Laney College Welcome Back Bash

The Associated Students of Laney College (ASLC) held its spring 2010 Welcome Back Bash on the campus' main quad January 21, 2010. The event was postponed twice due to poor weather. The bi-annual welcome back bash is an opportunity for students to learn about campus resources and take pride in the Laney College campus. The event featured representatives from ASLC, the Laney...

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BART reaches $1.5 million settlement for daughter of Oscar Grant

BART reached an agreement with the mother of Oscar Grant’s young daughter Tatiana, according to BART. The settlement is for $1.5 million and stems from the $50 million civil lawsuit filed against BART after then police officer Johnannes Mehserle shot and killed Grant at Fruitvale BART early New Year’s Day. Grant was lying on his stomach with his hands behind his back. Photo:...

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Long lines await Laney College students

Laney College students wait in the Tower lobby for their number to be called, just to wait in another line for financial aid checks Jan. 29.On the second week of school, Laney College students waited in line for upwards of two hours Thursday, January 28 to receive financial aid checks.In order to prevent overcrowding on the second floor, students were cordoned off into a line...

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VIDEO: Sade 'Soldier of Love'

Sade. The beautiful, sensual talented British-born Nigerian singer has a new album. And she's the subject of this week's Music Monday."Soldier of Love" breaks Sade's 10 year haitus. Here is the first video, and title track off of her sixth album.The militancy of the beat is reminiscent of the Black Power era. The military, drum line style dancing invokes images like Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" featuring steppers from the Nation of Isl...

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Haiti Relief Benefit in Oakland

Haiti Relief FundraiserSunday, January 24, 7 p.m.Black Dot Cafe1195 Pine St.West OaklandWith reports of over 150,000 dead in Haiti following a 7.0 earthquake, the U.S. response and media coverage of the Haiti disaster mirrors that of Hurricane Katrina. The San Francisco Bay View, the POCC and the Haiti Action Committee will host a Haiti Relief Benefit at the Black Dot Cafe...

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NAACP sells out civil rights to net neutrality

By Glen FordSpecial to TheBlackHour.comWithout the effective right to communicate with one's fellow humans, all other rights disappear. In opposing internet neutrality in return for corporate telecom money, the NAACP and other so-called civil rights groups have committed an unforgivable theft of the people's trust.The battle for democracy in the 21st century is increasingly being waged on the internet to such a degree that a movement for people's power in the United States seems inconceivable without free and unfettered access to the internet....

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Haiti 2010: An Unwelcome Katrina Redux

(Editors Note: The People's Advocate Cynthia McKinney, a former Georgia Congresswoman and 2008 Presidential Candidate speaks to the militarized U.S. response to the Haiti Earthquake)By Cynthia McKinneyCYNTHIA MCKINNEY"Much to my disquiet, it seems, here we go again. From the very beginning, U.S. assistance to Haiti has looked to me more like an invasion than a humanitarian...

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VIDEO: Do-Dat "A Dream Reborn"

Bay Area Rapper Do D.A.T. recently teamed up with Green For All to produce "A Dream Reborn," a music video inspired by Dr. King's legacy of environmental (social justice) work, and pushing towards green jobs and not jail cells."Nowadays, it seems like every rap artist claims that they are representing for the hood, but few of them are present in the community when they are needed the most," reads "A Dream Reborn's" video's You Tube description.Do Dat, born Markese Bryant, previously studied African American Studies at Laney College in Oakland,...

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The Martin Luther King Jr that's never quoted

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that's never quo...

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Emergency Vigil in Solidarity with the People of Haiti in Oakland

The Haiti Action Committee and Congresswoman Barbara Lee will hold an emergency vigil in solidarity with the people of Haiti on Monday. Photo: Flickr user Miriam GodetOakland Vigil for HaitiMonday, January 18th, 5:00 P.M.Oakland Federal Building1301 Clay Street(12th Street BART Station)By Robert RothHaiti Action Committee Three million people are homeless, untold thousands...

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Oakland Celebrates the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with Service

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a revolutionary. While many have been conditioned to see his birthday -- now a national holiday (although not without struggle) -- as a day off, King always worked on his birthday. The Black Hour encourages you to celebrate the life of this "drum major for justice" as a day of service. Below are a number of events taking place in Oakland...

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Report criticizes Oakland Police actions on day four officers slain

Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts at press conference releasing findings of report on March 21, 2009 shootoutWhat started as a “routine traffic stop” led to the “greatest tragedy in the Oakland Police Department's history,” says an independent report on police mistakes surrounding the March 21, 2009 pursuit and shooting of Lovelle Mixon. The shootout resulted also resulted...

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MOVIE: Denzel Washington in Book of Eli

Denzel Washington stars in the new post-apochalyptic film "Book of Eli." Washington walks the wastelands of the U.S. with the last copy of the Holy Bible, and hope for a new civilization. Directed by the Hughes Brothers, the film is in theaters now. The trailer of Book of Eli is below:Book of Eli Trai...

