The News that Gail Berkley-Armstrong died is from The Oakland Post‘s Publisher Paul Cobb, U.S Congresswoman Barbara Lee, and social media posts. First, just who was Gail Berkley-Armstrong? Gail Berkley-Armstrong is the daughter of the late, great Oakland Post Publisher Thomas Berkley. The Oakland Post was the first and largest black newspaper on the west coast of the United States of America. The Oakland Post still exists today, and is owned by Oakland activist Paul Cobb.
Second, It was Paul’s publication that put out the news of Gail Berkley-Armstrong’s passing, explaining that Ms. Berkley-Armstrong was born January 5th, 1974 in Berkeley, and had worked in the black press for over 48 years, most recently with The Sun Reporter. “Too long have others spoken for us.” Gail wrote, “we wish to plead our own cause.” The Oakland Post story is a newspaper version; when it is converted to digital, a link to it will appear here.
U.S Congresswoman Barbara Lee Statement On Gail Berkley-Armstrong’s Passing
Here is Congresswoman Lee’s statement:
“My prayers and condolences go to the family and loved ones of Gail Berkley-Armstrong. Gail was an institution in Bay Area journalism. She wrote about and lifted up the Black community for decades, including as the editor of the Oakland Post and most recently at the Sun-Reporter. I spoke with her earlier this year on the centennial of the Tulsa massacre, and as always, her questions reflected her deep insight and her compassion for the subjects she covered. She was a voice for our community. One of her many accomplishments was the sister city agreement between Oakland and Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana, which helped to provide fresh water and sanitation to children there. My heart is with everyone who is mourning this loss today. May she rest in peace and power.”
On Facebook, friends left messages like this one by George Livingston:
Gail Berkley-Armstrong was very instrumental in my Entertainment photography. As editor of The Oakland Post Newspaper Group she provided access enabling me to photograph many events such as: The Black Film Makers Hall of Fame in Oakland California, The Grammys & The Academy Awards in Hollywood, and many other media oriented events. Again Thank you Gail for those epic experiences. A Livingston Entertainment Appreciation Post (2018)
We will add more statements here as they come in. If you have words to add, please send them to me at [email protected]m.
Stay tuned.