Barbara Lee

IN MEMORIAM: Legendary Journalist Gail Berkley Dies at 74

East Bay Congresswoman Barbara Lee also remembered her longtime friend. “My prayers and condolences go to the family and loved ones of Gail Berkley-Armstrong. Gail was an institution in Bay Area journalism,” Lee said. “She wrote about and lifted up the Black community for decades, including as the editor of the Oakland Post and most recently at the Sun-Reporter.”

Published

3 years ago

January 5, 2022

Oakland Post

Gail Berkley-Armstrong with husband Ray Armstrong

She Worked for Black Press for Over 48 Years

By Evan Carlton Ward, San Francisco Sun-Reporter

Gail Cordelia Berkley-Armstrong, legendary awarding-winning Bay Area journalist and Sun-Reporter editor, has died after a lengthy illness. She was 74.

She was born Jan. 5, 1947, in Berkeley, California. She attended Berkeley public schools and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. She passed away peacefully in Oakland on Dec. 26, 2021, surrounded by family.

The veteran journalist was committed to the mission of the Black Press of America, whose motto is – “Too long have others spoken for us…we wish to plead our own cause.”

“I truly enjoy my work at the Sun-Reporter, helping to be sure the news and information important to the African American community is available to our readers each week,” she said. “It is critical that the voices, perspectives and opinions of our community, the leaders and citizens working for change have an outlet in the Bay Area. It is equally important to highlight the milestones and contributions of those too often left unrecognized in other media.”

Sun-Reporter Publisher and friend Amelia Ashley-Ward called Berkley-Armstrong a quiet genius, a loyal and faithful community servant and an exceptional writer. “Bringing Gail aboard as editor in 2005 was one of the best things I’ve done in my life. She was my rock and trusted sister friend. She was the best of Everything. I am totally lost without her. In grateful appreciation of her remarkable life and service, I will continue the struggle.”

Prior to joining the staff at the Sun-Reporter Publishing Company, Berkley-Armstrong was the longtime executive editor and assistant to the publisher of the Post Newspaper Group in Oakland. The Post Newspaper Group was founded by her late father, Attorney Thomas L. Berkley.

She was also committed to giving her time and talent to community organizations and served as president of the African Sister City Cultural Center, Inc. As president, she led the nonprofit organization in its mission to support the City of Oakland’s Sister City relationship with the twin cities Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana.

East Bay Congresswoman Barbara Lee also remembered her longtime friend.

“My prayers and condolences go to the family and loved ones of Gail Berkley-Armstrong. Gail was an institution in Bay Area journalism,” Lee said. “She wrote about and lifted up the Black community for decades, including as the editor of the Oakland Post and most recently at the Sun-Reporter.”

Congresswoman Lee added, “I spoke with her earlier this year on the centennial of the Tulsa massacre, and as always, her questions reflected her deep insight and her compassion for the subjects she covered. One of her many accomplishments was the sister city agreement between Oakland and Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana, which helped to provide fresh water and sanitation to children there. My heart is with everyone who is mourning this loss. May she rest in peace and power.”

Berkley was also secretary of the Board of Directors of her church, Lakeside Temple of Practical Christianity in Oakland.

Berkley-Armstrong was co-founder of Cacao Branch Children’s Hospital, Oakland.

She served on several boards of directors of community-based organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Bay Area Urban League, Inc., Bay Area United Fund, Dimensions Dance Theater, Inc. and Black Adoption Placement and Research Center.

She was a founding member of New California Media (now New America Media). She also was a member of the Patrons of the Arts and Humanities of the Bay Area, The African American Museum and Library Coalition, and the Oakland Museum Cultural and Ethnic Affairs Guild’s Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame Committee.

The community servant also served as a public relations and marketing consultant and editor for private clients.

Berkley-Armstrong has received many awards for her community work over the years. She received the Pioneer Award from New America Media, and recognition for community service by: State of California Legislature, City and County of San Francisco, Alameda County, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Allen Temple Baptist Church, East Bay Women’s Political Action Committee, Ebony Museum of California, Today’s Women, Inc., College Bounders Committee and the East Bay Area Club of the National Council of Negro Women.

After hearing of Berkley-Armstrong’s passing, former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr. said “In the more than five decades of being written about in the press, nobody covered me more actively and objectively. Gail will be greatly missed.”

She loved traveling and meeting people of other cultures and nations. She toured Europe, Ghana, South America, Mexico, Jamaica, Cuba and other Caribbean nations. The journalist also visited the Ivory Coast, Malaysia, the Fiji Islands and Morocco.

As a child, she was exposed to the diversity of cultures within the Bay Area and beyond by her mother – the late Etta Jordan Hill, an educator and artist.

‘Both of my parents were trailblazers and courageous individuals who did not take ‘no’ for an answer. They were both role models for me. They taught by example how to meet challenges, and my mother made sure that my two sisters and I knew the importance of belief and faith in God,” Berkley-Armstrong stated.

She is survived by her husband, Ray Armstrong, sisters Theon C. King, Miriam Rhea Berkley, a host of other relatives, her Sun-Reporter Family and a grateful community.

A memorial service is pending.

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Activism

Surge of Support for Vote ‘No’ on Recall of Mayor Sheng Thao

Prominent local political leaders have issued strong statements urging voters to oppose the recalls, including Rep. Barbara Lee, State Senator Nancy Skinner, Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, and Sandré R. Swanson, a former member of the California State Assembly (see their statements elsewhere in this issue of the newspaper).

Published

3 weeks ago

October 15, 2024

Oakland Post

Mayor Sheng Thao spoke Sunday, Oct. 6 at a campaign rally to reject the billionaire-backed recall on the Nov. 5 ballot. Photo courtesy of Oaklanders Defending Democracy.

