Free Mumia Summit held at Oakland's Laney College

On December 11, an anti-death penalty summit was held at Laney College in Oakland. The program focused on Mumia Abu Jamal, the recently executed Troy Davis, Stanley "Tookie" Williams, and current inmate Kevin Cooper.


Ramona Africa of the MOVE organization speaks out for freedom for her friend Mumia Abu Jamal.

Abu Jamal has been on death row for 30 years for the shooting of a Philadelphia police officer that activists say he did not commit. It was recently reported that the District Attorney would no longer seek death penalty in Abu Jamal's case. Africa called for Abu Jamal's freedom.


Barbara Becnel speaks about her friend "Tookie" Williams.

Barbara Becnel, president of the Stanley "Tookie" Williams Legacy Network shared how he wished to use his life example to save other children from violence. Williams was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.



The Stanley Tookie Williams Summit was previously held at Merritt College from 2007-2010. The program moved to Laney College this year. Speakers included prison abolitionist Angela Davis; Ramona Africa of MOVE organization, and fighter for Abu Jamal; William's friend Barbara Becnel; Crystal Baybee of Committee to Free Kevin Cooper; rapper Boots Riley; and more.


Free Mumia at Laney College video by Peralta TV

Photos by Reginald James for TheBlackHour.com.

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Fashion, poetry, dance at UC Berkeley "Showcase"

The African Arts Society event, "The Showcase," took place November 20. The event featured fashion, poetry, dance and musical stylings of UC Berkeley students.















Photos by Reginald James.

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Peabo Wellington, college student, remembered

College of Alameda student Jepeabo Wellington was murdered on August 24. He was 24 years old.

The Oakland native was coming from a peace vigil in West Oakland when he was apparently approached by men asking where he was from. When he replied, "East Oakland," he was gunned down.

A vigil was held on August 25 for Peabo at the College of Alameda, where he was a student. Friends and classmates shared stories about Peabo, who was quick with a smile and a kind word, and enjoyed laughing with others.



Peabo worked in the EOPS–Extended Opportunities, Programs and Services–offices and previously worked in the campus bookstore. Peabo was previously involved in the Alameda County Independent Living Skills Program (ILSP) and his worked once landed him on the front page of the Oakland Post newspaper.

A large "Stop the Violence" banner near candles was visible in the campus quad. Blue and white balloons were released in his memory after the noontime vigil.



Peabo planned to transfer to Howard University in Washington, D.C. and had been talking to college recruiters since attending the Black College Fair at Laney College in 2010.

He was also an expecting father, possibly twins, according to friends.

Ten days before his untimely death, Peabo posted this Facebook status, "Its almost time to go back to school one more semester and its graduation time 2012." The post continues, "the world wont end for me but it will definitely begin ~YOUNG LIFE~."

RIP "Bo."

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Reginald James awarded Chauncey Bailey Scholarship

By Tracey Tate
Special to TheBlackHour.com

The 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, a former editor-in-chief of the Laney Tower, received his associates arts degree in Journalism from Laney this year and has been accepted to the University of California at Berkeley for the spring 2011 semester. He plans to study political science at Cal while continuing his personal journalistic endeavors.

In 2004 James, an Alameda resident, decided to pursue journalism when he realized that "the press didn't represent my community's voice."

Gentrification in West Alameda uprooted his family and hundreds of others. The controversial incident spurred James to pursue his educational path in journalism. It was then that James noticed that "they [the press] did not speak to me or for me."

While studying journalism at Laney, James has honed his news writing, newspaper design and photography skills. Excerpts from his body of work at the Tower, along with an essay answering the question "What will you do to impact your community as a journalist?" earned James the Bailey Scholarship.

Present at the awards ceremony which honored KCBS Radio Broadcaster Bob Butler, were legends in local media, including Belva Davis, Barbara Rogers and current KRON anchor Pam Moore. On being in the presence of such journalistic icons, James said, "As a young journalist, is was humbling to be honored by a group of black media professionals."

James' other media endeavors include his radio show--"The Black Hour," an educational blog, The Peralta Report and his role as a contributing editor to Oakland Local. He hopes to contribute to the Daily Californian when he continues his studies at Cal, as well as to the Black Student magazine, "Onyx Express."

A major milestone for James was writing for the San Francisco Bay View newspaper, and getting paid as a professional journalist. His future goals include building a hyper-local website for his community in west Alameda, called the "West End Times".

Photos: Top, Bay Area Black Journalists Association President Michelle Fitzburg-Craig, James receiving check from Belva Davis, James' mother and former California Voice Arts Editor Deborah James, BABJA Scholarship Chair Ellison Horne and Membership Chair Marcus Osbourne. Right, James gives acceptance speech. Photos by Z'ma Wyatt of Shades Magazine.

