Dis AKAs, Zetas and Sigmas Rally at State Capitol to Advocate for Legislative Priorities ... see page 2
Equality California Confronts Persistent Hate, Expands Its Outreach as Need for Support Grows in State .. see page 2
California Youth Groups Participate in Legislative Advocacy Days at the State Capitol ... see page 4
Black Leaders Warn of ‘Attack’ on Voting Rights; Call for Urgent Action ... see page 6
Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
63rd Year, No. 18
Weekly Edition May 6 - 12, 2026
postnewsgroup.com
The ‘Original Newcomers:’ Veteran Artists Share How They Created Place for Black Artists drawn by a reunion that felt less like a formal program and more like a homecoming. Seated at the front were five artists who had been making their way through the Bay Area art world since before some in the audience were born: Kelvin Curry (mixed media), Randolph Belle (painting), Patricia Patter-
Wilson Riles Jr. Courtesy photo.
Wilson Riles Jr., Police Commissioner and Former Oakland City Councilmember, 79
By Post Staff
(painting), and Raymond Holland Kelvin Curry created this mixed media piece. Courtesy photo. By Carla Thomas A packed Joyce Gordon Gallery in downtown Oakland became a
us and how we hold each other. His
living testament to perseverance on
work sought to transform systems
Thursday, April 16, as five pioneer-
councilmember, and community
so that we could live up to our vi-
ing artists returned to tell the story
leader working for social justice for
sion of a more just world.
and remind a new generation that
lice commissioner, former city
decades, died this week, according
“He is a big part of the reason why not only I but countless others
to his family. “It is with deep sorrow that we
found their purpose in our move-
share that my stepfather Wilson
ment and committed our lives to do
Riles transitioned to the ancestors
the work of freedom fighting.”
last night,” Karissa Cole wrote Wednesday on Facebook. “Wilson was such a force – in our family, our city and broader community,” she wrote. “His legacy stretches over decades of good
Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson Addresses Global Leaders at (multi media). They are “The Original New- Oakland Forum on Climate, Equity comers” building a legacy as the and Economic Development son (photography), Candi Farlice
work focused on seeing the best in
Wilson Riles Jr., Oakland po-
ECHo Executive Director Prishani Satyapal, developer Alan Dones, His Eminence Cardinal Peter Kodwo Turkson, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, and California Secretary of Transportation Toks Omishakin attend the ‘Africa and California: Capital, Climate, Community’ forum at the Oakland Museum of California. Photo by Carla Thomas.
nothing replaces the original. About 75 guests including emerging artists, collectors, and peers filled the colorful space,
original members of both Colors of Black and The Art of Living Black (TAOLB).
By Carla Thomas
‘Africa & California: Capital,
The story began in 1989, when
Climate, Community,’ a landmark
artist and professor Marie Johnson
forum on impact investment, eq-
Calloway organized a salon she
uitable economic development,
called Colors of Black, planting the
and climate resilience brought
seed for what would become one of
global leaders, policymakers, and community advocates to the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) on May 4, highlighting the Bay Area’s growing role as a hub for partnership between AfContinued on page 8
the most visible artistic communities in the region. Seven years later, Jan Hart-Schuyers and Rae Louise Continued on page 8
Current and former Oakland City officals expressed their condolences and admiration on Facebook. Former Oakland Mayor Jean Continued on page 8
Members of the Lend A Hand Foundation family pose at the organization’s “Stay in School Program: Beyond the Backpacks” Awards Gala. Photo courtesy LAHF.
Lend A Hand Foundation’s Fundraising Gala Features MLB ‘All-Star’ Obama Presidential Center Leon ‘BIP’ Roberts to Open on Juneteenth in Chicago’s South Side Construction on the Obama Presidential Center began in 2021 and the tower was completed in 2024. Instagram photo.
(l.-r.) Lynell Bevels, LuTillian “Tilly” Hudson, Aisha Brown, and Patrice McElroy enjoy the 28th Annual Madam C.J. Walker Business & Community Recognition Luncheon on Friday, April 10, at the Oakland Marriott City Center in downtown Oakland. Photo by Carla Thomas.
