Black History Month: Let’s Self-Reflect, Self-Educate Page 2
BOE Member Melia Cohen Raises Red Flag on Bank-Breaking Prop 19 Tax Credit Page 3
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Calls on Congress to Address Poverty Page 5
What’s Happening in France and Why Should We Care Page 7
Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
57th Year, No. 33
Weekly Edition. Edition. Feb. 3-9, 2021
postnewsgroup.com
Gameheads Equips Youth to Get Ahead of the Games of Life By Paul Cobb
Damon Packwood wants Black youth to get ahead and achieve by teaching them to pursue computer-based technology. In Oakland, he created a video game training program called Gameheads. The Black Video Game how to understand the video game industry so they can navigate the interactive entertainment and mixed media industries. Gameheads executive direcFrom left to right: Treva Reid, Rebecca Kaplan, Nate Miley, Rob Bonta, Keith Carson , 2016 when he and other tech Gov. Gavin Newsom and Nancy Skinner.
Kaplan and Reid Win Mass Vaccinations for Local Residents Oakland Coliseum Site Will Vaccinate at Least 6,000 a Day By Post Staff
plan, Councilmember Treva and Alameda County leadership, as he announced support from the federal government, State of California and President Biden, for the Oakland Coliseum to open as a mass vaccination site. Kaplan said she was excited site is to distribute the COVID vaccine equitably. “I am excited for the Oakland community, which is deeply impacted with high rates of CO-
ernor Newsom and President Biden for supporting our efforts to aid our community.” The Oakland Council unanimously voted this week to aption calling on State and Federal support for mass vaccination at the Oakland Coliseum. “The cause that unites us here new president, President Biden, we are pleased and privileged as they announced earlier, nationally to identify here in California their new pilot site,” said
Taking COVID-19 Vaccine Will Go Far in Eliminating Spread of Virus
geniuses were invited to thenPres. Brack Obama’s White House. He says the responses to the video game scholars’ program has been greater than he expected.
more importantly, we show Newsom. This site was chosen to make them how to understand the sure that communities that are often left behind, are not left bethe administration of these vaccines, according to a media announcement. The announcement said the
individuals from the community, creating opportunities, creating jobs to distribute what is doses a day.
as creators,” Packwood. the screens, the Gameheads students are incrementally programs like Unity, Unreal Engine, Miro, Adobe, Microcesses they are able to migrate
The Sports
African American and Entertainment
Wednesday evening to discuss the development of the Oakland Coliseum site.
Vice-President Harris’ Best Friend Forever, Derreck Johnson Shares Inaugural Experience
people have asked what is the purpose of taking the vaccine, how safe is it and what can one expect after inoculation. lergist and immunologist, Dr. medical advice on why taking the vaccine is so important, who needs it the most, and how participating in the vaccination process will help eliminate the spread of the virus, particularly among Black and “The vaccine is a pattern that competes inside the cells not a live part of the virus but is designed to attack the virus and prevent it from making copies
By Tanya Dennis
In 1981, Derreck Johnson, a senior at Bishop Dr. Michael Lenoir
are making a mistake thinking the vaccine is not good for them,” he said. “The vaccines of the past worked because so many people were vaccinated to eliminate diseases like measles and chicken-pox. However, the COVID virus is much different and more lethal. Everyone who gets the to the hospital and die. But the mortality rates among African Americans are three times higher than Caucasians.” Continued on Page 8
City, Sledgehammer Games/ Continued on Page 8
Ray Bobbitt, founder of AASEG.
into a pre-made plan that was designed in a backroom by developers.
Derreck and Vice-President Harris at Derreck’s business “Home Derreck Johnson and Kamala Harris, age 25. of Chicken and Waffles” located in Jack London Square.
of itself. The ingredients of the vaccines are not widely-known but they work like proteins, which are designed to repair
Gameheads, such as Doran Williams. A college senior, Doran is working on his own video game and is entertaining
posite of what developers in the past have generally done, directly involving the community members and local community groups in the vision, design, direction of a development plan, rather than asking the community to buy
By Clifford L. Williams
February 1 marked the oneyear anniversary since the COered in the Bay Area. Since then, hundreds of thousands of residents in the region have become infected and thousands have died as a result of the pandemic. But there is some light at the end of the tunnel with the introduction of vaccines beerna, Johnson and Johnson,
and entrepreneurial opportunities,” says Packwood. Packwood points to the suc-
African American Sports and Entertainment Group Hosts Town Hall on Future of Coliseum By Post Staff
will be working with the county
Damon Packwood, Gameheads executive director and founder.
to hang out with her and her reck picked them up in his yelthree of them tooled around San Francisco for the day. That day was the beginning of Johnship. “We always had a strong inwe were both driven to succeed in goals, we set for ourselves. Her, for the District Attorney position in San Francisco. I re-
is what we always had in common, yet when she walked out on that stage in her white suit and pearls it was a surreal, unbelievable moment in time for me after seeing her years of struggle and achievement.” and Harris were both waiting for election results. Harris for the outcome of the presidential election, and Johnson, running Council seat. “To show you the kind of heart Kamala has, she called me on November 3 and said she was really proud of me as
to be vice president of the
to make a difference with these
her, “Hold on, you care about my little race?” and Kamala
in business and employ those
where it starts, local politics in our community are just as im-
“We both accomplished what we set out to do, and that
ally proud of you.”
-
Johnson shared that if he he would have been in Delaware with Harris as she waited for election results. “It was weird that she was running for died down and her win was this inauguration is going to look like, but I want you to be Johnson immediately booked his ticket for Wash., stay. Those plans abruptly ended when Johnson received a call from the vice president team stating he would be leaving on Saturday, January 16 on a chartered plane and that Johnson needed to get two COVID-19 tests 72 hours apart. Vice President Harris was allowed to have 35 guests, the same amount as Biden had for Continued on Page 8
a strong sense at the meeting of “”passionate interest and support for an African-American development group to have an opportunity to create a project city and people of Oakland. ing included participation of hundreds of Oakland residents, including 97 year-year-old East Oakland community maFame inductee who has lived in and served District 7 since Attendees included the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce, the Oakland East Bay Democratic Club, Black Women for Political Action, Allen Temple Baptist can Father Figure Project, the Arroyo Park Area Community Committee, who have all formally endorsed the African American Sports and Enteropers of the Coliseum site. Also in attendance were the Oakland NAACP, The Black Continued on Page 8