U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee Remembers Jimmy Carter’s Sunday School Lessons
By Paul Cobb
“I’m deeply saddened to hear of the passing of President Jimmy Carter,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee in a Dec. 29 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“President Carter displayed a lifelong commitment to global peace, justice, and human rights. He inspired me and countless others.”
“I send my condolences to his
family, his loved ones, and all who loved him. May he now Rest in Peace with his wife, Rosalynn,” Lee continued.
Barbara Lee said she still treasures er CD Sunday school lessons that she participated in as a visitor to Jimmy Carter’s Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia. She told The Post that she attended gospel concerts at the
Carter White House as the staff aide for the late Congressman Ron Dellums.
“I also invited congressional staff to visit his Sunday school teachings. He taught us lessons of how to apply our faith to our policy work in government and in our respective communities. He practiced what he preached, and he represented a change in social
Oakland Post
“Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18 postnewsgroup.com
‘In
2024, We Had a Decrease in Shootings and
Killings,’
Says Oakland Mayor Nikki Bas and Ceasefire Leaders
From Oakland City News Sources
Oakland’s Ceasefire partners, including representatives from the City of Oakland Department of Violence Prevention (DVP), Faith in Action East Bay, and other community leaders held a press conference Monday to discuss year-end reductions in gun violence and share community support for the Ceasefire Strategy.
“Our communities have never wavered from our support of the Ceasefire Strategy. We knew in the beginning that Ceasefire saves the lives of Oakland’s most vulnerable,” said Alba Hernandez, Faith in Action East Bay.
According to the DVP, Oakland will finish 2024 as the safest year since the start of the COVID pandemic. As of Dec. 23, there has been a 35% decrease in murders accompanied by a 33% reduction in nonfatal shootings compared to 2023.
As Oakland’s primary violence reduction strategy, Ceasefire seeks to identify individuals at very high risk of being involved in gun violence. Those high-risk individuals who are arrestable are prioritized for law enforcement action. Others at the highest-risk are informed of their risk and offered intensive community-based services such as life coaching, workforce development, and mental health care.
Ceasefire operates through close coordination and collaboration between the Mayor’s Office, DVP, the Ceasefire director, Oakland Police Department, and the Alameda County Probation Department, with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR) and California Partnership for Safe Communities (CPSC) providing training and technical assistance.
“I am extremely grateful for the successful resurrection of the Ceasefire Strategy and for the his-
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire
James “Jimmy” Carter, the peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia, who became the 39th president of the United States and later redefined the role of an ex-president through decades of humanitarian work, died Sunday at his home. He was 100. His son, James E. Carter III, known as Chip, confirmed the death but provided no immediate cause.
Carter had been in hospice care since February 2023 after battling an aggressive form of melanoma that spread to his brain and liver.
Carter’s wife, Rosalynn, with whom he shared 77 years of marriage—the longest of any presidential couple—died on November 19, 2023, at 96. The
couple’s final years were marked by their enduring love, and Carter’s last public appearance was at Rosalynn’s funeral, where he sat in the front row in a wheelchair.
Born in Plains on October 1, 1924, Carter grew up on a farm, served in the U.S. Navy, and rose to prominence as Georgia’s governor from 1971 to 1975. He was elected president in 1976, becoming the first man from the Deep South since 1837. The victory made Carter the only Democrat to hold the office between Lyndon B. Johnson and Bill Clinton.
Carter’s presidency, defined by ambitious domestic and foreign policy initiatives, faced
New Report Shows Disparities in Police Stops of Youth in California
African Americans were stopped ‘126% more frequently than expected’
By Post Staff
The California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board this week released its annual report on police stops across California, analyzing 4.7 million vehicle and pedestrian stops conducted in 2023 by 539 law enforcement agencies in California.
The analysis, conducted as part of the Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA), shows disparities consistent with those observed in prior years’ data based on perceived race, age, and disability status.
The report finds that the disparity between the proportion of stops and the proportion of residential population was greatest for individuals perceived to be Black, who were stopped 126% more frequently than expected, followed by individuals perceived to be Latino, who were stopped 44% more frequently than expected.
In addition to providing an indepth look into policing in 2023, the report contains a wide array of best-practice recommendations related to policing.
“Like those before it, the 2025 RIPA report provides actionable information to address bias in policing. This year’s report is particularly important with its focus on young Californians. The racial disparities of policing stops, searches and use of force of youth is alarming,” said Andrea Guerrero, co-chair of the RIPA Board and executive director of Alliance San Diego.
“Young Californians who are driving, biking, and walking and perceived to be Black or Brown are regularly stopped, asked to consent to a search, handcuffed, sat on the curb, put in a police car, and questioned for information that is recorded on a field inter-
By Virtual T. Murrell Special to The Post
On his way to seeking the presidency, then-Gov. Jimmy Carter visited the Bay Area in his capacity as campaign chairman of the Democratic National Committee in March of 1974.
A friend of mine, Bill Lynch, a democrat from San Francisco, had been asked to host Carter who was then relatively unknown.
Seeking my advice on the matter, I immediately called my friend, civil rights icon, Georgia State Representative Julian Bond, for his opinion.
Bond said that Carter, along
with governors Reuben Askew of Florida, Dale Bumpers of Arkansas, and Terry Sanford of North Carolina, were all a part of what was being dubbed the “New South” and so supported civil rights and voting rights for African Americans.
