{"id":478053,"date":"2026-09-28T06:52:46","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T06:52:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/478053\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T06:52:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T06:52:46","slug":"oakland-centenarian-nuna-mckee-honored-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/478053\/","title":{"rendered":"Oakland Centenarian Nuna McKee Honored!"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Carla Thomas<\/p>\n

More than 75 people gathered at Youth UpRising in East Oakland on Friday, Sept. 18, for Coliseum 60, a celebration honoring six decades of sports, entertainment, employment and community memories connected to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex.\n<\/p>\n

Held 60 years to the day after the Coliseum opened, the event carried the theme, \u201cOne Community. One Legacy. One Future. Forward Together.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

The celebration opened with the national anthem performed by sisters Anese Jade, Amina Benjamin and Zaza Benjamin. Diamano Coura West African Dance Company contributed African dance and drumming, bringing movement, rhythm and cultural expression to the program.\n<\/p>\n

A mini documentary highlighted the Coliseum\u2019s sports history and its broader role as an entertainment destination. Archival material recalled performances by Prince and Tina Turner, along with memorable games featuring the Warriors, Oakland A\u2019s and Raiders.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Coliseum 60 is about much more than celebrating a building or looking back at 60 years of history,\u201d said event organizer Quixote Atkins of VillageGIVE.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about the people who made that history possible: the families, workers, athletes, artists, community leaders, fans and generations who gathered there and created memories together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sandoval\u2019s<\/a>TrendingSandoval\u2019s walk-off home run lifts Giants over Cubs<\/a><\/p>\n

A panel exploring that history featured author, historian and former Black Panther Party member Tareka Lewis; stagehand and union representative Keith Brown; and Ray Bobbitt, president of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group AASEG. Lewis described her family as fourth-generation Bay Area pioneers.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family and Black families who arrived even earlier helped build the Bay Area, grew businesses and established culture here,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cThis should be taught in the public schools.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Lewis recalled Oakland\u2019s influence on sports, music and literature, from the Raiders\u2019 beginnings at Laney College to stars such as The Pointer Sisters and Rickey Henderson who attended Oakland public schools. She also advocated for school museums, historical timelines, entrepreneurship training and investments benefiting corridors such as Bancroft Avenue and High Street.\n<\/p>\n

Keith Brown, a member of Local 107 of the International Alliance of Theater and Stage Employees (IATSE) who began working at the Coliseum in 2011, remembered the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Ice Capades, baseball bat giveaways and Nelson Mandela\u2019s 1990 appearance.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe special events are amazing, but it\u2019s the workers that make the memories real for everyone,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThey make the magic happen at the Coliseum.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

The program recognized longtime workers, including beer-stand manager Robert Preston, who served for 40 years, and Kenyatta Gentry, who worked as a vendor for 24 years and used her earnings to purchase her first apartment. Union workers Jose Gonzales and Carmen Sandoval were also honored. Speakers emphasized that Coliseum employment provided generations of residents with union wages and benefits.\n<\/p>\n

Dr. Denise Saddler, the superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) was also honored. Saddler shared her family\u2019s history of working at the Coliseum.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

District 7 Oakland City Councilmember Ken Houston discussed the complex ownership arrangements involving the city, county and private interests.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was the most complex deal of its kind in the country,\u201d Houston said.\n<\/p>\n

Prior to moving from the East Coast, Alameda County Supervisor and Coliseum Joint Powers Authority Chair Nate Miley recalled learning about Oakland through its three professional sports teams. As an elected official and public servant, Miley fought hard to keep the Golden State Warriors, Oakland As, and the Raiders, but he is hopeful for the future.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe story is not over for the Coliseum,\u201d Miley said. \u201cWe\u2019re entering a new chapter.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Bobbitt said the departure of three teams had once seemed unimaginable, but he maintained that Oakland\u2019s future remains bright.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cOakland is a cultural superpower worldwide,\u201d Bobbitt said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to write the future where we participate and drive the redevelopment.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Bobbitt highlighted AASEG\u2019s four-year partnership with Castlemont High School\u2019s architecture program, which engages students in reimagining and creating redevelopment concepts for the Coliseum property. \u201cThe youth will always move us forward. They are the future.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

In closing, Atkins said, \u201cSeptember 18 is the celebration, but what we build together afterward is the legacy.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

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