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Post Endorses School Board Candidates Demanding Full Local Control, Oppose School Closings

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A committee of local educators created by the Oakland Post Editorial Board has endorsed candidates for the Oakland Board of Education in all four open races this year, supporting outspoken community leaders who oppose austerity and continued domination of district polices by state agencies and who unequivocally oppose closing neighborhood schools.

The Post endorsed: District 1 – Stacy Thomas and Sam Davis; District 3 – Cherisse Gash and VanCedric Williams; District 5 – Mike Hutchinson: and District 7 – Kristina Molina and Ben “Coach” Tapscott.

Participants in the Post’s committee were teacher Shalonda Tillman, Post editor and educator Ken Epstein, parent Mona Treviño, educator Henry HItz, retired teacher Eleanore Stovall and educator Nirali Jani. The committee made recommendations and Post publishers Paul Cobb and Gay Plair Cobb made final decisions.

The Post did not endorse candidates who support closing more Oakland schools, take money from privatizers or pro-charter school billionaires or would like the district to continue the kind of draconian cuts that have become common in recent years.

The Post-endorsed candidate from District 1, Thomas said she is committed to “stopping the charter school  proliferation that is happening in Oakland.”

With a career of 30 years in accounting, she said she hopes to use her skills to fight for financial transparency and stop the state and its agency, the Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistance Team (FCMAT), from running roughshod over the school district.

She strongly stated that as a board member she would not vote to close schools because “it is hugely disruptive to parents, teachers and students.”

The Post endorsement committee also supported Davis for his experience in education. However, he was equivocal on a number of issues. Rather than say there is a need to wrest control from the neoliberals in state government, he said, “The best antidote to FCMAT is getting our own financial house in order,” which is hard to do if the privatizers and their supporters are in charge.

Gash, who was strongly endorsed for District 3, said she is opposed to closing schools and is determined to invest in education. “We have to stop defunding the schools and putting money in consulting costs. You have to have board members who will fight tooth and nail to make sure money that students need are not cut in half. They need to be given the maximum. “

She said that FCMAT officials, who are based in Bakersfield, “don’t value Oakland people and Oakland voices. They end up contributing to the school-to-prison pipeline.”

The Post also endorsed Williams for District 3 school board. A San Francisco public school teacher who lives in Oakland, he said he would never vote to close a school.

For District 5, the Post endorsed Mike Hutchinson.  Speaking about outside agencies and interests impacting Oakland, he said the school district’s “budget crisis has been engineered for different political ends. This is all a part of an effort for other people to come into our school district and try to compel us to close our schools so the property can be sold off to charter schools and developers.”

Post-endorsed candidate Molina in District 7 describes herself as someone who as a student “attended Melrose Elementary School, Calvin Simmons Junior High School, and John C. Fremont High School. I come from a proud background of California pickers; my grandmother, father, aunt, and uncle worked in the fields of San Clemente and joined Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta in the fight to get unionized. I was the first in the family to attend college at the University of California at Berkeley (UCB).”

“Oakland public education needs less obscurity and more transparency. Families, teachers, students, and community stakeholders need to know how schools are spending and investing funds. School site parent-run organizations need to be provided with their school budget to see how the administration has expended every dollar of their child’s education,” she said.

The Post also endorsed “Coach” Tapscott for District 7 school board.

When the state took over the school district in 2003, the district was about $50 million in debt, he said. When the state receiver left, the district was $100 million in debt, an amount that still is not paid off. “If they generated that debt, they should pay for it,” Tapscott said.

When they cut, they cut at the school sites, (but) we’re top-heavy with upper and middle management.

“I think there is a lot of waste going on,” he said, “I think there is a conspiracy, you have more privatization, keeping us in debt. The state controller, what is that person doing to monitor the money?”

School board candidates and contact information

District 1

• Austin Dannhaus; Austinforousd.com

• Sam Davis; samdavisforoaklandschools.org

• Stacy Thomas: stacyt@bayareabookkeepers.net

District 3

• Maiya Edgerly; https://www.facebook.com/maiyaforoakland/

• Cherisse Gash; https://cherissegash.com

• Mark Hurty; https://markforoakland.com

• Maximo Santana; www.santanaforoakland2020.com

• VanCedric Williams: http://www.vancedricwilliams.com

District 5

• Mike Hutchinson; facebook.com/MikeHutchinson4SchoolBoard

• Leroy Gaines; https://www.leroygaines4oakland.net

• Sheila Pope Lawrence; https://www.facebook.com/Sheila-Pope-Lawrence-for-OUSD-School-Board-Director-Area-5-104089071265774/

• Jorge Lerma; https://www.jorgeforoakland.com

District 7

• Kristina Molina; http://votekristinamolina.com

• Ben Tapscott; coachtap@aol.com

• Bronché Jerard Taylor; broncheworking@gmail.com

• Clifford Thompson: https://clif4oaklandschools.org

• Victor  Valerio; https://www.facebook.com/OaklandValerio/

Michelle Snider

Associate Editor for The Post News Group. Writer, Photographer, Videographer, Copy Editor, and website editor documenting local events in the Oakland-Bay Area California area.