Based on Julian’s comments I agreed to host the governor. We picked him up at the San Francisco Airport. With his toothy smile I could tell almost right away he was like no other politician I had ever met. On his arrival there was a message for him to go to the VIP room where he met then-Secretary of State Jerry Brown.
After leaving the airport, we
went to a reception in his honor at the home of Paul “Red” Fay, who had served as the acting secretary of the Navy under President John Kennedy. (Carter, it turned out, had been himself a 1946 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and served as a submariner in the 1950s.)
The following afternoon, the Niagara Movement Democratic Club hosted a reception for Carter, which was a major success. Carter indicated that he would be considering running for president and hoped for our support if he did so.
As the event was winding down, I witnessed the most amaz-
ing moment: Carter’s
was in the kitchen
and busting
You would have to have been there to see it: The first and last time a white woman cleaned up my kitchen.
A few months later, President Richard Nixon resigned in the midst of the Watergate scandal. He was succeeded by his vice president, Gerald Ford. On the heels of that scandal, Jimmy Carter’s election in 1976 represented integrity and honesty at a point in America’s history when he was just what the nation needed to lead as president of the United States.
wife, Rosalynn,
with my former wife, Irene, wearing apron
suds!
Andrea Guerrero, co-chair of the California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board. Courtesy photo.
Some faith and community leaders who attended the year-end Ceasefire press conference are (left to right): Rev. Damita Davis-Howard, Oakland Mayor Nikki Fortunato Bas, Rev. Michael Wallace, and Brooklyn Williams. Photo by Kevin Hicks.
Virtual Murrell chats with Jimmy Carter two years before Carter was elected president in 1976. Courtesy photo.
Congressperson Barbara Lee invited her fellow members of Congress and their key staff to visit Jimmy Carter’s Sunday School lessons.
Barbara Lee with President Carter and First Lady Rosalyn. Lee has treasured the CD’s and notes of his Sunday School Bible lessons through the years. Photos courtesy of Rep. Lee’s office.
Dis Oakland’s Black Chamber of Commerce Awards
President Jimmy Carter sits casually with his feet on the table at the Resolute desk in the Oval Office of the White House on April 18, 1978.
Photo by Valkoisen Tuntematon/Wikimedia Commons.
Expect the Worst? Political Scientists Have a Pessimism Bias, Study Finds
Political experts surveyed recently were prone to pessimism — and were often wrong, says a study co-authored at UC Berkeley. Still, when their predictions were averaged out, they were ‘remarkably accurate’
By Edward Lempinen UC Berkeley News
The past decade has seen historic challenges for U.S. democracy and an intense focus by scholars on events that seem to signal democratic decline. But new research released two weeks ago finds that a bias toward pessimism among U.S. political scientists often leads to inaccurate predictions about the future threats to democracy.
The research, co-authored by UC Berkeley political scientist Andrew T. Little, offers a possible solution: an approach that aggregates experts’ predictions, finds the middle ground, and then reduces the influence of pessimism, leading to the possibility of “remarkably accurate predictions.”
The study was released by Bright Line Watch, a consortium of political scientists who focus on issues related to the health of U.S. democracy. It offers provocative insight into political scientists’ predictions for the months
ahead, including some that would be seen as alarming risks for democracy.
According to an analysis that Little distilled from a Bright Line Watch survey done after the November election, political scientists generally agreed that incoming Republican President Donald Trump is highly likely to pardon MAGA forces imprisoned for roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, uprising that sought to block the peaceful transfer of power from Trump to Democrat Joe Biden.
The research concluded that it’s less likely, but still probable, that Trump will pardon himself from a series of federal criminal convictions and investigations, and that his allies will open an investigation of Biden.
In understanding the future course of U.S. politics, Little said in an interview, it’s important to listen to the consensus of expert political scientists rather than to individual experts who, sometimes, become media figures
based on their dire predictions.
“If we’re worried about being excessively pessimistic,” he explained, “and if we don’t want to conclude that every possible bad thing is going to happen, then we should make sure that we’re mainly worrying about things where there is wider consensus (among political scientists).”
Believe the Consensus, Doubt the Outliers
For example, the raw data from hundreds of survey responses studied by Little and Bright Line researchers showed that more than half of the political scientists also expected Trump to form a board that would explore the removal of generals; deport millions of immigrants; and initiate a mass firing of civil service government employees.
But once the researchers aggregated the scholars’ opinions, determined the average of their expectations and controlled for their pessimism bias, the con-
Continued on page 7
By Edward Henderson California Black Media
Grammy Award-winning singer and record label executive, Jay King, was elected CEO/president of the California Black Chamber of Commerce (CBCC) in June of 2019.
The CBCC is the largest African American non-profit business organization, representing thousands of small and emerging businesses, affiliates and chambers of commerce throughout California.
King is also a member of the popular 1980s R&B group Club Nouveau. In his role as an artist and activist, he has stood up for issues affecting underrepresented Californians for over three decades.
As the President of the CBCC, King says he is determined to put his mark on developing and expanding the capacity of African American businessmen and women.
California Black Media
(CBM) spoke with King recently. He reflected on the Chamber’s accomplishments, disappointments, lessons learned this year and goals moving forward.
Looking back at 2024, what stands out to you as your most important achievement and why?
Making the voice of micro and mini-micro businesses loud, forcing policymakers and other decisionmakers across the state to start paying attention to them.
With legislation in place now — AB 1574 and AB 2019 - that mandates that the state and agencies affiliated with the state extend opportunities to micro and mini business owners and give them a chance to participate in government contracting in a real way.
