There’s Hope for Housing: Counselors
LaNiece Jones
Can Help You Afford a New Home - Or Keep the One You Have Page 2
The Three Mothers, a Celebration of Black Motherhood\
Building Your Legal Guardrails, May 26, 2022
Proposed Rule Banning Menthol Flavored Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars Page 7
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Oakland Post
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“Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
postnewsgroup.com
58th Year, No. 47
Weekly Edition. Edition. May 11-17, 2022
Tribute to the Late Rev. Dr. Gillette O James, Emeritus By Rev. Dr. Martha C. Taylor
Congresswoman Barbara Lee
Rep. Lee Issues Statement on Biden High-Speed Internet Deal By Alex Katz
Support Oakland Artists Executive Director Randolph Belle atop the installation called ‘Society’s Cage’ as it was being assembled. Photo courtesy of Facebook.
Installation Invoking Black Struggle for Justice Opens May 14 at Oakland City Hall By Randolph Belle
A traveling exhibit that invokes the history of repression of Blacks in the United States arrived in Oakland for installation this week at Frank Ogawa Plaza. Support Oakland Artists, an
Oakland based 501(C)3, partnered with Society’s Cage to bring the acclaimed social justice art installation as a feature in front of Oakland City Hall from May 9-30, 2022. Society’s Cage is an open air, accessible pavilion featuring 500 hanging steel bars that
form a cavernous cube with a habitable void allowing visitors to experience the symbolic weight of institutional racism. This immersive experience offers the opportunity to consider the severity of racial Continued on Page 12
Successful 1-Day Strike Was Only First Step, Activists Say By Ken Epstein
Following a historic one-day strike of teachers and Port workers at the end of April, a coalition of labor and community activists continues to gather steam against the billionaire takeover of public Port of Oakland property and the giveaway of public school property to corporate interests. Hundreds of longshore worker and school activists in a variety of organizations who participated in the one-day strike on Friday, April 29 are developing plans to build their movement by expanding outreach in the community and increasing pressure on the politicians and billionaires who
Divya Farias. Photo courtesy of Ms. Farias.
Walter Riley. Photo courtesy of Mr. Riley.
speak with the authority of big money. Divya Farias, a special education teacher in Oakland and member of the steering commit-
tee of the new coalition, Schools and Labor Against Privatization (S.L.A.P.), says she looks forContinued on Page 12
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) issued the following statement on May 10 celebrating the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), the Biden Administration’s effort to make high-speed internet cheaper, faster, and more widely available. “Here in the East Bay, access to high-speed internet is a matter of racial justice and equity,” Lee said. “This became especially clear during the pandemic, when many Oakland kids were not able to participate in remote learning simply because they did not have internet access at home. “The Oakland Unified School District connected 98% of its students to high-speed internet during the pandemic, giving out 36,000 laptops and 11,500 hotspots. That effort is commendable, and it needs to be repeated across our country. It is critical that we help close the economic and educational gap created by lack of affordable internet service. The ACP is a step in the right direction towards equitable internet access for all.” On Monday, President Biden and Vice President Harris announced that they have secured private sector commitments that will lower high-speed internet costs
Maya Angelou’s iconic poem “When Great Trees Fall” is a reminder of the impact that a person has on the lives of others during their lifetime. Rev. Dr. Gillette O. James, pastor emeritus, Beth Eden Baptist Church was called from labor to reward on April 20, 2022, leaving a huge void in the Bay Area after serving for 46 years as senior pastor. He was an honored senior statesman, and distinguished iconic figure. Pastor James joined the Beth Eden community in 1970 as an assistant pastor. A year later, he accepted the call to lead the congregation after the retirement of Pastor A.C. Dones. Dr. James became the 12th pastor of Beth Eden, also known as the “Mother Church” because it was the first Black Baptist church in Oakland, and also a historic flagship church in Alameda County. Dr. James was born in Dominica, West Indies. He immigrated to the United States in 1955, and later met his beautiful wife, the late Dr. Rosa V. Ferguson in Ohio. She was a renowned educator in the Bay Area and formerly with the Progressive National Baptist Convention as noted by Dr. Vinchael Booth.
Rev. Dr. Gillette O James
They remained married for 55 years until her death in 2017. They have one daughter, Jennifer Muhammad. Dr. James was a great soul; he was not only a pastor, he was an educator, author, community leader, justice warrior, humanitarian champion, voice for the voiceless, and a moving force for civil rights in the Bay Area. Pastor James was a strong advocate for the role of women in church leadership positions. At one point, he was ousted from the California State Baptist Convention for his strong stance on women’s involvement in the ministry. He was later restored and continued to license and ordain numerous Continued on Page 12
Bishop Bob Jackson Celebrates 38 Years at Acts Full Gospel Church
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San Jose Congressman Norman Mineta: the Reparations Hero for Asian Americans By Emil Guillermo
When the Democratic candidates began the 2020 presidential campaign, there was a buzz about reparations for African Americans. And then, the buzz died. I mention that because last week, former San Jose Mayor and 13th District Congressman Norman Y. Mineta passed away at age 90. Mineta will forever be known as the man who got justice for the people incarcerated by the Japanese internment during World War II. He got reparations passed
Opinion
Norman Mineta. Facebook photo.
in a Republican administration. Think about that. Reparations, the BIPOC holy grail.
After Mineta got it done in 1988 under Reagan, it’s never been replicated. Looking back, it seems like a magic trick. But it wasn’t. It was just hard work and politicking. That’s why we all should revere the man who died somewhat appropriately in the first week of May, the month now known as Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Mineta was one of the first Congressional boosters to stretch what was originally a week, and then coined it Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. His passing on May 3,
2022, is an important marker on the significance of diversity and representation at the highest levels of government, politics, and elected office. Born in San Jose to Japanese immigrants, Mineta lived through every major moment in modern Asian American history. For the barriers he broke, and the policies he established, he was simply the community’s father figure. He was Mr. Asian America. For a short-time, I got to be close to him. In the 103rd Congress in 1993, I was Mineta’s press Continued on Page 12
Bishop Bob Jackson, First Lady Barbara Jackson, Rev. Smokie Norful, Gospel recording artist, and Cathy D. Adams, president and CEO of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce. Photo by Sherry Vance.
From May 4-6, 2022, hundreds of well-wishers came to celebrate with the senior pastor of Acts-Full Gospel Church of God in Christ, Bishop Robert (Bob) L. Jackson, as he marked 38 years of service. On May 5, Rev. W.R., “Smokie” Norful Jr. preached the sermon. Norful is an American gospel singer and pianist, best known for
his 2002 album, “I Need You Now” and “Nothing Without You,” which won a Grammy at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album in 2004. Norful received his second Grammy in 2015 at the 57th Annual Grammy awards for his song “No Greater Love,” 10 years after winning his first.