Activism

A Student-Run Group Provides Critical Support Services to Underserved Residents

Those visiting The Suitcase Clinic can get legal advice, sign up for food assistance, receive housing resources, get medical help, or enjoy a hot, fresh meal. They can also get haircuts and foot washes from the student volunteers. Nilo Golchini, executive director of the clinic, said one of the goals for most of the students working there is helping bridge the gap of trust that exists between many unhoused people and the healthcare and social welfare systems.

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UC Berkeley Law Students help a clinic visitor with legal advice at their Tuesday night services. The Clinic offers a variety of resources, including medical, to those in the community who have little access to these services. Photo by Magaly Muñoz
UC Berkeley Law Students help a clinic visitor with legal advice at their Tuesday night services. The Clinic offers a variety of resources, including medical, to those in the community who have little access to these services. Photo by Magaly Muñoz

Part One

By Magaly Muñoz

Every Tuesday evening, the dining hall of First Presbyterian Church fills up with dozens of people eating, laughing and moving from table to table, receiving much-needed services from UC Berkeley students – just a few blocks away from the university’s campus.

Individuals seeking support services can be found in this multi-stationed room on the south end of the church talking to law students, student case managers, or receiving medical attention in a corner by healthcare professionals.

This weekly event is hosted by Cal students through a volunteer-run program called The Suitcase Clinic.

The clinic, founded in 1989, was intended to offer free resources to underserved communities in Berkeley and surrounding cities. The majority of the clinic’s clientele are unhoused or low-income people looking for extra support.

Those visiting the clinic can get legal advice, sign up for food assistance, receive housing resources, get medical help, or enjoy a hot, fresh meal. They can also get haircuts and foot washes from the student volunteers.

Nilo Golchini, executive director of the clinic, said one of the goals for most of the students working there is helping bridge the gap of trust that exists between many unhoused people and the healthcare and social welfare systems.

During their tenure in the program, many of the students say they become strong advocates for homelessness rights.

Visitors of the Suitcase Clinic can receive haircuts and foot washing by student volunteers every Tuesday evening. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

Visitors of the Suitcase Clinic can receive haircuts and foot washing by student volunteers every Tuesday evening. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

“We’re also standing in solidarity with them. So, it’s not saying, ‘I’m going to help you, but I’m also going to stand with you,’” Golchini said.

Student volunteers get extensive training prior to working directly with clients. Those interested have to take a semester-long class to become versed in areas such as outreach, intersectionality, how to interact with unhoused people, how to sign people up for social services. and more.

Volunteers then get to pick from three different clinics: General, Women’s, or Youth and LGBTQ+.

The General Clinic is the most popular among visiting residents, while Women’s and Youth/LQBTQ+ have more specialized services for attendees.

The Women’s Clinic has many of the similar services to General, but also includes nail painting, childcare, and massages.

The Youth and LGBTQ+ Clinic offers a safe space for young people navigating living on the streets, with services that include housing referrals, wellness and recreation classes and employment resources.

Golchini explained that it’s important for them to keep these clinics separate because the different demographics experience poverty and homelessness differently than those who visit the General Clinic.

Suitcase Clinic student workers posing for a photo with a frequent clinic attendee. The Clinic is open to Berkeley unhoused and low-income residents who need medical or legal service, or a hot meal. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

Suitcase Clinic student workers posing for a photo with a frequent clinic attendee. The Clinic is open to Berkeley unhoused and low-income residents who need medical or legal service, or a hot meal. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

“We’re able to provide spaces where people can come in and feel safe and not feel like they’re constantly worried that something’s going to happen to them,” she said.

An outreach team also visits encampments every other Saturday in the Berkeley area to provide hygiene kits and encourage people to visit the in-person clinic, if possible.

However, Golchini said engagement has been low for some time now due to a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that allows cities to ban and cite people for sleeping on the streets.

She said a lot of their clientele got displaced to other cities over time, making it difficult to stay in contact with the services the Clinic was providing for them.

But that hasn’t slowed down the students at the Clinic, if anything, it has pushed them to do more for the community they serve.

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Activism

Self-eSTEM Empowers BIPOC Women, Girls in Science, Math

In January 2025, Self-eSTEM will launch digital and generative AI programming, which provides digital literacy and AI literacy training through an entrepreneurial project-based activity. This programming will be a hybrid (i.e. in-person and online).  Additionally, thanks to a grant from Comcast, in spring 2025, the organization will have a co-ed series for middle and high school students.

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Adamaka Ajaelo. Courtesy photo.
Adamaka Ajaelo. Courtesy photo.

By Y’Anad Burrell
Special to The Post

In a world where technology plays an increasingly central role in all aspects of life, the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education cannot be overstated. Recognizing the significance of STEM for the future, focusing on young women and girls is a critical step in achieving gender equality and empowering the next generation.

Self-eSTEM, an Oakland-based non-profit organization, was founded by Adamaka Ajaelo, an Oakland native who had a successful corporate career with several Bay Area technology and non-tech companies. Ajaelo boldly decided to step away from these companies to give 100% of her time and talent to the non-profit organization she started in 2014 in the belief that she can change the game in innovation and future STEM leaders.