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Tracey Tate has been the editor-in-chief of the Laney Tower newspaper since Fall 2009. She almost maintains the online magazine, BlingingBeauty.com. This article originally appeared in the Laney Tower newspaper.

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Bay Area Black Journalists Honored

By Niema Jordan
OaklandLocal.com

Media 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.

During the Gala program slides and special video were shown honoring Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Bob Butler. A number of people who have worked with and been impacted by Butler, spoke at the Gala and sent video messages. Butler shared stories about how he became the journalist he is today, including his move from DJing parties to reading the news just to get on air.

BABJA also awarded scholarships to students pursing careers in journalism highlighting the work they are doing and the work they will do years from now.

Reginald James was one of two scholarship recipients. A student at Peralta Colleges who will start full-time at UC Berkeley for spring semester. He received the Chauncey Bailey Scholarship. When James accepted his award he explained how being disappointed in local media coverage led him to dedicate himself to journalism.

His mission in the field became extremely clear when he ended his speech reciting and encouraging others to repeat the “Credo for the Negro Press”:

"I Shall Be A Crusader...
I Shall Be An Advocate...
I Shall Be A Herald...
I Shall Be A Mirror And A Record...
I Shall Have Integrity...
I Shall be a crusader and an advocate, a mirror and a record, a herald and a spotlight, and I Shall not falter.
So help me God."

Photo Credit: Z'ma Wyatt via Flickr

For more information on the Bay Area Association of Black Journalists visit www.babja.org.

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This article originally appeared on OaklandLocal.com. Visit the writer's website at niemajordan.com.

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Malika Ubaka - Mother, model, artist, Laney College student

Darting across campus in an oversized hooded sweatshirt with "Oakland USA" written across the front, Laney College student Malika Ubaka is hustling.

"You want to buy a raffle ticket?" Ubaka asks a student. "The money is going towards a scholarship for students."

That same grind that has raised over $500 in scholarships for honors students, is the same hustle that has Ubaka continuing her education at Georgia State University this fall.

"When I first came to Laney College, I was afraid of math. I got more than I bargained for." Malika Ubaka

But just two years ago, the single mother and former reality TV show celebrity, returned to school starting off taking basic skills classes.

"When I first came, I was afraid of math," Ubaka said. "I got more than I bargained for."

Counselor Terrence Greene first met Ubaka two years ago when she joined a new student retention program, then called the African American Learning Community.

"She was one of the first students," Greene said. "She was just coming back to school and I happened to see her in drop-in (counseling session). I told her about the program I was running and she decided to join."

Besides being one of the first students in the program, she won a contest among students to name the program; UBAKA- Utilizing your Brainpower to Attain Knowledge Abundantly, an acronym based on her Nigerian last name.

"She was trying to find her way," Greene recalls. "After a semester with us, she saw the community and felt she was up to par to be a student."

Now, Ubaka takes 15 units per semester and attends intersession in winter and summer. She attributes some of her drive to her experience in the music industry. Coming from a family of talented entertainers, she has performed since a child. Along with her sister, Khaliah, she used to dance throughout the Bay as the "Oaktown Girls."

After dropping an album in 2003, she appeared on MTV's "Making the Band" with Diddy. After her initial audition in LA, she didn't make the first cut. She went home, worked hard and flew out to Miami for another go at it. She was cast in the second season. Ubaka didn't "make the band" the second season, but was kept on for the third season. Unfortunately, she was eliminated on the third episode.

That didn't stop her, though. It made her stronger.

"She gives me the will to move past my circumstances and not be limited by life. She never gives up and moves toward a goal. Things may get a little tough, but she keeps moving forward." Dr. Angela Cherry

While juggling motherhood, gigs, classes, auditions, court dates-and doing hair just to make ends meet-Ubaka manages to be an honor roll student. She is Vice-President of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), a two-year college honor society.

Still, her true passion is music.

"I'm never ever going to stop doing music, but school is like my latest hustle," Ubaka said. "This is making me even more complete."

Because of her experiences, background and determination, Ubaka inspires both students and faculty.

"She gives me the will to move past my circumstances and not be limited by life," said Dr. Angela Cherry, communications professor and adviser to PTK." She never gives up and moves toward a goal. Things may get a little tough, but she keeps moving forward."

Ubaka will transfer this fall to study Media Communications at Georgia State University. Her advice to other struggling students:

"Just don't give up, don't ever, ever give up on what you want out of life," said Ubaka. "Just keep pushing in life to be as successful as you want to be.

