and children.’’
• Brown’s budget plan calls for $4.2 billion in spending cuts this year, with an additional round of “trigger” cuts should his $6.9 billion tax initiative fail at the ballot box in November.  Cuts proposed in the Governor’s plan include human services reductions that would impact thousands of low-income Alameda County residents.  These include:Deep cuts to the CalWORKs welfare-to-work program that would strip benefits from people who cannot find adequate work after two years, rather than four, and a 20 percent reduction in monthly benefits paid to families with children
• A reduction of almost 40 percent to child care subsidies for low-income families.
• Cuts to the State’s In-Home Support Services, including elimination of funding for disabled, frail and elderly recipients living with other people, along with a 20 percent across-the-board reduction enacted last year that has been blocked by the courts.
• Reductions totaling $842 million in the Medi-Cal program that would be obtained by moving all recipients into managed care.
• Eliminating the Healthy Families program that provides health insurance to children in low-income families.  These children would be moved to the more restrictive Medi-Cal program.
The budget proposal also calls for eventually eliminating  California’s youth prison system, beginning in January 2013 when the State would stop taking new wards into its custody.  Counties would begin taking responsibility for these higher-risk juvenile offenders.
 “It is clear that the difficult economy has placed all levels of government in a difficult bind, eroding public resources at a time when there is an increased need for vital services,’’ said Keith Carson, Vice President of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.

Park District Buys Over 300 Acres Near Wildcat Canyon Regional Park

The East Bay Regional Park District Board has approved the $1.45 million purchase of 362 acres directly east and adjacent to Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, located on San Pablo Dam Road in Richmond.
“We are very pleased to be able to acquire this beautiful land, the largest parcel acquired by the district in West Contra Costa County in 35 years,” said EBPRD Director Whitney Dotson of Richmond.  The property contains a mix of oak woodlands and grassland and will provide new public access from San Pablo Dam Road on the eastern side of Wildcat Canyon.
At park district staff recommendation, the property will be placed in land bank status until a land use plan amendment for the park can be completed.
“We are fortunate to have funds available from bond measures passed by the voters, at this time when strategically located lands are coming available on the market,” said Dotson. “We are making great strides in achieving our mission to preserve open space, parks and trails for the healthful enjoyment of the public.”

First Black Richmond Mayor George Livingston, 78

By Kia
Croom

Former South Africa President Nelson Mandela with George Livingston, Sr., during Mandela’s first visit to US. Photo by Donald Johnson.

George L. Livingston, the first African-American elected mayor in the city of Richmond, died at the age of 78 after a long battle with diabetes. He died Jan. 7 at Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo.
In celebration of his life and to honor the King Holiday, the Livingston family announced a viewing ceremony and quiet hour Monday, Jan. 16, 6 p.m.- 8 p.m. at Wilson & Kratzer Mortuaries in Richmond.
Livingston’s memorial service will take place Tuesday, Jan. 17, at St. John Missionary Baptist Church, 11 a.m., at 662 South 52nd St. in Richmond.
Livingston was born in Shawnee OK.  He and his family moved to California in the 1950s to work in the local shipyard.  In the early 1960s, he became actively involved with the Coronado Neighborhood Council, serving as president.
Community organizing and coalition building fueled his interest in politics. Little did he know that his activism, charisma and no-nonsense character would one day earn him a place in history.
Livingston was elected to the Richmond City Council in 1965 and served three terms. In 1969, he became mayor of Richmond. During this time, the mayor’s position rotated among city council members (until 1981, when the job became an elected position).
He is survived by his wife Eunice Livingston, his son George Livingston Jr. and daughter-in-law Linda Livingston; his daughter Grace Livingston-Nunley and son-in-law Daryl Nunley; stepson Anthony Robbins, stepdaughter Robin Jones and husband Andy Jones, seven grandchildren and two great grandson, Jaylen and Brian.
Kia Croom is a contributing writer for the Richmond Post.

Southside Church of Christ Brings in the New Year

By Kia Croom

Top Row: Terron William, Quincy Jones, David Sharpe, Steven Sharpe; Second row - left to right: Steven Sharpe, Minister Howard J. Wooling, Mistress of Ceremonies Karlene Jones, Minister Patrick Mitchell Sr.; Third row: Havon Evans, Veronica Adams, Kimberly Wright, Gia White, Brandi Corbett, Kyani Corbett, Edward Corbett II, Edward Harris 1V, Juanita Gragg, Bryanna Mitchell, Phillip Moore; Bottom row: Iyana Richardson, Jonique Hernanez, Tyree Hayes, Mistress of Ceremonies Teresa Williams, Marshawn Young Jr., Sister Jackson, Mariah, Bianca, Endiya, Jada-, Trey, Paul, Sister Torrie Sharpe, Associate Minister Mark Sharpe. Photos by Joe L. Fisher and collage by Adam L. Turner.

