UP NEXT AT GEOFFREY'S INNER CIRCLE
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New Events Coming Soon
Look for announcements here.
COMING UP AT GEOFFREY'S INNER CIRCLE
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Feb. 6: Faye & The Folks—The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol featuring Saxophonist Kenny Garrett
With Essiet Essiet, Tony Austin, and Joe Warner Sunday, February 6, 2022 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm $40 admission $15 soul food buffet Geoffrey's Inner Circle 410 14th Street in ... -
Feb. 13: Faye & The Folks—The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol featuring vocalist Kenny Washington
Valentine's Weekend Concert With Essiet Essiet, Tony Austin, and Joe Warner Sunday, February 13, 2022 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm $40 admission $15 soul food buffet Geoffrey's Inner Circle 410 ... -
Feb. 20: Faye & The Folks—The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol featuring the all-star sextet
With Steve Turre, Elena Pinderhughes, Bill Ortiz, Dennis Chambers, Essiet Essiet, and Joe Warner Sunday, February 20, 2022 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm $40 admission $15 soul food buffet Geoffrey's ... -
Feb. 27: Faye & The Folks—The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol featuring Robert Randolph
Sunday, February 27, 2021 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm $40 admission $15 soul food buffet Geoffrey's Inner Circle 410 14th Street in Oakland's Dynamic Downtown District Join us every Sunday ... -
The Dynamic Miss Faye Carrol Still Earns Her Laurels From Every Set
Posted January 11, 2022 from San Francisco Classical Voice — By Lou Fancher — Having provided sublime and sizzling performances to audiences in the Bay Area and beyond for six ...
Around The Town
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New Events Around Town Coming Soon
Look for announcements here
Announcements
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As We Re-open from the pandemic, thanking you for your support
This is a shout out and a big thank you to all of our many friends who have come out to support the Inner Circle for our return to live ... -
Join the Friends of Geoffrey’s Inner Circle in preserving this Oakland cultural treasure!
Hello, Geoffrey's Inner Circle family! PLEASE NOTE: We have raised more than $45,000 of our $250,000 Go Fund Me goal in only a few weeks!! For those who have already ...
News Of The Day
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Black Tennessee woman is exonerated after 27 years in prison
Posted January 17, 2022 from Afro News — Joyce Watkins spent 27 years of her life in prison after she was convicted of the rape and murder of a 4-year-old ... -
Virginia’s incoming Republican attorney general wipes out office's civil rights division
Posted January 17, 2022 from AlterNet — He has yet to be sworn in but Virginia’s Republican Attorney General-elect Jason Miyares has already fired dozens of lawyers, including those working ... -
Texas county rejects half of mail-in ballot applications amid new voter restrictions
Posted January 17, 2022 from The Guardian — Election officials in the Texas county that includes the state capital, Austin, have rejected about half of applications for mail-in ballots, following ... -
Ex-Chicago cop who killed Laquan McDonald will be released from prison early
Posted January 17, 2022 from NPR — After serving a little more than 39 months of an 81-month sentence for the shooting death of a Black teen in 2014, former ... -
Wonder Woman’s Black twin, Nubia, inspired Cal professor’s book on superhuman comics
Posted January 16, 2022 from Berkeleyside — By Michael Berry — You probably don’t remember Wonder Woman’s Black twin sister, Nubia. But Darieck Scott does. In 1973, when Scott was ... -
the press is going out of its way to humiliate the Vice President
Posted January 15, 2022 from Daily Kos — Opinion by Pakalolo — I'm getting pissed off at how the press has been particularly harsh on Vice President Kamala Harris. Maybe, ... -
UN decries Ethiopia air strikes; says dozens killed this month
Posted January 15, 2022 from Al Jazeera — The UN human rights office expressed alarm at “multiple, deeply disturbing reports” of air strikes in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, saying ... -
London Breed criticizes white San Francisco progressives again
Posted January 15, 2022 from The Chronicle — San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who accused white progressives of projecting beliefs onto African American residents after the fallout from the death ... -
The NFL is down to a single Black head coach after pledging to diversify
Posted January 15, 2022 from CNN — The Houston Texans fired head coach David Culley Thursday after one season in charge, leaving the NFL with just one Black head coach ... -
Malians rally after army calls for protests over West Africa Bloc sanctions
Posted January 15, 2022 from Al Jazeera — Malians have taken to the streets en masse after the country’s ruling military called for protests against stringent sanctions imposed by the ...
