Bay Area

Felecia Gaston Publishes New Book on Marin City

Felecia Gaston, the founder and director of Performing Stars of Marin, and The Marin City Historical and Preservation Society, will be promoting her new book, “a brand new start…this is home – The Story of World War II Marinship and the Legacy of Marin City.” Gaston will be in conversation with Cheryl Popp on Tuesday, April 25 at 6:00 p.m. at Sausalito Books by The Bay, 100 Bay St. in Sausalito.

Published

3 years ago

April 28, 2023

Oakland Post

Cover of book, left, and portrait of Felecia Gaston, right, at the Bartolini Gallery. Photo courtesy of Felecia Gaston.

By Godfrey Lee

Gaston will be in conversation with Cheryl Popp on Tuesday, April 25 at 6:00 p.m. at Sausalito Books by The Bay, 100 Bay St. in Sausalito.

“A brand new start…this is home” is a commemorative book for the Marin City 80 celebration, and includes “historical images, excerpts of oral histories, archival news, headlines and documents that have been previously published,” said Gaston.

It reveals the untold stories, experiences, and what the Black people in Marin City had endured for 80 years, and highlights the community’s dignity, character, and pride from the 1940s to the present.

The book also talks about the “influences and infringements from outsiders who have historically and continue to impose their vision for the community…and portrays the strength and tenacity of local advocates who wanted to decide their destiny,”

The book begins by casting back to the original inhabitants, the Coast Miwok Indians to the Azorean Portuguese of Southern Marin, Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor leading to the United States entry into WWII, the Bechtel Corporation’s contract to build the Liberty ships, and the people from near and far who did the work.

Gaston writes about the Marin Housing Authority building temporary homes in 1942, the beginning of a community in Marin City, outside developers, the Ku Klux Klan’s cross burning in Marin City, what the Marin Civic Center was proposing for the future of the land in Marin City in 1952, and how people such as Supervisor Vera Schultz, Mary Summers, Aaron Green, Lawrence Livingston, Jr., Lawrence Halprin, and John Carl Warnecke help to plan and shape Marin City.

The book references Marin City’s Black business owners from 1950s to the present, a professional sports archive, local entertainment groups, and individual entertainers such as George Duke, Tupac Amaru Shakur, Rap Group 51.50 Illegally Insane, and Evard “Avar the Star” Auxila.

The book narrative continues with the legacy of the Black Panthers in Marin City, Geronimo Pratt, the Marin City Community Festivals from 1975 to 1989, the Blues, the Jazz & Soul Festivals in The Park from 1998 to 2012, the Tuskegee Airmen and Veterans’ Day Celebrations, George “Rocky” Graham Park of 2015, Golden Gate Village in 2017, and the Trump Caravan, coronavirus pandemic, George Floyd protests, and the U.S. Census in 2020.

Gaston writes that Marin City community has tackled the “interconnected issues of systemic racism, housing inequity, gentrification, the collapse of the middle class, and (its) resilience.”

She says that after celebrating Marin City’s 80^th birthday, now is time introduce the Marin City Historical and Preservation Society in order to recognize her legacy, preserve her history and “contribute to the community’s growing vitality, richly deserved by the many residents who have invested deeply in this unique historical enclave.”

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

2 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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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.