El Sobrante Stroll Returns with Parade, Vendors and More

The 28th annual incarnation of the event—which typically brings out about 20,000 people—kicked off with a parade with marching bands and horses, followed by the something-for-everyone Stroll until. The event was hosted by the El Sobrante Chamber of Commerce and was organized by volunteers.

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By Kathy Chouteau | Richmond Standard

Whether your style is a power walk, strut or a good old-fashioned gait, the peeps behind the “El Sobrante Stroll” welcome you to stop by their annual event, which returned Sun., Sept. 17 to San Pablo Dam Rd. between El Portal Dr. and Appian Way in El Sobrante.

The 28th annual incarnation of the event—which typically brings out about 20,000 people—kicks off with a parade with marching bands and horses, followed by the something-for-everyone Stroll until. The event was hosted by the El Sobrante Chamber of Commerce and was organized by volunteers.

On hand to enjoy that day at the Stroll were be more than 200 vendors, businesses, local food, hands-on crafts and live musical entertainment by Downtown Rhythm at Kaliente’s parking lot, as well as two shows—a Custom & Classic Car Show and also a professional BMX Bike Show hosted by The Pedaler Bike Shop at 3826 San Pablo Dam Rd.

Community members taking pics at the event can enter them into the Stroll’s Photo Contest for a chance to win money or gift cards from local businesses. Enter your photos/contact info at: [email protected]. Note that photos entered into the contest become the property of the El Sobrante Chamber of Commerce and may be used in future publications.

Jim Cowen of Farmers Insurance, who has lived and worked in El Sobrante his entire life, encouraged people to mark their calendars for the event to experience the town’s hospitality. “We may be a small town, but our businesses are diverse, the people are kind, and we have much to offer.”

For more info re: the Stroll, go to https://www.elsobrantechamber.com/

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Group leader Vidal Perez has been performing a traditional dance called “Danza de Voladores” and one called “Danza de Wawa” for over 30 years. This dance has been passed down through several generations of men in his family. “We do this dance to celebrate Mother Earth, so that she brings rain, a plentiful harvest and good energy,” Perez said.

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By Magaly Muñoz,Post Staff

On Monday, the Indigenous Peoples Day Festival was held for the fifth consecutive year at the Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco. This event was organized in collaboration with the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) to celebrate and honor the traditions and heritage of Native Americans.

Art exhibits, music performances and vendor stalls were set up at the garden’s public park and cultural space on Monday afternoon with many people stopping by to purchase items or watch the cultural events.

Among the performers was a Mexican native group called Grupo de los Wawas del Centro Ceremonial de Tajín hailing from Veracruz, Mexico. The group belongs to the Totonaco Nation, which is primarily based in east-central Mexico.

Group leader Vidal Perez has been performing a traditional dance called “Danza de Voladores” and one called “Danza de Wawa” for over 30 years. This dance has been passed down through several generations of men in his family.

“We do this dance to celebrate Mother Earth, so that she brings rain, a plentiful harvest and good energy,” Perez said.

He said that they tour all over California, performing for a few weeks before heading back to Mexico to continue expressing their culture through dance. He pointed out that they come to events like this because it allows both Native American and Mexican groups to recognize and celebrate the resilience of communities that strive to preserve their cultural heritage despite enduring a long history of colonization.

“We want people to remember that there are still old customs and cultures to learn about. No matter where we live, the point is to acknowledge where we came from,” Perez said.

Cristina Ibarra, a Yerba Buena Gardens employee who is co-organizer for the event, said that this festival is her favorite one to put on each year. She said working with all the vendors and performers has been the best experience, likening it to being in the company of family.

“It’s so beautiful to see all the families, especially the elders and the kids, celebrating their culture,” Ibarra said. “We do probably 150 events every year and this is still one of my favorites.”

Ibarra stated that this year’s festival has seen the biggest turnout since its inception. She affirmed that they’ll continue to host this event in the future as a platform to “uplift Indigenous Peoples voices.”

In 2018, San Francisco made the decision to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day as a means of acknowledging and addressing the historical violence and discrimination faced by Native Americans in the U.S.

Andrea Carmen, the executive director of the IITC since the ’90s, said every city and county on this side of the hemisphere should consider revising this date on their local calendars. Instead of honoring Christopher Columbus, Carmen suggested to celebrate the people impacted by the explorer’s arrival.

“We’re celebrating our survival, the resiliency and strength of our cultures that still exist. We’re honoring our ancestors that sacrificed unbelievable amounts of suffering so that we could have these ways, the dances, the language,” Carmen said.

Carmen observed that it’s been over 500 years since colonization began in the Americas. She stressed that the IITC is committed to preserving their history and teaching it to those who are willing to learn.

She said it’s important for non-Natives to know that there is an ongoing struggle to revitalize languages, reclaim stolen land and preserve tareas that once belonged to Natives. She added that despite the horrors that Natives have endured, they’re still standing.

“We’re still here, our culture is still strong, and the amazing thing to me is that we’re still willing to share it with those very descendants of the ones that carried these things [colonization] out,” Carmen said.