Videos Of The Day
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The Day A Black Man Slapped A Southern White Man In The Face on film
"In The Heat Of The Night": The slap seen and heard around the world in the difficult days of American racial strife of 1967. One of the reasons actor Sidney ... -
Paul Robeson sings to Scottish miners
Extract from Mining Review 2nd Year No. 11 (1949) The highlight of this 1949 issue is the visit of American actor and singer Paul Robeson to Woolmet Colliery near Edinburgh. ... -
Dujuan Armstrong death: Alameda County Sheriff releases body camera video
Armstrong died of asphyxiation while being restrained in custody at Santa Rita Jail on June 24, 2018. His family has been vocal in asking for the police body camera footage ...
Geoffrey Pete And Geoffrey's Inner Circle In The News
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After a rough year, Geoffrey’s Inner Circle to relaunch Sunday night jazz sessions
Posted July 30, 2021 from Oaklandside — Geoffrey Pete was reluctant to ask for help. The namesake proprietor of Geoffrey’s Inner Circle has weathered many a storm since he opened ... -
Oakland Entertainment Veterans Emerge From COVID-19 With New Mission
Posted June 27, 2021 from the Post News Group — By Tony Spires — Oakland, like many major U.S. cities, has been severely impacted by recent unprecedented events. The COVID-19 ... -
Geoffrey’s Inner Circle Not included in City of Oakland Funding Support
Posted June 8, 2021 from the Post News Group — By Geoffrey Pete — Paul Mooney appeared at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle some 30 or more times over the years. His ... -
Live show venues in Oakland—like Geoffrey's—can now apply for emergency funding
Posted April 13, 2021 from Oaklandside — A new federal assistance program will provide over $16 billion in grants to entertainment venues that lost revenue during the pandemic — By ...
Worthwhile Causes That Deserve Your Support
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Support Black Businesses: 10 Black-Owned Businesses Highlighted By Forbes Magazine
Voting with your pocketbook is one of the best ways to effect change in a capitalist society. The U.S. is home to roughly 2.5 million black-owned businesses, according to the ... -
Forbes: Black-Owned Businesses To Support Part Two
Voting with your pocketbook is one of the best ways to effect change in a capitalist society. The U.S. is home to roughly 2.5 million black-owned businesses, according to the ... -
Forbes: Black-Owned Businesses To Support Part One
Voting with your pocketbook is one of the best ways to effect change in a capitalist society. The U.S. is home to roughly 2.5 million black-owned businesses, according to the ...
Snapshots
Celebrating Good Times At Geoffrey's Inner Circle
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Rhonda Benin - Sunday Night Jazz
November 5, 2013 Geoffrey's Inner Circle -
Gospel Brunch Featuring The Edwin Hawkins Singers
1996 at Geoffrey's Inner Circle -
The Comedy Of Cody Woods At Geoffrey's
Recorded live at Geoffrey's Inner Circle July, 2018 -
Book Launch Party At Geoffrey's For Betty Reid Soskin's Autobiography "Sign My Name To Freedom"
February 21, 2018 Bob Reid, Betty Reid Soskin, Judy Jager Betty Reid Soskin interviewed by Channel 5 News (filmmaker Bryan Gibel at far left filming the interview) Signing copies of ... -
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A History Of Geoffrey's Inner Circle
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2018 Jefferson Award Winner Owns Geoffrey's Inner Circle
Oakland Nightclub Owner Hosts Community Members For Free Meals -
A History Of Geoffrey's Inner Circle: The Athenian Nile Club, Part 1
By Joan Tarika Lewis Copyright 1999 To understand the significance of Geoffrey's Inner Circle is to examine, Africa’s story, our-story and history. Why is this important and what does this have to ...
