was sentenced<\/a> to prison in September for embezzling around $549,000 from the nonprofit during his 2017-2021 tenure, putting the association under a spotlight. Attendance and participation at the nonprofit dwindled. Some funders paused their support. The EOBA struggled to meet the requirements to renew its insurance.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/oaknorth.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ali-768x1024.jpg\")
Muhammad Ali\u2019s inspire youth at EOBA (All photos by Sophia Lehrbaum)<\/p>\n
When Dawna Williams stepped off the board to head the EOBA in March 2024, the association\u2019s bank account had $176.55 \u2014 not enough to cover the electricity bill. So Williams went to work, stabilizing operations and diversifying funding sources to ensure the nonprofit\u2019s sustainability through rough waters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I close the door on these kids and they have nothing, then he wins,\u201d she said of Howard. \u201cAnd I refuse to let him not only rob us blind but close our doors too.\u201d <\/p>\n
Founded in 1987 by Stanley Garcia, the EOBA established itself as a boxing gym with an after-school program for Oakland youth. Since the public scandal, Williams has worked to expand the EOBA beyond the boxing ring, offering programs, classes and resources for\u00a0the community. <\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/oaknorth.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Dawna-Williams-pic-1024x768.jpeg\")
Dawna Williams, executive director of East Oakland Boxing Association <\/p>\n
The organization opened the boxing gym up to the public, offering membership for $30 a month. It collaborated with other Oakland organizations to host media literacy courses for seniors, public speaking classes and the Body Shop Academy, which teaches how to repair vehicles after an accident \u2014 just a few programs among many newly offered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to be a community hub. We\u2019re in a prime area where there\u2019s not a lot of resources for the community that is in this deep east area,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Addressing inequities<\/p>\n
Due to historic redlining practices, Black residents gravitated to East Oakland, forming a vibrant community. But health care and education there lag behind other parts of Oakland. East Oakland youths also have much higher rates of poverty and homelessness, and are more likely to drop out of high school or be involved in the criminal justice system, according to Youth Rising, a nonprofit supporting East Oakland young people.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The EOBA has attempted to remedy some of these inequities by offering after-school programming for elementary and middle-school students as well as a food bank. It also is helping by employing about 40 young adults, either directly or as interns through a collaboration with other youth development and leadership nonprofits.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey do everything here, from maintenance to janitorial,\u201d Williams said. \u201cThey write grants, they do the administration, they help with finance. We teach them everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Belen Suaraz, 22, was hired part time after interning at the EOBA last summer and currently researches grants to support the EOBA\u2019s Wednesday food banks. She said the organization has created a safe space for East Oakland youth. The opportunities it provides, she said, \u201cis really important for them and how they turn out to be and what they want their career to look like, rather than like being in the street.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/oaknorth.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/EOBA-mural-inside-pic-1024x768.jpeg\")
Mural in the EOBA\u2019s gym <\/p>\n
Last year, the youth staff helped the organization bounce back after the embezzlement scandal by making phone calls and writing letters to donors and foundations. They also worked tables at community events, showing residents EOBA\u2019s continued commitment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The nonprofit gradually regained traction. Committed donors, foundation support and small community contributions mitigated the lost donations and helped keep the organization going. The EOBA\u2019s donor base is at over 30,000 supporters.<\/p>\n
Ashley Villegas, 18, joined the staff this year, working part time and doing grant research for the youth development program. Villegas, who lives on 96th Avenue, said the community needs the kind of support the EOBA provides.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people here in Oakland feel hopeless,\u201d she said. \u201cThey feel like they\u2019re not getting help or they have to rely on assistance to even buy food and stuff.\u201d\u2029<\/p>\n
The nonprofit\u2019s role in the East Oakland community compelled William Scott, 83, to become a donor, a little over a decade ago. Scott has witnessed the fallout following Howard\u2019s embezzlement and EOBA\u2019s evolution under Williams\u2019 leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Dawna there, it has become a safe place for kids. You know, they can come there, they can study, they can be there, they can learn, because some of them don\u2019t have anywhere else to go,\u201d Scott said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scott, who recently joined the EOBA\u2019s board of directors, said the nonprofit has extended beyond its name under Williams\u2019 leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s becoming what it\u2019s always wanted to be,\u201d Scott said. \u201cThey still do boxing and self defense, but it\u2019s so much more than that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thanksgiving meals<\/p>\n
Scott\u2019s men\u2019s group, East Bay Circle of Men, is helping to organize the EOBA\u2019s annual holiday food drive this weekend, which will provide Thanksgiving meals to about 1,700 families.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even as the EOBA has entered a new era, serving the community in more expansive ways, it remains firmly rooted in the discipline and grit of boxing. Williams and her staff work to make sure every day is not the nonprofit\u2019s last. She compared the gym\u2019s comeback to the efforts of the fictional boxer Rocky, the underdog who gives world heavyweight champ Apollo Creed the fight of his life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, he had Apollo Creed, who was a multiple champion,\u201d Williams said. \u201cAnd here comes little Rocky, who\u2019s training in a meat locker. That\u2019s us.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Oakland, sneakers aren\u2019t just shoes but \u2018beautiful pieces of wearable art.\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A poster of Muhammad Ali watches over the East Oakland Boxing Association\u2019s gym, a visual reminder of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":66353,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[39520,39521,143,145,144],"class_list":["post-66352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-east-oakland-boxing-association","tag-eoba","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}