Oakland Post, week of December 15 - 21, 2021

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Ring in the New Year With Health Care Savings...Page 2

CA Reparations Task Force Votes to Replace Economic Advisor

Kwanzaa: More Than 7 Principles...P2

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Holiday Travel Season: California Black Churches Offer COVID Testing, Vaccination Page 6

Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18

postnewsgroup.com

Weekly Edition: Dec. 15-21, 2021

58th Year, No. 26

Chase Community Branch to Empower Black and Brown Start-Ups

Speakers at a press conferenceThursday, Dec. 16, at the school district headquarters in Oakland opposed the hostile takeover of Oakland public schools by L. Karen Monroe of Alameda County and the Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistane Team (FCMAT). Shown (front row, L to R) are Post publisher Paul Cobb, former school board member and civil rights attorney Dan Siegel, civil rights attorney Walter Riley, candidate for Alameda County Supt. of Schools Alysse Castro, Assemblymember Mia Bonta, Holy Names University Vice President Kimberly Mayfield, Oakland Education Association (OEA) President Keith Brown. (Back row, L to R) are the repesentative of Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, School Boardmember Mike Hutchinson, former school board member and mayoral candidate Greg Hodge, parent and community activist John Jones III, SEIU VP for classifed workers Donneva Reid.

Community Unites to Oppose Hostile Takeover of Oakland Schools

By Post Staff

Speakers at a press conference Thursday in front of the OUSD school district headquarters in downtown Oakland demonstrated the determination of a broad coalition of community leaders to oppose the hostile takeover of the school district by L. Karen Monroe of the Alameda County Office

COVID Clinic Re-Opens Site in Downtown Oakland Free Walk-Up Clinics Offer Vaccinations, Boosters, and Rapid COVID testing

Starting Thursday, the Covid Clinic in downtown Oakland at Frank Ogawa Plaza will re-open to the public. Covid Clinic also operates a second site in Fruitvale; hours of operation at the Fruitvale clinic changed effective Thursday, as detailed below. No appointment is necessary at either clinic. Both free, walk-up clinics offer all three vaccinations: Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer (for adults; the pediatric vaccination is not yet available). Continued on Page 10

of Education (ACOE) and the state-financed nonprofit, the Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistance Team (FCMAT). The press conference was organized on short notice by the teachers’ union, the Oakland Education Association and the Oakland Post Salon in response to a recent letter to the district from ACOE Supt. Monroe saying the school dis-

trict must cut $90 million from its budget. Monroe’s letter also threatened that the salaries of Oakland Supt. Kyla Johnson-Trammell and the school board might be withheld, and the elected school board would be ordered to follow the decisions of the unelected staff of FCMAT, which has long pushed for closing neighborhood schools.

OEA President Keith Brown called for solidarity in the face of the current threat. “We stand together today to say we will not let the schools be taken over by FCMAT and the county. We will not go backward to 2003, when we were forced into a $100 million loan and school closures.” Continued on Page 10

OAACC and Salesforce Kicks Off ‘Oakland for Business’

The Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce (OAACC) announced on Dec. 10 the launch of a new multimedia marketing campaign aimed at promoting the resilience of small, Black-owned businesses that make up such a vital part of the Oakland community. Created by the OAACC with support from KRON4 television and made possible by Salesforce, the new campaign, entitled “Oakland for Business,” is an extension of a pilot initiative which the OAACC launched earlier this year. The latest campaign produced by KRON4 features 24 local entrepreneurs, their businesses, and their visions for success and future growth in Oakland. Videos and business profiles will be shared on KRON4 streaming platforms and on www.oaklandforbusiness.com. Compared to cities of similar size and population, Oakland is home to very few national retail

Shalaya Shipman, left, Senior Director of Strategic Business Development at Salesforce; and Cathy Adams,president/CEO, of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce. Photo courtesy of OAACC.

stores, making a large percentage of Oakland’s population dependent on small, locally owned business for groceries, clothing, sundries, etc. This is especially true in traditionally Black neighborhoods.

