Activism
Now Accepting Entry Forms for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Festival and Poetry Slam
Students in 3rd through 12th grades attending San Leandro schools are invited to participate. Students can win gift card prizes in their grade category ($100 first place, $50 second place; grade categories: 3rd-5th, 6th-8th & 9th-12th). This event is made possible by a generous donation from the San Leandro Optimist Club.
The Recreation Division is accepting entry forms for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratorical Festival and Poetry Slam 2023. The City’s annual celebration will take place on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the Marina Community Center (15301 Wicks Blvd.). The event commemorates the birthday of this great American leader and his lifelong work toward equality and peace. Participants will perform an original or well-known essay, speech, or poem that celebrates Dr. King’s message of peace, tolerance, and social justice.
Students in 3rd through 12th grades attending San Leandro schools are invited to participate. Students can win gift card prizes in their grade category ($100 first place, $50 second place; grade categories: 3rd-5th, 6th-8th & 9th-12th). This event is made possible by a generous donation from the San Leandro Optimist Club.
To participate, students must submit an entry form that includes the piece they intend to perform. For details and to complete the entry form, visit sanleandro.org/mlk.
Entry forms must be submitted by Monday, Jan. 9, 2023 or until 25 entry forms are received.
For more information, contact Liz Hodgins at 510-577-3473 or ehodgins@sanleandro.org.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
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Activism
Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
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Activism
IN MEMORIAM: William ‘Bill’ Patterson, 94
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
William “Bill” Patterson, 94, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2025, at his home in Oakland, CA. He was born on May 19, 1931, to Marie Childress Patterson and William Benjamin Patterson in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from Dunbar High School and traveled to Oakland, California, in 1948. William Patterson graduated from San Francisco State University, earning both graduate and undergraduate degrees. He married Euradell “Dell” Patterson in 1961. Bill lovingly took care of his wife, Dell, until she died in 2020.
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
He served on the boards of Oakland’s Urban Strategies Council, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, and the Oakland Workforce Development Board.
He was a three-term president of the Oakland branch of the NAACP.
Bill was initiated in the Gamma Alpha chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
In 1997 Bill was appointed to the East Bay Utility District Board of Directors. William Patterson was the first African American Board President and served the board for 27 years.
Bill’s impact reached far beyond his various important and impactful positions.
Bill mentored politicians, athletes and young people. Among those he mentored and advised are legends Joe Morgan, Bill Russell, Frank Robinson, Curt Flood, and Lionel Wilson to name a few.
He is survived by his son, William David Patterson, and one sister, Sarah Ann Strickland, and a host of other family members and friends.
A celebration of life service will take place at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center (Calvin Simmons Theater) on November 21, 2025, at 10 AM.
His services are being livestreamed at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1250167107131991/
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Euradell and William Patterson scholarship fund TBA.
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