More than 150 people attended Southside Church of Christ’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration. This year’s theme was: “Because they loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee,” as taken from Psalm 63:3.
Sister Karlene Jones and Sister Teresa Williams shared mistress of ceremonies duties for the event. The program featured skits and selections performed by children, youth and young adults who took part in Bible classes offered during the year.  Four recent college graduates – Terron Williams,  Quincy Jones, David Sharpe and  Steven Sharpe – presented mini-sermonettes throughout the program.
Following the performances, attendees enjoyed appetizers and refreshments before the prayer service, which began promptly at 11 p.m. and ended after midnight on New Year’s Day.
 In keeping with the event’s theme, Southside Church of Christ congregants and ministerial staff prayed the Lord’s blessings for the New Year, as well as expressions of gratitude for blessings brought forth in the past year.   
Southside Church of Christ is located at 1501 Florida Ave. in Richmond.

Children Honor King with March for Peace

Mayor Gayle McLaughlin

In honor of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., students from four Richmond elementary schools, parents and community members will March for Peace Friday, Jan. 13, in the Nystrom/Iron Triangle neighborhoods.
This is the fifth community and schools March for Peace. More than 500 students are expected to participate.
After the march, students will have a rally on the new sports field at the recently renovated and reopened MLK, Jr., Park. The rally will include songs, essays, and speeches by youth. Mayor Gayle McLaughlin is also scheduled to speak.
The march is coordinated by Richmond College Prep Schools, Lincoln Elementary, Coronado Elementary, and Nystrom Elementary, in partnership with City of Richmond, Sims Metal Management, Urban Tilth, Richmond Community Foundation, West Contra Costa Unified School District, and Santa Fe, Coronado and Iron Triangle residents.
 For information, contact Tana Monteiro at (510) 235-2066.

Richmond Commemorates King’s Birthday, Marches to End Violence

By Kia
Croom

From left to right: Marena Brown, Otheree Christian, and Goretha Johnson. Photo by Joe L. Fisher

Residents from the Iron Triangle, Shields-Reid, Central and Parchester Village neighborhoods will be Marching for Change on Saturday, Jan. 14.
More than 200 community members are expected to participate in the march to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and make a bold statement against violent crime.
Event organizers Otheree Christian, Marena Brown and Goretha Johnson reside in Central Richmond, North Richmond and Parchester Village respectively, neighborhoods that have the highest crime rates in the city.   The organizers, who are presidents of their neighborhood councils and watch groups, view this march as a testament of solidarity and are committed to unifying these and other communities in Richmond.
“The African-American community has been plagued by violence for a long time,” said Christian. “We have to play a role in engaging our community to promote non-violence and change the negatives to positives.” … Continue Reading

California’s Pre-existing Health Condition Plan Gets New Funds

California will receive $118 million in federal funds to add to its 2012 coverage of adults with pre-existing medical conditions.
The state-run, federally funded Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan was created last year to insure the uninsurable – those who because of their medical conditions have been denied coverage by insurers or who have had to pay prohibitive insurance premiums to ensure they were covered.
The plan acts as a bridge to 2014, when the federal health care overhaul will begin barring carriers from declining or tacking higher rates onto coverage for pre-existing conditions. With the new funding, the federal contribution to the state program rose to $347 million. Officials at the state’s Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, which operates the program, said the cash was needed both to expand the program and to keep pace with the cost of subscriber claims. Enrollment in the California plan – among the nation’s largest – stood at 5,972 members as of the end of November. … Continue Reading

Bay Area Churches Support Zimbabwe Orphanage

By Jesse
Brooks

From left to right: Myrna Anderson, Miki Cooke E’leva Hughes-Gipson, Ashley Jennings, Mary Cooke, President, Mother Stella Cornneck, Co-founder of the Mother of Peace Community in Mutoko, Zimbabwe, Betty Kennedy-Tapscott, Walita Jennings, Dolores Ward, Vanessa Cormier, Norma Lampley, Michelle Banks, Mia Kelly,Wanda Smith; Not pictured Jennifer Rose-Pope and Hostess Wandra Boyd.