This year’s NAACP CA/HI State Convention theme is “This Is How We Thrive.” The convention will bring together elected officials, activists, organizers, faith leaders, and entertainers for workshops and discussions to promote solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing Black communities within California and Hawaii.

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By Antonio Ray Harvey, Lila Brown, and Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media

The NAACP California Hawaii State Conference is hosting its 36th State Convention, Oct. 26-29, at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront.

This year’s NAACP CA/HI State Convention theme is “This Is How We Thrive.” The convention will bring together elected officials, activists, organizers, faith leaders, and entertainers for workshops and discussions to promote solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing Black communities within California and Hawaii.

Topics on the agenda include Next-Gen Leadership, environmental justice, housing, veterans’ affairs, labor, education, and more.

“Branch members and civil rights leaders from across the state of California and Hawaii come together every year to discuss our most pressing priorities to find solutions to the issues impacting our communities the most,” said NAACP CA/HI President Rick Callender. “We are excited to come together and thrive together in San Francisco, home to the NAACP San Francisco Branch, the first to initiate and inaugurate reparations in the state.”

Guest speakers at this year’s Convention include Dr. Hazel N. Dukes, NAACP Board of Directors and NAACP New York President; Rob Bonta, California Attorney General; and Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City), chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus; Los Angeles Attorney Kamilah Moore, chair of the California Reparations Task Force; Willie Brown, former Assembly Speaker and former San Francisco mayor; and Sen. Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward).

For tickets and more information, please visit: bit.ly/3qM4kcD.

“We believe that everyone deserves a safe and stable place to call home,” said Shireen McSpadden San Francisco Director of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “With Street to Home, we are taking a proactive approach to addressing street homelessness and creating a low barrier way to get people from the street into housing. This pilot program is a testament to our commitment to finding innovative solutions to the challenges our city faces.”

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San Francisco Mayor’s Office

The program, which will allow the City to allocate permanent supportive housing units to directly place people from the street into housing, is part of a larger effort to significantly reduce unsheltered homelessness in San Francisco

Mayor London N. Breed announced on Oct. 6 that Street to Home, a new innovative initiative, is expediting the process of providing housing for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in San Francisco and maximizing the use of existing vacant units in the City’s Homelessness Response System.

The new program, in partnership with Delivering Innovation in Supportive Housing (DISH), is part of the City’s ongoing commitment to bring people inside and connect them to a wide range of existing services and placements.

San Francisco’s Five-Year Strategic Homeless Plan, Home By the Bay, sets a goal of cutting unsheltered homelessness in half over the next five years. This builds on the 15% reduction in unsheltered homelessness San Francisco has seen since 2019.

Breed has directed the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) to bring forward and implement new initiatives as part of these efforts. By leveraging vacant units within HSH’s portfolio, this program will streamline the process of transitioning individuals from the streets to permanent housing, ensuring a more efficient and compassionate approach.

“Street to Home is all about removing the barriers that slow us from making a real difference for our City and for people living on our streets,” said Breed. “We have to be creative and not let barriers and bureaucracy get in the way of helping people. To build on the success of this pilot, we are advocating to relax federal rules so we can bring this program to more of our buildings across the City.”

HSH has recently piloted Street to Home in June, successfully placing 12 people over a three-week pilot period and, in total, 18 highly vulnerable people have been moved off the streets into long-term housing.

The success of the pilot demonstrates that people living unsheltered are interested in long-term solutions to their homelessness, that housing placements can be expedited, and reducing the number of PSH vacancies in San Francisco is possible by employing creative ideas and getting rid of bureaucracy in the housing placement process.

“We believe that everyone deserves a safe and stable place to call home,” said Shireen McSpadden San Francisco Director of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “With Street to Home, we are taking a proactive approach to addressing street homelessness and creating a low barrier way to get people from the street into housing. This pilot program is a testament to our commitment to finding innovative solutions to the challenges our city faces.”

As part of Street to Home, the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team (SFHOT) and the Housing Placement Team will first allocate units and then identify eligible individuals living on the streets. Those who are eligible will be shown a designated available room with the option to sign a lease and move in on the same day. In the interest of moving people more rapidly from the street, documentation will follow this process within 90 days of placement; there will no longer be a requirement to make the initial placement.

Currently Street to Home can only be implemented on locally funded projects due to requirements at the federal level that the City cannot waive. However, the Mayor has requested from HUD that these requirements be waived to allow direct placements into federal projects in order to extend the reach and impact of Street to Home.

“At DISH our number one priority is welcoming people home,” said Lauren Hall, executive director, Delivering Innovation in Supportive Housing (DiSH). “We are thrilled to partner with the City to ensure that our supportive housing programs truly meet people where they are. With this pilot we can cut through processes that can unintentionally leave people on the streets and provide a true solution to being unhoused–a dignified safe place of their own.”

The Street to Home program will prioritize individuals who have been living on the street for an extended period and those who are most vulnerable. By providing direct placement into housing units, the program aims to reduce the trauma and instability associated with homelessness with a path toward stability.

Implementing monthly review of vacancies from provider reports to improve data quality and inform the work.

For more information on San Francisco’s five-year strategic strategy to address homelessness, visit https://hsh.sfgov.org/about/research-and-reports/home-by-the-bay/.

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