"I'm gone be Dr. Ubaka before you know it."

She will graduate from Laney College with three degrees in African American Studies, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. Then, Ubaka will trade in the hoodie for a robe.

And although she won't have her doctorates hood on yet, she'll be wearing kente, honors cords and a special tassel with her name: Ubaka.

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A Day at COA: Inside the College of Alameda Children's Center

Photo: Reginald James/TheBlackHour.com.

Nekah Dewitt shares a 'photograph' she made for you at the College of Alameda Children's Center.

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Earlier this semester, the Peralta Colleges administration announced its intention to close the College of Alameda Children's Center in July. After mothers organized, workers spoke out, and students protested (shutting down an April trustees meeting), the center will remain open through 2010.

Forty four students attend the center's school. The two classrooms, divided into "Tigers" and "Dragonflies," give children a loving environment while their parents are at work or school.

In the mornings, children play music, do arts and crafts, solve puzzles and learn shapes, colors and patterns. Later, students play outside on the jungle gym and run throughout the yard.

After washing their hands, students come back inside for snacks. Then it's storytime. After that the children lie down for a nap.

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African Americans Making Connections at Merritt College in Oakland

Oakland Youth Commissioners, from right, Brionte Young and Eric Gant, respond to a question from Ryan Nicole Peters.

By Reginald James
TheBlackHour.com Editor

More than 300 people assembled at Merritt College in Oakland for a conference May 1 organized by Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson. The event connected community groups with activists, students with educators and entrepreneurs with each other.

“The reason for today is to reconnect and make new connections” during a time of doom and gloom, said Carson, who called for the convening. “We hear bad news, but there’s a lot of good being done in our community on a daily basis.”

State Assembly Member Sandre Swanson recalled being a student at Laney College 30 years ago when he got involved in the campaign of an African American woman named Shirley Chisholm who had the “audacity” to run for president. Swanson went on, with Lee, to work for then Congressman Ron Dellums.

“You may not see what your activism may bring,” Swanson said, “but you have a responsibility to be an activist.”

Youth were central to the program. Youth co-facilitated each of the conference’s issue area break-out sessions. There was a youth panel that included high school and college students who discussed youth obstacles, accomplishments and role models.

“Most of the time, it’s adults talking about what youth want,” Berkeley High School student Eric Gant said, “but adults don’t know what youth want. Youth know what youth want. Let youth control what the youth want.”

After the youth panel, attendees broke out into small group sessions on different issues affecting the African community. Issues included economic development, youth, housing, education, jobs, health, public safety and arts and culture.

In the education break-out session, attendees discussed curriculum development, teacher quality, learning styles and funding, while in the economic development workshop, people discussed the challenges of starting and maintaining a business, as well as other resources.

Spirited discussions were followed by a presentation by Wade Nobles, founder of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Black Family Life and Culture.

“It is not about connecting organizations, it’s about connecting people-hood,” Nobles said. He suggested organizations incorporate culture more prominently in their organizations because culture is the glue that binds African people. “Culture is the instrument you use to express your humanity. We’ve adopted and allowed other people’s value system as our own.”

The culture African people come from is one of excellence, Nobles said.

Attendees were enthusiastic and optimistic about the chance to meet new people and resources. At the commencement of the conference, Congresswoman Barbara Lee urged people to stay connected, and come together beyond one day.

“This is a great opportunity for African American organizations to learn about each other,” said Rodney Brooks, chief of staff for Supervisor Carson. “We hope at the end of the day, you’ve found at least two more allies.”

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This article originally appeared on OaklandLocal.com. Photos by Reginald James.

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Laney College student Ebony Miller wants you to walk out March 4

Laney College student Ebony Miller promotes March 4 walkout out and demonstration for Higher Education through song.



Students from throughout the State of California plan to walkout Thursday. There will be a rally at Laney College on the main quad at noon.

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Leon Powe's mentoring program gives Oakland youth Fresh Start

Photo: SFGate.com
Leon Powe at Youth Basketball camp at Merritt College.

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By Terez McCall
Special to TheBlackHour.com

The plight of foster children in the U.S. is well documented, and statistics paint a bleak picture of trauma and turmoil.

More than 3,000 foster children reside in Alameda County alone, and over half of them will become homeless by their 18th birthday, according to the California Department of Social Services.

Benefits to Youth: Real-world experience Realize potential career paths Possible permanent career placement Professional references, resume building Possible educational scholarships

For these young men and women, the future can seem far from bright. NBA champion Leon Powe is all too familiar with this reality.

A native of Oakland, Powe and his siblings were placed in the foster care system after an accidental fire destroyed their North Oakland home. Powe calls the tragedy "the beginning of a long nightmare."

