Buddy Bolden: The Forgotten Father of Jazz...Page 2
California Unemployment System Backlogged With Over 200,000 Claims...P3
Juneteenth: Our Independence Day P5
As Calif. Opens Up, Black Pastors, Community Organizations Urge More Testing....P6
Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
postnewsgroup.com
57th Year, No. 52
Weekly Edition. Edition. June 16-22, 2021
Newsom’s Money Support for Minority Businesses
Douglas “Buster” Turner looks out over Oakland and the San Francisco Bay from his back porch on May 28, 2021, just six days after his 100th birthday. Photo by Christy Price.
back Plan.” It will provide an additional $1.5 billion in COGov. Gavin Newsom stopped VID-19 relief grants, becoming through Oakland on Thursday to the largest relief program in the promote the “California Come- United States for small businesses. Besides a $6.2 billion tax cut to help small businesses, there will be a $250 million Cal Competes grant program which will By Kiki
Oakland A’s Howard Terminal Ballpark rendering.
Board of Supervisors Balks at Demands to Help Fund A’s Waterfront Project By Post Staff
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors are balking as they face pressure to adopt the Oakland A’s plan to build a ballpark on the Oakland waterfront, saying they are not yet willing to contribute the funds the team says are needed to make the massive real estate development a reality. With almost no notice and little information, the supervisors at their meeting on Tuesday were asked to help pay for the plan under pressure from John Fisher’s A’s team and the team’s supporters, including Mayor Libby Schaaf and city staff. Supervisors said they were not willing to schedule a vote until September on the “request that the county support the idea of forming a tax district to finance the infrastructure needed” for the project, according to the East Bay Times article on the meeting. The A’s and the city want the Board of Supervisors to approve the plan before the end of July. “The county really shouldn’t be held over the barrel,” said Board President Keith Carson, quoted in the SF. Chronicle. The A’s say the tax district that would cover infrastructure costs such as sidewalks, utilities and soil cleanup at the city-within-a-city that they want to build.
draw businesses to relocate to California. Newsom was joined by State Senator Nancy Skinner, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan, Terilyn Gray, Small Business Advocate for the State of California, Cathy Adams from OAACC and Black busi-
ness owners from Beastmode Barber Shop and Graffiti Pizza. The Post was granted an exclusive one-on-one interview with Newsom and that interview will appear on postnews. com Photo by Auintard Henderson
Pastors of Oakland, Oakland Police Expanding Community Chaplaincy Program By Post Staff
In preparation for building up the Community Chaplaincy Program with the Oakland Police Department (OPD), the Pastors of Oakland (POC) is looking for potential chaplains to serve citizens in the worst of times. According to Phyllis Scott, pastor of Tree of Life Empowerment Ministries and current president of Pastors of Oakland, OPD Chief LeRonne Armstrong is looking for at least 30 men and women to accompany officers to help victims of crime and their families who are in crisis. The crises can range from homicide to sexual assault, to domestic violence, to car accidents and more. Community Chaplains must have the ability to serve believers and non-believers alike and “must advocate for healing regardless of faith,” Scott said. The program is seeking clergy with cultural competency to meet the needs of Oakland citizens who are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Taoist – especially in Asian, Latino and
Pastor Phyllis Scott is president of Pastors of Oakland. Photo courtesy of Phyllis Scott.
African American communities. Not all Community Chaplains must have a religious affiliation. Professionals like teachers, caregivers and healers who have several years working in community may also serve. Though Scott feels that some cultural values can be taught in the training, it’s not so easy to teach a language, and so bilingual chaplains will also be in
demand. “We are looking for people who have heart for Oakland,” she said. Lt. Aaron Smith, who is assisting Chief Armstrong in expanding the program, agrees. Currently, there are 15-25 chaplains on call but “not all are willing to go where emotions are running high,” he said. Continued on Page 8
Vice Mayor: Business Group Wants to Buy Coliseum, Attract WNBA Team By Bay City News
Oakland Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan said a local business group has made serious inroads to buy the city’s 50% stake in the Oakland Coliseum complex and to bring a WNBA team to the city. Kaplan’s office shared a news release Monday about the effort by the African American Sports and Entertainment Group. Kaplan said the group is in negotiations with the OaklandAlameda Joint Powers Authority, has submitted a formal proposal to WNBA officials, and has submitted a term sheet to
Vice mayor Rebecca Kaplan
the city, which the City Council’s rules committee recently voted to advance to the full council for a vote. The group will provide ad-
ditional details of its effort at a news conference at 11:00 a.m. Friday at a site to be determined. “I am pleased that there is such great interest in doing an important development at the Oakland Coliseum that will provide jobs, revenue and community positivity,” Kaplan said. “My goal is to help this process move forward before the summer recess.” Kaplan said the group has the backing of more than 30 community groups of faithbased institutions, labor organizations, civic leaders, and job development organizations. She did not name the groups.
Turner Family Patriarch Turns 100, Passes the Torch By Christy Price
A poem written for Douglas “Buster” Turner’s 100th birthday is entitled “My Eyes Have Seen a Lot of Things.” After 100 years on Earth, that is an understatement. Turner’s life began on May 22, 1921, in Ansley, La., as the son of Neda and John Turner.
Turner had a full childhood surrounded by his 13 siblings in Morton, Miss., where they were raised. Turner’s parents instilled in their children a sense of honor and pride by teaching them to be accountable and take responsibility for their actions while still giving them the autonomy Continued on Page 8
Marcus Books at 60, the Oldest Black Bookstore in the U.S.
Marcus Books is a Blackowned bookstore located at 3900 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Oakland, CA 94609. Named for United Negro Improvement leader and author Marcus Garvey, the store was founded by Tuskegee College graduates Julian and Rae Richardson in 1960. In the ensuing decades they have sold books produced by Black, independent publishers, authors, poets, and artists and hosted talks by a who’s who of Black writers ranging from the late Toni Morrison, to Michael Eric Dyson and Sistah Soldier.
There is a substantial collection of books for children as well. Online shopping is also available. You can check out the titles they have in stock by visiting https://www.marcusbooks.com/ The store is open Monday-Saturday from 10:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. and Sundays from 12:00-4:00 p.m.
Naismith Hall of Fame Basketball Legend Nancy Lieberman Supports WNBA Team for Oakland By Post Staff
Nancy Lieberman, one of the most celebrated female basketball players over the last decades, is supporting the push to bring a WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) franchise to Oakland. The former player-coach and Gary Reeves, her business advocate, have talked with Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan and members of the African American Sports Entertainment Group since March. Reeves said, “In the early stages of the league’s development she was one of the most successful WNBA executives with the Detroit Shock. She impressively operated the business side of the team into the ‘black’ and drove a fearless community outreach program. This resulted in the team having one of the largest fan bases in a large, urban-based WNBA city.” Lieberman has spoken at length to Kaplan about possibly joining a female-led and Black-equity ownership group
Nancy Lieberman
to bring a team to Oakland. Nancy Lieberman Charities is active today, supporting underresourced communities across the country with PPE, food distribution, academic scholarships, job readiness programs and providing clothes to 100 new Nancy Lieberman Sport Courts for neighborhoods that don’t have up-to-date, safe playing surfaces. Lieberman told Post Publisher Paul Cobb that she often Continued on Page 8