Oakland Post, week of November 16 - 23, 2022

Oakland Post

Attorney Pamela Price Takes Lead in Alameda County DA Race

With thousands of ballots still to be counted, progressive candidate Pamela Price has taken the lead in the Alameda County District Attor ney race, while likely winners of several Board of Education races are on the verge of forming a new progressive majority on the school board for the first time in decades.

Oakland’s Market Street SDA Church Opens C.O.R.E Center to Serve Community Needs

By Post Staff

The Market Street Seventhday Adventist Church (SDA) in the West Oakland commu nity celebrated the November 12 grand opening of a new, re furbished center at 3415 Market St.in Oakland.

The facility will house ser vices to be known as C.O.R.E., which stands for Community Outreach Resources Education. The center will be helping the unhoused population next door to the church.

“The purpose of The C.O.R.E. at Market Street is to address the needs of the family by tailoring academic and prac tical subject matter by age and demographic,” said Pastor E.F. Brown. “This approach builds on our strengths and provides outreach and supportive services designed to reach neighborhood

children, their parents and senior members of this urban commu nity. This facility is designed to enable the Market Street SDA Church to continue our 99-year legacy.”

Pastor Brown explained that C.O.R.E. at Market Street has four pillars of service:

1. COMMUNITY- Helping the unhoused population (Home less)

2. OUTREACH - Meeting space for community and faithbased partners; group and in dividual Bible studies; spiri tual counseling.

3. RESOURCES -- Social jus tice support; healthy living partnership hub health screen ings (dental, blood pressure, etc.)

4. EDUCATION — Afterschool tutorial programs; life skills & stewardship classes; career/vocational training

“(Tuesday evening,) our campaign took the lead in the race for Alameda DA…There are still so many more ballots to be counted, and we must continue to wait for the victory,” Price wrote in an email to supporters.

“I remain confident that the final tally will be an exclamation point in history…it will be our charge to reclaim and fix our broken criminal justice system, restore public trust and rebuild public safety,” Price wrote.

In school board races, progressive candidates opposed to closing neighborhood schools, Jen nifer Brouhard in District 2 and Valarie Bach elor in District 6, are in front. If they maintain

their leads, they will join Board members Mike Hutchinson and VanCedric Williams to form a majority on the seven-member board against closing schools and opposed to charter school expansion. (Because of redistricting, Hutchin son is running for a seat in District 4, but his cur rent term as the District 5 representative doesn’t end for two more years.)

“We ran a good campaign…It was about the issues and people placed their votes in wanting to see an end to school closures and funding our schools,” said Brouhard on Facebook. “I’m op timistic about the outcome of our people-pow ered campaign.”

In District 4, Nick Resnick, backed by Mayor Libby Schaaf and pro-charter leaders, remains in the lead.

Progressive and very liberal candidates are also far ahead in Oakland City Council races.

Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas is well ahead of her opponent in her race to win

Giving Back, While Giving Thanks

Mistah FAB Collaborates With FIGB, AASEG and Post to Help Needy

By Richard Johnson

Every year the season of giving is highlighted by the acts of those who desire to give to those who are less fortunate.

We should salute and em brace those givers!

One such person is Stanley Cox, better known as Mistah FAB, who has been giving to the community for more than 18 years. He has demonstrated a remarkable spirit of thanks, gratitude, and humility in all of his various forms of giving back to his community.

Amir Abu Haqq Shabazz Releases New Film: ‘I Thought You Knew’

As the U.S. House of Rep resentatives prepares to shift to Republican leadership in the next session of Congress, long time Speaker of the House, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, an nounced on Thursday that she would step down from the leadership although she would continue to serve.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13), Speaker Pelosi’s longtime friend and colleague, released the following state ment on Thursday after learn ing of Pelosi’s decision to re tire from House leadership:

“As the first woman Speak er to lead Congress, Speaker Pelosi’s career was one of transformational leadership. From passing the Affordable Care Act and presiding over some of the most consequen

tial legislation in modern his tory to leading the charge to protect our democracy after January 6th, Nancy Pelosi is truly the greatest speaker to ever serve.

“I consider Speaker Pelosi a dear friend, a congressional neighbor, and a fierce leader. I congratulate her on an incred ible career in House leadership and look forward to continuing to serve the Bay Area along side her in Congress. I wish her beloved husband, Paul, a speedy and full recovery and wish Speaker Pelosi and her family the best of luck in this next chapter. Her legacy will live on forever.”

From Sean Ryan, com munications director of Rep. Barbara Lee’s media relations office.

