By Dr. Kitty Kelly Epstein and Dr. Kimberly Mayfield, Special to The Post

The Oakland schools have excellent leadership right now.  I know it’s hard to believe – because there is so much wrong with the national education picture.   But sometimes good things do happen locally.  

This school year:

• The Oakland Unified School District escaped from state control after 22 years.  
•  Every classroom had a teacher at the beginning of the year, unlike past years when many classes started the year with day-to-day substitute teachers.
• Dr. Denise Saddler, an African American woman, is leading the district as superintendent now. She was an excellent choice with vast understanding of Oakland, of schools, and of educational systems locally and nationally.  
• The school board and teachers managed to avert a teachers’ strike by some strategizing, listening and compromising.  
• The school board does not plan to close more schools. For the first time in decades, those in charge of the district were not discussing closures. 

The two women leading the school board are excellent educators themselves.  

Board President Jennifer Brouhard (District 2) served as an Oakland teacher and was awarded a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching and the U.C. Berkeley Social Science Project Teacher of the Year Award.    

When Brouhard joined the board four years ago, she voted to reverse the decision of the previous board which had planned to close Brookfield, Carl B. Munck, Grass Valley, Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy and Horace Mann elementary. Half the students at Carl Munck and at least a third of the students at several others were African American.

In refusing to close schools, she pointed out that in Oakland and other districts it has been Black and Brown students who have been most affected and that closing schools does not save money.  

Then, she focused funding on classrooms rather than paying outside consultants. For that, she and her colleagues have incurred the wrath of real estate developers and school privatizers who want to get their hands on public property.

Board Vice President Valerie Bachelor (District 6) has worked on important facilities projects.  She helped to set up the first school-based dental project at Frick United Academy of Language, an Oakland middle school. She championed the Melrose Leadership Academy groundbreaking and the Skyline dining facilities. 

Bachelor facilitated a balanced budget, which was pivotal in helping the district finally end state control.   She also worked to direct funding toward student-centered programs like the Black Thriving Community Schools Program, instead of spending money on the never-ending. highly paid outside consultants.

The people financing the opposition candidates are Ryan Graciano, co-founder of Credit Karma, which made $ 2.7 billion last year; and Gagan Biyani, who says he became a millionaire at age 25.

The literature produced on behalf of the opposition supports closing schools, which harms students, and advocates expenditures that would put OUSD back under state control.

To read more, go to Education Week, “The Harm of School Closures Can Last a Lifetime, New Research Shows” (2024), www.edweek.org/leadership/the-harm-of-school-closures-can-last-a-lifetime-new-research-shows/2024/06

Dr. Kitty Kelly is a Professor of Education and Urban Studies. Dr. Kimberly Mayfield is Dean at Kalmanovitz School of Education, Saint Mary’s College of California.

Pastors, civic leaders, and community members in the Bay Area gathered Thursday, Oct. 8, at Church of All Faiths in Oakland for a meet-and-greet marking a renewed push to revitalize the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (IMA) of Oakland and Vicinity.

A highlight of the evening was the “Souls to the Polls: Our Voice, Our Vote!” segment, led by Pastor Damon Owens of Genesis Church in Antioch, which urged congregations to turn out for the election. Organizers also announced a proposed joint pre-Thanksgiving worship service for Nov. 17, with the location to be announced.

Pastor Marcie Hodge of Prayer Mission Church called the program to order, and Rev. Michael Wakefield Wallace of Mt. Zion M.B. Church led the opening devotion. Pastor Cubie Finley III of Parks Chapel AME read Nehemiah 2:17-18, the passage behind the event’s rallying cry, “Let us rise up and build.”

COGIC National Evangelist Dr. Lucinda Taylor, principal of Westlake Middle School, delivered the opening welcome.

Dr. L.J. Jennings of Kingdom Builders Church gave a brief statement of purpose, explaining the alliance’s mission of ‘Voice, Vision, and Values.’ Pastor Terry Benjamin of Restoration Evangelistic Ministries then introduced the convener, Pastor Mark Anthony Clifton, Sr., who is in his 26th year leading East Oakland Church of God in Christ. Clifton has been reorganizing the alliance to unite clergy around civic engagement. He noted that IMA’s national roots in 1926 in Galveston, Texas, and honored the Oakland leaders who came before him, including his grandfather, the late Bishop Martin J. Clifton, Sr.