Herman And Dorothy Reid Pete
Honoring The Parents Of Inner Circle Owner Geoffrey Pete
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DOROTHY PETE AT 90
MATRIARCH OF BLACK BERKELEY FAMILY MARKS 90TH BIRTHDAY — From the Berkeley Daily Planet Newspaper, March 9, 2004 — One of the great modern California folk myths is that African-Americans ... -
Dorothy Pete: Her Life In Her Own Words
African American Museum & Library at Oakland oral history interview with Dorothy Reid Pete discussing her family’s history in the Bay Area and her integration of the Oakland YWCA. Dorothy ... -
Herman Rideaux Pete: Outstanding Athlete And Proud Race Man
Herman Pete was a star student athlete in the 1930's, first at Alameda High School and then later at Marin Junior College, excelling in both football and baseball. Pete attended ...
Paul Mooney — August 14, 1941 - May 19, 2021
He Always Left Us Laughing And Then, Laughing, He Left Us
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Video: Paul Mooney unfiltered comedy
Paul Mooney is the black, white and brown citizens go to for comic relief with his no holds barred style of comedy, in this video clip watch as Mooney dissect ... -
Steve Harvey, Chris Tucker and more gather for Paul Mooney memorial service in LA
Posted June 28, 2021 from The Grio — Mooney was memorialized during a service at The Hollywood Roosevelt that included a mixture of recorded messages and in-person appearances by Hollywood ... -
Video: The Paul Mooney Awards (2004)
Legendary writer/comedian Paul Mooney took over the 2004 BET Comedy Awards in the way only he can. -
Paul Mooney, Oakland-based Comedian and comedy Writer, Dies at 79
Posted May 19, 2021 from Variety — Paul Mooney, the comedian, actor and writer for Richard Pryor, died on Wednesday morning, his representative Cassandra Williams confirmed to Variety. He was 79. ... -
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Paul Mooney was an elusive figure, but his influence was far-reaching
From The Undefeated — He wrote for some of the greatest Black comedians of our time while making people uncomfortable with his takes on race and culture — By Ashley ... -
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Video: Paul Mooney - Dropping Knowledge
More from Reelblack's 2010 interview with MR. PAUL MOONEY. In this clip, he talks about the difference between being half-African and half-Black, DNA, his Rip Van Winkle screenplay, Willie Lynch ...
Frank Robinson - August 31, 1935 – February 7, 2019
He Stood Out In A City Full Of Outstanding Athletes
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Major League Baseball's Tribute To Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson, a trailblazing figure who was Major League Baseball's first African-American manager and one of its greatest players during a career that spanned 21 seasons, died Thursday after a ... -
Remembering Frank Robinson's Legendary Career
A video tribute. -
McClymond's Coach Powles’s Athletes—Frank Robinson and others—Found Success
Coach George Powles speaks with McClymonds High School basketball players Frank Robinson and Brady Hord. January 8, 1953. Legendary McClymonds High School coach George Powles provided some last minute tips ... -
Frank Robinson, MVP, first black manager, McClymonds great, dies at 83
Posted February 7, 2019 from ESPN — Frank Robinson, the first African-American manager in Major League Baseball and the only player to win MVP in both leagues, has died at ...
