Ralph Bunche
hile working on an Oakland map project, I noticed a
neighborhood named Ralph Bunche between the Prescott and I-980. I wasn't familiar with the name, so I Googled and found this about
Ralph Bunche on Wikipedia. He was a diplomat and political scientist, and the first person of color to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. What I haven't been able to find is if there was any Oakland connection to Ralph Bunche, or if the neighborhood was just one of the many things named to honor him. Anybody out there know?
I think it's the latter---and more specifically, that there was a school in the neighborhood named Ralph Bunche so the area around it was given that name (though I don't think I've ever heard the neighborhood referred to that way---I think of that area as part of the Lower Bottoms, but maybe it's a little too far north?) School has closed, I think, but maybe the name stuck? Someone with a better understanding of WOak history might be able to shed some light...
ReplyDeleteIt probably is because of the school which was named in his honor. Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, the Oakland Museum's map. etc. all show it as Ralph Bunche. McClymonds to the northeast, Oak Center to the south, Prescott to the west. Prescott or Village Bottoms or Prescott - Oakland Point are to the west of Mandela Parkway.
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