Bettye Washington Greene: A Pioneering Chemist
Sen. Sydney Kamlager-Dove Pushing Law to End “Slavery” in California Prisons
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Ladies in Red: 25 Years of Living and Loving ...Page 6
Barbershop 2.0: The App That’s Putting Black Health in the Palm of Our Hands...P9
Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
postnewsgroup.com
57th Year, No. 37
Weekly Edition. Edition. Mar. 3-9, 2021
Pastor Phyllis Scott is First Woman Elected President of Pastors of Oakland By Post Staff
Pastor Phyllis Scott, founder and senior pastor of Tree of Life Empowerment Ministries church, has been elected to be-
Angela Watson - 2019 Bolshoi Ballet NYC in Don Angela Watson - 2018 Student of SF Ballet School. Quixote Act III Pas de deux.
Women Making History
Black Dancer at S.F. Ballet, Angela Watson, Receives National YoungArts Foundation Award By Heike Dempster
Angela V.Watson of Oakland, has received a 2021 National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) award in Ballet. Watson has been recognized at the Merit level, the organiza-
her caliber of artistic achievement and joins 659 of more than 7,000 applicants of the artists in the visual, literary, and performing arts. With this award she will cial, creative and professional
development support throughout her career. A complete list of the 2021 winners, all 15–18 years old or in grades 10–12, is available online at youngarts. org/winners. Watson will receive a cash
hold the position of president of the Pastors of Oakland Association. Pastor Scott brings 17 years of pastoral leadership experience in the city of Oakland. She formerly held the position of treasurer with Pastors of Oakland. She said, “given the times that we live in now where we are being challenged daily by the COVID-19 pandemic, racism, poverty, homelessness, closed schools, closed houses of worship and racially motivated violence, we need a vision for the Pastors of Oakland that unites us in bringing about the Shalom of the city through our interfaith solidarity and community awareness.” Scott told the Post that the association is a body of Pastors
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Pastor Phyllis Scott leads Tree of Life Ministries in Oakland.
cultures. “We are an associa- that Jesus Christ is LORD.” For more information on the tion made up of men, women, Black, Brown and Asian broth- Pastors of Oakland, please call ers and sisters, all with one 510-688-7437 thing in common. We know
Alliance in Condemning Violence Against Asians
Civil Rights Leader Vernon Jordan, 85
Derreck Johnson
Derreck Johnson Expands BlackOwned Project to Year-Round Campaign By Tanya Dennis
Derreck Johnson, founder of the Home of Chicken and seat last year, kicked off the the outset of Black History Month. Now he is heading up #BlackOwnedProject365, partnering with the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce, in the belief that Black excellence deserves attention year-round. In a Facebook post, Johnson said that when OAACC “President and CEO Cathy Black Owned Project, we hoped to create a platform to amplify the visibility of Black-led enterprises while honoring our rich history and contributions. “But we also recognize that addressing the racial wealth gap in Oakland and across the country will take more than a social media campaign. It will require all of us to work together to enContinued on Page 10
Brotherhood of Elders Network and the African American Latino Action Alliance. By Spencer Whitney
The Brotherhood of Elders Network and the African American Latino Action Alliance are joining forces to demand action against violence. Our organizations denounce violence against members of Asian American communities in San Francisco, Oakland and the greater Bay Area. We stand in solidarity with victims, sur-
vivors and families who have suffered loss and pain. These violent assaults have circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic even more painful. The African American, as well as Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese, elders and youth, are traumatized, afraid and outraged during a time when we are also experiencing disproportionate impacts of the
pandemic. These include mass unemployment, safety risks to frontline works, insecure housing, the shuttering of our local small businesses. We understand there is also a surge in anti-Asian racism. There has been an escalation of violence and other incidents against Asian American communities. The Stop AAPI Hate reporting center documented
Sydney Kamlager Succeeds Holly Mitchell as Calif. Senate’s Only Black Woman By Tanu Henry California Black Media
With that win, Kamlager, 48, becomes one of two African Americans in the State Senate -the other is Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Los Angeles) -- and the only Black woman in that legislative body, replacing former Sen. Holly Mitchell. Mitchell resigned from the Senate last November after she won a seat on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. Winning two-thirds of the vote, Kamlager bested seven other hopefuls, including her closest contender Culver City Councilman Daniel Lee, who is also Af-
Sydney Kamlager
rican American and a Democrat. Lee won 13.46% of the vote, acsults provided by the Los Angeles
About 10.35% of all eligible voters in the district participated in the special election. “I woke up this morning to the next chapter -- and I am ready,” said Kamlager, who currently serves in the state Assembly. In her current role, Kamlager represents the 54th District, which includes Baldwin Hills and Ladera Heights. “Last night was our win,” she continued. “If you are Black, Brown, Asian, Native American, a woman, LGBT, a worker, a small business owner, a proud Continued on Page 10
2,808 hate incidents in 2020, with over 700 occurring in the Bay Area. Violence affects all of us in all of our communities. We must invest in long-term, community-centered solutions that create opportunities for crossracial healing that address underlying causes and create ways for all to thrive. Our strength is in unity, not division, and our histories and our futures are intertwined. This is why we are committed Islander, Indigenous, Latinx and African American communities for a long-term, shared vision and solutions to stop the violence in all of our communities. It is up to us to keep our communities accountable and to holistically respond to generational trauma and violence. It is up to us to imagine what real safety could look like for our people and to build the future we want to see – one that is grounded in accountability, justice and care for each other. We ask the leadership of the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and the others in the greater Bay Area, to immediately increase culturally Continued on Page 10
Vernon Jordan. Photo courtesy of en.wikipedia. org By The Grio
Civil rights leader, Democratic strategist and presidential insider Vernon Jordan died at his home in Wash., D.C., Monday evening at age 85. His cause of death was not disclosed. Jordan was the former president of the National Urban League and became a close adviser to Pres. Bill Clinton during his administration. A civil rights activist, Jordan also consulted former Pres. Barack Obama. A native of Atlanta, Ga., Jordan graduated from DePauw University in Indiana in 1957, where he was the only Black student in a class of 400. He detailed his experience as an undergrad in Robert Penn Warren‘s 1965 book, “Who Speaks for the Negro?” Jordan went on to graduate from Howard University School of Law in 1960 and was a prominent member of Omega Psi Phi and Sigma Pi Phi fraternities. passing was noted by Derrick Johnson, the current president Continued on Page 10