State

Opens $50 Million in Grant Funding for Nature-Based Outdoor Program

By Kathy Chouteau

California State Parks is rolling out the Outdoor Equity Grants Program’s (OEP) second application period, making available $50 million in grant funding for nature-based outdoor programs. The deadline to apply for the statewide OEP program is Thurs., Dec. 14.

Gov. Gavin Newsom enacted the OEP in 2019 when he signed Assembly Bill 209—now a facet of his Outdoors for All Initiative.

California State Parks said the grant funding not only helps create hubs for underserved communi- ties to experience activities/trips to natural areas, but also empowers youth/families with outdoor leadership education, career pathways, environmental justice engagement and access to nature.

Potential applicants have access to eight in-person workshops hosted by California State Parks between Labor Day and the end of September, as well as three virtual application workshops in October—all scheduled from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. RSVP links to the workshops can be found at http://www. parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30443

California State Parks noted that for the program’s first grant cycle, it assessed 384 grant applications totaling $167.78 million in requests, with $57 million in grant funding being awarded.

One example of a local funding awardee was the City of Richmond, which received $700,000 during the first grant cycle for its Youth Outdoors Richmond Program nearby Nevin Community Center.

California State Parks said the program will encompass 99 community activity days for 12,000 participants and 36 trips to natural areas—including a Calaveras Big Trees State Park Camping Trip— for 1,200 people during three years of programming.

To find out more about the grant program/application guide, sign up for emails re: application workshop schedules and for other assistance, visit: http://www. parks.ca.gov/oep

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. and Edward Henderson California Black Media

Charles J. Ogletree Jr., a renowned Harvard Law professor who was born in California’s Central Valley, passed away at his home in Odenton, Maryland, Aug. 4, after battling Alzheimer’s disease.

Ogletree, who was 70, rose from a humble and impoverished childhood in Merced where his parents worked as seasonal farm laborers. Affectionately known as “Tree,” he picked cotton, almonds and peaches as a kid.

The Merced County courthouse was renamed after him in February in recognition of his contributions to law, education and civil rights.

A member of the A.M.E. Church, Ogletree attended Stanford University, where he immersed himself in political activism, lead- ing the Black Student Union and editing a Black student newspaper.

Graduating from Stanford with an M.A. and B.A. (with distinction) in Political Science, he later earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

After finishing law school, Ogletree became a celebrated public defender in Wash., D.C., and an attorney representing high-profile clients such as John A. Gotti, Tupac Shakur, and Anita Hill during her sexual harassment accusation against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas.

As a Harvard Law School professor, Ogletree brought a clinical focus to the institution, emphasizing legal theory while also increasing the faculty’s diversity. He mentored numerous students, including Barack and Michelle Obama.

Obama posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Michelle and I

He founded Harvard’s Criminal Justice Institute, which provides legal representation for underprivileged clients in the Boston area. Additionally, he established the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice, named after the civil rights lawyer who taught Thurgood Marshall.

Ogletree’s commitment to racial equality and addressing historical injustices was evident in his tireless quest for justice and financial redress for the survivors of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre and the descendants of enslaved people.

Beyond his legal work, Ogletree was an accomplished author and legal commentator writing extensively on capital punishment, life without parole, and police conduct in minority communities.

Charles J. Ogletree Jr. is survived by his wife, Pamela Barnes, two children, Charles J. Ogletree III and Rashida Ogletree-George, as well as siblings, grandchildren, and countless grateful students and admirers.