In Sadness And Respect
Ronald V. Dellums November 24, 1935 – July 30, 2018
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Ron Dellums, 82, Dies; Unrelenting in Congress, He Upheld Left’s Ideals
Posted August 3, 2018 from The New York Times Ron Dellums, the son of a longshoreman who became one of America’s best-known black congressmen, a California Democrat with a left-wing ... -
Bidding You Good-bye, And Good Rest
Ron Dellums at Geoffrey's Inner Circle on the night Barack Obama was elected -
These Were The Times
Ron Dellums, Congressman/Mayor, West Oakland Elder/Pioneer, and my childhood friend Ed Howard the Producer/Director Filming RonDellums in 1971 in his first campaign to be a congressman and at DeFremery Park. ... -
Gene Hazzard Remembers Ron Dellums
Photos by Oakland photographer Gene Hazzard Click on images to enlarge -
Ron Dellums, In His Own Words
Memorial video first presented May 9, 2019 at memorial services for Congressmember Ron Dellums at the Metropolitan African American Methodist Church in Washington, D.C.
Memories Of The Barbecue King Sisters
Beloved founders and owners of Everett & Jones Barbecue, one of Oakland's finest and most famous eating spots
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'The restaurant was her life': mary everett, Owner of Berkeley Everett & Jones, has died
Posted November 21, 2021 from The Chronicle — Mary Everett, who owned and operated the Everett & Jones barbecue restaurant in Berkeley, has passed away following complications due to COVID-19. ... -
Celebrating The Wonderful Life of Dorothy King
Funeral Services for Mrs. Dorothy King Jernegan, Owner of Everett & Jones BBQ Jack London Sq. Oakland, CA. Streamed live on Mar 31, 2021. -
Memories Of Dorothy King
The beloved founder and owner of Everett & Jones Barbecue, one of Oakland's finest eating spots
Honoring Our Freedom Fighters
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John Burris, The Defender-Lion Of The Courthouse
John Burris casts a long shadow both in person and in civil rights law. In 2005 and 2009 he was named one of Californias leading 100 attorneys by the Los ... -
Dr. Huey P. Newton Way unveiled in West Oakland
Posted February 18, 2021 from The Oaklandside — By Amir Aziz — Residents, activists, city officials, and community leaders gathered in West Oakland on Wednesday to dedicate a three-block section ... -
Attorney John Burris Mentors Youth
Oakland Civil Rights Attorney John Burris is known for his high profile courtroom battles but another passion is mentoring youth. Originally aired February 14, 2018 on KTVU Click here to ... -
50th Black Panther Party Anniversary Celebration At Geoffrey's Inner Circle
Sports Movement icon John Carlos (who raised our consciousness along with his fist on the victory podium at the 1968 Olympics), Black Panther Party alumnus Tarika Lewis (the first woman ... -
The Black Panthers: Black Power In Its Glory
Oakland native Dennis Pete pictured at right in Los Angeles Times article during demonstration on the steps of the Alameda County Courthouse in Oakland. -
The Unsinkable Willie Brown
It is a fact of American life that when African Americans dominate the landscape in a particular endeavor, they often find that the rules are suddenly changed midstream in order to ...
Acknowledging Those Who Wove The Fabric Of Our Community
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The nation’s oldest park ranger is also a singer-songwriter, and now she has a musical
Posted October 14, 2021 from The Chronicle — "Every single word of every single song I've ever written is right in my mind," said Betty Reid Soskin, 100. — As ... -
Making Moments Count: The Many Lives of 98-Year-Old Betty Reid Soskin
Posted September 8, 2020 from In The Balance — Susan Lambert talks with Betty Reid Soskin about fighting injustice, following your truth and making every moment count in this beautiful ... -
Slim Jenkins Supper Club And Market
Posted from "A Bit Of History" website Harold “Slim” Jenkins was an African American entrepreneur and owner of the renowned Slim Jenkins Supper Club on 7th Street in West Oakland. He saw the ... -
Reid's Records: 65 Years Of Family-Owned Gospel
Reid's Records of Berkeley and Oakland is one of the founding institutions of the Oaktown Sound October 6, 2010 NPR Music "I learned to read record labels before I learned ... -
Esther Mabry, The Queen Of Oakland's 7th Street
June 1, 2010 East Bay News Group Esther Mabry, owner and namesake of legendary Esther’s Orbit Room in West Oakland, where blues greats such as B.B. King, Lowell Fulson, Al ... -
Betty Reid Soskin, Nation’s Oldest Park Ranger, Honored With School Renaming On 100th Birthday
Posted September 23, 2021 from KPIX 5 News — On Wednesday, Betty Reid Soskin, the East Bay author, social justice activist and oldest living National Park Ranger, celebrated her 100th ...
