Activism

2024 in Review: 7 Questions for Reparations Advocate Chris Lodgson

CJEC was one of seven “anchor organizations” sanctioned by the California Reparations Task Force and the California Department of Justice (DOJ) to evaluate California’s role in slavery and Jim Crow discrimination. California Black Media (CBM) recently interviewed Chris Lodgson, the lead organizer and advocate for the CJEC to discuss the organization’s achievements, challenges, and plans heading into the new year.

Published

1 year ago

December 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Chris Lodgson and members of the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC) held a reparations Listening Session in Sacramento, California, in August 2022. CJEC participated in many reparation activities across the state, specifically to raise awareness about how the effects of chattel slavery have reverberated for generations in California, leaving Black people at a distinct disadvantage in wealth, education, and health. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By Edward Henderson, California Black Media

The Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC) is a statewide organization comprised of various associations, community groups and individuals united by their commitment to fight for reparations for the descendants of enslaved Black American men and women.

California Black Media (CBM) recently interviewed Chris Lodgson, the lead organizer and advocate for the CJEC to discuss the organization’s achievements, challenges, and plans heading into the new year.

Looking back at 2024, what stands out as your most important achievement and why? 

We helped to advance the first-ever state-level lineage-based reparations-related legislation this year, which is probably the biggest success. At the start of the year, we introduced the first-ever bill specifically for residents who were descendants of people who were enslaved in this country.

Also, state agencies across the state of California started collecting what we call lineage data. Now, specifically state employees or people who want to become state employees, have the option to self-identify as Black Americans who are descendants of people who were enslaved in this country. That is based on some legislation that we wrote in 2022 that the Governor signed. It took effect this year.

How did your leadership and investments contribute to improving the lives of Black Californians? 

California took steps to recognize and identify residents who are these descendants. I think that is a positive impact on Black Californians because for the first time ever we are being seen.

We have a saying: ‘if you don’ t see a community you can’ t serve a community’.

What frustrated you the most over the last year?

Several of the bills that we supported this year were blocked. And then also one of the other bills that we supported this year was vetoed.

Secondly, the actions of the California Legislative Black Caucus not just in blocking the bills, but how they didn’t work with each other.

What inspired you the most over the last year?

How people across the state of California — and across the country, really — have been able to come together in support of the reparations effort. Also, the national attention that we are getting has also been inspiring.

What is one lesson you learned in 2024 that will inform your decision-making next year?

One lesson that we learned is that if Black legislators are working against each other, which is what we saw this year, that will hurt reparations.

In one word, what is the biggest challenge Black Californians face?

Political power.

It became very, very clear when the Black Caucus introduced those bills that they call reparations bills. An apology is not reparations. Bringing back affirmative action is not reparations. Letting people wear their hair the way they want to at work is definitely not reparations.

To me, that was a clear sign of political weakness.

What is the goal you want to achieve most in 2025?

The passage and enactment of actual reparations legislation. That includes bills and policies that we didn’t get this year and other things that we want.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

4 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Activism

Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.