Bay Area

Oakland Youth Return Home from Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage in Alabama

Published

6 years ago

March 12, 2020

This past weekend, seven young women from Oakland’s Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center, ages 14 to 18, joined nearly 50 bi-partisan and bi-cameral members of Congress for the annual Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage in Alabama. The delegation attends the pilgrimage each year as guests of Congresswoman Barbara Lee.

They spent three days visiting pivotal sites in the history of the Civil Rights Movement including 16th Street Baptist Church, Brown’s Chapel, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and The Freedom Riders Museum to name a few. They walked the Edmund Pettus Bridge side by side with Barbara Lee, John Lewis, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi and others.

It was the Freedom Center’s 12th Pilgrimage and, as always, Freedom Center youth leaders were integral and active participants. They were sought out by Congressmembers as representatives of their communities and peers.

They provided insight and counsel about the importance of other-interestedness, finding and using our voices, civic engagement and the vital necessity to transform themselves to change in the world.

Their participation was the result of study and work at the Freedom Center. The young women have attended regular classes at the Freedom Center, spent hours reading and studying, participated in marches, community events and voter registration campaigns. They admirably represented the Freedom Center—and their families, schools and communities.

The Pilgrimage is an example of the kind of cross-party, interracial and intergenerational work we need more of to strengthen our democracy and engage our pluralistic society.

This year’s Freedom Center delegates, led by Dr. Karen Bohlke, Director of Government and External Relations, included:

Jaylin Brown, San Leandro High School, 9th grade, from San Leandro, CA

Ayanna Boateng, Sacramento Charter High, 12th grade, from Sacramento, CA

Jayda Gray, Oakland Technical High School, 10th grade, from Richmond, CA

Ursa Kaiser, Oakland Technical High School, 10th grade, from Oakland, CA

Ellie Lee, Alameda Science and Technology Institute, 12th grade, from Alameda, CA

Fayth Njenga, Kentwood High School, 12th grade, from Kent, WA

Jennifer Hernandez, Lincoln High School, 9th grade, from Tacoma, WA

The delegation included students from Congressional Districts of Congressional Members Barbara Lee (CA 13th CD), Ami Bera (CA 7th CD), Derek Kilmer (WA 6th CD), and Adam Smith (WA 9th CD).

Scott Horton

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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

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post

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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.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

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.

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.