Among the two dozen OAACC businesses featured in this digital campaign are a baker, jewelry designer, nightclub owner, real estate agent, Continued on Page 10

Loren Taylor Wants the Community to Stand T.A.L.L for Public Safety

Councilmember Loren Taylor leads a Cease Fire and gun violence prevention walk through the neighborhood with many residents and community leaders that included Bishop Bob Jackson of Acts Full Gospel Church, Cynthia Adams of Oakland NAACP, John Jones III of Building Opportunity for Self Sufficiency, Tucky Blunt of Blunts and Moore, Daryle Allums of Adamika Village, and Ms. Dinyal Lew, a mother of two sons killed 19-days apart in 2014.

Councilmember Loren Taylor, who is a candidate for Mayor, announced his Stand T.A.L.L. (Together Against Losing Lives) Public Safety Call To Action on November 18th and has followed up with two City Council Resolutions that will be introduced during the December 21, 2021 Tuesday City Council meeting which is accessible by Zoom (https://us02web.zoom. us/j/81864208364). Taylor said the Stand T.A.L.L. program calls for specific actions that will bring a “comprehensive set of solutions to enhance efforts in violence prevention, crime deterrence, fast and effective 911 response, and thorough and

effective criminal investigations.” While standing and marching with several community and faith leaders, who joined him to express support to the families who lost their loved ones to violence, Taylor declared, “It is my hope and desire that this call to action can be used to align our activities across the various government agencies and community stakeholder groups in a comprehensive way that has not been done before. Our neighbors don’t care about district or city boundaries, nor do they care about which agency has jurisdiction over another, they simContinued on Page 10

JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon with branch manager Latanya Millican of Chase’s Community Bank in Oakland at 3005 Broadway at the bank’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas On Dec. 8, JPMorgan Chase & Co. celebrated the grand opening of an innovative bank branch experience in downtown Oakland. With a mission to help more Black and Latino start-ups and small businesses, the new Community Center branch will provide Oakland residents with financial tools and resources, including access to funding, mentoring and pop-up space for entrepreneurs. Located at 3005 Broadway, the site is the first of its kind in Northern California, and only one of 12 among Chase’s nearly 5,000 branches nationwide. “This is all about Oakland,” said branch manager Latanya Millican, who has served Chase for nearly 30 years. “This is a celebration of reaching our community with resources beyond traditional banking. At our branch, clients will be welcomed with opportunities to launch their business, expand their business, and secure closing costs on homes in addition to our traditional banking services.”

During the ribbon cutting ceremony before an audience of about 40 people, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon addressed executive staff members of Chase from various regions in California along with local staff and community members. For Dimon, community banks represent the changes he hopes to see in the world for future generations. Dimon also said the George Floyd murder and the pandemic shed light on the racial disparities in communities of color. “Disparities are not something we were unaware of, but it did spotlight the need to do more.” For Dimon, ‘more’ includes offering $5,000 homebuyer grants to help cover closing costs and down payments and increasing affordable housing and home ownership by providing $300 million in construction, permanent loans, and low-income housing tax credits over the past five years. In 2020, the company committed to a $75 million, fiveyear investment in Oakland Continued on Page 10

University of Oakland to Sponsor Toy Drive on Dec. 19 As the holiday season approaches, the University of Oakland is collaborating with local non-profits to host its annual Toy Drive/Giveaway. The goal is to serve 200 children ages 6 months to 16 years old. With the support of seasoned nonprofits serving youth in the community such as: Oakland Bulldogs Inc., Berkeley Youth Alternatives, Oakland’s House of Restoration Church and the Pinnacle Project, organizers will be able to impact many households this holiday season. The event will take place Dec. 19, 2021, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The public’s support is needed to provide toys, gift cards, school supplies, books, educational or enrichment products to support children in the community. Other forms of donation will gladly be accepted to support this event and make sure no child or family is left behind this holiday. “This event will lead, support and direct youth and families to various avenues of resources available,” said University of Oakland CEO Demitri Taylor in a letter soliciting public support. “It is part of our effort to support kids (and help them) reach their full potential by providing exposure to various aspects of the world.” “We sincerely appreciate a donation of any kind in support of our events goal,” Taylor wrote.


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Oakland Post, week of December 15 - 21, 2021 by postnewsgroup - Issuu