Berkeley Assemblymember News Today

Speakers gathered over Zoom at the “State of Black Berkeley” event on Feb. 20. The annual gathering of activists at the “State of Black Berkeley” on Saturday looked different in 2021 than in past years. Attendees greeted each other over Zoom and asked questions or sent compliments in the chatbox, rather than raising hands or applauding in person. Still, with rousing music and a dance break to intersperse impassioned speeches and calls to action, the spirit of the event was unchanged. Th...

Art project or statement? Statue of pioneering Black Berkeley legislator briefly defaced Someone put a white skeleton mask and some graffiti on the statue of William Byron Rumford on Sacramento Street. The defaced William Rumford statue on Jan. 8, 2021. Photo: Christine Schwartz Update, 1:35 p.m.: This may have been part of an art project. The URL on Rumford’s hand leads to this website with photos of other masks the artist appears to have placed on the statue. Berkeleyside has reached out to...