Activism

Biography of Wenefrett Cecelia Phillips Watson

Wenefrett ‘Wene’ Cecelia Phillips Watson became active in the Oakland Public Schools where her children attended school. She was appointed to the Oakland Museum Commission and Oakland Symphony Board. As president of the Oakland Bay Area Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, Wene helped start the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. Her passion for civil rights stimulated her to become active with the NAACP, the Urban League, and she eventually ran for City Council.

Published

4 years ago

November 9, 2021

Oakland Post

Today, Wenefrett Cecelia Phillips Watson spends quiet moments as a resident of the Lake Park Independent Living Community surrounded by family and friends.

Wenefrett ‘Wene’ Cecelia Phillips Watson was born on Oct. 29, 1921, in Marshall, Texas.

Her father was a dentist, and her mother was a fifth-grade teacher.

She earned a B.A. in English literature in three years at Bishop College. During World War II, she attended the University of Southern California where she earned a second Bachelor’s degree in Library Sciences at age 18. She met and married James A. Watson, a Howard University medical student, after she took a federal job in Wash., D.C. They relocated to Oakland in the late 1950s.

Wenefrett became active in the Oakland Public Schools where her children attended school. She was appointed to the Oakland Museum Commission and Oakland Symphony Board. As president of the Oakland Bay Area Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, Wene helped start the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. Her passion for civil rights stimulated her to become active with the NAACP, the Urban League, and she eventually ran for City Council.

Wene was a business owner who created and managed WenTravel and Cruise travel agency on the first floor of the then newly constructed Oakland Marriott Downtown Hotel, Convention and Transportation Center in 1984. She held contracts with the City of Oakland, County of Alameda and the State of California as one of the few all-Black, women-owned small businesses. She retired in 1996.

Along with a wide variety of international dignitaries and ambassadors, four U.S. Presidents have met Wene Watson, including Lyndon B. Johnson, George Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

She and her husband James Watson were co-founders of Berkeley’s Church By the Side Of the Road.

Raising her children predominantly in the Oakland Unified Public School District, she and her family lived comfortably in their home on Mandana Boulevard near Lakeshore and the beautiful Lake Merritt.

Wene’s children all gave touching tributes to their mother and grandmother at her centennial birthday celebration recently. They all spoke of her ability to stabilize any adverse situation.

Wene said she was fortunate and blessed to have had a loving life partner in her husband, Dr. James A. Watson, for over 60 years. She also acknowledges the sweet friendship of Mr. Ray Dones, who brought happiness to her life after the passing of her dear husband.

After her retirement from her business in 1997, Wene reinvolved herself in the Links, where, as president, they first brought the Ebony Fashion Fair to Oakland, as well as the Oakland Museum where she spent 20 years playing a major role in ensuring African Americans were represented fairly and adequately.

Today, Wenefrett Cecelia Phillips Watson spends quiet moments as a resident of the Lake Park Independent Living Community surrounded by family and friends. She spends frequent moments with her loving son her children and grandchildren who have a range of talents, careers and accomplishments of their own as actors, models, lawyers and doctors.

At 100 years of age, she has survived one daughter, Janet Watson David; granddaughter Tiffany and grandson H. Geoffrey Watson, II.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Watershed Stewardship Pilot Project Workshop in Marin City

Don't Miss

Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan Dies After Being Struck by Car

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

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

2 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.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

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

1 week 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.