"Head of the State" by Baracka Fla...
African arts showcase at UC Berkeley
The spirit of Africa was alive at the African Arts Society's "Showcase" on November 20 at UC Berkeley.
Laney College receives bomb threat
Laney College has received a bomb threat from an anonymous caller, according to an email sent out to students on Thurs October 21."There has been a suspicious phone call from an anonymous individual declaring a bomb threat at Laney College," wrote Laney College President Elnora Webb. Many students were notified by text message or email, but some did not find out until Friday...
Oakland Mayoral Candidates Forum at Holy Names
The Bay Area Black Journalists Association will host the final Oakland mayoral candidates forum tonight at Holy Names University. The program will take place from 6-8:30 p.m. Holy Names is located at 3500 Mountain Blvd. The program is co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters in Oakla...
Urban Releaf to Break Ground in Tree Poor West Oakland Neighborhood
The Ground Breaking for Urban Releaf's 31st Green Street Demonstration Project takes place Thursday, October 21 from 11-1 p.m. The event will take place on the corner of 31st and Market Street in West Oakland.Following the success of Urban Releaf's Ettie Street watershed research and evaluation projects funded by the statewide CALFED Watershed Program, the only Black run urban...
Labor to rally for Oscar Grant in Oakland
The International Longshoremans Worker's Union (ILWU) has will shut down the Port of Oakland and host a rally at Oakland City Hall on Saturday, October 23 for Justice for Oscar Grant. The noontime rally, two weeks before former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle is to be sentenced for the 2009 New Year's murder of Oscar Grant, is sponsored by dozens of labor and community...
Reginald James awarded Chauncey Bailey Scholarship
By Tracey TateSpecial to TheBlackHour.comThe Bay Area Black Journalists Association (BABJA) awarded Laney College student Reginald James the Chauncey Wendell Bailey Jr. Scholarship on Oct. 2. At the Seventh Annual Young Journalists Scholarship Gala, held at Scott's Seafood Restaurant in Jack London Square, James received a check for $2,500 for his work as a student journalist.James,...
Black Cartoonists Showcase at Laney College
Black Cartoonists participate in a panel discussion on October 13 at the Laney College as a part of the Library's current exhibit, "Coloring Outside the Lines: Black Cartoonists as Social Commentators."The exhibit, curated by Kheven LaGrone, is about breaking outside those lines."LaGrone told a href="http://oaklandlocal.com/article/black-cartoonist-social-commentators-be-discussed-during-panel-laney">OaklandLocal.com...
Bay Area Black Journalists Honored
By Niema JordanOaklandLocal.comMedia professionals, students, and community members gathered in Jack London Oct. 2 for the 7th Annual Young Journalists Scholarship Gala. One of the many projects coordinated by the Bay Area Association of Black Journalists (BABJA), the event honored broadcast journalist and industry mentor Bob Butler for his contributions both past and present....
Students wanted for volunteer reading program at Laney College
A student-run literacy project at the Peralta College is seeking volunteers at the Children’s Centers of Laney College and Merritt Colleges in Oakland, and College of Alameda. Orientations will be held this Tuesday and Thursday for Laney College students interested in being Volunteer Readers with Peralta Reads. Students will read to the pre-schoolers at the Laney College Children’s...
Reconsider Columbus Day
Christopher Columbus was a rapist, murderer and a thief. And there's a holiday named after him.Celebrate Indigenous People's Day instead. Respect those who were here first.Reconsider Columbus D...
Laney College students occupy Peralta Colleges Chancellor's Office
Following a rally at Laney College on October 7, a group of students stormed the Peralta Colleges District headquarters and briefly occupied the Chancellor's office.The rally abruptly ended as about 30 students marched from Laney’s quad, down 8th Street towards the district’s headquarters chanting, “No cuts! No fees! Education should be free!”The group burst into the the Peralta District’s headquarters, interrupting a Benefits Fair for employees. Corporate representatives from CostCo and 24 Hour Fitness appeared stunned as students marched past...
West Oakland Community Theater presents August Wilson's 'Gem of the Ocean'
The Lower Bottom Playaz Present August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean" from October 8 through October 17 in West Oakland.Gem of the Ocean is the first installment of his decade-by-decade, ten-play chronicle, The Pittsburgh Cycle, dramatizing the African-American experience in the twentieth century.The play is set in 1904 at 1839 Wylie Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Hill District....
Laney College students occupy Peralta Colleges Chancellor's Office
Demanding no more budget cuts, staff layoffs, or fee increases, Laney College students held a noontime rally on the main campus quad on October 7. Some later marched to the Peralta Colleges district and briefly occupied the Chancellor’s office.Coinciding with a National Day of Action in Defense of Education, the “Speak Out” let any student share how education budget cuts affected...
Dance performances tells unknown stories of early Blacks in San Francisco
Of all urban cities in the U.S., the percentage of San Francisco's African American population is the smallest. Yet, much of early Black history in California is set in the city, and remains largely untold. Sailing Away, a site-specific dance performance on Market Street from October 7 to October 10 will explore the history of African Americans' early contributions to the...
Film: Gerrymandering at Laney College
Laney College is hosting a free screening of the film, "Gerrymandering," on Friday, October 8 in the Theater building.What is "gerrymandering"? Named for the Massachusetts governor who conveniently redrew a few erratic lines in 1812, gerrymandering is the redistricting of electoral boundaries to effect voting outcome in favor of a particular candidate, political party, et cetera. Director Jeff Reichert gathers an impressive bevy of experts to smartly present a well-rounded exposé. This accessible and informative documentary encourages us to put...
Black Cartoonists Exhibit at Laney College
By Tracey BrownSpecial to TheBlackHour.comIn 1965 there was "Wee Pals," a friendly comic strip advocating racial integration. Now there is "Boondocks," a comic strip morphed into an animated TV series whose primary characters are two inner-city kids who have moved to the suburbs--Huey, an angry revolutionary, and Riley, a wannabe gangsta. The evolution of this social commentary...
