Arts and Culture

Cascada de Flores Performs in Marin City Library

The Cascada de Flores concerts bring nostalgic songs and traditions of Mexico to the audience and allow them to express themselves. The ensemble also offers special programs such as Radio Flor, a creative concert set in an old-time radio format, as well as storytelling with song and dance for children of all ages, according to cascadadeflores.com

Published

1 year ago

October 14, 2023

Oakland Post

Top from left: Saúl Sierra-Alonso, Arwen Lawrence, Jamine Brook try out dancing with Jorge Liceaga. Bottom from left: Library staff members Amana Kondrashova and Jay Avalos dance, at the left side of photo, to the music of Cascada de Flores. Photo by Godfrey Lee.

By Godfrey Lee

The Marin City Library celebrated National Hispanic Heritage Month with the music of the Latin music group “Cascada de Flores,” which in Spanish means ‘cascade of flowers.’ Cascada de Flores performed on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Marin City Library at 164 Donahue St.

They will perform again on Sunday, Oct. 15, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Corte Madera Library, 707 Meadowsweet Dr. in Corte Madera.

The group members are Saúl Sierra-Alonso on bass, Arwen Lawrence on vocals, guitar, percussion, and dance, and Jorge Liceaga, vocalist and guitarist.

Lawrence toured with the Grammy-winning mariachi group Los Camperos de Nati Cano, which helped her deepen her love for Mexico’s musical language. She recorded and performed with them in venues such as the Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara and the Lincoln Center of New York.

Liceaga grew up in Mexico City and brought his first guitar with the money he’d earned shining shoes. Self-taught, he was later mentored by local legend Leonardo ‘El León’ Salas, who taught Jorge to ‘guasanguearla’ (play with that special Yucatecan swing). Liceaga also founded the Flamencos of Gitanerías (gypsy artists), giving him a raw and complicated education in flamenco, contributing to his special sensitivity as an accompanist.

Lawrence and Liceaga founded Cascada de Flores in San Francisco, CA in 1999. Cascada de Flores has since recorded four albums, collaborated in numerous projects, including theater and cinema, and toured several areas of the United States. In Mexico, they have been delightfully received in Mexico City, La Tasca in Jalapa, and in Oaxaca City. They even traveled to study with the Trovadores of Santiago de Cuba, according to cascadadeflores.com

Saúl Sierra-Alonso, the bass player, was born and raised in Mexico City, where he started playing professionally in 1990. As a San Francisco Bay Area resident since the fall of 1999, Sierra has performed, toured, or recorded with over 50 artists, including Poncho Sanchez and Pete Escovedo.

For the past 20 years, Sierra-Alonso has played with some of the leading bands in the Bay Area, including The John Santos Quintet/Sextet and The Bay Area Afro-Cuban All Stars.

Sierra-Alonso keeps himself busy performing, composing, arranging, and teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area. Two of his newest projects include The Saul Sierra Trio, a contemporary jazz fusion jazz trio, and The Saul Sierra Quintet, a piano-less Latin jazz quintet, according to saulsierra.com.

Sierra-Alonso is also a member of the California State University East Bay music faculty as the Latin Jazz Ensemble director.

Cascada de Flores is now a phenomenon cherished by the Latinos and non-Latino fans. Opening minds and hearts to the real stories of Mexico and Latin America has become this group’s unofficial mission.

Firmly committed to music and cultural education, Cascada de Flores has performed in over 1,000 schools and libraries, reaching over 500,000 children with their educational program.

They present a bilingual music and dance program for children in schools, libraries, and theaters such as Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, Herbst Theater in San Francisco, and the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose.

Members of Cascada de Flores also present ongoing bilingual classes and special workshops for children and families focused on traditional Latin American folk songs and Mexican traditional music and dance, according to cascadadeflores.com.

For more information, go to cascadadeflores.com.

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Activism

Golden State Warriors Program Is Inspiring Next Generation of Female Engineers

Breaking down barriers and biases that deter young girls from pursuing STEAM subjects is essential for creating a level playing field and ensuring equal opportunities for all. By challenging stereotypes and promoting a culture of inclusivity and diversity in STEAM fields, experts believe young girls can be empowered to pursue their interests and aspirations without limitations confidently. Encouraging mentorship, providing access to resources, and celebrating girls’ achievements in STEAM are all crucial steps in creating a supportive environment that fosters success.

Published

3 weeks ago

March 23, 2025

Oakland Post

Front Row: UC Berkeley Steel Bridge Team Back Row: Girls, Inc. Participants. Photo courtesy of the Golden State Warriors.

By Y’Anad Burrell

The Golden State Warriors and e-commerce giant Rakuten are joining forces to inspire the next generation of female engineers through Building STEAM Futures, part of The City Calls campaign.

Organizers say the initiative is founded on the idea that science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) are crucial fields for innovation and progress, and empowering young girls to pursue careers in these areas is more important than ever. Studies consistently show that girls are underrepresented in STEAM fields, resulting in a gender disparity that limits potential and hinders diversity.

On Saturday, March 8, International Women’s Day, the Warriors and Rakuten hosted 20 middle school girls from Girls Inc. of Alameda County at Chase Center’s Above the Rim for a hands-on bridge-building experience. The young girls from Girls, Inc. of Alameda County had an opportunity to design, build and test their own bridge prototypes and learn the fundamentals of bridge construction from the Engineering Alliance and the UC Berkeley Steel Bridge Team.

