100 FOR THE 100TH

Celebrating Dr. Foster’s 100th Birthday and 100 Community Leaders Working Toward His Vision

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100 for the 100th Awardees

ABOUT THE AWARDEES

Click the names below to read more about each awardee.

CHAMPIONS FOR
INCLUSION AND BELONGING

Making and holding space for all that we are with humor, honesty, grace, persistence and determination such that the most disenfranchised are centered and honored make up the core principles of the Champions of Inclusion and Belonging.

Fremont High Principal Nidya Baez revitalized the youth leadership program at her East Oakland school, inspiring students to provide strong representation at OUSD and city council meetings. Baez, a Fremont High alum and former teacher, is also at the forefront of leading the renovation of Fremont's facilities to ensure that her students have access to safe and inspiring spaces where they can learn and grow.
DB Bedford is the founder and CEO of iNeverWorry Consulting, a company that specializes in emotional intelligence and trains staff and leadership on how to manage behavior and make better decisions to achieve positive results. Bedford has authored three books and is a highly coveted public speaker.
W. Kamau Bell is a sociopolitical comedian and community activist. Bell sits on the advisory boards of Race Forward, a racial justice think tank, and Hollaback!, an anti-harassment organization. In 2013, he was named the ACLU celebrity ambassador on racial justice. The stand-up comic is the host of CNN's United Shades of America, and he also hosts a radio show and various podcasts.
Bob Blackburn served as OUSD assistant superintendent under Dr. Foster. The pair were able to make marked improvements at OUSD, improving the educational gaps for African American students. After Dr. Foster's assassination. He also taught educational leadership at Cal and the former Cal State Hayward.
Ces Butner funds educational efforts and opportunities for underserved Black and Hispanic youth in Oakland through his Cestra Butner Family Foundation. The successful businessman is the founder of the Oakland-based Horizon Beverage Company, and at age 33 he became the youngest owner of an Anheuser-Busch wholesale operation in the country.
Sharif El-Mekki is the founder and CEO of the Center for Black Educator Development, an activist nonprofit organization that espouses recruiting and training teachers to be social justice advocates who use the classroom and lesson plans to put forward a political agenda.
Dr. Coyness Ennix has dedicated his career to improving health and educational outcomes for BIPOC communities and supporting the mission of MFEI. Dr. Ennix was also the surgeon who saved Assistant Superintendent Bob Blackburn's life when he was wounded during the assassination of Dr. Foster in 1973.
Ben-Fong Torres' editorial work catapulted Rolling Stone magazine to the success it holds today. His writing often elevated musicians' careers to international renown. When Rolling Stone moved to New York, Fong-Torres stayed behind to continue promoting the arts scene of Oakland and San Francisco. He still supports local organizations with donations of time and money, and continues to provide mentorship and inspiration to aspiring Bay Area writers.
Tanya Holland is a celebrity chef, restaurateur, podcast host, writer, and cookbook author who is a strong advocate for equity and inclusion. Known as an expert in soul food, Holland's restaurants have included Brown Sugar Kitchen, Town Fare, and B-Side BBQ. She has authored three cookbooks, and is currently the chair of the James Beard Foundation Awards Committee.
Chef David Isenberg founded and built up the Ralph J. Bunche culinary academy to become a sought-after catering option for corporate, education, and other entities. In addition to his years of instruction at the academy, Isenberg has also imparted his culinary wisdom to the students of the continuation school in West Oakland.
