Activism

Community Fights to Keep Parker Elementary Open as ‘Liberated’ Community School

The community plan is to “liberate” the school and reopen the school as Parker Community Schools. “We will have resources, programs and classes by and for the community,” according to a flier produced by Parker supporters. “OUSD will call this an ‘illegal occupation,’ but we know this is an effort to decolonize our schools and return them to Black and Brown communities they belong to,” the flier said.

Published

4 years ago

May 29, 2022

Oakland Post

Supporters of Parker Elementary School in East Oakland picket in front of the school April 29 during one-day teacher/Longshore worker strike to protest school closings and privatization of public property in Oakland. Photo courtesy of Oaklandside.

By Ken Epstein

Parents, teachers and community members are refusing to accept the decision of the Oakland school board, district administrators and state officials who are backing them up to permanently close Parker Elementary School in East Oakland after the school year ends this week.

“OUSD will call this an ‘illegal occupation,’ but we know this is an effort to decolonize our schools and return them to Black and Brown communities they belong to,” the flier said.

Despite public outrage, hunger strikes, student-led walkouts, community marches and a one-day Unfair Labor Practice strike by Oakland teachers, the Oakland Unified School District is moving ahead with its decision to close 11 schools this year and next year. Four schools, including Parker, are set to close or consolidate at the end of this school year.

Parker has a 100-year history and currently serves a population that is 51% Black, 36% Latino and 89% low income.

Since the state takeover of the district in 2003, the district has already permanently closed more than 20 schools, mostly in Black and Latinx flatland neighborhoods, acting under pressure from state Democrats and a state-funded agency, the Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistance Team (FCMAT).

After the district closes the school this week, “On (Saturday,) May 28 we’re going to reopen as Parker Community School. The idea is to continue this fight and to make sure that this property and this piece of land stays public and stays in the neighborhood for community members,” said Azalinah Tambu, a parent of two children who attend Parker, speaking May 12 at a meeting of Schools and Labor Against Privatization (S.L.A.P), a coalition formed recently by school communities and the longshore workers in ILWU Local 10.

Tambu explained that Parker is an area of East Oakland “that lacks a lot of public resources.”

“Most of our kids walk to school,” she said. “We don’t have any other K-8 schools in the area. We don’t have a lot of rec centers, we don’t have a lot of groceries, we don’t have a lot of anything over there. So, to take a loss — like a school — is a loss that we just can’t afford to take.”

Tambu continued, “A couple of months ago if someone had told me that we could show up to board meetings and run a board member out of here, Shanthi Gonzales (who resigned recently under pressure), I wouldn’t have believed it.”

“If someone told me we could make a districtwide strike with Port (workers), I wouldn’t have believed it.”

“I didn’t know it was possible. But you guys (people in S.L.A.P.) taught me about something called ‘people power,’” she said.

“We can’t do this alone. It’s going to take something that you guys showed me. It’s going to take people power,” Tambu said.

Parker parent Rochelle Jenkins added, “We have to do everything we can and use everything we know how to use to continue to stay in the fight against school closures, the fight against gentrification and the fight for our men, women and children in our community.”

Parker supporters and other public-school advocates are holding a re-opening celebration on Saturday, May 28 with food, performers and speakers. For more information go to Linktr.ee/ParkerForThePeople

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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.