Over the course of a decade, Ajaelo has provided futurist tech programming to more than 2,000 BIPOC women and girls. The organization has an Early STEM Immersion Program for ages 7-17, Emerging Leaders Workshops for ages 18-25 and volunteer network opportunities for ages 25 and up.

In January 2025, Self-eSTEM will launch digital and generative AI programming, which provides digital literacy and AI literacy training through an entrepreneurial project-based activity. This programming will be a hybrid (i.e. in-person and online).  Additionally, thanks to a grant from Comcast, in spring 2025, the organization will have a co-ed series for middle and high school students.

While the organization’s programs center on innovation and technology, participants also gain other valuable skills critical for self-development as they prepare for a workforce future. “Self-eSTEM encourages young women to expand on teamwork, communication, creativity, and problem-solving skills. The organization allows young women to enter STEM careers and pathways,” said Trinity Taylor, a seventh-year innovator.

“Our journey over the last decade is a testament to the power of community and opportunity, and I couldn’t be more excited for what the future holds as we continue to break barriers and spark dreams,” said Ajaelo.

“By encouraging girls to explore STEM fields from a young age, we foster their intellectual growth and equip them with the tools needed to thrive in a competitive global economy,” Ajaelo says.

Empowering young girls through STEM education is also a key driver of innovation and progress. When young women and girls are encouraged to pursue careers in STEM, they bring unique perspectives and problem-solving approaches to the table, leading to more diverse and inclusive solutions. This diversity is crucial for driving creativity and pushing boundaries in scientific and technological advancements.

Self-eSTEM has fundraising opportunities year-round, but year-end giving is one of the most critical times to support the program. Visit www.selfestem.org to donate to the organization, as your generosity and support will propel programming support for today’s innovators.

You will also find more details about Self-eSTEM’s programs on their website and social channels @selfestemorg

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Black History

Percy Lavon Julian: A Trailblazer and Business Titan in Chemical Innovation

Born in Montgomery, Ala., in 1899, Percy Lavon Julian grew up during a time when educational opportunities for African Americans were severely limited. Despite these challenges, his parents — graduates of what later became Alabama State University — instilled in their children a deep belief in the power of education. Julian excelled academically, graduating valedictorian at Indiana’s DePauw University in 1920.

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Percy Lavon Julian. Public domain.
Percy Lavon Julian. Public domain.

By Tamara Shiloh

Percy Lavon Julian was a brilliant American chemist and businessman whose groundbreaking discoveries transformed the pharmaceutical industry.

Known for his innovative work in synthesizing medicinal drugs from plants, he was a pioneer who opened new doors in chemical synthesis. One of Julian’s most notable achievements was being the first to synthesize physostigmine, a natural product used to treat glaucoma. His groundbreaking methods for producing human hormones like progesterone and testosterone from plant sterols revolutionized the steroid drug industry. These methods paved the way for the affordable production of life-saving medications such as cortisone, corticosteroids, and artificial hormones for birth control.

Born in Montgomery, Ala., in 1899, Julian grew up during a time when educational opportunities for African Americans were severely limited. Despite these challenges, his parents — graduates of what later became Alabama State University — instilled in their children a deep belief in the power of education. Julian excelled academically, graduating valedictorian at Indiana’s DePauw University in 1920. While his dream was to pursue a doctorate in chemistry, racial barriers initially stood in his way. Undeterred, he eventually earned his Ph.D. from the University of Vienna in 1931, becoming one of the first African Americans to achieve this milestone.

Returning to the United States, Julian faced discrimination that made it difficult to secure academic or research positions. Despite being denied jobs due to his race — even from prestigious companies like DuPont — he persevered. His big break came at the Glidden Company, where he led the Soy Products Division. At Glidden, Julian spearheaded several important projects. He developed the world’s first plant for industrial-scale production of isolated soy protein, which served as an affordable alternative to milk in various products. During World War II, his refined soy protein was used to create Aer-O-Foam, a lifesaving firefighting foam for the U.S. Navy. This achievement earned him the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal in 1947. Later, Julian turned his focus to synthesizing hormones from plant sterols, revolutionizing the production of cortisone and other critical medications. His cost-effective methods made these treatments more widely available, improving the lives of countless patients worldwide. Eventually, he founded Julian Laboratories, Inc., solidifying his legacy as a leader in steroid chemistry and pharmaceutical innovation. Julian Laboratories chemists found a way to quadruple the yield on a product on which they were barely breaking even. Julian reduced their price per kg for the product from $4,000 to $400. He sold the company in 1961 for $2.3 million (equivalent to $23 million today) and became one of the first Black millionaires.

The U.S. and Mexico facilities were purchased by Smith Kline, and Julian’s chemical plant in Guatemala was purchased by Upjohn. In 1964, Julian founded Julian Associates and Julian Research Institute, which he managed for the rest of his life.

Julian also helped to establish the Legal Defense and Educational Fund of Chicago.

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