Damian Lillard, a six-time NBA All-Star and All-NBA selection with the Portland Trail Blazers, is a philanthropist who donates his time, energy and resources to Oakland families. His Lilllard Foundation focuses on youth development and helps families overcome hardship. Lillard is an Oakland High graduate.
Dr. Ruth Love was an award-winning educator who served as OUSD superintendent from 1975-81. She was also a professor of education at San Francisco State University and the first African American superintendent of the Chicago Public Schools District (1981-85). In 1984, she received the Horatio Alger Award and Candace Award for education. April 25th is Dr. Ruth Love Day in Oakland.
Father Jay Matthews in 1974 became the first African American priest ordained in Northern California. He served as chaplain for the Oakland police and fire departments, a vicar for Black Catholics group, and a member of the diocese's pastoral council. He was a pastor at Oakland's St. Benedict Parish from 1984-2015.
Kevin Nichols is a consultant specializing in litigation technology (eDiscovery), diversity, and social media marketing. Nichols founded the Social Engineering Project, Inc., an Oakland-based, youth-focused venture designed to address the lack of diversity in the tech industry. He has been featured in numerous blogs and journals.
Yvette Radford is Kaiser Permanente's vice president of external and community affairs. Her concern for the community and commitment to giving back has helped Bay Area citizens thrive. Under Radford's watch, KP has invested millions in organizations that are doing great work in the community.
Tiago Robinson played a fundamental role in starting and growing the African American Male Achievement program at the Oakland Unified School District. As program manager for College and Careers, Robinson works tirelessly to advocate for and provide support for the African American young men in Oakland's high schools. Robinson was AAMA's first teacher.
Favianna Rodriguez is an interdisciplinary artist, cultural strategist, and social justice activist. Her art addresses migration, gender justice, climate change, racial equity, and sexual freedom. Rodriguez is the co-founder and president of the Center for Cultural Power, a national organization lighting change at the intersection of art, culture, and social justice.
Denise Saddler is a seasoned leader and longtime educator with a proven track record for raising graduation rates, advancing staff, and impacting marginal schools. Saddler is a lecturer for the Graduate School of Education at Cal. She has also worked at Holy Names University, OUSD, and the Berryessa Union School District.
Tovi Scruggs-Hussein is an award-winning urban educator with expertise in leadership, meditation, and transformation experience. With more than 25 years in educational leadership as a high school principal and nonprofit leader, she believes that we must first transform ourselves through self-awareness and self-master before trying to make changes to our schools, organizations and the culture that we lead.
Jean Yonemura Wing advocated for educational equity and social justice as OUSD's executive director of Research, Assessment and Data, a position she held for 16 years. Yonemura Wing pioneered the district's equity dashboard. She also wrote a book, Unfinished Business, about her experience as a researcher on a diversity project at Berkeley High, her alma mater.
Lovingly known as Mother Wright, Mary Ann Wright was a humanitarian activist from Oakland. For nearly three decades starting in the 1980s, she fed more than 450 people a day on a budget of $137,000 a year. She also distributed huge quantities of food, clothing, and toys each holiday season. The White House recognized her work in caring for the needy.
The Oakland A's have been a vital part of the community since 1968. The MLB team invests in the community by funding programs, events, and initiatives that enrich the lives of youth and families. The A's encourage youngsters to read through its Home Run Readers programs, invests in Black-owned businesses, and fund the sports programs at Oakland Tech, Skyline, Madison Park Academy, Oakland, Castlemont, McClymonds, and Fremont high schools.