IN YO FACE Filmworks recently released the film, “I Thought You Knew” on the in ternet and is available for view ing through IMDb.

Amir Abu Haqq Shabazz, owner of Haqq Shabazz Enter tainment, and a former inde pendent ad sales representative for the Post News Group more than 20 years ago, has produced and/or co-produced many films with Black casts and crews.

With the intent of address ing LGBTQ themes as well as mental health issues and how to cope with them, Haqq Shabazz’ most recent effort, “I Thought You Knew,” fol lows beautiful and intelligent Lavette, who has just been released from prison after com pleting a two-year sentence. While inside, she succeeds on her college SATs exam,

realizing her desire of going to college.

But things swiftly spiral out of control. To her astonishment, her terrible connection with her father re-emerges as do troubles with her psychotic best friend.

It results in a life-or-death situation.

The stars of the film are Glenn Plummer, Felicia Snoop Pear son, Marcus T. Paulk, Drag-On, Lindsey Cruz, Zaina Juliette, and Michael Monteiro.

The story concept was cre ated by playwright and execu tive producer Retornzia Riser and the screenplay was written and directed by Conrad Glover.

Haqq Shabazz, Damon Ja mal, and Chad Montgomery, executive producers of IN YO FACE Filmworks, led a fine team of line producers in Riser, Cleo Flucker, Anthony A.B.

Progressives take lead in City Council races and for new progressive majority Gap narrows between Sheng Thao and leading Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor

Continued on Page 10 Continued on Page 10

Trends in this week’s vote count indicate some potential winners (L to R): Pamela Price, District Attorney; Janani Ramachandran, City Council D-4; Kevin Jenkins, City Council D-6; Jennifer Brouhard, School Board D-2; and Valarie Bachelor, School Board D-6.

Congresswomen Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Lee pay tribute to the life, legacy, and leadership of Shirley Chisholm – the first African American women elected to Congress - at the unveiling of the U.S. Postal Service’s Shirley Chisholm Forever stamp and discussed the House Democrats’ women’s economic agenda: “When Women Succeed, America Succeeds” at Mills College in Oakland. / Nancy Pelosi/Flickr

Rep. Barbara Lee Releases Statement on Nancy Pelosi’s Retirement from House Leadership

FIGB co-founder and Post columnist Richard Johnson with Stanley Cox, aka, Mistah FAB. (Photos by Jonathanfit nessjones)

Amir Abu Haqq Shabazz, left, with Elise Neal, an actress who has appeared in several films Haqq Shabazz has produced. Photo courtesy of Haqq Shabazz.

Ribbon Cutting. Teresa Patterson, Pastor Edwin Brown, Deacon Earl Jacobs. (Photos by Jonathanfitnessjones)

Front row-Pastor Virgil Childs, Vanessa Russell, Marcel Pat erson, Teresa Patterson, Paul Cobb; Second row - Pastor Kai Simone-Hodges, Adriana Preciado, Pastor Edwin Brown, First Lady Paul Brown; Third row - Rachel Sankey; Fourth row - Dr. Marilyn Saulsberry, Jose Henriquez, Pastor Raymond Lank ford; Fifth row - Jasmine Woods, Deacon Earl Jacobs

“Magical; Loving; Healing; First of its kind,” are just a few of the words that clients, volunteers and staff use to describe the unique and caring wellness sanctuary known as Charlotte Maxwell Clinic (CMC). For 31 years, Charlotte Maxwell Clinic has been providing free integrative care for low-income women with cancer. Last week, CMC hosted a table when the Golden State Warriors held their first ever Cancer Awareness Night. The Warriors won against the Miami Heat and many fans posted tributes to loved ones and learned about CMC’s services that include:

County Seeks Ideas From Residents to Help Provide Mental Health Services

By Keith Burbank Bay City News

A survey is available to help Alameda County health care officials deliver mental health services and treatment to resi dents experiencing an illness, county officials said Thursday.

The online survey along with events designed to get the opinion of residents will guide the services and programming provided through the Mental Health Services Act.

The act is funded by Propo sition 63, a statewide initiative that passed in 2004.

“It’s important for us to hear from people of all ages with mental health challenges, their family members, and commu

nity service providers,” said Dr. Karyn L. Tribble, director of Alameda County Behav ioral Health Care Services, in a statement.

Tribble said the county val ues people’s opinions in pre paring a plan to meet the com munity’s needs.

Funding from the Mental Health Services Act helped more than 140,000 people with mental illness in Alameda County during the last fiscal year, county officials said.

