NorCalUrban

Yesterday I went to Samuels baseball game at MLK park in EPA. After getting agitated about a call at the plate I ended up sitting by the scoring table. I was good - kept my cool - but needed to be near the 'seat of power' to be ready to complain if it became necessary. Ok- so I'm becoming one of 'those' baseball dads. You better pray for me. Samuel's team won... he had an RBI single and stole second. I think it a lock for him to be on the Yankees in about nine years. After a while a colleague / friend showed up to support his friends team. Malcolm is a great guy and a an emerging community leader. His uncle is one of the 'pillars' of East Palo Alto - working with youth. So - he introduced me to his friends Marcia and Edgar (their son plays on Samuel's team) and we end up in a great conversation about immigration reform, the positive side of hip hop, the church and the youth of EPA. I walked away feeling blessed to live in our community. Where else c...

Wealth Building Impeded Due to High Cost Lending Washington, DC- April 20, 2006 – The National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), The Opportunity Agenda and the Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC) will hold a press conference today at 12:30PM on their a joint study entitled: Homeownership and Wealth Building Impeded: Continuing Lending Disparities for Minorities and Emerging Obstacles for Middle-Income and Female Borrowers of all Races. The press conference will take place at the NCRC headquarters at 727 15th Street NW 8th Floor. The study reveals that home loan lending inequities transcend not only, racial and gender lines, but the ethnic make-up of neighborhoods as well. “This report is the first to show the home lending cross-sections between race, gender and income and to specifically examine lending practices in immigrant neighborhoods,” says John Taylor, President and CEO of NCRC. “It clearly outlines that regardless of how much money you make, if you are ...

Here is the Hewelett foundations guide for grantmakers in the community development area... Good information here. Read the report here.

Dear Friends and Family, Once again I need to ask for your grace given the lack of updates from us. Much has transpired over the last few months. They have been a whirlwind of change and transition for our family and ministry. In the midst of everything, God continues to be faithful and good… ANTIOCH URBAN FELLOWSHIP Looking at the calendar on the wall - it now appears to be over three years since we started the AUF project. What a ride it has been! Many thoughts come to mind when I think about AUF. Tough times, lots of laughs, good friends, worship and prayer… Looking back, it’s been a deep growing time for Melissa and I. We’ve learned to be pastors, community leaders, to push through hard time and disappointments. Last February we began to again take stock in the project. There were a few factors coming into play. A number of our core team were desiring to move on - mainly due to life circumstances. Our core team, while being very consistent and committed over the years remained smal...

Laptop thieves decend upon wireless cafes.