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Honoring Black Luminaries
February 28 @ 9:30 am - 12:00 pm
You are cordially invited to join Mayor Barbara Lee, Mountain View Cemetery, and members of our community as we gather at Mountain View Cemetery — the final resting place of many of Oakland’s most influential Black pioneers — to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the national observance of Black History Month.
On these historic grounds, we will honor 26 Black Oakland luminaries whose lives shaped our city’s civic, cultural, and political legacy and whose contributions continue to inspire generations.
From Ida Louise Jackson, California’s first Black public school teacher, to Bobby Hutton of the Black Panther Party; from OUSD Superintendent Marcus Foster and pioneering attorney Washington Oglesby, to Jenny Prentiss, author Jack London’s beloved nanny — and Mildred Parish Massey, a courageous civil rights pioneer and one of the NAACP plaintiffs who helped integrate the University of Texas at El Paso — these trailblazers helped define Oakland’s enduring spirit of courage, excellence, and progress.
This special program will include historical reflections, an inspirational message from the Mayor’s Interfaith Advisory Council, remarks from Mayor Barbara Lee, and a guided docent tour honoring the luminaries interred at Mountain View Cemetery.
Together, we will walk the grounds where their stories are preserved — honoring legacy, restoring history, and reflecting on the responsibility we carry forward.
When: Saturday, February 28th
Where: Mountain View Cemetery – Tower Chapel
Time: 5000 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA
Speaking Program: 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Docent Tour: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
REGISTER: https://bit.ly/40zO7Fy