Bay Area

Vallejo Juneteenth Committee Awards Scholarships to Solano County Students

For the second year in a row, the organization could not hold Vallejo’s Annual Juneteenth Celebration due to COVID-19. AAFRC President Gwendolyn White says launching the scholarship program also celebrates other first time milestones for Vallejo in this historic year for Juneteenth which became a federal holiday on June 19.

Published

5 years ago

July 7, 2021

Isabelle Price

The African American Family Reunion Committee, which sponsors Vallejo's Annual Juneteenth Celebration, raised the official Juneteenth Flag at an inaugural ceremony on June 1 at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park where the banner was displayed during the entire month of June. (l-r) Juneteenth members attending the program included Derek Crutchfield, Sandra Stowes, Angela Jones (at podium), Margaret Plump, Rosemary Thurston, Dr. Genea Brice, and A. Marie Young. Photo courtesy: MEL Media

Vallejo, CA | The African American Family Reunion Committee, in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, has awarded the 2021 Juneteenth Scholarship to six high school students in the Class of 2021.

The students graduated from schools in the Solano County area and will each receive a $500 educational award. All the students have chosen colleges they plan to attend in the fall. The scholarships were awarded to Sanaa Carson, Buckingham Collegiate Charter School, Vacaville (Tuskegee Institute); Madison Firle, Benicia High School (Howard University); Lawrence Hargraves II, Jesse Bethel High School (San Jose State University); Rosemarie Louissaint, St. Vincent-St. Patrick High School (Spellman College); Mia Martin, Vacaville High School (UC Santa Cruz), and Karly Welch, Fairfield High School (Holy Names College).

For the second year in a row, the organization could not hold Vallejo’s Annual Juneteenth Celebration due to COVID-19. AAFRC President Gwendolyn White says launching the scholarship program also celebrates other first time milestones for Vallejo in this historic year for Juneteenth which became a federal holiday on June 19.

“We raised the official Juneteenth flag in an inaugural ceremony on June 1 with the City Council’s unanimous approval which is the first time this flag has flown in our city.” White added that Vallejo is the first city in Solano County to officially display the Juneteenth flag.

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln January 1, 1863. On June 19, 1865, two and half years later at a church gathering in Galveston, Texas, Major General Gordon Granger announced the end of the Civil War and that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state were free by executive decree.

Isabelle Price

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Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

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5 days ago

March 7, 2026

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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

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2 weeks ago

March 1, 2026

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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

3 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.