Then-Mayor-elect Ron Dellums met with teenagers at a town hall-style meeting in Oakland, Calif. © Provided by Hearst Communications, Inc
As a naive of Oakland, California, and a Vietnam Veteran, I was fortunate enough to be one of the first
people in the nation to earn an A.A. degree in African-American Studies from Merrit College in 1968. Oakland was the birthplace of the Black Panthers and the cornerstone for social unrest and equality for
African Americans across the country. When Ron Dellums, a member of the City Council in Berkeley, CA, announced his When Ron Dellums, a member of the City Council in Berkeley, CA, announced his
candidacy for U.S. Congress in 1969, it was the first political campaign in which I volunteered. Dellum’s run for Congress was a serious grassroots campaign by African Americans in the Bay Area. Dellums victory in 1970 created a strong voice in the national and political process in the Halls of Congress in
Washington, D.C. Dellum’s emboldened me in my professional pursuit of the betterment of the African American community over the past 48 years.
Dellums was a serious activist for African Americans and a champion voice for social jusƟ ce and the anƟ -war movement. He was committed and never backed down in his defense and support for African Americans and under-served communities. I was pleased when the City of Oakland elected Dellums as their Mayor in 2007. Moreover, I was honored to have been acknowledged from Mayor Dellums and the City of Oakland as they proclaimed, August 17th, 2007 “Earl ‘Skip’ Cooper Day”.
Ron Dellums's voice, activism, service, and commitment to the African American community will truly be missed during these trying times.
Respectfully,
Earl ‘Skip’ Cooper II,
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Black Business News Group
President/CEO, Black Business Association
July 2018
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