How did your leadership and investments contribute to improving the lives of Black Californians?
I really want to contribute to the world and the state of Black
businesses because of the systemic inequities in the past.
Small business, micro businesses and mini businesses are too often overlooked.
I think it would be egotistical to believe that I make any significant impact on my own. Whether it’ s the Asian Chamber, Hispanic Chamber and other organizations that are fighting the same fight. I think it’s a collective, so I’m proud to be part of the collective.
What frustrated you the most over the last year?
We say we want to give access to capital to small businesses, and yet we continue to create barriers that deny them access to capital.
What inspired you the most over the last year?
Watching some of the small business owners that we worked with — these micro businesses — and seeing the potential and the power that is in front of us.
What is one lesson you learned in 2024 that will inform your decision-making next year?
We have to fight for Black businessowners, but they also have to be prepared; because if they’re not, it affects us all down the line.
In one word, what is the biggest challenge Black Californians face?
Self-belief. I think we have been conditioned on victimization and victimhood. We think that if we don’t get the help we need that we will falter.
What is the goal you want to achieve most in 2025?
I want to change the trajectory of micro and mini business owners.
Fears of unknown political outcomes. iStock image.
Jay King, president and CEO of the California Black Chamber of Commerce.
Adult Day Program
Dedicated staff needed to work with individuals with developmental disabilities in communitybased settings, or environments. Qualifications: High school or equivalent. Driver’s license. Dependable and efficient. Background check. Physical exam and TB test. Training available. Decent wages. Please call (510) 690-9570.
Tina Thompson: Champion, Legend, and Pioneer of Women’s Basketball
By Tamara Shiloh
The establishment of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 1996 was a turning point for women’s sports, creating a professional platform for female basketball players to showcase their skills at the highest level. Among the trailblazers who helped launch the league, Tina Thompson stands out as the first African American woman drafted into the WNBA.
Special to The Post
Tina Thompson was born on Feb. 10, 1975, in Los Angeles, California. Raised in a basketballloving household, she quickly developed a passion for the game. Thompson improved her skills on the playgrounds of South Central Los Angeles, often playing against boys, which toughened her game and fueled her competitive edge.
When grants were announced Oct. 1, it was noted that eight of the 22 MacArthur fellows were African American. Among the recipients of the so-called ‘genius grants’ are scholars, visual and media artists a poet/writer, historian, and dancer/choreographer who each receive $800,000 over
She attended the University of Southern California (USC), where she became a standout
player for the Trojans. Known for her versatility, scoring ability, and relentless work ethic, she earned All-Pac-10 honors multiple times and cemented her reputation as one of the top collegiate players in the nation.
When the WNBA held its firstever draft on April 28, 1997, Tina Thompson made history as the league’s first African American player to be drafted. Selected as the first overall pick by the Houston Comets, she joined a team that would go on to dominate the early years of the WNBA.
a five-year period to spend as they see fit.
MacArthur Fellow Dorothy Roberts’ Advocates Restructure of Child Welfare System
erts is excerpted from the MacAr-
Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty 1997)”, she
nied agency to Black women and
Tina’s selection was a historic moment, symbolizing the league’s commitment to showcasing diverse talent. As a Black woman in a pioneering role, Thompson carried the hopes of aspiring African American female athletes who dreamed of playing professional basketball.
Their names are Ruha Benjamin, Jericho Brown, Tony Cokes, Jennifer L. Morgan, Ebony G. Patterson, Shamel Pitts, Jason Reynolds, and Dorothy Roberts. This is the eighth and last in the series highlighting the Black awardees. The report below on Dorothy Rob-
Tina wasted no time making an impact in the WNBA. As a key
tems.
Roberts’s early work focused on Black women’s reproductive rights and their fight for reproductive justice. In “Killing the Black
member of the Houston Comets alongside legends Cynthia Cooper and Sheryl Swoopes, she
OAKLAND’S MINIMUM WAGE GOES UP TO $16.89 ON JANUARY 1, 2025
Annual increase tied to Consumer Price Index, raises Minimum Wage 39¢, from $16.50 to $16.89
In November 2014, 82% of Oakland citizens voted in favor of Measure FF, a local ordinance that took effect March 2, 2015. The ordinance included provisions for annual increases to the mínimum wage based on the local Consumer Price Index. The other benefits mandated by Measure FF – including paid sick leave and payment of service charges to hospitality workers – remain the same. Employers are required to inform employees of the mínimum wage increase by December 15, 2024. To assist in notification, the City has posted downloadable posters in four languages at oaklandca.gov/ minimumwage
Notices must be in languages spoken by more than 10% of employees. Resources for employers and employees, including frequently asked questions and interpretive regulations, are also posted on the web page Several other cities in the region have also enacted minimum wage laws to ensure workers are paid a wage to provide for themselves and their families
As our local businesses are adjusting to this change, it’s important to support our dynamic local business community and in turn support Oakland workers.
For more information for employers and employees: www.oaklandca.gov/minimumwage minwageinfo@oaklandca.gov or (510) 238-6258
This work prompted Roberts to examine the treatment of children of color in the U.S. child welfare
tions, Roberts has concluded that the current child welfare system is in fact a system of family policing with alarmingly unequal practices and outcomes. Her 2001 book, “Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare,” details the outsized role that race and class play in determining who is subject to
helped lead the team to an unprecedented four consecutive championships from 1997 to 2000. The
Comets’ dynasty became the gold standard for excellence in the league’s early years.
state intervention and the results of those interventions.