INNOVATORS FOR EQUITY

The Innovator for Equity achieves gains alongside those with the greatest needs on the unlevel playing field with creativity, a solutions-focused mindset and remaining faithful to the goal.

Erica Hooper, DNP, RN, PHN, CNS, CNL, has a personal mission in life to use her gifts to help others with their healing and transformation to reach their greatest potential and healthiest selves. She has been an RN and holistic practitioner for over 20 years and has a passion for helping health professionals better care for themselves. She currently works as a Regional Program Manager for Kaiser Permanente and an adjunct faculty at the University of San Francisco. As a life and energetic coach, healing touch practitioner, and fitness instructor, Erica began her business-Heart Luminations-to reflect her mission of igniting one heart at a time; Erica uses the power of the heart to intuitively guide people toward their own truth, growth, and healing. Erica has a special interest in working with vulnerable populations to help break cycles of health inequity, injustice, racial barriers, and poverty.
Rany Ath is longtime educator, mentor, and advocate for the postsecondary success and wellness of Oakland youth. She is the director of Oakland High's Wellness Center, where she works with school staff and community partners to support, motivate, and inspire young people to become safe, smart, and socially responsible citizens.
Communications strategist and non-profit administrator Y'Anad Burrell has been serving the community for decades. Burrell has launched numerous social impact campaigns and delivered public relations engagements to highlight needs in the community.
Keith Carson is the current President of the Alameda Board of Supervisors, having served as the District 5 representative since 1992. He chairs several county committees and organizations, including the East Bay Economic Alliance, Alameda County Budge Work Group Committee, and Alameda County Personnel, Administration and Legislation Committee. Carson has more than 50 years experience in public service.
Wilma Chan, a former Alameda County Supervisor whose district largely covered Oakland, is a dedicated leader and advocate who always fought to ensure county and state resources were stewarded to support the health and well-being of Oakland's children and residents with the greatest needs.
Filmmaker Ryan Coogler is a recipient of four NAACP Image Awards, four Black Reel Awards, and an Oscar Award Best Picture nomination for Black Panther. Coogler is a director, speaker, and philanthropist that continues to share his talents and resources with Bay Area youth. His films include Fruitvale Station, the Creed series and Wakanda Forever.
Through their Eat.Learn.Play Foundation, Ayesha and Steph Curry have invested significant resources to push an agenda and provide funding that improves the lives of Oakland's youth. In addition to being role models, they prioritize investing in programming and opportunities that can increase the health, education and overall well-being of Oakland's young people.
Sheila E., whose hits include The Glamorous Life and A Love Bizarre, shares her love of music with young people from all over the world. The talented percussionist has given her time and resources to numerous organizations, including Elevate Oakland, Elevate Hope Foundation, and Save the Music Foundation.
The first blind and deaf person to graduate from Harvard Law School, Haben Girma is a human rights lawyer advancing disability justice. She provides consulting and public speaking on accessibility, diversity, and leadership. Girma believes disability is an opportunity for innovation, and she teaches organizations the importance of choosing inclusion.
Investor Arlan Hamilton is the founder and managing partner of Backstage Capital, a fund that invests in women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ community. Backstage Capital has so far raised about $15 million and invested in more than 150 startups. Hamilton is the author of It's About Damn Time, which is part memoir and part how-to book for people generally underestimated in society.
Author and longtime educator Ericka Huggins was one of the few women to hold a leadership role with the Black Panthers, having served as director of their Oakland Community School. She has since made her mark as a professor of sociology in the Peralta Community College District and the California State University system, as well as the first Black woman on the Alameda County Board of Education.
Regina Jackson is the former president and CEO of the East Oakland Youth Development Center, where she set the strategic direction for the national youth development model for more than 25 years. Her platform of youth-led initiatives have empowered thousands of young people to achieve lifelong academic and career success.