Oakland Chapter of National Coalition of 100 Black Women Holds 28th Annual Madam C.J. Walker Awards Luncheon
By Carla Thomas
Business & Community Recogni-
The National Coalition of 100
tion Luncheon & Empowerment
Black Women, Inc., Oakland Bay
Forum recently at the Oakland
Area Chapter (NCBW OBAC),
Marriott City Center in downtown
brought together community lead-
Oakland.
ers,
entrepreneurs,
Themed “Legacy in Motion:
advocates, and supporters for its
educators,
Celebrating Resilience and ImContinued on page 8
28th Annual Madam C.J. Walker
By Carla Thomas
Lend A Hand Foundation hosted its “Stay in School Program: Beyond the Backpacks” Awards Gala on Friday, April 24, marking 29 years of service to children, youth, families, and seniors across Alameda County. Held at Scott’s Seafood Bar and Grill at Jack London Square, the event was emceed by KTVU Channel 2 News anchor and community advocate Dave Clark, with a keynote address from Major League Baseball All-Star and strategist Leon “BIP” Roberts. Drawing from his 12-year Major League Baseball career—in-
cluding time with six teams and an All-Star selection in 1992—Roberts delivered an inspiring message rooted in discipline, teamwork, and long-term strategy, including reflections from his tenure with the Oakland A’s. Honoree Stephanie Isaacson of PG&E received the Excellence in Philanthropy Award. Isaacson oversees PG&E’s $30 million annual giving program, directing strategic investments that advance community safety, sustainability, and economic vitality. Nichelle Rachal of the Clorox Company was honored with the Corporate Community Champion Continued on page 8
By Brandon Patterson
CHICAGO — A historic moment rooted in both Black political achievement and community legacy is set to unfold this summer, as the Obama Presidential Center opens on Chicago’s South Side on June 19. After years of development, the 19-acre campus in Jackson Park will debut with a multi-day celebration beginning June 18 and culminating in a public opening on Juneteenth—a date marking the
end of slavery in the United States and underscoring the deeper meaning behind the center’s mission. “This is not a monument to the past,” former President Barack Obama said. “It is a living, working center for citizenship—a place where young people can come to be inspired and empowered to change the world.” For many, that vision is deeply tied to the South Side itself—not only where Obama launched his political career as a community orContinued on page 8
Cancer’s Impact on Family Led Sisters to Support Women’s Cancer Resource Center for 21 Years By Marbella Daniel Special to The Post
LaTasha and Katherine Brown have been showing up for the Women’s Cancer Resource Center (WCRC) for 21 years. LaTasha and Katherine Brown began working with WCRC in its ‘Sister to Sister’ program. Photo courtesy LaTasha Brown.
It started in 2005, when Katherine was finishing her master’s in Public Health at San Francisco State University and found her way to WCRC through her research. LaTasha joined her sister soon after, drawn in by an organization whose mission felt deeply personal to them both. Cancer had moved through their family quietly and relentlessly for more than a decade. Their grandmother. Aunts and
uncles. Most of them in their 60s. Lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer. One after another—and almost no one talked about it. “It was like a secret,” she says. The losses that stayed with them the most were the ones that did not have to happen. Their great-uncle had been showing symptoms for months before anyone persuaded him to go to the hospital. By then, it was Stage IV.
Their aunt, Dimple, was the picture of health, running Lake Merritt in her 60s until she quietly stopped coming to Sunday family gatherings. One month after her diagnosis, she was gone. LaTasha and Katherine witnessed their family avoid doctors, hide conditions, and go without the information that might have changed everything. So, when they found WCRC, they poured themselves into making sure oth-
ers did not have to navigate cancer alone. LaTasha and Katherine gravitated to ‘Sister to Sister,’ WCRC’s outreach program offering support groups, cancer education, and community programming specifically for African American women. They helped facilitate events that made early detection feel accessible rather than frightContinued on page 8