Through interviews with Chicago mothers who had interacted with Child Protective Services (CPS), Roberts shows that institutions regularly punish the effects of poverty as neglect.
Known for her signature red lipstick, Thompson displayed confidence and style on the court, becoming an icon both for her gameplay and her individuality. Her ability to score from anywhere on the floor, combined with her defensive prowess, made her one of the league’s most formidable players.
CPS disproportionately investigates Black and Indigenous families, especially if they are lowincome, and children from these families are much more likely than white children to be removed from their families after CPS referral.
In “Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families—and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World (2022),” Roberts traces the historical, cultural, and political forces driving the racial and class imbalance in child welfare interventions.
Over a career spanning 17 seasons, Tina established herself as one of the WNBA’s all-time greats. She retired as the league’s leading scorer, a record she held until it was broken by Diana Taurasi. She was a nine-time WNBA All-Star and was named to multiple All-WNBA teams, cementing her status as one of the sport’s legends.
In 2018, Thompson’s contributions to basketball were recognized with her induction into the
These include stereotypes about Black parents as negligent, devaluation of Black family bonds, and stigmatization of parenting practices that fall outside a narrow set of norms.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The honor underscored her influence not just as a player, but as a trailblazer for African American women in sports.
She also shows that blaming marginalized individuals for structural problems, while ignoring the historical roots of economic and social inequality, fails families and communities.
After retiring from professional basketball, she transitioned into coaching, using her experience and knowledge to mentor young athletes. She has served as a head coach at the collegiate level, inspiring the next generation of players to pursue excellence both on and off the court.
Roberts argues that the engrained oppressive features of the current system render it beyond repair. She calls for creating an entirely new approach focused on supporting families rather than punishing them.
Her support for dismantling the current system of child welfare is unsettling to some, but her provocation inspires many to think more critically about its poor track record and harmful design.
As a role model and advocate, Thompson has consistently emphasized the importance of education, empowerment, and selfbelief. Her story resonates with countless young women who see in her the embodiment of perseverance and success.
Tina Thompson is presently in her third season as an assistant coach at the University of Texas at Austin.
By uncovering the complex forces underlying social systems and institutions, and uplifting the experiences of people caught up in them, Roberts creates opportunities to imagine and build more equitable and responsive ways to ensure child and family safety.
Dorothy Roberts. Photo courtesy of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Tina Thompson at 2013 WNBA All-Star game at Mohegan Sun 27 July 2013. Photo: Danny Karwoski/ Wikimedia Commons.
Public Notices, Classifieds & Business
My Sunday School Lesson with President Jimmy Carter
By Emil Guillermo
President Jimmy Carter, at age 100, didn’t make it to the new year, nor the next presidential inaugural.
I’ve always been a big Carter fan, so when the news came of his passing, it brought me back to a happy place.
Plains, Georgia, 2016.
I was visiting family not far from the land of presidential peanut farmers. I found myself the only full-blooded Filipino in the room at Maranatha Baptist Church, the spiritual home base for the esteemed No. 39.
President Carter looked fine that Sunday in Plains. But especially fine for his job on that day–to give the Sunday school lesson on what coincidentally was the 15th anniversary of 9/11.
Carter’s health made headlines in 2015 when he disclosed having both brain and liver cancer. It was thought he had just two or three weeks to live.
Everyone’s always underestimating Carter. After treatments, Carter’s forecast turned out not to be true.
When I saw him, Carter was spry, quick-witted, and kind. The former president wore a bolo string tie anchored by an eight-
stone turquoise clasp that dangled below the neck, as he began the lesson on the subject of grief and the death of his 28-year-old grandson. Drawing from scripture (on this particular day, a passage on the persecution of the Thessalonians), Carter said such moments were simply tests of one’s faith, endurance, and hope.
“We lack inspiration, we lack the idealism to set our goals high. We’ve been satisfied with mediocrity. And I include myself,” Carter said. People want an average life, instead of aspiring to be, “outstanding, or superb or brilliant or exceptional.”
“I’m afraid that our country and its effect on people of other nations has suffered from the aftermath of 9/11,” Carter said. He “didn’t want to brag,” but said his goal for the country was always to be “superb and be a country that promoted peace and human rights…While I was in office, we never dropped a bomb, lost a missile, or fired a bullet.”
“Since 9/11,” Carter said, “we’ve pretty much abandoned our commitment to human rights as we reacted to terrorism.” He lamented that Afghanistan had become the longest war in American history, a direct outcome of
9/11, as well as the invasion of Iraq, which Carter called “unnecessary.”
Carter, whose administration took us out of an energy crisis, also pointed out how the U.S. is still suffering from a financial crisis that has exposed a deep inequality that has divided us as a people.
“We’ve become distrustful of people who are different from us,” Carter said. “We used to be a proud heterogeneous nation… and now we are fearful…and we’ve become poorer as a country.”
Carter won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002; a fact that belies how many conservatives view his efforts to find a peace in the Middle East as “anti-Semitic.”
Jimmy Carter’s worldview requires open minds to come together. Too often. these days, that seems nearly impossible.
About the Author
Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator He was the first Filipino American to host a national news show in 1989 at NPR’s “All Things Considered.”
See Emil Amok’s Takeout on www. patreon.com/emilamok Subscribe to him on YouTube.com/@emilamok1
ICAC January Meeting Hosted by Port of Oakland
January is National Mental Wellness Month
By Scott Knight
January is a time to recharge and recover from the holidays. It is also National Mental Wellness Month, which recognizes the importance of mental health and aims to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.
