community

Tibetan ceremony honors the new Dalai Lama Avenue

A sunset Buddhist ceremony at Richmond’s Huntington Avenue and San Joaquin Street consecrated the renaming of a stretch of Huntington after the Dalai Lama on the 12th anniversary of the spiritual leader’s receipt of the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal. About seventy Tibetan community members, three Buddhist monks and City Councilmember Eduardo Martinez gathered Thursday evening to present symbolic food offerings, and knotted white scarves representing compassion around the post marking the new Dalai Lama Avenue. The religious leader visited Richmond’s…

Cal Prep members advocate for charter renewal

Faculty, students, and parents from Aspire Richmond California College Preparatory Academy (Cal Prep) urged the Board of Education to renew the school’s charter at this week’s meeting of the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) at Lovonya DeJean Middle School. Cal Prep is a public charter and early college secondary school in Richmond. During a public forum at Wednesday night’s meeting, Cal Prep supporters testified that the charter renewal would allow Cal Prep to continue with its mission statement…

Richmond street renamed after international religious leader

Richmond is now home to “Dalai Lama Avenue,” a block-long stretch of Huntington Avenue the City Council renamed on Tuesday to honor Richmond’s Tibetan community and the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists worldwide. The newly-renamed avenue will guide visitors searching for the Tibetan Association of Northern California (TANC), which is located on Huntington between Columbia Avenue and San Joaquin Street. “A lot of times when people come looking for the cultural center, they end up on the wrong side of…

Boba and Badges: How police are using tea to build bridges with community

You may have heard of “Coffee with a Cop,” or its summer version, “Chill with a Cop,” which involves ice cream in an effort to sweeten relations and foster dialogue between police and the community. On Friday, the Richmond Police Department updated their menu when they hosted “Boba and Badges,” serving the popular Taiwanese drink made with “bubbles” of tapioca,   in an informal community event at the Pacific East Mall. Designed to invite local residents to ask questions, voice concerns, and get to…