Long-awaited Black resource center breaks ground in South Berkeley

"The city began construction last week on a long-planned South Berkeley resource center designed to serve Black residents and those displaced due to racism, gentrification and skyrocketing housing costs. Focused on uplifting African American and Black identity, cultural values and traditions, the center is being championed by city leaders as an affirmation of Berkeley's progressive values at a time when the Trump administration's crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion has many corporations, nonprofits, universities and cities backpedaling."

"They're trying to make equity a bad word, but we won't let them, Berkeley City Manager Paul Buddenhagen said at a groundbreaking ceremony Friday. They're trying to disinvest in communities of color so explicitly, Mayor Adena Ishii said. We're saying this project matters. Planning for the African American Holistic Resource Center, which will be located on 1890 Alcatraz Ave., has been in the works for at least 15 years."

"The two-story, roughly 6,000-square-foot building will provide culturally relevant resources including education, employment assistance, health and mental health services and housing advocacy to help eliminate inequities within Berkeley's African American community, according to the city. It is expected to open sometime in 2027 and will primarily serve the formerly redlined neighborhoods of South and West Berkeley, where Black residents mostly settled in the first half of the 20th century due to government-supported racist housing restrictions in other parts of the city."

Construction has begun on the African American Holistic Resource Center at 1890 Alcatraz Ave. in South Berkeley. The two-story, roughly 6,000-square-foot building will offer culturally relevant resources including education, employment assistance, health and mental health services, and housing advocacy. The center will primarily serve Black residents and those displaced by racism, gentrification, and rising housing costs, with a focus on formerly redlined South and West Berkeley neighborhoods. Planning for the project has spanned at least 15 years. The facility is expected to open in 2027 and aims to help eliminate inequities within Berkeley's African American community.

Read at www.berkeleyside.org