The Paula Beal Papers consist of notebooks, subject files, reports, correspondence, flyers, and periodicals documenting her activities with housing activist and food justice groups in Oakland, California in the 2010s.

Housing and food activist Paul Beal (1953-2016) was born on January 31, 1953 in Alton, Illinois to Charles Jones, Sr. and Pearline Jones. After attending Alton High School and Claremont McKenna College in Cicero, Illinois, she moved to Richmond, California where she met and married Willie Clyde Beal Sr. The couple were early pioneers in the medical marijuana in the East Bay and Paula Beal began her work as a housing activist after working at the Oakland Independent Support Center, a non-profit serving the homeless and individuals with substance abuse issues. She was later active with a number of housing activist groups including Causa Justa:: Just Cause, Oakland Renters Union, and Oakland United Coalition following the wave of displacement and gentrification in Oakland, California in the early 2010s.

2 linear feet (2 boxes + 1 oversized box)

Permission to publish from the Paula Beal Papers must be obtained from the African American Museum & Library at Oakland.

No access restrictions. Collection is open to the public.