Yet in just a few years, he went from being shuffled between 30 homes to a professional basketball career.

Powe received numerous awards for his efforts to help the community, and says his goal is to "try to save everybody". He co-founded a non-profit organization in 2008. Fresh Start for Oakland helps foster care youth adjust to independent life.

Further Reading:	Exclusive Leon Powe interview with former Laney College student Jacquinn Scales, a former guest on The Black Hour

Once young people "age out" at 18 and are released from the foster care system, they are often at a stark disadvantage. They face challenges unknown to their peers, have fewer resources or support networks, and lack important independent living skills that many take for granted.

This is where Fresh Start comes in, filling in the gap for transitioning foster youth ages 14 to 21 to help them become successful adults.

Mentoring is an important part of the program, as Powe attributes his own success to the guidance and encouragement of his mentor Bernard Ward, executive director of the organization. Mentees are linked with an individual or professional mentor in a career they aspire to pursue, giving them insight and hands-on experience in the field.

Another key component is the Independent Living Skills Program, which offers essential services such as tutoring, job search assistance, budget planning, interpersonal skill building and links to vital community resources.

Emphasis is placed on assessment and goal setting through individual counseling. Thanks to Fresh Start, Oakland foster care youth have a dedicated, supportive team on their side to help them to win.

Powe serves as an incredible example of overcoming the odds they face, and giving back to the community in return.

For more info visit freshstartmentoring.org.

This article originally appeared in the Laney Tower newspaper.

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Rosa Parks would be 97 years old today

Today would be Rosa Parks 97th birthday.


Photo: NYTimes.com

In the Jim Crow south of 1955, everything was segregated; school, church, restaurants, hotels and public transportation. Black people had to sit on the back of the bus, and if a white person wanted their seat, they'd have to give it up.

In Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks decided she'd had enough. Parks refused to give up her seat for a white passenger and move to the back of the bus. She was arrested - like many others before.

As the Secretary of the Montgomery Chapter of the NAACP, "Parks’ resistance spread through a community that was tired of enduring years of insult and humiliation," said the Smithsonian Institute. "For more than a year, in the face of violence and intimidation, 50,000 black citizens forced a segregated bus system to open its doors to equality."

Rosa Lee McCauley Parks was born February 4, 1913. She passed away October 24, 2005.

Five years ago, Parks was honored by AC Transit, and for her work for the Transit Justice Movement. Organizations like Urban Habit are still working to End Race Discrimination in Public Transportation today.

Interestingly enough, now young Black people often ride on the back of the bus. Why is that?

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The History of Black Economic Empowerment

Graphic: Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)

Editor's Note: The following message about Black History Month is from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the organization founded by Carter G. Woodson. It speaks to the 2010 Black History Month Theme: "The History of Black Economic Empowerment."

The need for economic development has been a central element of black life. After centuries of unrequited toil as slaves, African Americans gained their freedom and found themselves in the struggle to make a living.

The chains were gone, but racism was everywhere. Black codes often prevented blacks from owning land in towns and cities, and in the countryside they were often denied the opportunity to purchase land.

Organized labor shut their doors to their brethren, and even the white philanthropist who funded black schools denied them employment opportunities once educated. In the South, whites sought to insure that blacks would only be sharecroppers and day labors, and in the North whites sought to keep them as unskilled labor.

Pushing against the odds, African Americans became landowners, skilled workers, small businessmen and women, professionals, and ministers. In the Jim Crow economy, they started insurance companies, vocational schools, teachers colleges, cosmetic firms, banks, newspapers, and hospitals. To fight exclusion from the economy, they started their own unions and professional associations.

In an age in which individuals proved unable to counter industrialization alone, they preached racial or collective uplift rather than individual self-reliance. The late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries witnessed an unprecedented degree of racial solidarity and organization.

In 1910, a group of dedicated reformers, black and white, gathered to create an organization to address the needs of African Americans as they migrated to the cities of the United States. The organization that they created a century ago became what we all know as the National Urban League.

For a century, they have struggled to open the doors of opportunity for successive generations, engaging the challenges of each age. ASALH celebrates the centennial of the National Urban League by exploring racial uplift and black economic development in the twentieth century.

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Watch Gang Wars: Oakland (Part I)

Last night, the Discovery Channel aired a new episode of Gang Wars. This episode hit close to home: Oakland.

Some folks see this stuff as a badge of honor, while others see it as source of shame. Either way, for another image of what's happening on the streets of Oakland, watch this docu-drama.

