Message from the Founding Executive Director
BY DR. ANDERSON
Welcome to the fourth official issue of the My Other Brother (MOB) Newsletter. This fourth issue is a focus on both MOB and our MOS sister pilot program,-which has demonstrated huge growth from 2022 to 2023. As we are in the middle of the Fall 2023 semester, this newsletter serves as the completion of the Spring 2023 and Summer 2023 semesters. Moreover, this newsletter serves as a foundation to finish our Fall 2023 academic semester strong as we transition to Spring 2024.
In reflection of the Spring 2023 semester to Fall 2023 (now), we are excited to celebrate MOB and MOS accomplishments, discuss difficult times within our MOB/MOS family, highlight critical gains of Spring, Summer, and Fall 2023, and introduce our MOB staff and board members that make this work a reality. In addition, we are excited to note that aside from this brief message, this entire newsletter has been constructed and completed by MOB/MOS High School student-paid interns. You will see their narratives in this newsletter as they highlight new MOB/MOS gains in addition to celebrating the successful programming of Spring 2023, Summer 2023, and Fall 2023 programming.
MOB/MOS provides holistic wrap-around support services to Black students through belonging and community by fostering student leadership, scholarship, postsecondary education, and personal growth. MOB/MOS partners with the Oakland Unified School District and Mount Diablo Unified School District, with Castlemont High School as MOB’s main headquarters for collective wrap-around support services and mentorship of the Castlemont Football program and Cheer Team. In addition, MOB contracts with West Oakland Middle School, Riverview Middle School, Olympic High School, Wren Avenue Elementary School, and Saint Vincent's Day Home in allowing high School MOB/MOS seniors to mentor early childhood/preschool youth.
BY DR. ANDERSON
We hit the ground running with our 2023/2024 campaign in scaling up to most school and community sites to support youth, in addition to scaling to our most funding support from our grant/foundation supporters. Through this success, there has also been pain. At the start of our Fall 2023 semester In August 2023, we lost one of our beloved MOB Brothers/staff members of Castlemont High School and Mount Diablo High School: Atilua Siona, AKA,- Coach Tone. Coach Tone passed away in August 2023. Our beloved Coach tone is/was loved and respected by many in our Bay Area communities. Our MOB/MOS family continues to deal with this painful loss as we continue with our critical important MOB/MOS work this year.
Peace to a man who is endearing to our community and the Castle overall. This man, Coach Tone, was/is not only a staff member of MOB, but a personal friend and a brother to us all! The definition of a SOLDIER! And a pure heart! We know that Coach Tone wants us to MOB even harder now and continue to positively impact our youth. Tone, you continue to live and shine through us. Thank you for your love and positive energy Coach Tone. You now are a Spiritual MOB Advisor as M.A.C said. And now you MOB in peace, with no more pain. We love you Coach Tone! Blessings!
Celebration of MOB/MOS Spring 2023 Graduating Senior Class: MOB and
MOS’s Second Graduation Cohort of High School Seniors
Congratulations to our class of 2023 MOB/MOS high school graduates! Very proud and excited about what is to come for their futures. This is our second year straight with a 100 percent success rate in that all of our seniors not only graduated high school, but will be attending 4-year college, 2-year college, and trade school/apprenticeships and entrepreneurial opportunities.
During our Summer 2023 MOB/MOS Senior Banquet: We celebrated our twenty-two MOB/MOS Seniors (graduates of Castlemont High School and McClymonds High School) at our Senior Banquet at Castlemont High School Auditorium. Spring 2023 MOB/MOS High School graduates are attending the following institutions:
Arizona State University, San Francisco State University, UC Merced, San Jose State University, Chabot College, Santa Rosa College, Berkeley City College, Miles College (HBCU), Alabama State University (HBCU), CSU Northridge, Contra Costa Community College, the Emergency Technician Trade/Apprenticeship programs at the University of California, and San Francisco. Continue to MOB and MOS! This is just the beginning!
MOB/MOS student Voice: Updates by Castlemont High School MOB and MOS youth:
What have MOB and MOS been doing since summer to now? Student Report
My Other Sister (MOS):
MOS has been up to great things since summer 23’ going into fall.. June 15th, 2023 we had our first summer program meeting and we discussed Savings, being prepared for college, pros & cons around our community in school. Heading into July we had our MOS & MOB senior banquet to celebrate our 6 MOS Graduates Makayla Davis, Kamaria Cole, Monse Pena, Lizeth, Ari, and Raina graduating with a 3.0 or higher GPA.
