Activism
Oakland Faith Leaders Unite in Plea to Oakland Unified School District Regarding School Closures
It is our prayer that the District and community can begin to navigate this issue in a manner which teaches our children right from wrong. This debate has been wrenching. We understand that these decisions and policies are complicated. We believe that the way in which this debate is carried out should represent our values as it instructs our children how they should act.
Twenty-three faith leaders issued a plea to the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) on Monday calling for a pause on the school closures and mergers so that an equity analysis centered on Black and Brown Oakland children can be conducted.
The articles of the plea and signing clergy are below:
We, Faith Leaders of Oakland, believe that it is our duty to bring a moral voice to the debates before our community. Currently, one of the most urgent debates in our city surrounds the Oakland Unified School District’s decision to close and merge a number of the schools, and these mergers and closures will disproportionately impact Black and Brown children.
It is our prayer that the District and community can begin to navigate this issue in a manner which teaches our children right from wrong.
This debate has been wrenching. We understand that these decisions and policies are complicated. We believe that the way in which this debate is carried out should represent our values as it instructs our children how they should act.
We understand that violence takes place when our children are miseducated; when decisions are made without transparency or a fair and just process; when a community is disregarded and disrespected, when systemic racism is allowed to persist. All of these things are unjust and unacceptable. They must cease.
We understand that, in recent days, members of the OUSD Board have experienced vandalism to their properties and threats of violence to their persons. This is unjust and unacceptable. It must cease.
We, hereby, issue an urgent call on the OUSD administrators and Board to show respect to the students, parents, guardians, families, community groups/organizations and faith communities.
We believe that OUSD can shift this debate and help set a moral tone. To that end we call for the following:
- An independent equity analysis, centered on Black and Brown children, of any/all school mergers, consolidations, and/or closures;
- An equity analysis of all budgeting decisions, centered on Black and Brown children, to include results-based recommendation to achieve equitable outcomes;
- A pause on the mergers, consolidations, or closures until the equity analysis referenced in 1 and 2 above have been completed.
We ask that everyone refrain from personal and physical attacks, threats and/or any form of intimidation. This is unjust and unacceptable. It must cease.
The highest values of our faith traditions call for the respect of all persons, the creation of structures that are just and equitable, collaboration instead of coercion, healing where wounds have been inflicted. We trust that our proposals, as well as our prayers, reflect these values.
Respectfully,
Rev. Dr. Jim Hopkins, Pastor, Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, Oakland
Pastor Michael W. Wallace, Senior Pastor, Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church and Member of Impact Oakland Now (ION)
Rev. Dr. George Cummings, Pastor, Imani Community Church, Oakland and CEO Faith In Action East Bay
Pastor Zachery Carey, Senior Pastor, True Vine Ministries and president of Impact Oakland Now (ION)
Bishop Kevin D. Barnes, Senior Pastor, Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church, and member of Impact Oakland Now (ION)
Bishop Keith L. Clark, Senior Pastor, Word Assembly Church, and member of Impact Oakland Now (ION)
Rev. Dr. Rodney Smith, Pastor, First African Methodist Episcopal Church, Oakland, CA., and member of Impact Oakland Now (ION)
Pastor Brondon Reems, Senior Pastor, Center of Hope Church, and member of Impact Oakland Now (ION)
Pastor Maria Reems, Co-Pastor, Center of Hope Church, and member of Impact Oakland Now (ION)
Presiding Elder Harold R. Mayberry, Oakland- San Joaquin District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
Rev. Anthony L. Hughes, MDIV., Senior Pastor, St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church
Rev Dr Hugh K Wesley, Senior Pastor, St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, San Jose CA,
Rev. Loretta Y. Dickerson-Smith, Pastor, Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal – San Francisco
Pastor Todd Wheelock, Senior Pastor, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, and president of the Baptist Minister’s Union
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026
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Activism
Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026
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Activism
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.
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.
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.
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.
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