Bay Area

Black Chamber of Commerce Stands in Solidarity With Local Businesses on Diversity, Safety

Standing together as crime rises in Oakland, the five Oakland multicultural Chambers of Commerce, representing thousands of local and small businesses across our great city, stand united against hatred, misinformation, and divisive rhetoric.

Published

5 years ago

March 9, 2021

Mia Lane

Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce, joined the other four Chambers of Commerce in Oakland to announce a statement on March 4. We stand together to ensure our local businesses, residents and visitors feel safe, regardless of race, color, creed, gender, religion, origin, or sexual preference. Attached please see the whole statement.

親愛的屋崙華埠商會會員及商會之友:

屋崙華埠商會連同屋崙其他四家商會，在今日發表共同聲明。我們商會一向團結合作，無論種族、膚色、信念、性別、宗教、出身地、性取向，都盡力保障我們的商家、居民和訪客安全。以下是我們的聲明全文。

JOINT STATEMENT FROM OAKLAND AREA CHAMBERS

Five Chambers – One Oakland

Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce, Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, Oakland Latino Chamber of Commerce, Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce

We share the same mission – to nurture, support, and grow Oakland businesses of all sizes, encourage job creation for our local workforce, and enhance the quality of life for all Oaklanders. For well over 30 years, we have come together to sustain this collective mission and support each other – believing social solidarity lifts everyone toward a better future.

Over the past few weeks, the eyes of the local and national media have been fixated on our town. Unfortunately, the stories have focused on Oakland’s ever-increasing crime rates, particularly in Chinatown. We oppose any/all efforts to politicize or polarize our community – and will support efforts to keep our residents safe.

Our joint chambers work collaboratively in many civic areas including:

• Provide financial and technical assistance to local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Raise funds to support our city’s unsheltered residents and work collectively to create comprehensive strategies to combat homelessness.

• Raise emergency funds to support small businesses and community organizations.

• Support efforts to address racial economic equity among City contracts

• Partner, advocate and amplify the work of the BID Alliance – representing thousands of small businesses citywide.

• Support a local regulatory framework that grows jobs in our City for our residents.

We stand together to ensure our local businesses, residents and visitors feel safe, regardless of race, color, creed, gender, religion, origin, or sexual preference.

In order for our town to remain functional, it must rely on a web of mutuality and a willingness to share with each other – acknowledging no one person nor one group can do it alone.

City leaders, elected and appointed, must work together with each other and the business community to create and implement strategies that promote greater public safety in every community, increase economic stability and enhance the quality of life for all.

In the annual Pulse of Oakland poll, Oakland residents continually report that the thing they love most about Oakland is its diversity. Oakland embodies the best of America.

We are five chambers working to promote business sustainability, job creation as well as a safe and unified City for our residents.

We represent ONE OAKLAND.

Cathy Adams

President | CEO

Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce,

CONTACT:

Cathy Adams, Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce, cathy@oaacc.org

Jessica Chen, Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, oaklandctchambered@gmail.com

Joe Partida, Oakland Latino Chamber of Commerce, joepartidabenefits@yahoo.com

Barbara Leslie, Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, bleslie@oaklandchamber.com

Dr. Jennifer Tran, Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce, jennkimanh@gmail.com

Mia Lane

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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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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.