Events
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday

Carolyn McKinstry, civil rights advocate and lifelong member of 16th Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., will deliver the keynote address at the 2019 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Birthday Celebration in Hayward on Jan. 21, 2019.
A witness to the Ku Klux Klan bombing on Sept. 15, 1963, McKinstry will bring to Hayward the rare perspective of being both a child of and an eyewitness to some of the most jarring aspects of the fight for civil rights by African Americans, a distinction noted by Publishers Weekly in a review of McKinstry’s 2011 memoir, “While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age During the Civil Rights Movement.”
McKinstry was among thousands of students hosed by firemen during the 1963 civil rights marches and survived a second bomb explosion that destroyed a large portion of her home in 1964. Decades later, she was a subpoenaed witness in the 2002 trial of Bob Cherry, who was one of three men subsequently convicted of the 1963 church bombing.
McKinstry is a native of Birmingham and was educated in its public schools. She is a graduate of Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn., and has received a Master of Divinity degree from Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Ala.
In addition to her keynote address, the King Birthday Celebration event, held annually on the Martin Luther King federal holiday, will feature presentation of an annual Community Award and performances by the Mount Eden High School Choir. It takes place starting at 4:30 p.m. at Reed L. Buffington Performing Arts Center, Chabot College, 25555 Hesperian Blvd., in Hayward.
The event is free and tickets are available on Eventbrite.
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Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025
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Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025
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Newsom, Pelosi Welcome Election of First American Pope; Call for Unity and Compassion
“In his first address, he reminded us that God loves each and every person,” said Newsom. “We trust that he will shepherd us through the best of the Church’s teachings: to respect human dignity, care for the poor, and wish for the common good of us all.” Newsom also expressed hope that the pontiff’s leadership would serve as a unifying force in a time of global instability.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media
Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom on May 8 issued a statement congratulating Pope Leo XIV on his historic election as the first American to lead the Catholic Church.
The announcement has drawn widespread reaction from U.S. leaders, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who called the moment spiritually significant and aligned with the values of service and social justice.
In their statement, the Newsoms expressed hope that the newly elected pope would guide the Church with a focus on compassion, dignity, and care for the most vulnerable. Newsom said he and the First Partner joined others around the world in celebrating the milestone and were encouraged by the pope’s first message.
“In his first address, he reminded us that God loves each and every person,” said Newsom. “We trust that he will shepherd us through the best of the Church’s teachings: to respect human dignity, care for the poor, and wish for the common good of us all.”
Newsom also expressed hope that the pontiff’s leadership would serve as a unifying force in a time of global instability.
“May he remind us that our better angels are not far away — they’re always within us, waiting to be heard,” he said.
Pelosi, a devout Catholic, also welcomed the pope’s election and noted his symbolic connection to earlier church leaders who championed workers’ rights and social equality.
“It is heartening that His Holiness continued the blessing that Pope Francis gave on Easter Sunday: ‘God loves everyone. Evil will not prevail,’” said Pelosi.
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