Living Black / Making Black History
Gray Panthers Speaker meeting on February 26, 2025 - via Zoom
We honored the ongoing work of Black community leaders and activists in Berkeley, past and present, with a few featured speakers:
- Elder Afi Tiombe Kambon
- Elder Winston Burton (Gray Panther member)
- Sean Scott
Expect first-hand stories, and a few video clips or slides of life in West and South Berkeley, the days of civil rights, Black Panthers, integration, and hippies - the rise of unemployment, crack and homelessness, rising rents, and displacement of thousands of families amid the hard hit of the real estate recession in 2008-2010.
Featured Speakers:
"Ms Afi" is an actor and oral historian, with lifelong roots in West and South Berkeley. Her stories are full of strength and resilience and uplifting others. Cancer as a child left her an amputee. She brings many gifts and experiences to educate and inspire others. She is board member of Berkeley Black Rep and former Secretary of the Berkeley NAACP. Afi will also perform an excerpt from her solo work An Extra Jar of Molasses.
Winston Burton arrived in Berkeley in the free-wheeling 1960s from his hometown, West Philly. An early job at Xerox led to his becoming an employment counselor and job trainer. For 24 years he helped grow BOSS (Better Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency), opening shelters, preparing job seekers, and more. He worked with several mayors and saw first hand the rise in displacement across the city. Winston is also a long-time Vice President of the Berkeley NAACP and Chair of Berkeley Community Media, the city's cable TV studio.
Sean Scott, Executive Director of Berkeley Black Repertory Theater, may share his story growing up in Berkeley, and more on the history and current work that make this important cultural landmark even more significant today.
We will also shine a light on some of the institutions and new community alliances working to make a thriving Black community future, including Healthy Black Families, Berkeley NAACP, African American Holistic Resource Center, South Berkeley Alliance for BART Development and the Adeline Corridor community plan from Friends of Adeline.
After the main program we'll hear short Reports from the Board and National Council of Gray Panthers, and Announcements of recent and upcoming events:
- No More Kings rally
- Defend Medicaid Forum
- Affordable Housing/Section 8
- Berkeley Tenants Union
- Training for Caregivers and Care Receivers
- Save the Post Office
- Action Calls, trainings and lobbying opportunities.
- Socials, and more.
Other Sources and Resources
- LTSS4ALL Coalition - Feb 28 Defend Medicaid and Medicare (Long-Term Supports and Services)
- Life and Death of CODORNICES VILLAGE (West Berkeley history)
- WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD - a video history of South Berkeley: community action to underground BART, and heroic leadership, art and displacement of the Howard family. Trailer / Full Video (28 minutes)
- African American Holistic Resource Center - community leaders have been working on this for over a decade, learn about the building and new design proposed.
- Frances Mary Albrier: Determined Advocate for Racial Equality.