“The work of the IMA of Oakland is just a continuation of the work done before us. Today, working together we can continue to solve many of the issues our community faces,” said  Clifton.

Members were invited to share testimonies, challenges, and ministry needs.

Other participants included Dr. Billy Dixon of At Thy Word Christian Center and Pastor Raymond Lankford, CEO of the Oakland Private Industry (OPIC) Council who shared information on the organization’s workforce development programming.

Public officials in attendance included Mayor Barbara Lee, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, and Oakland Unified School District Superintendent Denise Saddler, strengthening the ties between the faith community and local government.

“We are better together and our city is stronger when we partner with our faith leaders,” said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee.

Bishop Brondon Reems of Center of Hope Community Church provided the closing prayer and Rev. Dr. Jeffrey M. Parker, Sr., host pastor, gave final remarks and thanked attendees for coming. 

“It’s an honor to serve the community and bring everyone together,” said Parker.

Dozens of pastors from Oakland, Antioch, and the greater Bay Area were recognized as supporters.

“I want our partners and attendees involved to help rebuild the city they love and this is only the beginning of a larger movement to restore our great city,” said Clifton.

By Betty Osavi Special to The Post

Every year, the Día de Los Muertos Festival brings people together in Oakland to honor those who came before us and to celebrate the bonds that unite the living and the dead.

For the festival’s 31st observation, the Unity Council, Visit Oakland, the City of Oakland, the Consulate of Mexico, renowned artist Romain Greco of Artsumex, and cultural leaders from Mexico City, commissioned a monumental 34-foot-tall sculpture of ‘La Catrina,’ handcrafted by master artisans from the Mexican capital.

The statue that arrived in pieces was unveiled on Sept. 22 and stands at the Fruitvale Transit Village, where she rises as an impressive symbol of Mexican culture, art, and the connection between Oakland and Mexico.

She will remain on display until Nov. 5, welcoming visitors and community members during various events, before becoming one of the main attractions of the Día de Los Muertos Festival on Nov. 1.

What does La Catrina symbolize?

La Catrina is one of the most recognized symbols of Día de Los Muertos. She represents the remembrance of our loved ones, the celebration of life, and the lasting connection between generations. Wearing a crown of orange marigolds, poppies, and monarch butterflies, the Oakland sculpture has her arms outstretched, as if she wants to embrace everyone who approaches her. This gesture symbolizes a warm welcome to the migrants who arrive in the Fruitvale community and expresses shared values such as inclusion, care, a sense of belonging, and cultural pride.

La Catrina also represents another kind of journey. She reflects the experiences of many families who have traveled north to the United States in search of safety, opportunity, and a better future. Her 2,000-mile journey from Mexico City to Oakland becomes a powerful metaphor for these migration experiences. Across borders, the sculpture carries memories, culture, and identity with her.

This story is deeply connected to the history of immigration in the United States, where generations of newcomers have sought opportunity while also helping to build and sustain their communities.

In California, migrants work in the fields, care for our families, build our neighborhoods, and enrich the cultural and economic life of the region. Their contributions are an essential part of the society we live in.

That is why La Catrina is much more than an impressive work of art. She reminds us of the journeys people make, the sacrifices they make, and the lasting contributions they offer to their communities. Her presence in Oakland celebrates Mexican roots, recognizes the migrant experience, and invites us to reflect on the essential role we all play in building a shared future.

The theme for this year’s festival is “La Lucha Continúa: Aquí estamos y no nos vamos” (The Struggle Continues: We Are Here and We’re Not Leaving). The free, family friendly festival is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday Nov. 1 along International Boulevard between Fruitvale and 34th avenues.

By Carla Thomas

Oakland gathered on Oct. 17 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Black Panther Party (BPP), the movement Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded in the city six decades ago.