On September 6, 2023, we took a trip to LA. In LA we went to a UCLA seminar and went on a college tour to CSU Dominguez Hills. We got to have bonding time and make new connections with Black girl youth at Dorsey High School. Also, we are spreading our horizons on our open options for college. Our program has been having a study hall every Tuesday and Thursday to make sure everyone's grades are up to Part. We want all 100% students to get at least one full-ride scholarship. We are working hard to succeed with our goals and with ourselves. Everyone is keeping a high standard for each other so we all have motivation. As kids, it's important to have someone to talk to and someone to be there for them, Mos and MOB make sure there's the right support for one another. These are some updates on MOB and MOS. Thank you for reading our point of view on things!!
My Other Brother (MOB):
Here is something the MOB has gone over and learned this summer. One important and major thing that we have worked on is our etiquette and discussed the significance of conducting ourselves with respect and professionalism. We also went over and talked about first impressions and how presenting ourselves in a positive manner can open doors and create opportunities. We gotta be taught and spoken to about the different social norms and expectations in various settings, such as school, job interviews, and social gatherings. By providing guidance and examples, we can navigate social situations with confidence and grace, ultimately empowering us to succeed in any environment we encounter. This is Our point of view about MOB!
-Report Completed by MOB/MOS Youth: Jahliah Pierce, Lamar Lewis, Jaymes Evans, and Davyonna.
What Does MOB or MOS mean to you based on your experiences in the program?
Jahliah Pierce MOS Member:
Hi, my name is Jahliah Pierce. I am a 10th grader at Castlemont High School. And I am appreciative to be given this opportunity by our MOB and MOS director, “Dr. Ish." WhatM.O.B. and MOS mean to me is brotherhood and sisterhood, a connection between us young youth coming together for our culture where our opinions are very valid, being able to be your own self in being each other's support system. Next, sometimes challenges are thrown our way, but making a difference has a great impact on our community. MOS is a very safe, impacted place where we advocate for each other, have leadership, and also get to establish relationships with different people in our environment while growing with each other. Inside MOB & MOS, we discuss the real things that are going on outside of the real world, such as our mental health, politics, and racism, and how we can make a change nto make the world much better. Next, it is a place where we create loyalty, value, respect, boundaries, and most importantly, Sister and Brother Hood. MOB and MOS have great opportunities such as scholarships, college tours, being able to step out of our comfort zone meeting, and also being able to communicate with many successful people. MOB &MOS has also given me the empowering encouragement that the sky's the limit and thatwhatever I want to do, I can do it as long as I put my mind to it and stay on track with my work. I am Jahliah Pierce, and this is what MOB and MOS means to me.
Jaymes Evans MOB Member:
Hi, my name is Jaymes Evans. I am in the 11th grade. What MOB and MOS mean tome is we can come together, celebrate our culture, support one another, and make a difference. It’s about creating a space where we feel understood, valued, and empowered. It’s a community supporting one another; my other brother's community also serves as a platform for advocacy, social change, and empowerment. It’s a space where we can address systemic issues, promote equality, and amplify our voices. It’s about building networks, fostering leadership, and creating opportunities for success. Together, we can make a positive impact and create a brighter future. But it’s more than just this; it’s also about love, family, structure, solidarity/unity, leadership, college preparation, professional development, peer mentoring, black cultural validation, and life preparation. My name is Jaymes Evans, and this is what MOB and MOS mean to me.
Davyonna MOS Member:
Hi, my name is Davyonna, I am in the 10th grade, and I have been in MOS for a year and a half. My experience has been very good. I am very grateful to be in the program. I am also grateful for Dr.Ish because without him I wouldn' t be in knowledge of this I know now. MOS and MOB to me are like a big family, where you can experience new things, meet new people, have people that can help support you, and make your own progress. Also, it's a space where your opinion matters and where you can be yourself. In this program, you are encouraged to be yourself, speak your mind, and enjoy doing so. MOS and MOB are where you can embrace yourself, especially your culture. It gives you lots of great opportunities ,such as academic support, mental support, college support, how to work as one with others, leadership, professional skills, and more! In this program, you will feel wanted; they give you something to accomplish. In every situation we go through, we do it together to make a great impact on this community. I'm Davyonna, and this is how I feel about MOS and MOB.
