Activism

Fund Launched to Aid “Cherished” Black Communities Impacted by Fires

For thousands of displaced Black residents like those mentioned by McKenzie, the road to rebuild is just beginning. Historic and systemic inequities add hurdles to the prospect of rebuilding. The Black LA Relief & Recovery Fund seeks to address those critical challenges so Black communities can return, reclaim, and rebuild. The days, months, and years ahead will require hope, healing, and our collective resources to recover. 

Published

1 year ago

January 25, 2025

Oakland Post

Marc Philpart, Executive Director of the California Black Freedom Fund, emphasized that every legislator and the Governor of California should support the coalition's efforts. (File photo by Antonio Ray Harvey, CBM)

By Edward Henderson and Charlene Muhammad, California Black Media

The California Black Freedom Fund (CBFF) and California Community Foundation have partnered to launch the Black LA Relief & Recovery Fund to support community organizations on the ground working to meet the immediate and long-term needs of Black communities displaced by the wildfires. The fund will particularly benefit residents of Altadena, an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County that has historically been a haven for Black homeowners who could not at one point buy homes elsewhere because of redlining.

“Over the last few days, we have gained a better sense of how expansive the devastation was, and we decided we needed to take action,” Marc Philpart, CEO of CBFF told California Black Media.

“Black families that had settled in that region really did so because those were the only regions that they could settle in, so we wanted to be a part of helping those individuals who were impacted find some relief and begin to start the long road to recovery.”

The recent fires in Los Angeles County have claimed 25 lives, burned over 40,000 acres of land, forced more than 150,000 people to evacuate and caused nearly $275 billion in damages.

Historically Black communities in Altadena and Pasadena have been hit particularly hard by this disaster.

Patrice Marshall McKenzie, a representative of Pasadena Unified School District 5, spoke with California Black Media about the scale of the devastation.

“I am blessed that my immediate home, is not threatened, but I cannot begin to count the number of people whose homes are,” McKenize said. “We are really working to support families, standing up locations to provide food to families, providing childcare resources to parents who still have to go to work and being able to support the needs of our students while they’re unable to be on campus full time.”

McKenzie highlighted the need for donations for many of the displaced individuals living in hotels.

“In the wake of these devastating fires, we can’t just rebuild. We must ensure communities heal and flourish for generations to come. This is about more than recovery. It’s about restoring the heart and soul of neighborhoods that hold so much history, culture, and promise,” said Miguel Santana, President and CEO of the California Community Foundation said in a statement.

Money raised by the fund will go to 12 grassroots organizations vetted by CBFF that are on the frontlines of the disaster, giving aid, counseling, housing, food rations, and other services to those most in need in the Pasadena and Altadena area.

“We’re in a prime position to support them,” said Philpart. “Many of these organizations have been starved. They haven’t had the investment that’s necessary for them to be able to do the work that’s needed in this critical moment.”

For more information or to make a donation to the Black LA Relief & Recovery Fund, please visit https://www.pledge.to/BlackLA or text BlackLA to 707070.

Oakland Post

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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.