The “All Power to the People” evening gala, at Oakland’s Scottish Rite Center, brought together Panther veterans, families, community leaders, and younger generations for a night of history, music, and recommitment.

The festivities, presented by the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, began with a black carpet entrance up the staircase to the center. Each side was lined with servers holding trays of champagne for guests to retrieve while walking in.

An energetic U.S. Congresswoman Lateefah Simon opened the program as emcee. Charlotte Hill O’Neal offered libations, and 16-year-old Abayomi Lewis, a Haitian American high school junior from San Francisco, performed BBP’s anthem, “The Meeting.” Young Gifted & Black, a performing arts program that has served Bay Area youth since 2010, followed with an inspirational performance of stepping and speaking truth to power. 

During dinner service by Chef Michele McQueen, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee shared how instrumental the Black Panther Party was to her as a young single parent of two boys. “The Party provided food and lots of support and Fredrika Newton’s mother, a prominent real estate broker and housing rights activist, helped me navigate purchasing my very first home.”

Lee also shared lots of Panther history, including that she was the finance chair for Black Panther Party co-founder, Bobby Seale when he ran for Oakland mayor.

Dr. Xavier Buck, executive director of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, spoke of how being held at gunpoint by six New York City police officers in Jamaica Queens, reading the autobiography of Assata Shakur, and learning from Fredrika Newton inspired his life’s work.

“I’ve been poured into by Black Panther Party members throughout the country and what I’ve learned the most from them is “radical love.” The same love that created free breakfast programs, free ambulance services, and free sickle cell anemia testing for the Black community.”

Marvel’s Black Panther author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates delivered the keynote address.

“The legacy of the Black Panther Party lives on,” said Coates noting the presence of BPP veterans. He further remarked that people often focus narrowly on how to win, but real moral clarity comes from reflecting on what principles you are willing to stand for—and what you are willing to lose for—even in the face of steep odds.

Fredrika Newton, co-founder and president of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, thanked Panther veterans for “all you gave” and expressed hope that attendees would leave with a renewed commitment to the work that remains. 

“Seeing Panther veterans, younger generations, and the community united to honor the Party, reminds me why this work has mattered so much,” said Newton.

Everyone in the room joined in song in tribute to Bobby Seale, wishing the 90-year-old well and took pictures with him. 

Cyril Innis Jr., known as “Bullwhip,” addressed the issue of political prisoners and fighting for their freedom. The program booklet listed the dozens of imprisoned Panther members who passed away and honored the sacrifices of those still incarcerated. 

A Legacy Award, was presented to Charlotte Hill O’Neal, known affectionately as “Mama C.” 

“Mama C” has continued the Party’s work from Tanzania, where she and her husband, Pete O’Neal, founder of the Kansas City chapter, have lived in exile since 1970. Together they established the United African Alliance Community Center and the Leaders of Tomorrow Children’s Home which cares for orphans. 

“Mama C” ceremoniously circled each table honoring the ancestors of the movement and encouraged guests to call out the names of loved ones who had passed away. 

Marc Philpart of the Black Freedom Fund supported the anniversary and pledged to keep investing in the people and organizations carrying the work forward.

Trust for Public Land also marked the occasion, recalling its collaboration with the Panthers and Oakland residents who turned vacant lots into neighborhood gardens in the 1970s. 

The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation opened the Black Panther Party Museum in January 2024, and the museum has since held multiple exhibitions and welcomes more than 30,000 visitors a year on the newly named Black Panther Party Boulevard in downtown Oakland. For more information, go to HueyPNewtonFoundation.org

By Tanay Gokhale, Bay City News

On Nov. 3, voters in five Bay Area counties will vote on a regional sales tax measure that, if it fails, could prompt local transit agencies to close train stations and cut bus service.

If passed, the Regional Transit Measure, or RTM, will impose a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties as well as a one-cent sales tax in San Francisco starting April 2027.

The tax would raise an estimated $980 million annually for 14 years to fund the region’s public transit agencies, which are struggling with massive financial deficits. Revenue would go to BART, Muni, Caltrain, Alameda-Contra Costa Transit, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, the San Francisco Bay Ferry, Golden Gate Transit, and other transportation agencies operating in the five counties.