According to the National Institutes of Health, 57.8 million adults lived with some form of mental illness in 2023. The severity varies from person to person. Understanding mental health statistics in the U.S. can raise awareness and garner support for those in need.
Anxiety disorders are the most common form of mental illness and women are more likely than men to experience depression. Seventeen percent of adolescents ages 12-17 experienced a major depressive episode. And 33.5% of adults with living with a mental illness also has a substance use disorder.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) collects data on substance use and mental health. Their 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that multiracial people had the highest rate of mental illness at 36.7%, followed by Whites (24%), American Indian/ Alaskan natives (23.5%), Hispanics (20.6%), Blacks (19.4%), and Asians (18.1%).
Mental illness affects people differently. Children ages 6-17 are three times more likely to repeat a grade if they have mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral problems. Those with severe mental illness have a life span of 10 to 25 years shorter than the general population. Sixty-four percent of jail inmates have a mental illness compared to 21.6% of the general adult
population.
National Mental Wellness Month involves highlighting the resources available to equip individuals with the capacity to cope with
life’s difficulties; have healthy relationships and take care of their mental well-being before issues arise. Wellbeingtrust.org tells us that
In 1998, I came to Congress to serve our district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
I came to Washington to strengthen our communities. To push back against oppression, militarism, and corruption. To fight for legislation that embodies our values of justice, equity, and peace for all people — and I mean ALL people.
Fighting this fight on behalf of the East Bay in Washington has been one of the greatest honors of my life.
This Congress we’ve made incredible progress — from critical health care reforms at home and abroad, to lowering costs for working families, to enacting historic climate and gun violence legislation.
There’s a long way to go. But I am proud of what I accomplished with your support. I plan to keep up the good fight
Photo courtesy of The White House.
The Port of Oakland. Courtesy photo.
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
Get lots of rest.
That’s always good advice when
BOOK REVIEW: Building the Worlds That Kill Us: Disease, Death, and Inequality in American History
you’re ailing. Don’t overdo. Don’t try to be Superman or Supermom, just rest and follow your doctor’s orders.
And if, as in the new book, “Building the Worlds That Kill Us” by David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz, the color of your skin and your social strata are a certain way, you’ll feel better soon.
Nearly five years ago, while interviewing residents along the Mississippi River in Louisiana for a book they were writing, authors Rosner and Markowitz learned
that they’d caused a little brouhaha. Large corporations in the area, ones that the residents of “a small, largely African American community” had battled over air and soil contamination and illness, didn’t want any more “agitators” poking around. They’d asked a state trooper to see if the authors were going to cause trouble.
For Rosner and Markowitz, this underscored “what every thoughtful person at least suspects”: that age, geography, immigrant status, “income, wealth, race, gender, sex-
1111 Broadway, Suite 800, Oakland, CA 94607 (510) 208-7400 • www.alamedactc.org Request for Proposals (RFP) for Construction Management and Independent Cost Estimator Services for Rail Safety Enhancement Program - Phase A (RFP No. R25-0004)
The Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) is seeking proposals for a contract to commence services on June 30, 2025, or as indicated in the RFP and/or appropriate addenda.
Key Dates:
• Pre-proposal conference will be held online: January 6, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time (PT)
• Proposal due date: January 29, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. PT
This contract will be funded in part by Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements funding and as such, will not be subject to a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program or the Alameda CTC Local Business Contract Equity Program. However, Alameda CTC strongly encourages each proposer to consider the use of disadvantaged, local and/or small business enterprises in its proposal. Any contract resulting from this RFP will be awarded without discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation or national origin.
All RFP documents are available Procurement Portal at https://alamedactc.bonfirehub.com.
All questions regarding this RFP must be submitted via the Procurement Portal, no later than 3:00 p.m. PT on January 10, 2025.
Submittals must be made in accordance with the instructions in the RFP. Any contract awarded must be in compliance with the local, state, and/or federal requirements.
uality, and social position” largely impacts the quality and availability of medical care.
It’s been this way since Europeans first arrived on North American shores.
Native Americans “had their share of illness and disease” even before the Europeans arrived and brought diseases that decimated established populations. There was little-to-no medicine offered to slaves on the Middle Passage because a ship owner’s “financial calculus… included the price of disease and death.” According to the authors, many enslavers weren’t even “convinced” that the cost of feeding their slaves was worth the work received.
Factory workers in the late 1800s and early 1900s worked long weeks and long days under sometimes dangerous conditions, and health care was meager; Depression-era workers didn’t fare much better. Black Americans were used for medical experimentation. And just three years ago, the American Lung Association reported that “people of color disproportionately” lived in areas where the air quality was particularly dangerous.
So, what does all this mean?
Authors David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz don’t seem to be too optimistic, for one thing, but in “Building the Worlds That Kill Us,” they do leave readers with a thought-provoker: “we as a nation ... created this dark moment and we have the ability to change it.” Finding the “how” in this book, however, will take serious between-thelines reading.
If that sounds ominous, it is. Most of this book is, in fact, quite dismaying, despite that there are glimpses of pushback here and there, in the form of protests and strikes throughout many decades. You may notice, if this is a subject you’re passionate about, that the histories may be familiar but deeper than you might’ve learned in high school. You’ll also notice the relevance to today’s healthcare issues and questions, and that’s likewise disturbing.