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Davey D speaks at first Peralta Black Graduation

Davey D speaks at Peralta Colleges First Black Graduation - The Black Hour Internet Radio Show

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9th Floor Radio featured in The Oak Book

"The most political/topical show is the monthly The Black Hour (3rd Fridays)...has been on for a year...in-depth muckraking into local Oakland political corruption and police brutality is as controversial as KPFA’s JR Valrey's, and as informative as KPOO’s Prison Radio programming."

9th Floor Radio, the station which hosts The Black Hour, was featured in The OakBook (formerly NovoMetro), an internet news site focused on Oakland news, blogs and events.

The article discusses the origins of 9th Floor Radio, the work of our Station Manager Melissa Dale Neal and talks about a couple of shows on the station.

Of course, The Black Hour was highlighted:

The most political/topical show is the monthly The Black Hour (3rd Fridays). Host Brother Reggie has been on for a year, and his in-depth muckraking into local Oakland political corruption and police brutality is as controversial as KPFA’s JR Valrey's, and as informative as KPOO’s Prison Radio programming.

Check out The Oakbook's feature Oakland's Real Radio Station or the article's writer, Chris Stroffolino(who teaches at Laney College).

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Thousands convene for action on Climate Change

Over 12,000 young people seized the nation's capitol last weekend to make a statement to Congress about Global Warming.

Power Shift 2009 brought together people from all walks of life for a "movement deeper than a solar panel."

Van Jones, executive director of Green for All, gave the conference keynote speech. Check out the complete video below, courtesy of the Energy Action Coalition.


Van Jones' keynote speech at Power Shift '09.

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Harriet Tubman Day of Remembrance

Abolitionist, humanitarian, hero, spy, nurse and fearless freedom fighter; Harriet Tubman was all of the above.

Tubman was born ‘enslaved’ in Maryland in 1820. Her original name was Araminta Ross, but took the name Tubman after marrying John Tubman.

As a child Tubman was said to be head strong and resilient. She once bite the knee of a slave owner when she was attacked; one of many acts of defiance Tubman displayed. Tubman often received several lashing due to her “back talk.”

Although she was made to take of children, she was still tough. As she grew older and stronger, she was assigned to grueling field and forest work: driving oxen, plowing, and hauling logs; like any other man.

One day, when she was an adolescent, Tubman was sent to a dry-goods store for some supplies. There, she encountered an enslaved African ‘owned’ by a different family, who had left the fields without permission. His overseer, who was furious, demanded that Tubman help restrain the young man. Tubman refused. And as the slave ran away, the overseer threw a two-pound weight from the store's counter that missed and struck Tubman instead. She said it "broke my skull.” While this left Tubman with a lifelong battle with temporal lobe epilepsy-black outs, it did not cause her will to leave her.

The urge for freedom was always present in Tubman. She had heard of people escaping to the North and surviving. In 1849, Tubman escaped to freedom with her brother.
During the journey Tubman’s brother got frightened and said that he wanted to go back; forcing Tubman to go alone.

I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.

She returned and led not only her family to freedom but hundreds more along the ‘Underground Railroad,’ a network of safe houses and where those who escaped slavery could stay while on their path to freedom.


Harriett once said, “I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.”

A devout Christian who was led by her visions from God, she has been called, “Moses,’ alluding to the prophet who led his people to freedom.

We celebrate Harriet not only for her valor but her courage.

What are you doing to ensure Harriet’s work is not in vain?

By Shontrice Williamson
Contributor
The Black Hour

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The Black Hour host featured on KPFA's Morning Show

The Black Hour host Reginald "Brother Reggie" James appeared on KPFA’s (94.1) Morning Show along with Global Exchange’s Monica Vaughan on Feb. 27.

"Reginald and Monica highlighted the importance of social justice and diverse youth voices in getting both national and international policies passed to combat climate change," according to Global Exchange's blog.

Click here for link to show archive, or click play below. You can also download the episode below.

The Morning Show - February 27, 2009 at 7:00am

Click to listen (or download)

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Nigger or Nigga? A Dialogue on Race

In light of recent events (i.e. Jesse Jackson's desire to cut Obama's nuts off), we we want to share this Peralta TV documentary about race.

Peralta TV has produced a hard-hitting, controversial documentary, "Nigger or Nigga? A Dialog on Race from a Black Perspective," which looks closely at questions of race and identity raised by the African American community.


Nigger or Nigga? A Dialogue on Race (Part 1)


Nigger or Nigga? A Dialogue on Race (Part 2)


Nigger or Nigga? A Dialogue on Race (Part 3)

"Nigger or Nigga? A Dialog on Race from a Black Perspective," was produced by Burnett Walton and Taing Productions for Peralta TV.

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