Education

Facing an Angry Community, Charter School Decides Not to Move to McClymonds

Published

8 years ago

March 2, 2017

The Oakland Unified School District was moving ahead with a proposal to place a charter school with middle age children on the McClymonds High School campus in West Oakland.

But after parents and community members came out in force to a meeting last week to object to the co-location plan – some pledging they would go to jail before letting their campus be taken over – the charter school quickly withdrew its request for space on the McClymonds campus.

Valerie Goode, deputy chief of OUSD communications and public affairs, told the Post this week that the deal was off, that the American Indian Models Schools (AIMS) charter school organization had withdrawn its request for facilities at McClymonds.

“As of March 1, the charter school requesting facility space at McClymonds has withdrawn. Therefore, there is no longer any charter school request for facility space that will be at McClymonds,” said Goode.

“The district will not be co-locating a charter school at McClymonds for the 2017-18 school year,” she said.

Sylvester Hodges, a former school board member and president of the McClymonds alumni centennial committee, AIMS had realized that there was no way their school would open at McClymonds.

“They got the message. They were picking on the wrong high school, no doubt about it,” said Hodges.

It doesn’t matter what the school district says the state law requires it to do, Hodges said. “This is not going to happen where the community stands up a for their school.”

“There are a number of us who are willing to go to jail if necessary,” said Hodges. “It’s a great school, but they are not welcome. They are not going to be put in a private school in with the public school.

“If they get their head in the door, they will take over,” he said.

The AIMS charter school office did not respond to the Post’s questions.

At a meeting in a classroom at McClymonds last Thursday evening, a district representative came out to explain that the American Indian Models Schools, made up of several charter schools in Oakland, was requesting space for a middle school at McClymonds.

The representative was there to explain that the school, based on enrollment and square footage of space at the school, would have to make room for the charter. Under a state law called Prop. 39, the district says it is required to give the space to charters that request it.

The turnout was huge. Members of the McClymonds community stood along the walls and listened from outside in the hallway, and they quickly took over the meeting.

“They were there to express their displeasure with the Oakland school board that has done nothing to improve that school since 2007,” said “Coach” Ben Tapscott, a school activist who helped form the New McClymonds Committee in 2011.

“People were saying, ‘We don’t want any damned charter school over there. We want our school fixed,’” he said.

According to Tapscott, the district has closed five schools in West Oakland, forcing parents to send to send their children to other parts of the city to attend middle school.

With no middle schools feeding into McClymonds High, enrollment has fallen drastically. Despite these obstacles, enrollment is gradually rebuilding, said Tapscott.

Trish Gorham, president of the Oakland Education Association (OEA), said she was not surprised that the AIMS charter school withdrew its request for space at McClymonds.

“They don’t want the grief of the resistance they will get from parents and the community. So they backed down,” she said.

“I think we’re going to see this kind of resistance more and more.”

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Art

A Prolific Painter: Artist and Advocate Lois Mailou Jones

Lois Mailou Jones was a prominent African American artist whose career spanned more than seven decades, from the Harlem Renaissance to the modern art movement. She was not only a prolific painter but also an influential educator, bridging cultural gaps and challenging stereotypes through her vibrant and diverse works.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of National Archives, Washington, D.C.

By Tamara Shiloh

Her unique journey of self-expression, dedication to art, and advocacy for African American and African themes made her a crucial figure in the evolution of American art.

Jones was born on Nov. 3, 1905, in Boston. Raised in an intellectual and supportive family, she demonstrated an early interest in art, encouraged by her mother, who believed in the importance of creativity. Lois studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she faced racial challenges but persisted in pursuing her passion.

Her pursuit of higher education led her to the prestigious Design Art School, where she perfected her skills in textile design. Later, Jones attended Harvard University and received further training at the Académie Julian in Paris. This European experience greatly influenced her style and broadened her perspective on art.

Jones’s career began in textile design, creating works that were used by leading textile companies. However, her true passion was painting. During the Harlem Renaissance, she moved away from textile design to focus on fine art, exploring themes that reflected her heritage and the African diaspora.

