Uncategorized

Ron Bridgeforth, Brotherhood of Elders Network, the People Behind the “Gem” of a Library at Frick Middle School.

Published

8 years ago

January 4, 2018

Lolade Gbadebo and Ron Bridgeforth pose with newly acquired books for Frick Middle School. Photo courtesy of Ron Bridgeforth.

By Pendarvis Harshaw

On the first Saturday of every month, a group of about 30-plus men meet to discuss efforts to better Oakland, and the world beyond.
Ron Bridgeforth is one of the participants in this collective of three generations of African American men, known as the Brotherhood of Elders Network.

On a recent Saturday, Bridgeforth waited for a pause in the meeting to address the room. Stoic and reserved per usual, he calmly asked the gentlemen about the whereabouts of a Marvel comic book he had circulated around the room in effort to show the guys the type of books that provoke the interest of young people at Frick Middle School in East Oakland. His book was spotted, passed around, and eventually ended up in Bridgeforth’s possession.

During a sit-down interview the week prior, Bridgeforth shared with me an email from Oakland Unified School District Library Manager Amy Cheney:

“Out of 86 schools in the Oakland Unified School District, 27 provide no library services at all including 6 of our 7 high schools,” read the email. “Only 13 school libraries are open 4-5 days a week, and most of the open libraries are funded by the PTA in wealthier areas of town.”

The retired Bridgeforth took this challenge on last school year, and has instantly made an impact. With the assistance of funds from the Brotherhood Of Elders Network, Bridgeforth helped secure over 80 up-to-date books for the Frick Middle School library. The titles of the books range from Between The World and Me to Kindred, as well as graphic novels.

“The most popular books are Manga,” said Andrea Kneeland, the first year librarian at Frick. Kneeland had an overwhelming amount of excitement around getting more graphic novels, like the new Ta-Nehisi Coates Black Panther, Jason Reynolds’ Spider Man and America Chavez.

She explained, “There are new superheroes now, who represent the community we’re in. And that’s what we’re really excited about.”
Although Kneeland has only been in her position since the start of this school year, she knows that getting new books into the schools in the flatlands isn’t easy. Lolade Gbadebo, who worked in the Frick Library prior to Kneeland, says a lot of the schools don’t have employees that are dedicated to the library, often using a staff member as a “library technician.”

“A lot of schools that do have a librarian are in the hills or in North Oakland, but the new district library manager has targeted schools in the flats,” says Gbadebo, noting that United for Success Academy, Green Leaf Elementary and Bret Harte Middle all reportedly have dedicated librarians.

Measure G, passed in 2009, is a parcel tax that funds educational resources in Oakland Public Schools. A quick look at the map on the
Measure G’s tracking website, TrackG.org, will show you that schools in wealthier areas receive more funds, allowing them to keep their libraries open and up-to-date. And even with outside support, getting new books in functional libraries isn’t an easy task in Oakland, where educational financial woes are seemingly constant headline news.

Last year, OUSD planned on spending $20.1 million on books and supplies, but spent only $6.8 million, while tremendously overspending on administrators and consultants, as this publication has previously reported. And yet, the District is still looking to make over 15 million dollars in cuts this year in effort to be fiscally responsible.

The mismanagement of funds and lack of resources for students is why the efforts of Ron Bridgeforth, The Brotherhood of Elders Netowrk and the librarians at Frick Middle School are to be recognized and applauded.
When asked how he feels about this work, Bridgeforth said, “Throughout my life, education has been a powerful tool for securing both freedom and success. Making this tool available to our children is my purpose and my reward.”

Putting freedom and success in the hands of the youth, that’s what superheroes do.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Related Topics:Brotherhood of Elders Education Frick Middle School Oakland

Up Next

Warriors Beats Denver 124-114 Monday Night

Don't Miss

City Workers Strike, Say Mayor Schaaf Sounds Like an Anti-Labor Republican

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Uncategorized

Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

6 months ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Special to The Post

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department (Oakland HCD) announced its awardees for the 2024-2025 New Construction of Multifamily Affordable Housing Notice of Funding Availability (New Construction NOFA) today Five permanently affordable housing developments received awards out of 24 applications received by the Department, with award amounts ranging from $7 million to $28 million.

In a statement released on Jan. 16, Oakland’s HCD stated, “Five New Construction Multifamily Affordable Housing Development projects awarded a total of $80.5 million to develop 583 affordable rental homes throughout Oakland. Awardees will leverage the City’s investments to apply for funding from the state and private entities.”

In December, the office of Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 City Councilmember, worked with HCD to allocate an additional $10 Million from Measure U to the funding pool. The legislation also readopted various capital improvement projects including street paving and upgrades to public facilities.

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is the media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

10 months ago

January 30, 2025

Oakland Post

Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 city councilmember. File photo.

Special to The Post

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units, including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Alameda County

Oakland Acquisition Company’s Acquisition of County’s Interest in Coliseum Property on the Verge of Completion

The Board of Supervisors is committed to closing the deal expeditiously, and County staff have worked tirelessly to move the deal forward on mutually agreeable terms. The parties are down to the final details and, with the cooperation of OAC and Coliseum Way Partners, LLC, the Board will take a public vote at an upcoming meeting to seal this transaction.

Published

11 months ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

Alameda County Board of Supervisors Chairman David Haubert. Official photo.

Special to The Post

The County of Alameda announced this week that a deal allowing the Oakland Acquisition Company, LLC, (“OAC”) to acquire the County’s 50% undivided interest in the Oakland- Alameda County Coliseum complex is in the final stages of completion.

Oakland has already finalized a purchase and sale agreement with OAC for its interest in the property. OAC’s acquisition of the County’s property interest will achieve two longstanding goals of the County:

The Oakland-Alameda Coliseum complex will finally be under the control of a sole owner with capacity to make unilateral decisions regarding the property; and
The County will be out of the sports and entertainment business, free to focus and rededicate resources to its core safety net

In an October 2024 press release from the City of Oakland, the former Oakland mayor described the sale of its 50% interest in the property as an “historic achievement” stating that the transaction will “continue to pay dividends for generations to come.”

The Board of Supervisors is pleased to facilitate single-entity ownership of this property uniquely centered in a corridor of East Oakland that has amazing potential.

“The County is committed to bringing its negotiations with OAC to a close,” said Board President David Haubert.