This is by no means a happy-happy vacation book, but it is essential reading if you care about national health issues, worker safety, public attitudes, and government involvement in medical care inequality. You may know some of what’s inside “Building the Worlds That Kill Us,” but now you can learn the rest.
Author: David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz, c.2024, Columbia University Press, $28.00
National Mental Wellness Month ...
Continued from page 6
having a purpose in life offers many benefits, including being happier, living longer, sleeping better, and improved heart health. To find that purpose explore your interests, volunteer, consider what you love to do, talk to friends and family, and try new experiences.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that 46% of people who die by suicide had a known mental illness.
Expect The Worst? ...
Continued from page 2
sensus was that the likelihood of those developments falls well below 50%.
Bright Line Watch, founded in 2016, is based at the Chicago Center on Democracy and is collaboratively run by political scientists at the University of Chicago, Dartmouth College, the University of Michigan and the University of Rochester in New York.
The research collaboration between Little and the Bright Line Watch scholars sprang from a collegial disagreement that emerged last January in the pages of the journal Political Science and Politics.
Little and Anne Meng, a political scientist at the University of Virginia, authored a research paper in that issue positing that there is little empirical, data-based evidence of global democratic decline in the past decade.
At the request of the journal editors, scholars at Bright Line Watch submitted a study to counter the argument made by Meng and Little.
But in subsequent weeks, the two teams came together and, in the study released on Dec. 17, found agreement that raw opinion on the state of democracy skews toward pessimism among the political scientists who have participated in the surveys run by Bright Line Watch.
A Stark Measure of Pessimism (and Error)
Surveys conducted during election seasons in 2020, 2022 and 2024 asked political scientists to provide their forecasts on dozens of scenarios that would be, without doubt, harmful for democracy.
The raw data in the new study showed a high level of inaccuracy in the forecasts: While the political scientists, on average, found a 45% likelihood of the negative events happening, fewer than 25% actually came to pass.
Before last month’s election, Bright Line Watch asked the political scientists to assess dozens of possibilities that seemed to be ripped from the headlines. Would foreign hackers cripple voting systems? Would Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, declare victory before the winner was called by the news media? Would Trump incite political violence again?
Altogether, the political scientists predicted a 44% probability for the list of negative events — but only 10% actually happened.
In the interview, Little defend-
ed the focus on possible negative developments by political scientists and others. It’s “very important” to be aware of the potential for harmful developments, he said.
But the focus on worst-case scenarios can also be distracting and destabilizing. The question, then, is why political scientists might develop a bias for pessimism.
To some extent, Little said, it may be a matter of expertise. The data show that scholars who specialize in American politics tend to be the least pessimistic — and the most accurate — forecasters. Political scientists with expertise in international relations, political theory or other areas tend to be more pessimistic and less reliable.
Little offered several other possible explanations. For example, he said, when scholars focus on one narrow area, like threats to democracy, they might see the potential threats with a heightened urgency. Their worry might shape the way they see the wider political world.
“People who study authoritarian politics are probably drawn to that because they think it’s an important problem, and they think it’s a problem that we need to address,” he explained. “If you spend a lot of your time and effort focusing on bad scenarios that might happen, you might end up thinking they’re more likely than they really are.”
And occasionally, he said, scholars may find that raising alarms about imminent dangers to democracy leads to more media invitations.
The Battle for Scholars’ Public Credibility For the interwoven fields of political science and journalism — and for the wider health of democracy — accuracy is essential. That’s the value of the analytical system described by the authors of the new study. If researchers can find the expert consensus on complex issues and tone down unwarranted alarm, understanding should improve, and democracy should operate more efficiently.
Still, Little cautioned, it would be a mistake to discount or discard the insights offered by expert political scientists.
“You don’t want to say, ‘I’m just going to ignore the experts,’” he advised. “This research shows that that would be a very bad idea. Once you do the adjustments, the experts are very informed, and you can learn a lot from what they say.
The Jason Foundation is a valuable resource if you feel that a friend or loved one is struggling with a mental illness. JFI is dedicated to the awareness and prevention of suicide through educational programs that equip youth, parents, educators, and the community with the tools and resources to identify and assist those who may be struggling mentally.
Visit www.jasonfoundation. com to learn how to make a difference and find the closest Jason Foundation Affiliate Office.
About the Author
Scott Knight is the Education Specialist at the Jason Foundation.
Courtesy of Columbia University Press.
Disparities in Police Stops of Youth in California ...
Continued from page 1
view card before being released,” said Guerrero.
“This is California’s version of stop-and-frisk that causes immeasurable harm to the community and erodes trust in law enforcement from a young age. In this report, the Board makes a number of recommendations that we encourage policy makers, law enforcement agencies, and community advocates to consider eliminating bias in policing and enhance public safety,” she said.
“The annual collection of RIPA stop data is one part of our broader effort to increase public safety for all Californians. Through the analysis of stop data and recommendations for thoughtful reforms, we’re continuing to strengthen trust between local law enforcement and the communities they serve,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
Key findings of the report related to youth include:
• Actions Taken: Overall, Native American, Black, Latino,
and multiracial individuals had more actions taken per average stop than other racial and ethnic groups. For youth ages 1-17, officers reported the highest average of actions taken during a stop for Black youth. And for those perceived to be 18-24, officers reported the highest average number of actions were taken for Black and Latino youth. Youth perceived to be 12-14 were more likely to be searched, handcuffed, and detained during a stop than any other age group.