After years of being rejected, educator Ida Louise Jackson in 1923 became the first Black woman to teach high school in California. She first taught at an Imperial Valley school but spent the majority of her teaching career at Oakland's McClymonds High. Jackson also served as national president of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first historically African American sorority, and established a low-cost dental clinic in Oakland.
LaNiece Jones is a media, marketing, public affairs, project management and fund development professional with a history working with nonprofit organizations, local businesses and government agencies in the name of community. At Peralta Community College District she serves 30,000 students, leading the planning, organizing and execution of a multi-faceted annual fundraising program to drive student success Additionally she manages the foundation’s $300,000+ student scholarship awards program.
Freada Kapor Klein is a venture capitalist whose for-profit, Kapor Capital, and nonprofit, Kapor Center for Social Impact, both advocate for gender and racial equity. The latter has helped diversify tech through through support of youth and local start-ups. She is also the founder of SMASH, which helps students of color pursue degrees in quantitative science.
From her anti-war stance to her commitment to providing for the impoverished, Barbara Lee has represented and defended Oakland's views and needs at the state and national levels of government. Congresswoman Lee has represented California's 13th District (previously 9th) since 1988. She is a model of leadership for Oakland youth and families, ensuring that the needs of the most marginalized in her district are reflected in the budget, appropriations and policies of the U.S. government.
A pillar of the Oakland community, Dr. Michael Lenoir has looked after the health of Bay Area youth for nearly 50 years as a pediatrician, allergist and president of the African American Wellness Project.
Actor Delroy Lindo is an activist, artist and philanthropist who volunteers in the community and fights for justice in many forms. He is the recipient of an NAACP Image Award and Satellite Award, and has been nominated for a Tony and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. His work includes roles in such movies as Malcolm X, Da 5 Bloods, and Get Shorty.
For years this community star has shared her love for education with Bay Area youth. She is a Bay Area Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Impact professional that is currently leading community connections between the Warriors and Bay Area students. Ay'Anna Moody is the former coordinator of college access for OUSD and former director of college access for Oakland Promise. Under her leadership, OUSD increased its high school graduation rate to 70 percent, the highest in decades. Moody is currently the Director of Impact with the Golden State Warriors.
Dr. Kim Rhoads of UCSF established Umoja Health Partners to bring awareness and resources to the Black population during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mission of Umoja, which means unity in Swahili, is to build coalitions that increase community capacity to achieve health equity.
Dr. LuPaulette Taylor has dedicated decades of her life to teach and guide the children of McClymonds High. Known simply as "DT," Dr. Taylor always puts her students first, and has become generationally known and trusted in West Oakland as a fierce advocate for her students' academic success, careers, and well-being.
Dr. Van currently serves as a tenured professor at Samuel Merritt University’s School of Nursing. Van has taught at SMU for over a decade and in other San Francisco Bay Area academic institutions spanning over 30 years. She holds multiple degrees from UCSF and professional certifications, underlining her expertise. Dr. Van has published dozens of clinical papers and research articles, sharing her view on health and equity. Dr. Paulina Van was inducted in 2014 to the Honors Society of Nursing and has served as a board member with the Ethnic Health Institute as well as an advisor for Alameda County Department of Public Health and sits on the board for Marcus Foster Education Institute.
Rev. Dr. Katherine Ward developed award-winning instrumental and vocal music programs and productions at Madison Junior High, and McClymonds and Fremont high schools during her distinguished teaching career. She also served as principal at Hamilton Junior High, where she led the effort to rename the school after Calvin Simmons, the first Black conductor of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra.
Clorox Company employees have supported the largest and longest running donor-funded scholarship for Oakland youth offered by MFEI. They fund-raise to support between 15 to 30+ scholars yearly from Oakland.

