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Oakland
program links youth to elderly
OAKLAND
-- Before the Ben Oui Orchestra played a note Sunday at the senior center
in East Oakland, Eddie Abrams of the House of Unity turned to 85-year-old
Georgeane Anthony. Abrams explained to a gathering
of young and old that an African tradition is to seek the oldest person's
approval before starting an event. "Do we have your permission
to begin?" Abrams asked. "Yes," Anthony said. Across the room, Brian
Darensburg, 16, a student at Castlemont High School, said, "it's good
that the youth and seniors are getting together ... we shouldn't
disrespect our elders." On Sunday, the House of Unity --
a community service nonprofit based at Eastmont Town Center -- started a
new outreach program at the Senior Citizens Center, 9255 Edes Ave. Every Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.,
youths and elders will gather to swap stories, share a soul food meal and
enjoy entertainment. Called "Bridging the
Divide," the program also will be an opportunity for one-on-one
mentoring. As 10-year-old Sharon Sims sang
a gospel song Sunday, an elderly woman shouted "sing girl"
during the performance. Daveed Diggs, 21, a staffer at
the Martin Luther King Jr. Center who shared some poetry, said, "It's
good to bring people of different ages together. We sometimes forget we
share the same place." Abrams is also using the Sunday
community brunch to introduce blacks to African culture and traditions
that help to build and bind families. African drummers played and the
Diamano Coura, a West African dance company based at the Alice Arts
Center, put on a performance Sunday. "There are no nursing homes in
Africa," said Naomi Diouf, the troupe's artistic director. "You
don't do away with your parents. You do for them." Diouf, who is from Liberia, was
with choreographers from national ballets in Senegal and Guinea. Abrams said he came up with the
idea as a response to the city's rising homicide rate. Too often, young
people do not have elders to turn to for advice or direction, he said.
"We can get together and not just stay at home crying about the
murders," Abrams said. "Let's not wait on anyone. This little
light of mine. I'm gonna let it shine." City Councilmember Desley Brooks
(Seminary-Eastmont) called Abrams "a visionary." Sharing a Sunday soul food meal
is an African-American tradition captured in the movie "Soul
Food" -- the story of a family in turmoil that always came together
to share a Sun-day meal. "We (the community) are not
even eating dinner together," Brooks said. Culinary arts students from
Castlemont High School served plates of chicken or salmon, with greens,
rice, black-eyed peas and macaroni at the Sunday event. There was also cake, soft drinks
and slices of watermelon. Former City Councilmember Leo
Bazile, who now teaches a class on globalization at Vista College, said
learning about Africa is key. "Africa is in the
spotlight. After 70 years of colonial rule, only 10 percent of Africa's
natural resources were tapped," he said. Alameda County Schools
Superintendent Sheila Jordan also stopped by, with residents from North
Oakland who use a senior center there. "Our children need adults
and young people," she said. "We all need to respect each
other." Samuel King, 78, who runs the
Golden Age Senior Center at Eastmont Town Center, was honored Sunday. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