A number of Bay Area churches and community organizations have rolled out the red carpet in support of Mother of Peace (MOP) orphanage, located in Mutuka, Zimbabwe, a part of Africa that has been hit hard by HIV/AIDS deaths, leaving many children orphaned and often having to fend for themselves.
 In 1994, two South African sisters, Jean and Stella Cornneck – lovingly known as Mama Jean and Sister Stella, were inspired to establish the orphanage. Alternating visits each year, Sister Stella recently came to the Bay Area on an annual fundraising mission.
Trained as nurses in England, the Cornneck sisters established Mother of Peace as a safe refuge for the children of Zimbabwe. Lacking proper medical treatment and medication in its first years, Mother of Peace was utilized as a hospice where Jean and Stella cared for the children while they were dying. A cemetery sits next to the orphanage, full of the children who have died.
The fundraising relationship between Mother of Peace and Bay Area churches started when the orphanage was brought to the attention of the Allen Temple Ministries by the late Dr. Robert Scott. According to a UNICEF report in 1998, Zimbabwe had the world’s highest number of orphans, in proportion to its population, with 1 in 4 children orphaned as a result of AIDS.
In late 2000, Scott and other church leaders attended the International AIDS Conference in South Africa and travelled to Zimbabwe to meet Mama Jean and Sister Stella at the orphanage.
Dr. Scott and the other Ministry leaders were moved by the significant needs of the children and the overwhelming commitment of Jean and Stella. The delegation formally petitioned Allen Temple to adopt the orphanage.
With the support of Bay Area churches that has developed since that the forming of that international bond, the orphanage has been able to improve medical treatment, medications and living conditions. Sister Stella reports that the fatality rate has significantly reduced.
The sisters’ visits each year to the Bay Area are an extension of their mission. Cornneck arrived in mid November with a full itinerary, speaking at many fundraising appearances, ending in mid December. … Continue Reading

Sobrante Park Celebrates Kwanzaa Posada at James Madison Middle School

By Carla
Thomas

Nearly 200 residents of Oakland’s Sobrante Park joined in the holiday spirit with the help of the Oakland Police Department, African American Advisory Committee on Crime and the Sobrante Park Resident Council at Madison Middle School.  
The Kwanzaa Posada Cultural Celebration, held on Dec. 15 at Madison School, located at 400 Capistrano St. in Oakland, included multiethnic holiday traditions and a keynote address by Dr. Ken Hardy of the Public Health Department.   
“This is a really important and a way of promoting harmony in the community and offering greater promise for the next generation,” said Hardy.
Guests enjoyed a holiday meal and a giveaway that included turkeys, clothes from Ashley Stewart and shoes from LaDell’s of Vallejo.
Assisting with the clothing giveaway were the ladies of Zeta Phi Beta’s Epsilon Phi Zeta Oakland Berkeley Chapter, including Pam J. White, Sherry Carpenter, Linda Taylor, Zeola Slaughter and Sharon Kidd, along with volunteers Tamesha Cummings and LaDonna Brown.
“This is just one of the ways we are able to enhance the lives of people in the community and help others,” said Slaughter.
“This is important for the community and the children because everybody is in need now, whether they are admitting it or not, and it’s beautiful when people can come together,” said White, the chapter president.
“I am blessed to be a part of this event annually and to give to the people of Sobrante Park,” said Kidd, who serves as the Chairman of the BART Citizens Review Board.
Amber Blackwell and Tiffany Gibson of Higher Ground Neighborhood Development Organization coordinated the participation of some families in need.  “We use the school as our way to support the entire community by partnering with other organizations,” said Gibson.
“It’s important for the community to come together and share cultural traditions and build cultural bridges that will give us all freedom in Sobrante Park,” said Blackwell.
Sobrante Resident Connye Limbrick dressed in African garb with a touch of Christmas colors, said she enjoys the tradition of families and cultures coming together.  
“This is something I look forward to  every year,” she said.

NAACP Goes to UN to Defend Voting Rights

NAACP President Benjamin Jealous

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is petitioning the UN over what it sees as a concerted effort to disenfranchise Black and Latino voters ahead of next year’s presidential election.
T he NAACP recently presented  evidence to the UN high commissioner on human rights of what it contends is a conscious attempt to “block the vote” on the part of state legislatures across the US. The organization also held a march Dec. 10  through the streets of New York City to defend voting.
 “It’s been more than a century since we’ve seen such a tidal wave of assaults on the right to vote. Historically, when voting rights are attacked, it’s done to facilitate attacks on other rights,” said NAACP President Benjamin Jealous in a statement.
“It is no mistake that the groups who are behind this are simultaneously attacking very basic women’s rights, environmental protections, labor rights, and educational access for working people and minorities. Voting rights attacks are the flip side of buying a democracy. First you buy all the leaders you can, and then you suppress as many votes as possible of the people who might object.”
The NACCP has produced a report alleges that there is a systemic effort to restrict the number of minority voters this election cycle, through new state measures such as stricter voter identification laws, tougher residency requirements and provisions that put limits on voting periods and restrictions on voting registration drives.
 “You can’t accomplish anything if you’re not prepared to fight,” said U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel speaking at the march. Rangel and other labor leaders and politicians said they wanted to roll back new voting rules passed in several states.
“Voting rights are being challenged all across the United States,” said Diane Sanders, 50, an organizer with 1199SEIU, the service employee’s international union and one of the nation’s largest unions. “People have died for the right to vote. We can’t just sit by and let our rights be taken from us.”