This STEAM experience for the girls followed the first session in January, where they took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Golden Gate Bridge, learning about its design and construction from industry experts. The City Calls campaign, tipped off with the unveiling the Warriors’ new bridge-themed City Edition jerseys and court design earlier this year.

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Arts and Culture

Beverly Lorraine Greene: A Pioneering Architect and Symbol of Possibility and Progress

Greene graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1936 with a degree in Architecture — a remarkable accomplishment for an African American woman at the time. She was never discouraged by the racial and gender discrimination that saturated her field.

Published

1 month ago

March 3, 2025

Oakland Post

Beverly Lorraine Greene. Public domain photo.

By Tamara Shiloh

In the mid-20th century, Beverly Lorraine Greene was recognized as the first African American woman licensed to practice architecture in the United States.

Greene was born on Oct. 4, 1915, in Chicago during an era when opportunities for African Americans, particularly women, were severely limited.

Her parents, James and Vera Greene, were deeply invested in her education, instilling in her a belief in the power of intellect and perseverance. She grew up during the Great Migration that transformed Chicago starting in 1900.

Greene continued her education, earning a master’s degree in City Planning and Housing in 1937, also from the University of Illinois. Her ambition was not merely to design structures but to shape spaces that fostered equity and community. In 1942, she became the first African American woman licensed as an architect in the United States, obtaining her credentials in Illinois. This groundbreaking achievement, however, did not translate immediately into job opportunities.

Early in her career, she faced significant discrimination from firms unwilling to hire a Black woman. However, her determination never wavered. In 1945, Beverly moved to New York City, a place she believed could offer broader professional opportunities.

She joined the architectural department of the New York City Housing Authority, focusing on affordable housing projects. Her work during this time reflected her commitment to using architecture as a tool for social justice, ensuring that marginalized communities had access to well-designed, dignified living spaces.

Greene’s talents soon drew the attention of prominent firms. She was hired by Isadore Rosenfield, a respected architect known for designing hospitals. She contributed to the design of healthcare facilities, including the modernization of Harlem Hospital. Her portfolio expanded in collaboration with architectural personalities such as Marcel Breuer and Edward Durell Stone.

Notably, she worked on the prestigious UNESCO headquarters in Paris — a landmark project that brought her skills to an international stage. Her involvement underscored her ability to navigate the intricacies of large-scale, global projects, proving that her talents transcended the limitations society sought to impose.

Greene’s career was tragically cut short when she passed away unexpectedly in 1957 at the age of 41. Though her life was brief, her impact was profound. She shattered entrenched barriers, paving the way for future generations of Black architects and women in the field.

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Activism

U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Lateefah Simon to Speak at Elihu Harris Lecture Series

The popular lecture series is co-produced by the Oakland-based Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center and Peralta Community College District. Jeffries’ appearance marks the 32nd lecture of the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series, which has provided thousands of individuals with accessible, free, high-quality information.

Published

2 months ago

February 19, 2025

Oakland Post

U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (left) and Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) (Right).

By Scott Horton

United States House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-8) will be a speaker at the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series on Friday, Feb. 21.

The event will be held at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, 10 Tenth Street in Oakland, at 7 p.m.

The popular lecture series is co-produced by the Oakland-based Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center and Peralta Community College District. Jeffries’ appearance marks the 32^nd lecture of the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series, which has provided thousands of individuals with accessible, free, high-quality information.

The overarching goal of the lecture series is to provide speakers from diverse backgrounds a platform to offer their answers to Dr. King’s urgent question, which is also the title of Jeffries’ latest book: “Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?”

In addition to Jeffries, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) will also speak.

“Certainly, now is a time for humanity, in general, and Americans in particular to honestly and genuinely answer Dr. King’s question,” said Dr. Roy D. Wilson, Executive Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center and Executive Producer of the lecture series.

“Dr. King teaches that time is neutral but not static. Like the water in a river, it arrives and then quickly moves on,” continued Wilson. “We must urgently create conditions for listening to many different answers to this vital question, and generate the development of unity of action among all those who struggle for a stronger democracy.”

In his book, Jeffries shares his experience of being unanimously elected by his colleagues as the first African American in history to ever hold the position of House Minority Leader.

In January 2023 in Washington, Jeffries made his first official speech as House Minority Leader. He affirmed Democratic values one letter of the alphabet at a time. His words and how he framed them as the alphabet caught the attention of Americans, and the speech was later turned into a book, The ABCs of Democracy, bringing Congressman Jeffries rousing speech to vivid, colorful life, including illustrations by Shaniya Carrington. The speech and book are inspiring and urgent as a timeless reminder of what it means to be a country with equal opportunities for all. Jeffries paints a road map for a brighter American future and warns of the perils of taking a different path.

Before his colleagues unanimously elected him Minority Leader in 2022, Jeffries previously served as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and as an Impeachment Manager during the first Senate trial of the 45th President of the United States.

Jeffries was born in Brooklyn Hospital, raised in Crown Heights, grew up in the Cornerstone Baptist Church and he is a product of New York City’s public school system, graduating from Midwood High School. Jefferies went on to Binghamton University (BA), Georgetown University (master’s in public policy) and New York University (JD).

He served in the New York State Assembly from 2007 to 2012.

Admission is free for the Feb. 21 Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series featuring Congressman Jeffries. Please reserve seats by calling the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center at (510) 434-3988.

Signed copies of his book will be available for purchase at the event.