Search Rates: Native American and Black individuals were searched at higher rates than those who are white, and officers were less likely to discover contraband or evidence during searches of those individuals than they were during searches of individuals perceived to be white.
Use of Force: For youth ages 12–24, officers were more likely to use force in stops of youth perceived to be Black and Native American com-
pared to other racial and ethnic groups. Black and Native American youth also had the highest rates of handcuffing, and the highest rates of a firearm pointed at them during a stop. Youth with a perceived disability were more likely to be handcuffed as part of a stop than youth without a perceived disability.
Results of Stop: Officers were also more likely to report ‘no action taken’ for stops of individuals perceived as Native American and Black. Individuals perceived as transgender were arrested at approximately double the rate of those perceived as cisgender or gender nonconforming.
The Board’s Report also contains a wide array of policy recommendations related to policing, with a particular focus on the impact of police interactions with youth, civilian complaint processes, accountability, officer decertification, and training, on racial and identity profiling.
Oakland’s Black Chamber of Commerce Awards 63 Businesses
$1,000 Micro Grants
By Oakland Post Staff
Jimmy Carter, 39th President, Dies at 100 ...
Continued from page 1
formidable challenges. During Carter's presidency, America struggled with stagflation, an energy crisis, and international turmoil.
The 1979 Iranian hostage crisis and the failed rescue mission that followed, combined with economic woes and a Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, led to his overwhelming defeat in the 1980 election by Ronald Reagan.
Despite serving just one term, Carter’s presidency is remembered by historians as one of the most consequential. He brokered the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel in 1978, a milestone in Middle East peace efforts. Carter prioritized human rights in U.S. foreign policy, advanced environmental conservation, and created the Departments of Energy and Education. His vision for alternative energy led to installing solar panels on the White House, which he called “a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people.”
political cost.
After leaving the White House, Carter devoted himself to humanitarian work, transforming the role of former presidents. Through the Carter Center, founded with Rosalynn in 1982, he worked to promote democracy, monitor elections, and combat diseases like Guinea worm. The Center has monitored 115 elections in 40 countries and played a key role in nearly eradicating Guinea worm disease.
Carter and Rosalynn’s decades-long partnership with Habitat for Humanity further exemplified their commitment to service. Wearing tool belts and working alongside volunteers, they helped build or renovate more than 4,000 homes in 14 countries.
In 2002, Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize for his “decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” Gunnar Berge, a Nobel committee member, called Carter “the best ex-president the country ever had.”
Jimmy Carter advocated to have Medicare cover all Americans. After his presidency, he continued humanitarian works that everyone, regardless of political affiliation, should respect,” said former Congresswoman Nina Turner.
Carter maintained a modest lifestyle, choosing not to capitalize on his presidency. He and Rosalynn lived in the same Plains home they built in 1961, and Carter often said he wanted their gravesite in Plains to benefit the local economy through tourism.
In their later years, the Carters celebrated milestones with family and friends, including their 75th wedding anniversary in 2021. Guests included civil rights leader Andrew Young, country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, and former President Bill Clinton.
Last week, the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce (OAACC) announced the distribution of $63,000 in microgrants to 63 member businesses. These $1,000 grants, generously sponsored by Supervisor Nate Miley, Amazon, and the Tides Foundation, reflect the organization’s goals and unwavering commitment to empowering Blackowned businesses in Oakland.
The microgrants are designed to provide vital support for members to strengthen their operations, invest in growth opportunities, or meet pressing needs, Adams added.
“Our members are essential to Oakland’s economic and cultural fabric,” said Cathy Adams, president of the OAACC. “These grants are a testament to our dedication to fostering business growth and sustainability within our community.”
As part of this initiative, OAACC leaders are encouraging all grant recipients to inspire their communities to support Oaklandbased businesses by shopping locally, sharing referrals, and following their social media pages.
For more information about the OAACC and the organization’s initiatives, please visit www. oaacc.org.
Oakland NAACP President Stands on the Frontlines for Equity
By Carla Thomas
For Cynthia Adams, president of the Oakland chapter of the NAACP, fighting for the rights of Black people comes naturally.
With southern roots in Arkansas, Adams experienced firsthand the injustice and unfairness of racism.
“Growing up in the Jim Crow South, I experienced the unfair treatment of people of color and how faith can inspire communities to bring about positive and longlasting change,” said Adams. Adams says a combination of her family and faith has kept her strong in the face of adversity and inspired her life’s work of advocacy.
Adams chose education as a career path -- and a means to achieve equity and overcome racism. She earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and later received an advanced degree from California State East Bay.
Adams’ experience as an Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) recorder, a counselor, a researcher, and a college recruiter has allowed her to be laser-focused on youth. She also served as the chairperson for the Oakland NAACP youth.
“The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racebased discrimination. We want to ensure our citizens have equal rights and opportunities without discrimination based on race.”
As a partner with the State of California’s Stop the Hate campaign, Adams says the initiative is a step in the right direction. “It’s great that our governor and state created the Stop the Hate campaign and provides resources for
victims of racism and other hate crimes,” said Adams. “The racism toward Black people has increased and our children are being targeted,” she continued.
“We, at the Oakland branch, created a declaration on racism that will amplify the needs of our community to combat racism,” continued Adams. “That declaration was adopted nationally.”
Bridging communities and collaborating is also a strategy for moving society toward justice, according to Adams.
“Through the NAACP, we build connections between communities and advocate for the rights of historically marginalized and oppressed individuals,” said Adams. “Collective action is the only way to advance civil rights and promote social equity.”
