Activism

Book Review: Slavery after Slavery

In the years after the end of the Civil War, some Southern former slave owners refused to accept that slavery was over, and the courts often sided with them. In particular, under habeas corpus, Black children were sometimes taken from their parents and placed into an “apprenticeship,” which was another word for “slavery” then. Berry estimates that more than two million 10-to-19-year-olds were trapped in this way for years.

Published

1 year ago

January 25, 2025

Oakland Post

Historian and Attorney Mary Frances Berry. Slavery after Slavery Book Cover. Courtesy of Beacon Press.

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

Author: Mary Frances Berry, c.2024, Beacon Press, $27.95

Your kids will have a better life than you had.

You’ll make sure of it, saving for their education, demanding excellence from them, requiring discipline, and offering support for their dreams and desires. Their success is your dream and, as parents did in the new book “Slavery after Slavery” by Mary Frances Berry, you’ll fight to see that it happens.

Here, she shares the stories of many of them.

In late 1865, Nathan and Jenny Cox lost their five children to their former “master,” who also took seven other children by persuading a local magistrate to let him apprentice the kids. As time passed, some of the children took their former owner’s last name as their own which, in effect, erased their family’s history.

When six-year-old Mary Cannon was in danger of being apprenticed, a White woman came to her defense. Ultimately, the courts sided with Mary’s benefactor and the girl was returned to her parents to live on their former enslaver’s plantation.

Hepsey Saunders tried to leave her former owner’s plantation, but he “refused to let her take the children” that were born when she was enslaved. Though the theft of her children happened in 1865, the story lingered over a span of decades.

In most of the cases Berry cites, the families – with or without the return of their children – remained uneducated, unhealthy, and under discrimination. Imagine, she says, that these former slaves had had a chance to control their own lives. Imagine, she says, “if these Black people were permitted to pursue the American Dream.”

While it may seem that “Slavery after Slavery” is a historical narrative, that’s not all you’ll get if you tackle this skinny book.

When reading the stories inside, readers may struggle to keep track of what’s told. The accounts are a bit repetitious and each one packs a lot of names, legal decisions, court rulings, and places, some of which nearly require a law degree and all of which demand full attention. That can be overwhelming, unless you shut the door and avoid any distraction.

Berry uses these stories to point out lasting damage done to many Black families, which is essential info for readers to ponder. She goes further to argue that what happened to the two million children is reason enough for reparations, which makes a good argument, but it’s sometimes misplaced inside the flow of this book.

Still, readers will agree that the accounts Berry uncovered have been hidden too long, and shedding light on them is essential. “Slavery after Slavery” educates and could help enrichen conversations – and arguments – about the injustices and ongoing legacy of slavery.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Conscious Reflection: Black Caucus Observes MLK Day Amid California Firestorms

Don't Miss

“We Mean Business”: Reparations Supporters Return to State Capitol for Day of Advocacy

Oakland Post

Click to comment

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.