Activism

Bay Area Black Grammy 2021 Winners

The 2021 Grammy Awards from the Staples Center on March 14 were hosted by Trevor Noah, and in addition to history being made by both Beyoncé and Mickey Guyton, three Black Bay Area musicians received awards.

Published

5 years ago

March 17, 2021

Kiki

Ledisi, Courtesy Twitter

H.E.R. courtesy Twitter

Fantastic Negrito, courtesy Twitter

First, Beyoncé (Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter), 39, made Grammy history with her 28^th win and is the most-awarded woman in the 63-year history of the Grammy Awards.

She received her 28^th Grammy for “Black Parade,” released Juneteenth 2020. Accepting her award in person, she said: “[a]s an artist, I believe it’s my job to reflect the times, and it’s been such a difficult time. So, I wanted to uplift, encourage, celebrate all of the beautiful Black queens and kings that continue to inspire me and inspire the world.”

‘Queen Bey,’ as she is known, ties the incomparable Quincy Jones, who turned 88 on Grammy Sunday, for the number of Grammy’s received. Only one person, classical conductor Sir Georg Solti, has more awards with a total of 31 Grammys.

Mickey Guyton (born Candace Mycale Guyton) from Texas became the first Black solo female artist to gain a Grammy nomination in a country music category. Guyton, 37, was nominated but did not win for “Black Like Me,” which she released on Instagram because it was autobiographical and she did not want to sell it.

And in the Bay Area, Vallejo’s own 23-year-old Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, aka H.E.R. (acronym for Having Everything Revealed) won two Grammys, her third and fourth, one for “I Can’t Breathe,” which captured “Song of the Year” and “Better Than I Imagined,” which was awarded Best R&B song.

Oakland’s Fantastic Negrito, 53, (aka Xavier Dphrepaulezz) won his third Grammy for his album “Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?” for Best Contemporary Blues Album.

In his acceptance speech, Negrito asked for a moment of silence for the people who have perished because of COVID-19. He also thanked E-40 and Dwayne Wiggins.

And last, but not least, Ledisi Anibade Young, aka Ledisi, 48, a former Oakland vocalist now based in Los Angeles, won her first Grammy for “Anything For You” in Best Traditional R&B Performance.

Ledisi told the Post: “I am very honored to be recognized for a song I co-wrote on my own label. Everything happens in God’s time.”

Congratulations to all.

BBC News, Twitter, Wikipedia and CBS.com were sources for this report.

Kiki

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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

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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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.