By Post Staff

Since its official launch on Sunday, Oct. 6, the campaign to reject the recall of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has received a surge of support. Many local organizations with deep roots in Oakland and very prominent elected officials are getting the word out, saying Oakland is not for sale.

Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife also condemned the recalls. “The financial and morale cost of these recalls is more than our city can bear. In the face of a budget deficit, a $10-million-special election would be painful in more ways than one. Ten million (dollars) could go a long way to addressing some of the issues in Oakland people care about.”

Said William Fitzgerald, campaign spokesman of Oaklanders Defending Democracy, which opposes the mayor’s recall, “One rich guy in Piedmont thinks he could buy himself a mayor of Oakland. What we’re seeing this week is a tidal wave of support rejecting the premise that the ultra-wealthy can hijack the democratic process. The facts are clear: Mayor Sheng Thao has massively reduced crime in Oakland and is bringing business opportunities to the Town.”

Pastor Servant BK Woodson, a steering committee member of the “Respect Our Vote – No Recalls!” coalition, said, “It is entirely reasonable to fear the continuing accumulating of power into fewer and fewer hands. History is replete with examples of the despotism, destruction and harms that oligarchs, dictators and demigods bring into the lives of ordinary people.

“The privilege to struggle to make these United States of America a more perfect union has taken the form of this consequential election. In Alameda County we must reject the recalls and elect our forward-thinking and progressive candidates,” Pastor Woodson said.

Oakland Rising Action wrote on its website, “(The) recent recalls have been led by a small group of millionaires and conservatives, and their agenda is to undermine our democracy.”

The Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club wrote on its Facebook page, “Deny the Lies.”

“Crime increased during the pandemic, and Oakland and Alameda County were not spared. Both recalls have claimed otherwise and placed the blame on District Attorney Pamela Price and Mayor Sheng Thao, even while crime is on the decline,” the club wrote.

Other organizations opposing the recall of Thao include the Alameda County Democratic Party, SEIU 2021, Alameda Labor Council, Oakland Tenants Union, Nor Cal Carpenters, East Bay for Everyone, Local 21, Oakland Firefighters 55, eVolve California, National Union of Healthcare Workers, John George Democratic Club, Latine Young Democrats of the East Bay, APEN Action, Block by Block Organizing Network and East Bay Young Democrats.

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Activism

Rep. Barbara Lee Hosts Roundtable on Public Safety, Congratulates AASEG on Oakland Coliseum Deal

Congresswoman Lee’s roundtable united community leaders across her district and strengthened relationships while fostering collaborative solutions to their common challenges. Attendees were city leaders from Alameda, Communities United Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ), the Peralta Community College District, Kingmakers of Oakland (KOO), Live Free USA, and numerous Oakland community and nonprofit leaders.

Published

3 months ago

August 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12), left, and Jonathan Paul Jones, African American Sport & Entertainment Group (AASEG). Photo by Conway Jones.

By Post Staff

On Wednesday, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) hosted a transformative community roundtable at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center on Ninth street. The gathering brought together leaders from various sectors to unite around a shared mission: to address public safety, gun violence prevention, and social justice in the East Bay.

By connecting leaders from across the East Bay, the roundtable facilitated meaningful dialogue on combating crime and promoting public safety. The event underscored a collective commitment to addressing violence and fostering social justice in the region. The event was hosted by Francis Lan, president of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce (OCCC) and Carl Chan, president of Oakland Chinatown Chamber Foundation.

After the roundtable, Congresswoman Lee set up some time to talk to Jonathan Paul Jones from AASEG to congratulate them on the Coliseum deal and express her excitement saying “It’s a major deal and I am excited to see African Americans leading this deal. It’s been long overdue!”

The AASEG Coliseum purchase and development initiative has garnered support from leaders including OCCC and has inspired optimism about the potential for homegrown entrepreneurs and businesspeople to create opportunities and restore the community.

As the momentum for change builds, Oakland stands on the brink of a new era of community empowerment and revitalization. The city’s leaders and citizens are coming together, exemplified by initiatives like Congresswoman Lee’s roundtable and the efforts of AASEG.

It’s time for Oakland to rise above its challenges, embrace its potential, and become a beacon of hope and progress. With unity and determination, Oakland can transform its future and inspire communities everywhere.

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Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Statement on 80th Anniversary of D-Day

Representative Barbara Lee (CA-12) released the following statement on the 80th anniversary of D-Day. “80 years ago, one of the largest invasions in historical warfare—and the start to the end of World War II—took place. Today, we look back to the over 2,400 American lives lost on the beaches of Normandy, remember their stories, and honor their immense bravery.

Published

5 months ago

June 13, 2024

Oakland Post

“D-Day will forever live on in history. May we honor their lives and all who have served by investing in veterans’ health care, economic security, and opportunity when they return home.”

Washington, D.C. – Representative Barbara Lee (CA-12) released the following statement on the 80^th anniversary of D-Day.

“80 years ago, one of the largest invasions in historical warfare—and the start to the end of World War II—took place. Today, we look back to the over 2,400 American lives lost on the beaches of Normandy, remember their stories, and honor their immense bravery.

“My father, Lt. Col. Garvin A. Tutt, was a Buffalo soldier in the 92^nd infantry, a racially segregated and Black-only division that was instrumental in the success of Normandy and the Allied advance. Today and every day, I think of him and all of the brave servicemembers who sacrificed for our country, even when our country didn’t love them back.

“D-Day will forever live on in history. May we honor their lives and all who have served by investing in veterans’ health care, economic security, and opportunity when they return home.”