How Mama Brown sent her neighborhood to college (rebroadcast)

July 31, 2025

Education Beat is turning 4 years old, and to mark the occasion we’re rebroadcasting an episode from our very first days back in 2021.

It’s the story of an Oakland woman, Oral Lee Brown, who adopted a class of first graders and promised to pay for their college educations if they graduated from high school.

Earlier this year, she was honored by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and the California Department of Education for her contributions to education.

Guests:

• Carolyn Jones, Former Senior Reporter, EdSource
• Oral Lee Brown, Founder and President, Oral Lee Brown Foundation
• Nekita Noel-Ikulala, Former student sponsored by Ms. Brown
• Jeffery Toney, Former student sponsored by Ms. Brown
• Daishar Young, Former student sponsored by Ms. Brown

Read more EdSource articles on this topic:

• How ‘Mama Brown’ changed students’ lives by paying for college and so much more: ‘It’s not about the money’

Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

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