VISIONARIES FOR DIVERSITY

A Visionary for Diversity embodies the belief that we are stronger together, we achieve nothing alone and bridges are the linchpins to our collective victory.

Maya Angelou was a memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies (including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings), three books of essays, poetry books, and is credited for a list of plays, movies, and TV shows spanning over 50 years. She was also an actress, writer, director, and producer. Angelou was active in the civil rights movement and worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
Thomas Berkley was the first Black commissioner for the Port of Oakland, helping it grow into a container operation that moved cargo with cranes. He also established the first Black law firm in Northern California, became the second African American to serve on OUSD, and founded The Post and El Mundo newspapers, the latter published in Spanish.
London Breed is the first Black woman —second Black person overall and second woman overall—to be elected mayor of San Francisco. She has worked extensively to address the ongoing housing crisis in the city. One of her greatest achievements was launching an environmental campaign that endeavors to convert San Francisco to 100 percent renewable electricity.
Nikole Collins-Puri is a social justic visionary, strategist, advocate, and mentor who unleashes the potential of untapped communities. She is the CEO of Techbridge Girls, a nonprofit that excites, educates, and equips girls from low-income communities through STEM. It empowers them to pursue STEM careers, and achieve economic mobility and financial security as adults.
Dr. César Cruz, a former continuation school teacher, co-founded Homies Empowerment to promote community dinners as a way for food and cooking to broker peace between rival gangs in East Oakland. Those dinners have grown from 20 guests to hundreds, and Dr. Cruz has expanded the program from its youth-development origins to include food services, care programs, and a farm that serves the East Oakland community.
Journalist Belva Davis became the first African American woman television reporter in the West Coast when she debuted for San Francisco station KPIX in 1966. She has won eight Emmy Awards, and has also worked in print and radio. Among the key stories she covered were the Black Panthers, the mass murder/suicide at Jamestown, the Moscone-Milk assassinations, and the AIDS and crack epidemics.
Ron Dellums was an influential Oakland politician who served as the city's 48th mayor from 2007-2011. He was the first African American elected to Congress from Northern California, and eventually won 11 total elections as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1971-1998. Dellums was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and was an outspoken opponent of apartheid in South Africa.
Joyce Gordon is an arts activist, business owner, and educator. The exhibits she features at her eponymous art gallery in Oakland reflects the social and cultural diversity of the Bay Area. It boldly features the work of local and international artists that may not be readily shown elsewhere.
Elihu Harris served as the 46th mayor of Oakland from 1991-99. Prior to that he had served on the California State Assembly from 1978-90, and later became the chancellor for the Peralta Community College District from 2004-10. The Elihu M. Harris State Office Building in Oakland is named after him.
Carolyn Johnson is CEO of Black Cultural Zone Collaborative Partners, which works with a coalition of residents, government agencies, churches, and grassroots groups to support the Black community in East Oakland. The organization builds power, secures land, and directs dollars to comunity-driven projects to allow neighborhoods to thrive. Johnson is also a College of Alameda professor.
Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell has led OUSD as superintendent since 2017. The East Oakland native was educated in the OUSD system. For nearly 25 years she has worked tirelessly to improve OUSD's quality of education as an educator and administrator, and has received a number of awards for her efforts.
Joe Morgan is widely considered as one of the greatest second basemen of all time. The Castlemont High graduate played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball, winning two World Series championships and two regular-season National League MVP awards with the Cincinnati Reds. Morgan was a 10-time All-Star and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Geoffrey Pete is dedicated to both the arts and social issues. He is the founder of Geoffrey's Inner Circle, the full-service entertainment venue that has been an Oakland institution since the late 1970s. GIC has served as a haven for the most underserved members of the community by providing free hot meals, and by employing formerly incarcerated individuals.
Nichelle Rachal is senior manager of community relations for Clorox. She is the co-lead of BELIEVE, Clorox's Black employee resource group, and creates identifies opportunities for minorities.
Aminah "Chef Mimi" Robinson-Briscoe is the founder of the Black Food & Wine Experience, an interactive annual event that bridges food, beverage, education, health, and Black culture. For more than a decade, Chef Mimi has focused on the overlooked intersection of food, social justice, and entertainment. She is also behind the Bringing It to the Table culinary competition and Chef Mimi Catering.
Lillian Samuel is the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area. The organization is one of the oldest, most respected youth-service organizations in the country. It provides children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported 1-to-1 relationships that change kids' lives for the better.
Jake Sloan is the owner and president of Davillier-Sloan, one of California's largest labor-management firms. Their work over the decades has improved labor practices at shipyards, influenced the Civil Rights Act, helped with the formation of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and impacted other affirmative action initiatives that have improved the lives of African Americans.
Loren Taylor has represented District 6 on the Oakland City Council since 2019. His priorities include creating economic opportunities in East Oakland, stop the pricing out of Oaklanders, and making government more effective and efficient. Taylor's background is in biomedical engineering and management consultant. He is a board member of the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area and the West Oakland Health Center.
Alice Walker is a novelist, short story writer, poet, and social activist. In 1982, she became the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Price for Fiction, for her book The Color Purple. Walker has published 17 novels and short story collections, 12 non-fiction works, and collections of essays and poetry. She coined the term "womanist" to mean "a black feminist or feminist of color."

