Dis Pastor and L.A. Civil Rights Icon Cecil ‘Chip’ A.M.E. Murray Passes ... see page 2
Sister Juanita Matthews, 55 Years with Oakland Public School District ... see page 2
Sacramento Lawmakers Step Up Push for ‘Smart Solutions’ on Crime, Public Safety ... see page 4
Surviving the Earthquake, an Eclipse and ‘Emil Amok’... see page 8
Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
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61st Year, No. 15
Weekly Edition. Edition. April 10 - 16, 2024
O.J. Simpson, 76, Dies of Prostate Cancer
Financial Assistance Bill for Descendants of Enslaved Persons to Help Them Purchase, Own, or Maintain a Home
Former actor and football star born and raised in S.F.’s Potrero Hill
Orenthal James (O.J.) Simpson, who rose to fame as a college football player who went on to the NFL and parlayed his talents into acting and sportscasting, succumbed to prostate cancer on April 10, his family announced. Born and raised in San Francisco, the Galileo High School graduate was recruited by the University of Southern California after he was on a winning Junior College AllAmerican team. At USC, he gained wide acclaim as a running back leading to him becoming the No. 1 pick in the AFL-NFL draft in 1969 and joining the Buffalo Bills, where he had
demanded – and received — the largest contract in professional sports history: $650,000 over five years. In 1978, the Bills traded Simpson to his hometown team, the San Francisco 49ers, retiring from the game in 1979. Simpson’s acting career had begun his pro football career with small parts in 1960s TV (“Dragnet”) before “Roots” and film (“The Klansman,” “The Towering Inferno,” Capricorn One”). He was also a commentator for “Monday Night Football,” and “The NFL on NBC,” and in the mid-1970s Simpson’s good looks and amiability made him, according to People magazine, “the first Black athlete to become a bona fide lovable media superstar.” The Hertz rent-a-car commercials raised his recognition factor while raising Hertz’s profits by than 50%, making him critical to the company’s bottom line. It could be said that even more than his success as a football star, the commercials of his running through airports endeared him to the Black community at a time when it was still unusual for a Black person to represent a national, mainstream company. He remained on the Hertz team into the 1990s while also getting Continued on page 10
Kedrick Armstrong is the new music director for the Oakland Symphony. Photo credit Scott Chernis.
on October 18. Armstrong, who is 29 and hails from Georgetown, South Carolina, is currently the creative partner and principal conductor of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony. The Chicago Tribune has praised Armstrong for his ability to “simply let the score speak for itself.” He enjoys a wide range of repertoire, spanning early music to premiering new works, using his joy and curiosity for all music to cultivate understanding and collaboration within diverse communities. “I am deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the new music director of the Continued on page 10
Port of Oakland commissioners voted unanimously to change the name of the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland Airport at the Commission meeting on April 11. Courtesy image Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood). Photo Courtesy of L.A. Sentinel. By California Black Media
California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) vice chair Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood) introduced new legislation related to reparations to the Senate Committee on Housing on April 2 in Sacramento. Senate Bill (SB) 1007, “establishes the Homeowner’s Assistance for Descendants of Enslaved Persons Program to make financial aid or assistance available to descendants for the purposes of purchasing, owning, or maintaining a home,” the legislation states. The Senate Housing Committee advanced the bill with an 8-1 vote. It will be re-referred to the Appropriations Committee for consideration. Sen. Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta) was the only member who voted against the bill. “SB 1007 is about starting a long process of paying back a debt that
is not only owed, but that was also promised, and is 160 years overdue, to African Americans,” Bradford told the committee chaired by Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley). “It is the first step in closing the wealth and equity gap created by centuries of slavery and racial discrimination policies.” The bill aligns with one of the 115 recommendations listed in a two-year study conducted by the California reparations task force, of which Bradford was one of nine members. Bradford said the report reveals that, in the state of California, a typical Black-owned home is 22% less valuable than a White-owned home. Various advocacy groups from around the state attended the hearing held at the State Capitol Annex Swing Space. The California Housing Partnership, Bay Area Regional Continued on page 10
Port of Oakland Commission Votes to Change Oakland Airport to ‘San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport’
By Magaly Muñoz
The Port of Oakland Commission voted unanimously to change the name of Metropolitan Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport at a commission meeting Thursday afternoon. The Port initially announced the name change on March 29, claiming that the change will attract more passengers and enhance the airport’s visibility. They contend that the airport often gets neglected by the public’s lack of knowledge of Oakland’s proximity to San Francisco. “We want people to know where Oakland is and how beautiful our city is. We want them to
Oakland Finishes Final Draft of Downtown Specific Plan for Potential City Improvements
By Magaly Muñoz
In late March, Oakland’s city administration announced the final draft of their Downtown Specific Plan, a blueprint for city improvements and developments over the next 20 years. The comprehensive 474-page plan lays out policies for downtown developments that will increase economic, social and cultural, and communal opportunities for residents and workers who frequent this essential hub in Oakland. Several departments over the course of eight years developed the plan, with two phases that emphasized a need for community input from local stakeholders, such as leaders and residents, and a focus on the role of social and racial equity in
Skyline aerial view of the urban core of downtown Oakland, California. Credit to MattGush, iStock. past and future developments.
