Oakland

Mary Cobb-Hill, 72 Impresario of the Negro Spiritual

Published

8 years ago

December 15, 2017

Mary Alice Cobb-Hill was born in Oakland, March 16, 1945. She passed away on December 9, 2017 at Kaiser Hospital, Richmond after suffering a stroke. Mary was known throughout the Bay Area as an impresario of the Negro Spiritual. She performed as a soloist, arranger, teacher, choir director, poet, pianist and playwright.

The “Celebration of Life” memorial services will be held at 11am, Friday December 22, at the First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway, Oakland, CA. 94612.

She became acquainted with Negro spirituals at an early age and she sang with and was “trained up” by the youth choir at the Market Street Seventh Day Adventist Church in Oakland, CA. Where the spirituals were mainstay of hymnal music.

Her first Introduction to the spirituals was through her parents Mary Magdalene Bland Cobb and Roosevelt Vernon Cobb by singing as part of their evening family worship service at home, and also in church choirs. Mary’s mother, a teacher who had graduated from Langston University, shared the backstories of the Black stories of freedom from slavery as told through the Negro Spirituals.

Mary, who sang with Mahalia Jackson at the Oakland Auditorium, made the preservation of the spirituals her life-long passion — extending over 50 years. She also sang with Nina Simone with Mary Ann Pollard Productions, and other performances, lectures and through her professional training of many youth and adults.

She attended Golden Gate Academy in Oakland, Merritt and Laney Colleges in Oakland and the Pacific Union College in Angwin, CA.
Focused on music and voice, Mary took private lessons in classical opera singing from Esther Hughes, Janet Perlova, Edna Garabedian and Bernice Sprague.

As her contribution to the preservation of the Negro Spiritual, Mary wrote three musicals using exclusively the spirituals and related dialogue. They are titled Flowers from Heaven, Dis Train (which was recorded live and an album produced), and The Seven Exaltations of Simeon of Cyrene.

Mary is also the Founder and Creative Director of The Voices of Legacy, an outstanding community choir that has spanned more than 20 years. The group has performed for churches, schools, colleges, libraries, senior centers, community centers, and Black history programs of all types. The Voices of Legacy sang for the inauguration of then-Mayor Diane Feinstein at S.F. City Hall. The choir also performed in the Bahamas as an invited guest of the government.

Mary has trained dozens of singers, choosing as her medium of instruction the songs of our ancestors, the Black enslaved people of the United States. Through her tutelage, many others were introduced to the music of our African American heritage and learned the meanings of the songs and Bible verses from which they were taken.

Mary encouraged her students to read books on the subject and listen to master artists such as Marian Anderson, Leontyne Price, Paul Robeson, Jesse Norman, Kathleen Battle and many others who keep this music alive and perform them proudly in concerts and recitals.

She leaves to cherish her memory her husband Carl, daughters Maranatha and Gabrielle, grandchildren Duane, Josiah and Nicole, brothers Paul (Gay Plair) and Michael, sisters Gloria Jean Cobb and Sharon Cobb-Gray, brothers-in law James (Corita), Thomas (Jean), Ronnell (Earlene), sisters-in-law Halcyone (Paul), Linda and Joanne, a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and many other relatives and friends.https://mail.yahoo.com/neo/b/launch?fid=Inbox&fidx=1&ac=XzHCYm4HJl90sA4WQW2xcQJoXM0-&mailboxId=VjJ-Nk1CrWGg5i9Aj8Z11n_hXiw3zFFg6gBDbDaaDLZYVu2LOU95KlO4Qytvfl7qC-F5&.rand=2030238640

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Oakland Post: Week of March 18 – 24, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 18 – 24, 2026

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2 weeks ago

March 22, 2026

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Financial Wellness and Mental Health: Managing Money Stress in College 

While everyone’s financial situation is unique, several common sources of stress have the potential to strain your financial health. These include financial and economic uncertainty, existing debts, unexpected expenses, and mental or physical health changes. Financial stress may differ from situation to situation, but understanding the factors contributing to yours may help you begin to craft a plan for your unique circumstances.

Published

3 weeks ago

March 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Sponsored by JPMorganChase

As a college student, managing financial responsibilities can be stressful.

If you’ve found yourself staying up late thinking about your finances or just feeling anxious overall about your financial future, you’re not alone. In one survey, 78% of college students who reported financial stress had negative impacts on their mental health, and 59% considered dropping out. While finances can impact overall stress, taking steps to manage your finances can support your mental, emotional and physical well-being.

When it comes to money, the sources of stress may look different for each student, but identifying the underlying causes and setting goals accordingly may help you feel more confident about your financial future.

Consider these strategies to help improve your financial wellness and reduce stress.

Understand what causes financial stress

2. Determine your financial priorities

Start by reflecting on your financial priorities. For students this often includes paying for school or paying off student loans, studying abroad, saving for spring break, building an emergency fund, paying down credit card debt or buying a car. Name the milestones that are most important to you, and plan accordingly.

3. Create a plan and stick to it

While setting actionable goals starts you on the journey to better financial health, it’s essential to craft a plan to follow through. Identifying and committing to a savings plan may give you a greater sense of control over your finances, which may help reduce your stress. Creating and sticking to a budget allows you to better track where your money is going so you may spend less and save more.

4. Pay down debt

Many students have some form of debt and want to make progress toward reducing their debt obligations. One option is the debt avalanche method, which focuses on paying off your debt with the highest interest rate first, then moving on to the debt with the next-highest interest rate. Another is the debt snowball method, which builds momentum by paying off your smallest debt balance, and then working your way up to the largest amounts.

5. Build your financial resilience

Some financial stress may be inevitable, but building financial resilience may allow you to overcome obstacles more easily. The more you learn about managing your money, for instance, the more prepared you’ll feel if the unexpected happens. Growing your emergency savings also may increase resilience since you’ll be more financially prepared to cover unexpected expenses or pay your living expenses.

6. Seek help and support

Many colleges have resources to help students experiencing financial stress, like financial literacy courses or funds that provide some assistance for students in need. Talk to your admissions counselor or advisor about your concerns, and they can direct you to sources of support. Your school’s counseling center can also be a great resource for mental health assistance if you’re struggling with financial stress.

The bottom line

Financial stress can affect college students’ health and wellbeing, but it doesn’t have to derail your dreams. Setting smart financial goals and developing simple plans to achieve them may help ease your stress. Revisit and adjust your plan as needed to ensure it continues to work for you, and seek additional support on campus as needed to help keep you on track.

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