On Sunday, January 14, 2018 from 7:00-9:30 pm at the Oakland Scottish Rite
Center, 1547 Lakeside Dr., Oakland, CA 94612, Ms. Wendy Jackson will be
presented with the Oakland Citizen Humanitarian Award for her outstanding work
on behalf of the Oakland community at “In the Name of Love”, the 16th Annual
Musical Tribute honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., an extensive civic and
cultural event that pays homage through music, to one of the greatest
humanitarians of our time.
The theme of this year’s tribute is “Songs of Change” highlighting five outstanding
vocalists: Nicolas Bearde, Kim Nalley, Tiffany Austin, Amikaeyla Gaston and
Jessica Lá Rel, along with an exciting backup band including Tammy Hall on
piano, Marcus Shelby on bass, Allison Miller on drums, Adam Theis on horns and
Terrence Brewer on guitar. These outstanding musicians have each individually
made a tremendous impact on the Bay Area cultural scene, and the 2018 program
will bring them together onto the stage for the first time to rekindle Dr. King’s
message of love and nonviolence as captured in Marvin Gaye’s outstanding music.
The tribute will also serve as a platform for a one-time exciting collective, creative
experience meant to inspire hope, celebrate Oakland’s cultural history and
highlight the power of music to spur positive change. Additionally, the tribute will
include the 55-voice Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir; and the 200-voice Living
Jazz Children’s Project backed up by the Oakland School for the Arts Ensemble.
Dana King, formerly with CBS, will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies.
Living Jazz, an Oakland based non-profit and producers of the MLK Tribute,
originally created this award to acknowledge those who give of themselves beyond
the call of duty and to inspire others to work for the betterment of the community.
The recipient is chosen with the help of Oakland’s Department of Human Services,
and in the spirit of Dr. King’s tireless efforts, is presented annually at “In the Name
of Love”, the Annual Musical Tribute honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Wendy Jackson is the Executive Director of the East Oakland Community Project
(EOCP), a community-based, nonprofit organization that provides emergency
housing for homeless individuals, families and people living with HIV/AIDS. Ms.
Jackson became the Executive Director of EOCP in May of 1996 when the
organization was about to go bankrupt. Through her leadership,
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News from:
Human Services
Department
In the Name of Love
Humanitarian Award
January 2, 2018
Page Two
skills and creativity, Ms. Jackson not only saved the agency but raised its standards
of service for its client base. Since 1996, she has increased the organization’s
budget from $579,000 to almost $7million in fiscal year 2017-18. Under Ms.
Jackson’s leadership, EOCP completed the construction of a “green” building that
houses its emergency shelter, Crossroads, a 125-bed state-of- the art, 24-hour
multi-service emergency housing facility, in Oakland. Crossroads is a refuge that
resonates with dignity, good health, and hope in an environment where people can
reverse the trend of homelessness. According to a New York Times article on the
facility, the first green shelter in the country, “Crossroads is a place for healing
inside and out.”
She has enhanced the quality of services through the development of several
programs specifically targeting Veterans and homeless individuals being
discharged from Alameda County hospitals and requiring recuperative care and
connections to permanent housing. Ms. Jackson serves on the Leadership Board of
Everyone Home, a countywide initiative to end homelessness through the
development of 15,000 units for very low income and chronically homeless people,
by the year 2020. Everyone Home is a collaboration of many public agencies and
private support services providers.
“In the Name of Love”, Oakland’s only non-denominational musical tribute to Dr.
King, is the perfect platform in which to honor Wendy Jackson, this year’s
recipient of the Oakland Citizen Humanitarian Award and a wonderful opportunity
to acknowledge a member from our own community helping to inspire change and
positive contribution.
Tickets: $25-$40; children 12 and under- $8-$12
Tix and info: livingjazz.org/mlktribute or call 510-858-5313
“In the Name of Love” has been made possible through the generosity of the
National Endowment for the Arts; California Arts Council; City of Oakland
Cultural Funding Program; William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; Alameda
County Arts Commission; Zellerbach Family Foundation; See’s Candies; and
BART.
Living Jazz, a non-profit Oakland based organization was created in 1984. Our
mission is to Transform Lives Through Music. Living Jazz created Jazz Camp
West in 1984, the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir in 1986, Jazz Camp Weekend
and the Oakland Jazz Choir in 1992, "In the Name of Love" in 2002, the Living
Jazz Children’s Project in 2005; Jam Camp West for youth ages 10-15 in 2008;
and Jazz Search West, the Bay Area’s Jazz Talent Search in 2010.