WARRIORS FOR JUSTICE

Courage, thoughtfulness and strategic risk taking on behalf of the voiceless define the Warrior for Justice.

Dr. Noha Aboelata founded Roots Community Health Center in Oakland to provide whole health care to those who lack safety net services and access to traditional support systems. Dr. Aboelata and the center operates on the belief that community empowerment and self-direction are paramount to the provision of medical care.
Free Brown has over a decade of experience providing mental health & substance abuse prevention, intervention, & counseling to the unhoused, teens, & adult reentry populations. She uses her education & willingness to modify standard treatment modalities to address the effects of systematic racism and foster resilience combined with motivational interviewing. She holds a B.S. in Family Studies & Human Services (Kansas State Univ.), M.A. in Counseling: Clinical Mental Health (Adams State Univ), Certified Alcohol Drug Counselor II (CCAPP) & Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (California BBS). She is the founder of Sankofa Garden, which seeks to merge mental health counseling, horticulture therapy, and sustainable food production. She is the owner of Thera Share, a co-working space for Black therapists and therapists of color. Her current research explores biofeedback and EMDR for African Americans with compound trauma. She intends to foster a continuum of care that will serve the systematically oppressed with solution-based interventions, ongoing research, and reproducible models.
Cesar Chavez was a labor leader and civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee to become the influential United Farm Workers labor union. Chavez emphasized direct but non-violent tactics, including pickets and boycotts, to pressure farm owners into granting workers' demands.
Joe Coto was an educator and politician who made an impact in Oakland and San Jose. He began his career as social studies teacher at OUSD, was elected to City Council, and returned to OUSD as superintendent in 1984. He became supervisor of the East Side Union High School District in 1988, and in 2004 was elected to the State Assembly to represent the 23rd district.
Angela Davis is a political activist, philosopher, academic, scholar, and author. The University of California, Santa Cruz professor has authored more than 10 books on class, gender, race, and the U.S. prison system. A feminist and a Marxist, Davis is a founding member of the Committee of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism.
HipHopTV, Inc. CEO Shawn Granberry has worked in the entertainment industry for more than 25 years. His work with inner-city youth led him and childhood friend Jason Kidd to launch the Scholar and Bears Youth Basketball. Granberry works closely with Stanford and Cal faculty to help young people achieve the goal of attending college.
Labor organizer Dolores Huerta in 1962 co-founded the United Farm Workers union along with Cesar Chavez to stop the exploitation of farmworkers and provide them a better life. She also spearheaded the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, which allowed farmworkers to form unions, and bargain for better wages and conditions.
Guy Johnson was an author, poet, and civil rights activist. The only son of Maya Angelou, Johnson followed in his mother's footsteps and wrote a number of books, including Save the Stratford Canal!, Standing at the Scratch Line, and Echoes of a Distant Summer.
Civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick is a former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who called attention to police brutality and racial inequity in the United States by kneeling during the national anthem. His actions, which inspired similar protests in the sports world and beyond, might have cost Kaepernick his career as he has not played in the NFL since 2016.
Keba Konte has positioned Red Bay Coffee at the forefront of coffee's fourth wave with a firm commitment to diversity, inclusion, social and economic restoration, entrepreneurship, and environmental sustainability. Konte hires and serves people of all backgrounds, striving to be inclusive of those traditionally left out of the specialty coffee industry -- especially people of color, the formerly incarcerated, women, and people with disabilities.
Fred Korematsu resisted the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, became a fugitive and was convicted for his actions. The conviction was overturned four decades later, and the state of California has since 2011 recognized Korematsu's journey as a civil rights activist with the Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution every Jan. 30.
Marshawn Lynch is a leader both on and off the football field. His Fam 1st Family Foundation focuses on underserved youth and aims to build new generations of innovative thinkers to create solutions for the future. Lynch was a standout running back for Oakland Tech, Cal, and the Seattle Seahawks, whom he led to a Super Bowl victory in 2014.
Dr. Joseph Marshall founded the Omega Boys Club, Alive & Free, and Street Soldiers National Consortium -- organizations that are dedicated to youth development and violence prevention. He is an author, lecturer, radio talk show host, and community activist. Dr. Marshall has helped more than 200 students obtain college degrees.
Dr. Brandon Nicholson co-founded The Hidden Genius Project to connect Black male youth with the skills, mentorship, and experiences that they need to become high-performing entrepreneurs and technologists in a 21st-century global economy. Dr. Nicholson has conducted substantial research in education and youth development, with a focus on equity and access in K-12 education for underserved populations.
Walter Riley is a civil rights attorney and activist who is known for advocacy for youth. Riley is a member of the National Lawyers Guild, the ACLU, #BlackLivesMatter, and Black Alliance for Just Immigration. He is the chair of the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund, and has served on a number of boards, including Global Exchange, Berkeley Jazz School, and Oakland Music Conservatory.
Bill Russell is one of the greatest basketball players of all time, having won a record 11 NBA championships with the Boston Celtics from 1956-69. The McClymonds High graduate also led the USF Dons to NCAA titles in 1955 and '56. After his 2022 death, the NBA made Russell's No. 6 jersey the first ever to be retired league-wide. In 2011, President Obama recognized his work on the court and in the Civil Rights movement with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Bobby Seale co-founded the Black Panthers with Huey P. Newton in Oakland in 1966. Through the Panthers, Seale led an international movement that exposed police brutality against Black people, and empowered Black communities to address poverty, hunger, housing, health care, and education. He co-authored the 10-point platform that codified the party's demands.
Lionel Wilson was the first Black mayor of Oakland, serving three terms from 1977-91. As mayor, he emphasized development in downtown Oakland, including the extension of BART into the city. In 1961, Wilson became the first Black judge in California when he was appointed to the Alameda County Municipal Court. He was elevated to the Alameda County Superior Court three years later.
Oscar Wright's constant presence at OUSD board meetings earned him the nickname of "Oakland's Education Advocate." The World War II veteran was originally from Mississippi, and children attended Oakland public schools. Wright attended the meetings to demand equal education opportunities for Black and Latino students.
The Black Panther Party was a Black power political organization founded in Oakland in 1966 by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton. The party initially addressed police brutality in Oakland's Black community, and later expanded to include social programs (free breakfasts for children, health clinics, education) that benefited the community. The influential but controversial had chapters in such cities as San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
Founded in 1969 in Oakland's Fruitvale district, Centro Legal de la Raza provides legal services that protect and advance the rights of low-income, immigrant, Black, and Latinx communities through bilingual legal representation, education, and advocacy. The agency also fosters new generations of law students through its Youth Law Academy.