With education as a cornerstone, Adams emphasized the importance of youth having access to quality kindergarten through 12th-grade education along with college or vocational programming beyond high school. “I feel that it’s so important for our chil-
dren to get a good education in K12th grade, along with the colleges of their choice, especially with the HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities).”
By taking stands on supporting former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong to supporting the recall of a mayor faced with a scandal that brought negative national press to the city of Oakland, Adams has always demanded more for her people, and better for Oakland, the city she calls home.
She expressed pride in the national organization’s announcement of a $200 million fund designed to empower Black funders nationwide. “We all know the health of a community begins with economics,” said Adams.
Adams says that strengthening Black businesses automatically sustains a community.
“We’ve also got to educate our community on opportunities and teach our children critical thinking so that they can provide the next generation of solutions for society,” said Adams.
In his biography “His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life,” Jonathan Alter described Carter as “perhaps the most misunderstood president in American history.” In contrast, Kai Bird’s “The Outlier: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter” highlighted his moral conviction in tackling issues others avoided, even at
Carter’s post-presidency also saw moments of controversy. His 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” drew criticism for its comparison of Israeli policies to South African apartheid. Yet, even in contentious circumstances, his tireless advocacy for peace earned him widespread respect.
“During his presidency,
“Simply put, Jimmy Carter was a good man,” said former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. “He was the epitome of a servant leader, changing the world and setting the highest example of what it meant to honor God, family, and country.” Carter is survived by his four children, numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and a legacy of public service that transformed lives around the globe. He will be buried next to Rosalynn under a willow tree near a pond he helped dig in Plains, where his journey began and ends.
‘In 2024, We Had a Decrease in Shootings and Killings’ ...
Continued from page 1
toric declines in shootings and homicides that followed in just one year. I am proud to have worked with [former] Mayor Sheng Thao to reinvest in Ceasefire, and I commend the leadership of Brooklyn Williams in the Mayor’s Office, who has assembled a committed team that is saving lives every day,” said Mayor Nikki Fortunato Bas.
Said Pastor Hopkins, Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, “I have been a pastor in Oakland for 36 years, and for each of those years the number of homicides has been a crisis in our community. Ceasefire is an answer to prayer because it serves to save lives by stopping the shooting and serving as a lifeline to healing,”
“The Department of Violence Prevention is grateful for the on-going support of Faith in Action East Bay and committed community leaders,” said Dr. Holly Joshi, chief of the DVP.
“Their vision to bring the Ceasefire strategy to Oakland over a decade ago, advocacy for its initial implementation, and determination to see it successfully re-rooted are
commendable. With Ceasefire fully up and running, DVP life coaches and violence interrupters are in communities every day working with high-risk individuals, mediating conflicts, and preventing retaliatory violence. Through hard work, focus, and partnership, we have made significant progress this year in reducing gun violence,” said Joshi.
“The Ceasefire Strategy is once again being properly implemented and fully executed by all its partners as a data-driven gun violence reduction strategy. It is reducing gun violence in the City of Oakland with remarkable results and tangible improvements. The leadership of Rev. Damita Davis- Howard, Ceasefire director, Dr. Joshi of the Department of Violence Prevention, and the Ceasefire Strategy partners must be commended for this incredible work in ensuring public safety,” said Pastor Michael Wallace, Oakland Public Safety and Services Oversight Commission member.
“The Oakland Ceasefire Strategy is one of the most comprehensive, intelligence-led violence
reduction initiatives I have had the privilege to be a part of and fully support,” said Oakland Police Department Chief Floyd Mitchell.
“The 2024 violent crime reduction data realized by the City of Oakland underscores the effectiveness of our unwavering focus, strategic emphasis, and strong collaborative partnerships within the Ceasefire framework,” Mitchell continued. “Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Oakland Police Department, and the invaluable contributions of our community, county, state, and federal partners, Oakland has achieved a 34% decrease in homicides, a 33% decline in firearm-related assaults, and a 25% reduction in robberies.”
“Oakland is once again a national leader in gun violence reduction,” said David Muhammad, executive director of NICJR. “Through the hard work of community violence intervention workers in partnership with city staff, police officers, Alameda County Probation, and others, many lives were saved in Oakland this year.”
Who Wants to Be the Next Elected Mayor of Oakland?
By Paul Cobb
Many of you probably recall the oft-repeated expression when describing leadership that “many are called but few are chosen.” We will be inundated during January with many claims of qualifications by those who want to lead Oakland.
As of Jan. 1, 2025, we have heard the names of 14 potential candidates who might become Oakland’s next Mayor.
The Oakland Post is issuing a
CALL to all candidates to present their answers, plans, or solutions in response to our list of questions.
Any candidate who wishes to receive a free announcement, publicity or space in the paper must submit solutions.
Please send your submissions of 300 words or less to each question to Social@postnewsgroup.com Or visit www. postnewsgroup.com
The first questions we propose are 1) What is your budget balancing plan? 2) What is your position on requiring all city employees to work fulltime in their designated offices rather than remotely from their homes? 3) What is your plan to provide open-access opportunities to all police officers for overtime pay? 4)Since many businesses, especially downtown, have closed, what is your plan to attract and increase revenues?
Cathy Adams, president of the OAACC. Photo courtesy of the OAACC. Photo by Nola Turnage.
NAACP Oakland President Cynthia Adams. Photo Courtesy of Cynthia Adams.