City Government
OP-ED: Do the Right Thing for Cannabis Equity
By Green the Church
Booker T. Washington (April 5, 1856-November 14, 1915) founded Tuskegee University in the state of Alabama on July 4, 1881.
In the controversial “Atlanta Compromise” he called for Black progress through education and entrepreneurship. Rather than trying to challenge directly Jim Crow segregation and disenfranchisement of Black voters in the South, Washington mobilized a nationwide coalition of middle-class Blacks, church leaders, white philanthropists and politicians to build the community’s economic strength and pride by a focusing on self-help and schooling.
This policy ran into scrutiny of men like WEB Dubois and the NAACP.
In order to agitate politically, we understand that political power can never be held outside of the constant pursuit of economic viability. We cannot be relegated to mere consumers and workers in this industry.
We must demand that we move from just being members of the work force to captains of industry. When this happens it will enables us to address gentrification and displacement in our community.
The ethical question for the church is: should we focus on politics or business?
The answer is that we must do both.
When it comes to medical marijuana, the church has a negative stigma regarding the effects of cannabis and its recreational use. However, we believe our people still poses the greatness of Dr. Carver and can find and produce this plant-based substance for the good it is our people.
Cannabis will provides our community an unprecedented economic opportunity to survive and thrive in this region, and we must fight for our right to participate in this industry. Nationally, 95 percent of the legal cannabis business is owned by white men.
In Oakland Councilwoman Desley Brooks has written groundbreaking legislation to ensure equity in the issuing of permits to grow and sell Cannabis.
Many in the faith community are sitting on the sidelines and not taking a position on Cannabis. Green the Church believes that we cannot afford to be silent.
As such, we are recommending that the Black faith community “do the right thing” and support Cannabis Equity.
Tell the Oakland City Council to support the Department of Race and Equity’s staff recommendations to move Oakland forward.
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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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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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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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