ยท Memorial services
- Monday, January 5, 2009, 11:00AM, Oakland Marriott Convention
Center, 1001 Broadway in downtown Oakland. In lieu of
flowers, the Howell family has asked that contributions be made to the
Dr. C. Diane Howell Memorial Fund at Alta Alliance Bank, located at
1951 Webster Street in Oakland. To make contributions to the memorial
fund (Account 1800102992); contact Alta Alliance Bank at (510)
899-7500. For up to date information about memorial services and
other activities planned in honor of Dr. C. Diane Howell, please visit
the Black Expo website at
http://blackexpoltd.com.
Obituary
Dr. C. (Cecelia) Diane Howell, publisher
of Black Business Listings newspaper, producer of Black Expo,
Ltd., and Executive Director of the non-profit, SEEDS
(Self-Empowerment though Education, Entrepreneurship, and DreamS),
passed away on Christmas Eve at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland from
complications from pneumonia. She was 58 years old.
Renowned throughout the Oakland/San
Francisco Bay Area for her steadfast commitment to the African
American community, Dr. Howell used Black Business Listings,
Black Expo, and SEEDS as her platform on which to advocate on behalf
of African American businesses. A social and political
powerbroker in her own right, Dr. Howell used her multifaceted
enterprise to promote issues of economic empowerment, education
access, and political and social activism, in every way
conceivable.
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Howell
was born on July 20, 1950 to Doris K. Howell and the late William P.
Howell. She was baptized at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in
Washington, DC, and was confirmed at St. Edmond's Episcopal Church
in Chicago. Ever active in her faith community, Dr. Howell was
been longstanding member of the Oakland-based East Bay Church of
Religious Science, under the leadership of her spiritual mentor, Rev.
Dr. Elouise Oliver.
A graduate of Chicago's Hyde Park High
School, Dr. Howell earned her B.A. degree in psychology from Barnard
College, Columbia University. She went on to pursue graduate
studies at the University of California, Berkeley, where she completed
her Ph.D. in clinical psychology.
A licensed clinical psychologist, Dr.
Howell worked as a staff psychologist at UC Berkeley upon completion
of graduate school. She also operated a private practice for
more than fifteen years. Even after deciding to devote her
energies to full-time publishing, Howell remained active in her
profession. She saw clients on an ad-hoc basis and remained in
good standing with the California Board of Psychology.
Dr. Howell was active with the Bay Area
Association of Black Psychologists for many years and was elected
president of the association in 1983. Recognizing the need to
increase the visibility of African American psychologists in the Bay
Area, she published the association's first newsletter, Black
Perspectives in 1984.
Through her work in her profession and in
various social and political circles, Dr. Howell recognized the need
to better promote African American businesses in the Oakland San
Francisco Bay Area. Doing her part to fill this void, Howell
launched Black Business Listings (BBL) newspaper from her
personal computer on her dining room table. With no staff and no
capital reserves, Dr. Howell published first edition of Black
Business Listings (BBL) in newsprint in 1989.
Initially published bi-monthly, Dr. Howell began publishing BBL
10 times a year in 1990. A short-lived Southern California
edition of BBL was in print from 1991 to 1993. She was
editor and publisher of BBL for almost twenty years.
From 1991 to 1996, Dr. Howell served as
the local coordinator for Black Expo USA. When the organizers
took Oakland off of its national schedule, Dr. Howell took over as
producer of the Oakland Black Expo in 1997. It was from here
that her entrepreneurship and influence reached unprecedented levels.
Under Dr. Howell's leadership, Oakland's Black Expo attracted
long-standing partnerships with local, regional, and national
corporations and organizations. These have included Citibank,
Wells Fargo, Comcast, State Farm, Chevron, Kaiser Permanente,
Macy's, KBLX, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Safeway, BART, County
of Alameda, and the Port of Oakland, among many others.
In 1995, Dr. Howell expanded the Black
Expo to include the annual African American Excellence in Business
Awards and Scholarship Gala. Over the years, this program has
recognized the accomplishments of hundreds of small businesses,
corporations, political leaders, and everyday people making a
difference in their communities. A steadfast supporter and
advocate of educational opportunities for young people, Howell
established the non-profit, SEEDS (Self-Empowerment though Education,
Entrepreneurship, and DreamS) in 2000. Since its inception,
SEEDS has awarded more than $25,000 in scholarships supporting the
educational aspirations of local youth.
Oakland Mayor Ronald V. Dellums
was among many who paid tribute to Dr. Howell upon learning of her
passing. "I am deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. C. Diane
Howell who meant so much to our community as a leader, friend and
pioneer of social entrepreneurship," said Dellums. "She was
a tireless advocate for the African American community and small
business owners. Dr. Howell empowered the community and helped
all whom she touched to realize their potential. We shared a
common bond through our training as psychologists and often times
joined in establishing values and principles which served a moral
purpose for the betterment of our community."
Congresswoman Barbara Lee
(D-California), who was a regular columnist in BBL, paid
tribute to Dr. Howell as a "beacon of optimism and hope,
particularly for the owners of minority businesses throughout the Bay
Area." Lee also stated, "Dr. Howell was a great friend and
human being. I was proud to call her my sister, and I will miss her
kindness, wise counsel and her love. My thoughts and prayers are with
her family, her staff, and those in the business community whose lives
were enriched by Dr. Howell's unwavering commitment to her
community. She will be missed terribly by all who knew
her."
Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson
(District 5) mourns the loss of Dr. Howell stating, "Dr. C.
Dianne Howell sacrificed her professional career to create the Black
Business Listing. The newspaper is an essential communication vehicle
for those in the African American business, educational and social
communities. She will always be in my prayers."
Bob Butler, President, Bay Area
Association of Black Journalists states, "C. Diane Howell was a
tireless champion for the African American business community. Her
Black Business Listings and Black Expo Trade Fair were premier events
for anyone wanting to conduct business in the Black community. The Bay
Area Black Journalists Association mourns Howell's passing. She is a
treasure and will be sorely missed.
Over the course of her illustrious
career, Dr. Howell has been recognized by numerous organizations.
The most recent of these include the Social Entrepreneur award from
the National Association of Women Business Owners, the Local Hero
Award from KQED, the 2008 Community Award from 100 Black Men of the
Bay Area, a Citation of Achievement from the Oakland City Council, and
the Woman of the Year Award by Sacramento's Omega Psi Phi
Fraternity. Dr. Howell will be honored posthumously with the
Madam C. J. Walker Award from the Oakland-Bay Area Chapter of the
National Coalition of 100 Black Women in 2009.
Howell is survived by her mother, Doris
K. Howell; her sister, Lynda K. Middleton; her brother William P.
Howell, Jr. and his wife Rhonda; one nephew, William P. Howell, III;
and a niece, Shawn Wilkins and her husband, Randall. All are
residents of Chicago.