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Chancellor Elihu Harris to leave Peralta

Board opts not to renew contract, announces searchPhoto: Sustainable Peralta.Peralta Colleges Chancellor Elihu Harris will leave Peralta when his contract expires after this spring semester. The former Oakland Mayor and state assembly member has been Chancellor since 2003.Trustees opted not to renew Harris' contract at their Tuesday night Board meeting, and announced a search...

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Bay Area bassist Dewey Tucker dead at 24

Photo: Dewey's Myspace pageBay Area bass player Dewey Tucker was shot and killed last night. The talented 24-year old bass player -- a member of the Kev Choice Ensemble as well as bassist for The Coup -- shared the stage with Chico Debarge, Lauren Hill, Martin Luther and many other musicians.Tucker was shot multiple times last night on Interstate 80, according to California...

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Earthquake kills 100,000 in Haiti

Support long-term action in HaitiREUTERSOver 100,000 people are feared dead, following a devastating blow that hit the Carribean nation of Haiti.There are two ways to donate: Via PayPalor Mail check made out to:"Haiti Emergency Relief Fund/EBSC"donations tax deductiblesend mail to:East Bay Sanctuary Covenant2362 Bancroft WayBerkeley, CA 94704EBSC is a non-profit 502(c)(3)...

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Activists demand civilian oversight of BART following shooting of unarmed passenger

Photo: SF Citizen.comOne year after the shooting of Oscar Grant by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle, activists are still demanding justice. And the battle still wages onward in Sacramento.This Tuesday is an Assembly Hearing on BART Civilian Oversight. The Public Safety Committee will be hearing two bills to create a civilian oversight body for the BART Police Department....

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Oakland hosts AC Transit Bus Rapid Transit meetings

Photo: ACTforMe.org.OaklandBRT Meeting Dates January 11, 6-8 pm, Fruitvale Senior Center3301 E. 12th St., Ste. 201January 12, 6-8 pm, Eastside Arts Alliance2277 International Blvd.January 21, 6-8 pm, East Oakland Youth Development Center8200 International Blvd.January 26, 6-8 pm, Faith Presbyterian Church430 49th St.January 27, 11am-1pm, Oakland City Hall, Hearing Room 21...

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Mapping Black Visual Culture

Afriscape Cartography: Mapping Black Visual Culture, An Artist Lecture Series with Duane Deterville at Joyce Gordon Galleryhttp://joycegordongallery.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/lecture-presentation-by-duane-deterville/Duane Deterville, MA, visual artist, writer and scholar is featured in a four-part artist lecture series entitled, “Afriscape Cartography: Mapping Black Visual Culture” at the Joyce Gordon Gallery in Oakland, CA every Saturday, 3:00-5:00 pm for the entire month of January 2010.The lecture series is an introduction to the Black Aesthetic...

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Report slams Oakland Police actions that led to death of four officers

Chaos, poor communication and the lack of command contributed to the killing of four Oakland police officers by Oakland resident Lovelle Mixon, according to a report released Wednesday. The independent report describes the March 21, 2009 shooting of four police officers and the subsequent search the suspect as “an ineffective and poorly managed operation.” Only the Executive Summary and a Summary of the Board of Inquiry’s findings were released from the reportedly 50 plus page document. Officers were not identified by name, at the request of OPD.The...

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Activists demand release of death row inmates

Photo: Jazymne Young/ Hella BlackHundreds mobilized December 13 for the fourth annual Stanley "Tookie" Williams Legacy Summit at the Huey P. Newton/Bobble Seale Student Lounge at Merritt College. The event marks the four year anniversary when Williams was executed by the State of California, as well as the activism that took place to save him.Williams co-founded of the original...

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I am Oscar Grant - Photo Essay

Photo: Reginald JamesIt was a warm and cloudy January morning when I set out to capture these images.Two weeks after BART police officer Johannes Mehserle shot Oscar Grant in his back, the air was still filled with the foul odor of injustice. The smoke from the barrel of Mehserle’s gun mixed with the scent of burning trash cans and cars set ablaze during the two uprisings...

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Remember Oscar Grant, resist police brutality

One year after the execution-style killing of Oscar Grant by BART Police officer Johannes Merserle, former Black Panthers Kiilu Nyasha and Emory Douglass speak to Angola 3 News.The interview speaks on the history of police brutality in Oakland, the framing of journalist JR -- the Minister of Information for the POCC -- and the effectiveness of riots. Your browser is not able to display this multimedia content.Video/interview courtesy of IndyBay....

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Oscar Grant: Gone but not Forgotten

The family of Oscar Grant hosts a vigil and gathering on the one-year 'anniversary' of his death at the hands of a BART police officer on New Year's Day. From 2-4 p.m. at t he Fruitvale BART STation, the family wants the community to "come celebrate Oscar Grant's life and share a vision of hope. Hear from family and friends, share your voice or your silence." There will be...

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