Oakland

Oakland Actor, Director Michael Lange, 65

Published

10 years ago

May 30, 2015

By Rasheed Shabazz

Oakland actor, director, playwright and filmmaker Michael Lange died on May 20. He was 65.

Lange is best known for his fiery portrayal of Malcolm X. He performed speeches like “Message to the Grassroots” and “The Ballot of the Bullet” since 1990. He also performed in Jeff Stetson’s award-winning play “The Meeting,” portraying a fictitious meeting between Malcolm and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 2014, Lange portrayed the role of Elijah Muhammad in Larry Americ Allen’s “The Expulsion of Malcolm X.”

As a director, Lange directed “Ceremonies in Dark Old Men”, “The Old Settler” and “Firing Blanks at Moving Targets” and, this past January, “Lord Why Can’t I Do Right.” As a playwright, he wrote a musical drama on the life of Nat Turner called “Prophet Nat,” focused on the historical revolt in 1831.

Born January 2, 1949 in Oakland, California to Ted and Geraldine (Jerri) L. Lange, he attended Santa Fe Elementary School, Golden Gate Junior High School and Oakland Technical High School.

He received his Bachelors in Political Science from UC Berkeley in 1973. He later attended California State University, Hayward for his Master’s in Public Administration.

Lange proudly served Oakland residents through the Office of Parks and Recreation for 37 years. He began in 1968 as a part-time day camp counselor at Redwood Day Camp, teaching art to children.

From 1971 to 1981, he was director of the Senior Citizens Program at Mosswood Park.

From 1974 to 1988, he was Children’s Camp Director at Feather River Arts Camp. He was Feather River Camp Manager from 1988 to 1991 and Camp Supervisor from 1991 through 2003.

Lange later managed the Alice Arts Center (now Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts) and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center. He retired as a program analyst for the Cultural Arts Division at the city.

Since 1998, Lange was a lecturer at San Jose State University.

Lange is survived by his mother, pioneering radio and TV personality Geraldine Lange; his brothers Ted Lange and James Cowan; and his sister Jana Lange.

“Michael was loved by everyone whose lives he touched,”said Jerri Lange.

Lange’s likeness was included on a 2014 mural at Alice and 14th streets – across from the Malonga Center, in recognition of his contributions to Black arts in Oakland.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

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May 30, 2025

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Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

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May 25, 2025

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Oakland Hosts Town Hall Addressing Lead Hazards in City Housing

According to the city, there are 22,000 households in need of services for lead issues, most in predominantly low-income or Black and Latino neighborhoods, but only 550 to 600 homes are addressed every year. The city is hoping to use part of the multimillion-dollar settlement to increase the number of households served each year.

Published

3 weeks ago

May 18, 2025

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By Magaly Muñoz

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department hosted a town hall in the Fruitvale to discuss the efforts being undertaken to remove lead primarily found in housing in East and West Oakland.

In 2021, the city was awarded $14 million out of a $24 million legal settlement from a lawsuit against paint distributors for selling lead-based paint that has affected hundreds of families in Oakland and Alameda County. The funding is intended to be used for lead poisoning reduction and prevention services in paint only, not water or other sources as has been found recently in schools across the city.

The settlement can be used for developing or enhancing programs that abate lead-based paint, providing services to individuals, particularly exposed children, educating the public about hazards caused by lead paint, and covering attorney’s fees incurred in pursuing litigation.

Most of the homes affected were built prior to 1978, and 12,000 of these homes are considered to be at high risk for lead poisoning.

City councilmember Noel Gallo, who represents a few of the lead-affected Census tracts, said the majority of the poisoned kids and families are coming directly from neighborhoods like the Fruitvale.

“When you look at the [kids being admitted] at the children’s hospital, they’re coming from this community,” Gallo said at the town hall.

In order to eventually rid the highest impacted homes of lead poisoning, the city intends to create programs and activities such as lead-based paint inspections and assessments, full abatement designed to permanently eliminate lead-based paint, or partial abatement for repairs, painting, and specialized cleaning meant for temporary reduction of hazards.

In feedback for what the city could implement in their programming, residents in attendance of the event said they want more accessibility to resources, like blood testing, and information from officials about lead poisoning symptoms, hotlines for assistance, and updates on the reduction of lead in their communities.

Attendees also asked how they’d know where they are on the prioritization list and what would be done to address lead in the water found at several school sites in Oakland last year.

City staff said there will be a follow-up event to gather more community input for programming in August, with finalizations happening in the fall and a pilot launch in early 2026.