CC SA-BY Our OaklandJerri Lange (Jan. 3, 1925 – April 10, 2021) was a 3rd generation Oaklander, and a pioneering Bay Area TV broadcaster, producer, print journalist, and SFSU professor. She was featured on the Alice Street mural.
Her media career began at the San Francisco Chronicle, and included time at TV stations KEMO, KBHK, KGO and KQED. She gave the famous "Blacks in Broadcasting" speech, criticizing the negative image of blacks in the media.
Lange was born in West Oakland. She lived in Palace Apartments on Alice Street for a number of years.
Family
Ms. Lange raised three sons as a single mother: director and producer Michael Lange, actor and director Ted Lange (best known for his role on "The Love Boat”), and businessman James Cowan.
Her brother was Stan Wilson, a musician who wrote a number of songs for the Kingston Trio.
Links and References
- Alice Street Mural reflects historic neighborhood Annalee Allen Oakland Tribune August 17, 2014
- Jerri: A Black Woman's Life in the Media by Jerri Lange
- Oakland Is... website
- "Oakland Is..." with Host Jerri Lange and Black History Archivist Noah Griffin -Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
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Stan Wilson, wrote songs for Kingston Trio, dies Oakland Tribune June 11, 2005
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Oakland Actor, Director Michael Lange, 65 Oakland Post May 30, 2015
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Jerri Lange, pioneering Black TV producer and host, dies at 96 SF Chronicle April 22, 2021
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Jerri Lange, Bay Area media legend, social activist, educator and author, has passed San Francisco Bay View April 29, 2021