Her early works were influenced by European Post-Impressionism, featuring landscapes and still life, but Jones’s style evolved over time. After spending time in Haiti, she was deeply inspired by Caribbean culture, and her palette became more vivid, her subject matter more symbolic. The influence of African and Caribbean culture is evident in her later works, where she used bright colors and geometric patterns to convey the spirit and stories of the people she encountered.

Her contributions to African American art were significant during a time when Black artists struggled for recognition. She often focused on themes of African heritage, pride, and unity, blending African illustrations and portraits with Western artistic techniques to create a unique visual language that celebrated Black culture.

She was also a dedicated educator. She began her teaching career at Palmer Memorial Institute in North Carolina and later became a professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she taught for almost 50 years. Through her teaching, she influenced generations of young Black artists, encouraging them to explore and express their cultural heritage through art.

In the 1930s and 1940s, she worked to exhibit her work alongside other Black artists, helping to create a platform for voices that had long been excluded from mainstream galleries.

Recognition and Legacy

Jones achieved significant recognition throughout her lifetime, both in the United States and internationally. She exhibited her work across the globe, including in Paris, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Jones continued painting until her death in 1998, leaving behind a rich legacy of artistic achievements and contributions to art education. She broke boundaries by celebrating Black identity and heritage at a time when these themes were often marginalized.

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California Black Media

New California Law Will Protect Students During Extreme Weather

On Sept. 22, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will protect students from extreme weather conditions by requiring the California Department of Education to develop guidelines for school districts to implement during weather patterns harmful to student health. Authored by Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger), “Yahushua’s Law” or Senate Bill 1248 addresses an extreme heat-related fatality in Lake Elsinore. During the summer of 2023, a student died after participating in physical education suffered extreme heat-related illness.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Yahushua Robinson

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On Sept. 22, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will protect students from extreme weather conditions by requiring the California Department of Education to develop guidelines for school districts to implement during weather patterns harmful to student health.

Authored by Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger), “Yahushua’s Law” or Senate Bill 1248 addresses an extreme heat-related fatality in Lake Elsinore. During the summer of 2023, a student died after participating in physical education suffered extreme heat-related illness.

“No student should ever lose their life on campus to extreme weather when we can take steps to protect them by preparing statewide plans to minimize exposure to the most harmful elements of exposure,” Sen. Hurtado stated last Spring. “I commend the family of Yahushua Robinson, the twelve-year student who lost his life due to heat related illness during on-campus physical education, for lending their emotional strength and compassion for others in order to help ensure that no other student loses their life this way.”

Supporters of the legislation say the lack of uniform guidelines and protocols across schools and school districts in California intensifies the issue, creating an urgent need for safeguards to ensure student safety during extreme weather conditions.

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California Black Media

More Than 1.2 Million Youth Pre-Registered to Vote, Secretary of State Weber Announced

Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber announced on Sept. 26 that more than 1.2 million young people between the ages of 16 and 17-years-old have pre-registered to vote since the state launched the initiative in September 2016. The state program automatically activates voter registration for pre-registered youth when they turn 18 years of age.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber. Photo Courtesy of ShirleyWeber.com.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Weber, who has visited dozens of high schools across the state to promote voting initiatives, said that students are eager to vote and look forward to casting their first ballot, and “the numbers back them up.”

“Young Californians want to be engaged, active participants in our democracy and they can position themselves to do so by preregistering to vote,” said Weber.

Weber said that she is committed to encouraging young people to pre-register to vote, adding that she looks forward to partnering with the California Department of Education, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, school officials, and leaders of community-based organizations to expand this effort.

According to Weber’s office, approximately 42% of young voters are registered Democrats, while over 13% are registered Republicans. Another 35% of young voters registered as having “no party preference.”

For more information, Californians can visit the online pre-registration website at www.RegisterToVote.ca.gov. Registration is open to residents who are 16 or 17 and meet all the following criteria:

A United States citizen and a resident of California.
18 years old or older on Election Day.
Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony
Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court.

More information about pre-registration for California youth can be found at sos.ca.gov/elections/pre-register-16-vote-18.

Upcoming key deadlines and dates for the November 5, 2024, General Election can be found at here.

Plus, visit http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/statewide-elections/2024-primary/section-08-general-election-calendar.pdf to view a complete California General Election Calendar with more voting details and updates.