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ILWU Local 10 Honors Angela Davis on Juneteenth

Willis, along with other Local 10 union officials, acknowledged Davis work as a professor and activist in the 1970s and 1980s and for standing up for freedom and union rights.

Published

5 years ago

July 2, 2021

Isabelle Price

Angela Davis speaks at the ILWU Local 10 Union Hall in San Francisco. Photo by Lee Hubbard

Trent Willis, president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 10, promised that his union would honor Angela Davis, the former college professor, feminist leader and former Black Panther leader, the first chance he got.

Last week, Willis lived up to his word, as he along with the ILWU local 10 union, honored Davis in a star-studded ceremony on Juneteenth at the longshoreman’s union hall, which sits alongside Fisherman’s Wharf.

Willis, along with other Local 10 union officials, acknowledged Davis work as a professor and activist in the 1970s and 1980s and for standing up for freedom and union rights.

“In 1972, we had the first rally by organized labor to call for the freedom of Angela Davis,” said Jack Heyman, a retired former ILWU Local 10 member and a long-time Bay Area labor activist.

“We have a long legacy that has been handed down to us, and it’s our responsibility to uphold,” said Willis. “Angela Davis reminds me of Muhammad Ali. She sacrificed everything in defense of her people.”

As a result of this, and her fight for organized labor, Willis and officials with ILWU Local 10, made her an honorary member. This honor has only been given to one other non-union member: Dr. Martin Luther King, who made a member in a 1967 ceremony at the union hall.

Willis was referring to Davis and her ordeal and trial in the 1970s. During the Soledad Brothers trial in 1970, a judge and three Black defendants were shot and killed as they were leaving a Marin County courthouse. The guns used were registered in Davis’ name and hours after the incident, the FBI issued a nationwide warrant for her and she was placed on the FBI’s most-wanted list.

She was later captured in New York and brought back to Marin, where she was held in jail for 16 months before being granted bail. In 1972, she was acquitted of the murder charges by an all-white jury after they deliberated for 13 hours. After her release, Davis would become an international speaker and a college professor at San Francisco State University and UC Santa Cruz.

As she was being honored, Davis acknowledged the significance of Juneteenth and it being made a federal holiday.

“Finally, there is a holiday to celebrate the defeat of slavery,” said Davis, as the crowd cheered. This wasn’t the first time,Davis spoke in front of ILWU members. She had been a speaker at the 2020 Juneteenth celebration in Oakland. She also spoke at the ILWU Labor May Day Celebration last month at San Francisco City Hall.

At the Union Hall, close to 300 people showed up to acknowledge Davis’ leadership and to also swear in new registered union members.

“Local 10 has been at the forefront of radical unionism my entire academic career,” continued Davis. “I want to thank you for consistency for leading the struggle. “I want to thank this union for fighting for my freedom. I want to thank you for refusing to unload South African cargo during apartheid. I want to thank you for refusing to unload cargo that came from Israel. This union has fought all the international movements I have been a part of. And I am privileged to be an honorary member of this local along with Dr. Martin Luther King. An injury to one, is an injury to all.”

Isabelle Price

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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

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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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

2 weeks 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.