Activism

COMMENTARY: The World Needs More Voices of Peace and Love

In these times, our focused attention on life and death history in the world can only be interrupted by more history. That’s what happened when we paused last week for a major breakthrough for democracy in America. Ketanji Brown Jackson is the new 116th Associate Supreme Court Justice of the United States.

Published

4 years ago

April 19, 2022

Oakland Post

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a talk show on www.amok.com

Emil hosts “Emil Amok’s Takeout,” at 2 p.m. Pacific on Facebook; his YouTube Channel; and Twitter. Catch the recordings on www.amok.com.

By Emil Guillermo

The killing will not be paused for the holy days.

And so, the cities of Bucha and Kramatorsk and Mariupol must be top of mind as the war crimes and atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine command the focus of the free world.

It’s the kind of violence that overshadows all. Not just globally, but in our nation and cities. Six people were killed in Sacramento in a nightclub shooting two weeks ago. Didn’t hear about it? Too local compared with tens of thousands of people killed in Ukraine. Not unless it’s a subway shooting in New York. And then the media capital can’t resist.

In these times, our focused attention on life and death history in the world can only be interrupted by more history.

That’s what happened when we paused last week for a major breakthrough for democracy in America.

Ketanji Brown Jackson is the new 116th Associate Supreme Court Justice of the United States.

The Good History

By a 53-47 vote, the high-water mark of bipartisanship in our dismally divided country, Jackson has been confirmed by the Senate and will take Justice Stephen Breyer’s seat upon his retirement this June.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D.-Ill.) set the scene before the historic vote.

Of 115 who served on the court, there have been just five women, two Blacks, and no Black women, said Leahy.

It was the definition of the privilege of white supremacy in our history.

No one has looked like Ketanji Brown Jackson Not on the highest court in the land.

Durbin added more historical context. When the Supreme Court first met in the Capitol in 1801, he pointed out there were 1 million enslaved people in a nation of 5 million people. And neither Blacks nor white women had a constitutional right to vote. Black women had no place in the court, and could only come in at night to clean, he said.

Durbin briefly touched on the evolution of America, from the bloody Civil War to the decades-long efforts to break down racial barriers.

And now a new chapter.

“And that chapter begins with three letters, KBJ,” said Durbin. “Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation to the highest court in the land.”

Durbin then recalled how in that week, 54 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King was shot and killed in Memphis. He quoted from King’s speech at the Mason Temple on April 3, 1968: “I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the promise land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promise land.”

And now, in a way, we have. But we have still some work to do.

Oakland Remembers April 4

If you were at an Oakland Public Library on April 4, you know Dr. King was remembered for another speech he gave in 1967. At New York City’s Riverside Church, King delivered words that merged the peace movement with the Civil Rights Movement.

King was concerned that Blacks and whites were fighting and dying together in Vietnam “for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools.”

And then he connected violence there with the violence at home.

“I knew I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government,” said King. “I cannot be silent.”

We need that voice again today.

King called for a “genuine revolution of values,” a call for “world-wide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one’s tribe, race, class, nation.” It is “a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all men.” And King saw it not as a sign of weakness, but one that has “become an absolute necessity for the survival of man.”

Where are the voices for peace and love today?

At some point, fighting wars with sanctions has nothing to do with peace, and everything to do with a more acceptable instrument of war. Will sanctions get Putin to peace talks? Not before he shells entire towns and kills thousands of people.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is arming up Ukraine, feeding a DIY war that it insists it isn’t fighting. Is it enough to say the West is less irrational than Putin?

Maybe this Easter, we’ll hear more people talk about MLK’s anti-war speech.

Yes, Vietnam is not Ukraine. But U.S. restraint is motivated by avoiding boots on the ground. Not about avoiding needless death. Just this week tens of thousands have died in Ukraine. There are the mass graves in Bucha. The missile attack of the train station in Kramatorsk. The near destruction of the city of Mariupol with the civilian death toll estimated in the thousands.

The holy days are upon us. We must begin to hear voices for peace.

Note: Emil hosts “Emil Amok’s Takeout,” at 2 p.m. Pacific on Facebook; his YouTube Channel; and Twitter. Catch the recordings on www.amok.com.

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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

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.