Lamar Lewis MOB Member:
Hi, my name is Lamar, and I am going to talk about the MOB football team during the summer. We have practice Monday through Thursday. We ran around the track first then we transitioned into the weight room. After that, we had practice on the field, and we had 7v7 and 5v5. We had a MOB group project about how we can stop violence around our school and fix the problems, so we made solutions about how we came up with multiple solutions to the problem and then we talked about our solutions and suggestions out loud to the groups. The Castlemont football team and I went to Los Angeles to play against Dorsey High School. Castlemont won 27 to 16. I am going to talk about my other brother. It is a program to help brothers and sisters go to college or trade school. And finally, what MOB means to me is to help people come together and build relationships with people that you don’t know. It helps me be confident enough to talk to people that I don’t know. TheMOB also helps me stay out of trouble and get better grades in school. My name is Lamar Lewis, and this is how I feel about MOB and MOS.
Ari MOS Member:
Something Mos has been doing since summer up to now is the cheer team going to a jamz cheer camp with a lot of different cheerleaders from all over we stayed for 2days in a hotel and on both days we went to the high school and they were teaching us dances & chants. And on some Saturdays MOS has been meeting up to go out like to the movies and Saturday colleges. On some Sundays, we will link up to go to church as a team and I like how we are bonding as a team. Two weeks ago the Castlemont football team and Cher team had a trip to L.A. for 3 days and the first day we went toCheck into our rooms and got ready to go with Dorsey High School for a sip and paint with the Cheerleaders and they made food for us. The next morning we went to go get breakfast as a team and we sat down and ate everyone was bonding and talking toeach other. After everybody was done we went to the mall and everyone split up and was shopping and we went back to our hotel. The day of the football game we went to visit CSU Dominguez Hills. It is a public university located in Los Angeles and some students were showing us around for like 1 or 2 and they were talking to us about the college and they fed us some food. And after we went to the football game to watchMOB play and after we all were excited because we won the game. We went to go get some seafood from a place and we went back to our hotel room and that is what MOS has been doing this summer.
Destiny MOS Member:
MOS represents to me sisters who look out for each other and who have a close supportive relationship.Sisters that respect each other, set boundaries for each other encourage one another to do great, Sisters thats not telling your sisters business not trust outside people over your sisters, Take accountability for what you do, and don’t blame your sisters. Make sure you are all on the same page, Don’t talk about your sisters to another sister. A sister is also someone who offers you support, someone who shows you honesty and love, and helps you progress mentally. Here are some things MOS has been doing since summer up to now. We started off with practicing to get ready for the season and on Thursdays, we would have MOS and MOB meetings. We got into mixed groups and started working on this project, we walked inside our school campus and took notes on the good and bad things we have seen and then the next week after that we walked outside our school campus a couple of blocks from our school and took notes again on the good and bad things we have seen. We started writing a poster and we talked about how we can change the bad things we see and how we can improve some good things. We started to practice are competition and all summer we practiced, then school finally started a couple of weeks later and we had a trip to LA and we had a sit and paint with theDorsey cheerleaders. Then after that we went to the mall and went to get food, then the next day we went togo get a tour of a college in LA. It was called California State University, Dominguez Hills. That college was really nice and a lot of MOS said that it was cool and they would go there a little bit later. After that we went to the football game, Castlemont vs Dorsey. Castlemont won. After that, we went to get seafood and we were just chilling, It was finally our last day there and we ended it off with fun we went to Disneyland and we were bonding and we had a very good time. We got on a lot of rides and saw a lot of Disney characters. Then here was the worst part, our drive back home was so long. We were back from our trip back to school and practiced every day. We also had study halls every day to maintain good grades, One day in one of our study halls a woman who was talking to us in LA came out here in Oakland to speak to us about being an African-American female athlete growing up in deep east Oakland. Her name was Dr. Maisha Beasley, now here we are still practicing and getting ready for the season. We cheer for 1 week at the Castlemont vs McClymonds game and that’s basically what MOS has been doing since summer up until now.
Riverview Middle School MOB Scholars Graduation Ceremony
Very proud of our Riverview Middle School MOB graduates of 2023. These students have moved on to high school to begin their freshmen year and the future is bright!
Castlemont High School My Other Sister (MOS) field trip to Los Angeles
My Other Sister (MOS) students from Castlemont High School are Los Angeles Bound! Looking forward to our community building project with our Dorsey High School sisters/youth, professional development round table session with UC Davis and UCLA alumni, college campus visit and admissions sessions with CSU Dominguez Hills, Venice Beach, the mall, LA tour of the city, and a special surprise on Saturday morning for our sistas (Disneyland). A packed week/ weekend. Let's get it. MOSISM
Youth Cheer Camp By MOS/ Castlemont Cheerleaders
An awesome display of organization and leadership by the Castlemont High School Cheer Team yesterday. Salute to Coach Linda, Coach Jai, and the Castle Cheer team.
