Activism

The War of Modern Life in America

As we come out of Memorial Day, let’s not forget the victims of all our “other wars.”

Published

5 years ago

June 3, 2021

Mia Lane

Photo by Jason Leung

I don’t want to diminish the memory of those who fought in our military wars. They deserve Memorial Day.

But perhaps post-Memorial Day, we should take a moment to remember those who died in our other “American wars.”

Like the American Covid war, which as of Tuesday, stands at more than 594,201 deaths—more than any U.S. war since the Civil War.

Clearly the fight against Covid was a failure from the start, only coming into a better sense of control with a new administration’s no-nonsense, more scientific approach.

I thought about all that during a memorial tribute on Sunday to Corky Lee, the Asian American photographer who made it his life mission to document AAPI lives.

It was an event I was honored to have emceed.

While some people tried to get back to normal over the weekend, I was on Zoom with about 300 others celebrating my friend Corky, who died of Covid on Jan. 27. On that day, he was one of 4,101 to die of Covid in our country, making the total number back then around 429,000 deaths. In four months, the number of deaths has increased by nearly 30 percent.

That’s now considered “acceptable.”

It shouldn’t be.

The other war we must consider is the one we saw last week.

SAN JOSE-VTA RAMPAGE

Paul Megia, 42, would have been driving back home from Disneyland right now after celebrating the middle school graduation of one of his three children.

Instead, the family is in mourning. Megia, a Filipino immigrant, died in another mass shooting in America, this one in San Jose at the Valley Transit Authority..

The deaths from gun violence in our country have become so routine we hardly pay attention to them– unless they are “mass shootings.” Even then, there are so many that some only get cursory news coverage. (More than 239 as of May 31, according to the Gun Violence Archive).

But the ones covered are usually carried out by a gunman, a man on a mission, armed with a military assault weapon, and since March, a surprising number of Asian Americans were killed.

In Atlanta on March 16, six of the eight were Korean Americans.

In Indianapolis on April 16, four of the eight victims were Sikh Americans.

In San Jose, on May 26, nine innocent lives were lost in the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the Bay Area.

Two of the nine were Asian American. Taptejdeep Singh, 36, a Sikh American, was seen as a hero–, in the final moments of his life, he alerted others about the gunman. And then there was Megia, who immigrated to America from the Philippines as a toddler and found his American Dream working his way up the ranks from bus operator to assistant superintendent.

By my count, that’s 12 Asian American deaths in the three most publicized mass shootings since March.

The San Jose gunman, Samuel Cassidy, had three semi-automatic handguns, 32 high-capacity magazines, and fired 39 shots, as he went from building to building militaristically, killing some people, passing over others. Cassidy was known as a disgruntled employee since 2016 when he was stopped upon re-entering the country after a visit from the Philippines. DHS found books and notes about terror and violence, and how he hated the VTA.

This is modern life in America, where people like Megia and Singh can go to work with no guarantee of returning home.

As we come out of Memorial Day, let’s not forget the victims of all our “other wars.”

And mind you, I’m not even counting police-related shootings and incidents which make up its own category of shame.

Political folks must have the courage to acknowledge and deal with these “other wars” within our modern America that cost real lives and cause real pain. They will when we do.

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He vlogs at www.amok.com FaceBook@ emilguillermo.media Twitter@emilamok

Mia Lane

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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

5 days 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.