Important Figures In And From Our Community
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Rep. Barbara Lee: on 40 Years of Seeking Justice
Posted January 14, 2021 from Outrider — From her first days in Washington, her policy outlook stemmed from Black revolutionary ideas and street activism, something you’ll almost never find in ... -
CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF MORRIE TURNER ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF WEE PALS
Posted March 4, 2019 from the newsletter of the African American Library & Museum of Oakland — By Marco Frazier The end of February, beginning of March marks the anniversary of ... -
Dave ‘Davey D’ Cook passes the baton to a new generation
Posted April 26, 2021 from Berkeleyside — Davey D will appear live May 2 in a free Bay Area Book Festival conversation with Jeff Chang about their co-authored YA version ... -
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In all things film, it's Ryan Coogler
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Oakland native Ryan Kyle Coogler (born May 23, 1986) is an American film director and screenwriter. His first feature film, Fruitvale Station (2013), won the top ...
Black History All Year Round
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Betty Reid Soskin, Nation’s Oldest Park Ranger, Honored With School Renaming On 100th Birthday
Posted September 23, 2021 from KPIX 5 News — On Wednesday, Betty Reid Soskin, the East Bay author, social justice activist and oldest living National Park Ranger, celebrated her 100th ... -
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Bob Moses interviewed by Julian Bond: Explorations in Black Leadership Series
Julian Bond interviews Bob Moses, who joined with him in 1960 as a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Moses played pivotal roles in voter registration drives, sit-ins ... -
Fred Hampton interviewed by ABC News shortly before his death
Fredrick Allen Hampton was an American social activist and Black revolutionary. He came to prominence in Chicago as chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, and deputy ... -
Ex-Slave Fountain Hughes Unedited Interview
Audio Recordings of Ex-Slave Fountain Hughes 1949. -
James Baldwin Debates William F. Buckley (1965)
Historic debate between James Baldwin v. William F. Buckley Jr. at Cambridge University on the question: "Is the American Dream at the expense of the American Negro?" -
Pullman Porters - Ordinary Men, Extraordinary History
They made beds and cleaned toilets. They shined shoes, dusted jackets, cooked meals and washed dishes. Yet the Pullman porters created history in the face of adversity and racial prejudice. ... -
Feminism, flour bombs and the first black Miss World
From the February 9, 2020 The Guardian — It was the era of apartheid in South Africa, the civil rights movement in America and women’s liberation in Britain. And they ... -
William Buckley interviews Huey Newton on Firing Line
Recorded on January 23, 1973
Hall Of Musical Giants
Those Notable Music Artists Geoffrey's Inner Circle Admires The Most
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“It Takes a While to Perfect Your Soul”: A Conversation With Sonny Rollins
Posted September 7, 2020 from Tidal — By Lee Mergner — There’s a young man, Aidan Levy, who is writing a biography on you. How are you going to feel ... -
A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE LIFE AND TRAGIC DEATH OF THE GREAT JAZZ TRUMPETER LEE MORGAN
Posted February 9, 2020 from The New Yorker — By Richard Brody Some of the best offerings in 2016 New York Film Festival were documentaries. The festival opened with Ava DuVernay’s ...
