Bay Area

Black Voice News Publisher Paulette Brown-Hinds Awarded Stanford Fellowship

The fellowship affords her the time, Brown-Hinds says, to explore how to make the visualization tools and datasets needed for solutions-focused data reporting on racial justice accessible to the Black Press in California.

Published

5 years ago

August 19, 2021

Isabelle Price

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Paulette Brown-Hinds, publisher of the Black Voice News has been named one of 10 recipients of Stanford University’s John S. Knight (JSK) Fellowship.

The JSK Fellowship Program made the announcement August 4.

“As a lifelong learner, I’m excited to join the innovative cohort of journalism professionals — and especially excited to have access to some of Stanford’s finest minds and the JSK community of support as I work on my proposed project,” Brown Hinds said.

The JSK fellowship began in 1984 with a $4 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to provide a permanent endowment for the program. Their goal is to empower seasoned and emerging journalism leaders to close the information gap growing within minority communities. Fellows will receive stipends up to $75,000, advising on strategy and execution, cohort membership, and access to Stanford University resources.

“We’re thrilled by the wide range of experience levels, talents and types of local organizations around the U.S. that our new JSK Community Impact Fellows represent,” said JSK Director Dawn Garcia. “Their news and information projects will provide essential information to communities of people who are too often overlooked.”

With nearly 50 years of service to the Black community in Riverside County and surrounding areas, Black Voice News has been a family venture since Brown-Hinds parents, Hardy Brown and retired California Assemblymember Cheryl Brown became publishers in 1980. Brown-Hinds took over as publisher of the company in 2012 and has since focused on transitioning the print publication to a digital leader driven by what she describes as “solutions-based data journalism.”

During her 10-month fellowship, the information challenge Brown-Hinds proposed builds on the work of two Black Voice News data journalism focused initiatives: Mapping Black California and ‘DaHUB’, a data hub and content sharing platform currently in development.

Beyond the fellowship, Brown-Hinds is interested in providing assets for interested publishers.

“This includes a toolkit for news publishers on how to identify the right datasets, evaluate sources and translate statistics and numbers into meaningful narratives identifying solutions to systemic racism,” Brown Hinds says. “And drafting a playbook for Black media and Black community-based organizations interested in pursuing story collaborations utilizing data to solve community and systemic issues.

Isabelle Price

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Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

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4 days ago

March 7, 2026

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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

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1 week ago

March 1, 2026

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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

3 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.