Barbara Lee

Black Women in Politics Kick off Oakland East Bay Democratic Club’s Black History Month Event

Congresswoman Barbara Lee kicked off the Club’s celebration by sharing her memories and reflections about Hon. Shirley Chisholm who died in January of 2005. Since Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress, there have only been 20 Black women elected to Congress in the history of this country. According to Lee, Chisholm had deep ties to the Bay Area and had also attended Lee’s victory party when she won her election in 1996.

Published

3 years ago

February 13, 2022

Oakland Post

U.S. Representative Barbara Lee. Facebook photo.

By Post Staff

On Feb. 5, 2022, the Oakland East Bay Democratic Club kicked off Black History Month with presentations by a trio of Black women.

The meeting started with greetings from Congresswoman Barbara Lee, followed by Assemblywoman Mia Bonta and ended with a report from civil rights attorney Pamela Price on the upcoming Alameda County District Attorney election.

Lee kicked off the Club’s celebration by sharing her memories and reflections about Hon. Shirley Chisholm who died in January of 2005.

Since Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress, there have only been 20 Black women elected to Congress in the history of this country. According to Lee, Chisholm had deep ties to the Bay Area and had also attended Lee’s victory party when she won her election in 1996.

Lee also shared information about a video project she has been working on to celebrate the accomplishments of Dr. Ralph Bunche who was the first Black person to earn a PhD in political science from an American university in 1934. He became an internationally recognized diplomat who served at the United Nations for decades, successfully handling difficult diplomatic assignments around the world. Bunche was the first Black person or person of African descent to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950.

A committed sponsor of House Resolution 40 (H.R.40), Lee talked about the bill to establish a commission to study and consider a national apology and proposal for reparations for the effects of slavery and subsequent racial and economic discrimination against African‑Americans, the impact of these forces on living African‑Americans and make recommendations to the Congress on appropriate remedies.

District 19 State Assemblywoman Mia Bonta. Facebook photo.

California Assemblywoman Mia Bonta followed Lee with a report on the crisis facing the Oakland Unified School District and her efforts to help resolve it. She shared her efforts to pass legislation for re-entry services to help reduce the numbers of people returning to prison. She is also working on legislation to change the California Penal Code to allow public access to police records in civilian review boards.

Alameda County D.A. candidate Pamela Price. Facebook photo.

Civil rights attorney Pamela Price updated the Club on the Alameda County District Attorney election coming up in June 2022. Price noted that the Alameda County Santa Rita Jail is the fifth-largest county jail in the United States, and that a Black person here is 20 times more likely to be incarcerated than a white person. She shared the racial statistics and the explosive increase in the number of Black women incarcerated in California. She also shared statistical data from the Alameda County D.A.’s 2019-2020 budget report.

Price shared the colorful history of civil rights attorney Bob Treuhaft, who ran for District Attorney against J. Francis Coakley in 1966. That race for was the last time prior to Price’s run in 2018 that voters had more than one choice for D.A. In Price’ recounting, she described the close relationships Treuhaft had with the late Supervisor John George and Dr. Maya Angelou.

In fact, his law partner, Doris Brin Walker, worked on the defense team to free Angela Davis in 1972.

As a candidate for D.A. in the June 7 primary, Price also shared some of her proposed solutions to address the racial, gender and economic disparities in the Alameda County criminal justice system, the corruption in the D.A.’s office, and her vision to increase accountability and public safety.

The Oakland East Bay Democratic Club (OEBDC) was founded in the 1940s to establish Black political self‑determination by organizing grassroots coalitions of African Americans.

Today’s Club leaders remain committed to the original vision while maintaining a vibrant multi‑cultural identity and advocating for political engagement of every resident of East Oakland. The Club is one of several legacy clubs chartered by the Alameda County Democratic Party.

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Barbara Lee

WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries Kick Off Season with Community Programs in Oakland

“The Golden State Valkyries are more than a team—they’re a movement,” said Oakland Interim-Mayor Kevin Jenkins. “Their touchdown in Oakland marks a new era of opportunity, inspiration, and equity in sports. This partnership reflects our city’s deep commitment to uplifting women, investing in youth, and building a community where every dream has a place to grow. We’re proud to welcome the Valkyries to The Town.”