The Cheer Team (My Other Sister) put on their own cheer camp and built it with a group of young K-5th graders yesterday at the Castle. The young ladies were very happy, had fun, and learned great lessons at the camp. The display of sisterhood and leadership was great! Castle Cheer/MOS. MOSISM
Riverview Middle School MOB/MOS Black Emancipatory Action Research Presentations
Riverview Middle School MOB Scholars:
Pictures convey more real and complex meanings than words. Proud of our middle school youth for speaking the truth about anti-Blackness and addressing it head-on in their Black Emancipatory Action Research Presentations in front of the entire adult staff and faculty of Riverview Middle School. We are so inspired by our youth. We are so proud of our young brothers and sisters, for being able to speak about their truth, and not be afraid to voice their opinions and express how they feel. It will be great once they reach high school, they will be able to go on from here and be great and to become young gentlemen and young ladies
New MOB Partnerships
New MOB 2023/2024 year partnership with West Oakland Middle School (WOMS) is off to a good start. Lunch meeting with our WOMS youth as we count down to our Youth Participatory Action Research Projects in October 2023. Keep building.
MOB/MOS Student Outreach Interns
Big thanks to Saint Vincent's Day Home for contracting with MOB/MOS this Summer 2023 and extending for continued programming. MOB/MOS High School Student Outreach Assistants, Nyree and West, hit the ground running in working with Saint Vincent’s staff to support preschool youth and lead activities. This internship provided much professional development to Nyree and West that they will continue to build on. Thank you David (Nyree/West’s Supervisor at Saint Vincent’s) for providing their first work evaluations to enhance student growth. Keep building.
Castlemont Football Team (MOB) getting taught about making the right choices in life so you won’t end up somewhere you don’t wanna be
Coach Ed brought his uncle who served 18 years in prison to talk to these young brothers about not making wrong decisions, making the right decisions. One bad decision can ruin your life, so he taught us about making the right decisions. Just know that this is a true statement. It takes a village to raise a family to help us get through as we become young men.
MOB/MOS Mentor Meetings
We have 4 paid mentors who help with your everyday life, they make sure you are mentally, physically, and academically okay. Our mentors try to give you all the support they can provide you. All talks are confidential meaning nobody will know what was being said in the meeting. For kids, it's a must to have someone to talk to. Thanks to MOS because they provided it.
Very Important Guest Visitors
Castlemont MOS met people such as Dr. Maisha Beasley who spoke to us about our future as young African Americans. Sadly our race affects how we are treated so we mainly get African American visitors to speak to us about the community. With our visitors, we speak on how we are treated and how to professionally deal with such. They advise us to use the negative stereotypes and comments as motivation to prove them wrong. Also, they give us emails just in case we need to get in contact with them.
A solid start to our MOB and MOS Castlemont Peer Mentor Program
Emphasis on our 9th grade transition and development program. Excited to see our two Castle Youth Peer Mentors, Elijah and Miracle, build with their freshmen cohorts in MOB and MOS. Leadership Development. Continued MOBISM.
College and Career Access-Transcript and A-G Requirement Evaluations and Financial Literacy: Bree Blades
MOB and MOS youth with transcript evaluations this week. Big thanks. In addition, our youth learned a lot in preparation for life such as investing in stocks. If you’re looking to invest in stocks, here’s a simple breakdown: Research Learn about different companies and industries. Determine your investment objectives and risk tolerance. Open an account: Choose a brokerage platform to buy and sell stocks. Build a portfolio to Diversify your investments across multiple stocks. Monitor and adjust: Keep an eye on your investments and make changes as needed.
Remember, investing in stocks comes with risks, so it’s important to do your research and consider seeking advice from a financial professional. Bree also mentioned how to advocate for themselves. Advocacy is about using your voice to make a difference and create positive change Together.
Castlemont MOB/MOS Youth Participatory Action Research Presentations
A beautiful completion of the MOB in moss Castlemont High School, 2023 summer research Academy. Great presentations by a group of students, research, and connection to practical outcomes and community actions. MOB/MOS students began their ethnography community research in which students measured the strengths and deficits of Castlemont and the surrounding community. They hit the streets of our surrounding Castlemont community to measure the strengths and deficits of our East Oakland community based on how students made meaning of what they observed during their community walk,-student groups constructed solution-based action plans to address community issues. MOB/MOS students made beautiful posters of what they can do to help provide and make their community a better place.