Throughout the extensive plan,
the concept of equity for marginalized communities is embedded
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mother Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland in 2018
with each goal and priority for the improvements to downtown. It acknowledges that social and racial Continued on page 10
visit, we want them to spend their money, and we want to keep our money in our local economy,” Port Commission President Barbara Leslie said at the meeting. The commissioners shared anecdotal experiences and research to explain how this new name change will elevate and add to the growth of Oakland, not take away from their Bay Area neighbors. The Port claimed that local residents had been asking for more options in domestic and international flights, but in order to do that, outside travelers need to be aware of Oakland’s presence first. Since the announcement of the new name, San Francisco leaders Continued on page 10
Orenthal James (O.J.) Simpson. Wikipedia photo. By Post Staff
The Oakland Symphony Announced Kedrick Armstrong as its Next Music Director
By Post Staff
The Oakland Symphony announced Kedrick Armstrong as its next music director. In addition to conducting the orchestra’s public concerts, Armstrong will also actively participate in the Oakland Symphony’s many education and community engagement programs, designed to inspire a love of music in people of all ages. Armstrong is the successor to previous music director and Conductor Michael Morgan, who passed away in 2021 after a 30year tenure at the Symphony. Armstrong will open the Oakland Symphony 2024-2025 season
FACES AROUND THE BAY:
Dr. Carl Blake, Pianist Dean Hector Camacho, candidate Tysha Hayes, and the Reach University Admissions & Partnerships Teams at Jefferson Union High School District. Photo courtesy of Reach University.
Teacher Mentoring Program Receives James Irvine Leadership Award
By Magaly Muñoz
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
Leaders at Oakland-based Reach University, Dr. Elizabeth Baham and Héctor Camacho Jr, have been honored with the James Irvine Leadership Award for their work on addressing California’s teacher shortage through job-embedded curriculum and credential programs. With the award, each organization receives a grant of
$350,000 and additional resources. Dr. Baham and Mr. Camacho, who have been at Reach for nine years and two years respectively, have been instrumental in attracting and recruiting future educators who otherwise would not have a clear and affordable path into teaching or leadership positions. Established in 2006, Reach University has served as the nation’s Continued on page 10
Dr. Carl Blake. Photo by Jim Dennis By Barbara Fluhrer Born in Liberty, Missouri, Carl
Blake, a virtuoso and respected pianist, made his most recent migration to the East Bay in 1999.
One might have seen him per-
forming recently at Noontime
Concerts in San Francisco, or at the Piedmont Center for the Arts in Oakland. He is Director of Music at The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco. He was also co-organizer and collaborative pianist at Herbst Theater for The Majesty of the Spirituals concert in 2022 and has held several church positions in the Bay Area. Blake obtained a Bachelor of Music Degree from Boston University and continued post-baccalaureate studies in Jamaica before earning a Master of Arts in Music at San Jose State University. He was the recipient of two Fulbright residencies in Honduras and completed a third residency at the University of St. Petersburg in Russia. He has a Doctor of Musical Arts Continued on page 10