In California, a regional measure for a new sales tax would normally require a two-thirds majority approval if the state Legislature directly places it on a ballot. Transit advocates, however, chose to collect signatures to make the sales tax a citizen-initiated ballot measure that would lower the threshold to a simple majority of votes cast across the five counties.

The RTM received more than 241,000 signatures, exceeding the 186,000-signature threshold required to qualify for the ballot.

I often refer to the economic conditions we see in our Black community is Black-a-nomics. But that description is truly rooted in Feel-a-nomics: the economy that you can feel.

Feel-a-Nomics gets past the philosophical abstractions you hear about so much on the news that politicians use to paint a rosier picture than the reality you’re facing. Feel-a-Nomics doesn’t care about corporate profits or dividend projections because those earnings don’t trickle down to your wallet. It doesn’t pay any attention to inflated job numbers when we know that it takes at least two of those jobs to earn a living wage.

Feel-a-Nomics is the economy that affects every day of your life.

Foreclosure rates are skyrocketing up 21% for the first half of 2026 and car repossessions were up 43% as of January. That’s Feel-a-Nomics because it’s your home on the chopping block and that’s the car you need to get to and from your job.

Credit card debt is surging as more than half of Americans are forced to rely on credit cards to pay for basic needs like groceries, rent and utilities. Student debt has jumped since the Trump administration reversed course on Biden repayment and forgiveness plans. This unconstitutional war has brought us record high diesel prices and fertilizer costs along with 16 unnecessary American deaths with a Feel-a-Nomics impact of higher prices at the pump and the grocery store as it costs our farmers more not just to grow our food, but to send it to us too.

Consumer confidence is at its lowest level since 2014. The median household income in America is $87,460 but it takes a median income of $150,000 to buy a home. Affordable housing is sitting vacant because folks still can’t afford it particularly with the dramatic cuts to SNAP and Medicaid we saw in Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill.”

The MAGA healthcare cuts are piling on new premiums and high deductibles. High inflation, particularly at the gas pump and the grocery store, is cutting our legs from under us. The value of our dollar is shrinking at every turn and it doesn’t matter anymore if you want to get a second or third job because, according to another piss poor jobs report, the work just isn’t out there.

According to the Federal Reserve, the net worth of Black households is down 25%. That’s our home. That’s our community. Those are our families! That’s Feel-a-Nomics and, here in the Black community, it hurts. So let’s turn that pain into progress.

After gutting the Voting Rights Act and more, President Trump and the MAGA Congress has done everything they can to cripple Black progress and Black communities. They’ve picked our pockets and our bodies to the bone. But there’s something we can do about it.

The economics of voting are undeniable and, try as they might, they can’t keep us out of the voting booth. That’s why we have groups like State Voices, Repairers of the Breach, Common Cause, No Kings and more coming together to drive voter mobilization and participation. That’s why Repairers of the Breach is organizing 1,000 marches to the polls across the South and battleground states like North Carolina where 201,609 voters cast their ballots on Thursday’s first of early voting.

That’s a 46.7% increase in early voting from 2022. That’s huge! But it’s just the start.

We need a generational, Presidential year-type turnout if we’re going to turn this ship around and find the Feel-a-Nomics relief we need in our communities. That means we all have to do our part from the streets to the suites.

We need everyone from the PhDs to folks who don’t have a GED. We need the farmers and forklift drivers, college students to life students, front line workers for everyone who works on the line.

We need everyone.

We’ve all felt the impact of MAGAnomics and Trumpism. We’ve all felt the pain whether it’s that empty feeling looking at bills you just can’t pay no matter what you cut or the cramp in your stomach because you’re skipping meals trying to keep the lights on.

We’ve all felt the pain of these Feel-a-Nomics. But the good news is that we have an opportunity right now to do something about it. We have the opportunity to make a change at the ballot box.

But it’s going to take all of us to make it happen. It’s going to take every shoulder against the wheel to push back on the big money holding us down. It’s going to take all of us but we’ve done it before.

Are you ready to do it again?