Barb Dawson

In one of the worst drug/gang neighborhoods in Oakland, California, stands a school where positive energy abounds: a place of curiosity, discipline, growth, security, and faith. A place everyone loves to be. Named for a Peruvian saint who was the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a freed black slave, St. Martin de Porres (SMDP) School was started in 1996 to serve the families of West and Northwest Oakland. Currently, the school is located on two campuses – a K-5 campus at Martin Luther King and 41st Street and a middle school 6-8 campus at Peralta and 10th.

To learn more about Barbara Dawson's work at St. Martin de Porres school, click on the link under her picture.