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But the dependence of West Oakland's workers on the war left many jobless when it ended. Railroad employment also disappeared as cars, trucks and airplanes became the primary modes of transportation. In the 1950s, as some West Oakland neighborhoods were replaced with public housing, others were bulldozed to make way for the original Cypress Freeway and urban renewal programs. Once a transportation hub for the region, West Oakland was now completely bypassed by the new freeway. As West Oakland has changed over the years, so has Mt. Zion. And King, who was church historian for 18 years, has documented the changes in the History/Artifacts Room in the basement of Mount Zion. Glass cases house a neatly typed, alphabetized list of church members and the amount of their donations to the church in 1945. There are photographs of couples celebrating weddings and golden anniversaries; of babies in the church nursery; of every location the church has occupied in West Oakland. A picture shows the 1941 groundbreaking of the construction of Mount Zion. Another photo shows the 28 piece marching band Mount Zion boasted that decade. On a table sit certificates from Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris, State Senator Barbara Lee and President Bill Clinton, recognizing Mount Zion on its 75th anniversary in May 1997. Mount Zion's membership is about 500 now. The congregation is between pastors; Reverend Hunter was only a visitor. The new Cypress Freeway curves around the edge of West Oakland instead of cutting through its middle. And the church is drawing new members from Johnnie Lewis' drug treatment program. Seated in her history room, asked if Mount Zion will have its new pastor soon, Thelma King declines to speculate. "I can't predict the future," she says. |