Published

2 weeks ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

The Valkyries came to Oakland City Hall with a “Hoopbus.” Present were (from left to right): City Councilmembers Noel Gallo, Rebecca Kaplan, Zac Unger and Rowena Brown; Oakland Mayor-elect Barbara Lee, Valkyries President Jess Smith, a Valkyries team representative and Deputy Mayor LaNiece Jones. Photo courtesy Rebecca Kaplan’s office.

Team installs new nets at playgrounds, holds flag-raisings at City Halls in Oakland and S.F.

Special to The Post

The Golden State Valkyries brought the excitement of their inaugural season to every corner of the Bay Area with a full slate of community celebrations leading up to their historic home-opener against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Friday.

The week featured flag-raising ceremonies at city halls in Oakland and San Francisco, three “Violet Net” installation days at Oakland parks to encourage basketball play, fun “Hoopbus” takeovers at multiple schools presented by Kaiser Permanente, and player appearances.

In total, 90 violet nets were installed on 45 basketball courts across 34 public parks throughout Oakland this week. A list of the parks receiving violet nets can be found at Valkyries.com.

About the Golden State Valkyries

The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA affiliate of the seven-time NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, were announced as the 13th WNBA franchise on Oct. 5, 2023. According to Norse mythology, Valkyries are a host of warrior women who are fearless and unwavering – flying through air and sea alike.

This brand is Golden State’s modern interpretation of Valkyries: strong, bold, and fierce. Tipping off during the 2025 WNBA season, the team is headquartered in Oakland and will play home games at Chase Center in San Francisco. For Golden State Valkyries’ assets, including team logos, visit valkyries.com.

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Activism

New Oakland Moving Forward

This week, several socially enterprising members of this group visited Oakland to explore ways to collaborate with local stakeholders at Youth Empowerment Partnership, the Port of Oakland, Private Industry Council, Oakland, Mayor-elect Barbara Lee, the Oakland Ballers ownership group, and the oversight thought leaders in the Alameda County Probation Department.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Post Staff

Since the African American Sports and Entertainment Group purchased the City of Oakland’s share of the Alameda County Coliseum Complex, we have been documenting the positive outcomes that are starting to occur here in Oakland.

Some of the articles in the past have touched on actor Blair Underwood’s mission to breathe new energy into the social fabric of Oakland. He has joined the past efforts of Steph and Ayesha Curry, Mistah Fab, Green Day, Too Short, and the Oakland Ballers.

This week, several socially enterprising members of this group visited Oakland to explore ways to collaborate with local stakeholders at Youth Empowerment Partnership, the Port of Oakland, Private Industry Council, Oakland, Mayor-Elect Barbara Lee, the Oakland Ballers ownership group, and the oversight thought leaders in the Alameda County Probation Department.

These visits represent a healthy exchange of ideas and plans to resuscitate Oakland’s image. All parties felt that the potential to impact Oakland is right in front of us. Most recently, on the back side of these visits, the Oakland Ballers and Blair Underwood committed to a 10-year lease agreement to support community programs and a community build-out.

So, upward and onward with the movement of New Oakland.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Oakland Post Endorses Barbara Lee

Barbara Lee will be able to unify the city around Oakland’s critical budget and financial issues, since she will walk into the mayor’s office with the support of a super majority of seven city council members — enabling her to achieve much-needed consensus on moving Oakland into a successful future.

Published

2 months ago

April 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Courtesy photo, Office of Rep. Barbara Lee.

Former Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Courtesy photo.

As we end the celebration of Women’s History Month in Oakland, we endorse Barbara Lee, a woman of demonstrated historical significance. In our opinion, she has the best chance of uniting the city and achieving our needs for affordable housing, public safety, and fiscal accountability.

As a former small business owner, Barbara Lee understands how to apply tools needed to revitalize Oakland’s downtown, uptown, and neighborhood businesses.

It is notable that many of those who fought politically on both sides of the recent recall election battles have now laid down their weapons and become brothers and sisters in support of Barbara Lee. The Oakland Post is pleased to join them.