The Oaktown Sound
The Groups And Individuals Who Shaped The Music Of Our Times
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Son of Oakland's Jeff Sanders Wins Third GRAMMY Award
Posted March 15, 2021 from BMI — BMI proudly congratulates Shannon Sanders, Executive Director of Creative, Nashville, on his prestigious GRAMMY win last night. Sanders is a producer on the ... -
Paul Robeson sings to Scottish miners
Extract from Mining Review 2nd Year No. 11 (1949) The highlight of this 1949 issue is the visit of American actor and singer Paul Robeson to Woolmet Colliery near Edinburgh. ... -
Philthy Rich: From Seminary Avenue To The Big Time
Blacklisted: How The Oakland Police Department Discriminates Against Rappers and Music Venues Artists, promoters, and civil-rights advocates say police policy bans artists and levies huge security fees on rap venues. ... -
Johnny Otis - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Speech - 1994
Otis was a world-renowned musician, composer, and band leader of Greek heritage who grew up around Black Folk in his native Berkeley, integrating himself into the Black music genre that ... -
Bonnie Pointer: Dead At 69
Posted June 9, 2020 from TMZ — Bonnie Pointer of Oakland's The Pointer Sisters has died ... TMZ has learned. The Grammy-winning Motown artist, who was originally part of the ... -
Oakland's Godfather Of Rap MC Hammer
MC Hammer “I'm comfortable with where I am today. I think I'm better because of the life that I have lived.” —MC Hammer Born into poverty in Oakland, California, in ... -
Johnny Otis Show full concert at the North Sea Jazz Festival July 14, 1985
Johnny Otis (original name Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes; December 28, 1921 – January 17, 2012) was an American musician, singer, musician, composer, arranger, bandleader, disc jockey, television host, record producer, journalist, ... -
Digital Underground—Rising Up Out Of Oakland's Soulful Soil
Artist Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine While hip-hop was consumed by the hardcore, noisy political rap of Public Enemy and the gangsta rap of N.W.A., Digital Underground sneaked out of Oakland with their bizarre, funky homage ... -
Our Great Legacy Of Sports Stars
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Hall of Famer Gary Payton looks to make mark as Oakland college coach
Posted October 28, 2021 from the Mercury News — Lincoln University opens first season in 101-year history with relatives of Damian Lillard, Al Attles and Payton on the roster — ... -
How Damian Lillard remains loyal to the soil he was raised on
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard has two careers, and both are defined by his hometown neighborhood of Brookfield Village in Oakland, California. In this installment of ESPN Cover Story, ... -
Oakland Native Damian Lillard Reveals the Unspeakable Tragedies He's Been Playing Through
Posted March 7, 2021 from Yahoo! Life — Without question, this past year has been unlike anything any of us have faced before. But each day, we try our best ... -
Jason Kidd: From Oakland Playgrounds To NBA All-Star And Coach
LOVE OF THE GAME Jason Kidd’s story is a lesson in patience, proof that good things truly do come to those who wait. Jason embodied the qualities of a Hall ... -
Charlie Reid's Richmond Twilight Basketball League
Video segment highlights the impact of Charlie Reid's Twilite outdoor basketball league at Shields Park in North Richmond. The league featured the top college and high school players from all ... -
Don Barksdale: Ground-Breaking Basketball Player
Don Barksdale was the first African American to play on the U.S. Olympic basketball team. Unfortunately, the pro's did not allow black players at that time so he had to ... -
Rickey Henderson: Oakland's Own's Hall Of Famer And Baseball-Stealing Champion
Professional baseball player Rickey Henderson set the single-season and career records for stolen bases over his 25-year Hall-of-Fame career. “Yes, I'm a hot dog. Yes, I'm a showman. But remember, ... -
VADA PINSON – UNDERRATED AND OVERSHADOWED
By Bill Gutman “Vada never got the recognition; he never got any recognition at all. But not one time did I ever hear Vada badmouth anybody about it, never said a ... -
Damian Lillard—Oakland Star Still Rising
Oakland native Damian Lamonte Ollie Lillard (born July 15, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college ...