The money pays for infra structure, technology, and ele ments of training for the coun ty’s mental health system.

The survey can be accessed at https://acmhsa.org/commu nity-input/. It’s available in English, Spanish and Canton ese until Jan. 31, 2023.

Yasuke, the Black Samurai

By Tamara Shiloh

The year was 1579 when Yas uke, an African man standing more than six feet tall and pos sessing the strength of 10 men arrived in Japan. With him was Alessandro Valignano, an Italian Jesuit. The pair came by way of India, according to Thomas Lockley, a coauthor of “African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Ja pan.” Yasuke was most likely in service to Valignano as a bodyguard.

“As a priest, he wasn’t al lowed to have any soldiers or guards,” Lockley said about Valignano during an interview with TIME. “Euphemisti

Public Invited to Weigh In on East Bay Regional Park District’s Hazard Mitigation Plan

By Olivia Wynkoop, Bay City News Foundation

The East Bay Regional Park District is inviting resi dents to weigh in on their response plan in the event of natural hazards.

In line with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, the park district is updating its Local Hazard Mitigation Plan to prevent harm on regional parks and local neighbor hoods.

If approved by the Fed eral Emergency Management Agency, the park district will be able to apply for grants that aid the community pre- and post-disaster.

The park district drafted the

plan after it received public comments in May 2022. Dis trict officials will present the proposed update to state and federal emergency services in December 2022.

Residents can tune into the final public meeting on Nov. 16 at 6 to 7:30 p.m.

More information on the project can be found at www. ebparks.org/projects/femalocal-hazard-mitigation-plan.

Jacket cover of “African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan.”

cally, they had valets — man servants if you’d like — who were also versed in weapons.”

Not much has been record ed of Yasuke’s life. There are no verifiable records after 1582, and his birth country is unknown. What researchers do know is that Yasuke was a Black samurai who “served under Oda Nobunaga, one of the most important feudal lords in Japanese history and a unifier of the country,” writes TIME journalist Kat Moon.

There are rumors that Ya suke was enslaved as a child but earned his freedom prior to meeting Valignano. But ac cording to Lockley, Yasuke wasn’t “a slave in any sense of the word, I think he was a free actor.”

Lockley speculates that “given the circumstances of how the African man arrived at his employment with Valig nano, it’s possible that Yasuke was enslaved as a child and taken from Africa to India.”

Much of what has been record ed about Yasuke was done so in notes found in Nobunaga’s records, the writings suggest ing that Yasuke was viewed as

a close friend. In fact, Nobu naga later took Yasuke under his wing.

Lockley added that Yasuke seemed to be “a confidant,” and that “Nobunaga is record ed as talking often with him. He was also a weapon bearer” and likely served as a body guard.

During that time, few Japa nese people had encountered an African man. Many who saw Yasuke considered him the embodiment of the blackskinned Buddha. Nobunaga was no exception, making Ya suke a samurai in his court.

In 2021, Netflix released its original animated series, Yasuke. Set in 16th century–Japan, the storyline trails a lonely boatman known as the Black Samurai on his journey to protect a young girl with magical powers. The series is voiced by actor LaKeith Stanfield. Originally, the late Chadwick Boseman was cast for the role.

It is likely that in later years foreigners from places includ ing Africa, China, and Korea served in warrior positions. Yasuke though, “is suppos edly the first recorded,” ac cording to Lockley. “There are several records of Black Africans serving more minor lords, and we don’t know so much about them because the lords they were serving were more minor.”

Yasuke served Nobunaga faithfully until his death in 1582 in what the Japanese re fer to as the Honnō-ji Incident. Read more about the fa mous African samurai while learning African and Japanese history in “African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan,” by Geoffrey Girard and Thomas Lockley.

Dr. Karyn L. Tribble, direc tor of Alameda County Be havioral Health Care Ser vices,

Californians Spurn Sports Gambling Initiatives on Election Day

By McKenzie Jackson, California Black Media

On Election Day, Golden State voters emphatically re buked the sports gambling ini tiatives on the ballot.

With 67% of the ballots counted at press time, accord ing to the Associated Press (AP), 83.31% or 5,628,855 California voters voted against Proposition 27, which would have legalized online sports gambling. The initiative was backed by gambling-industry ti tans Bally’s, BetMGM, DraftK ings, Fanatics, FanDuel, PENN Entertainment and WynnBet.

Prop 27 was the second least successful ballot measure in the last 30 years, based on the percentage of yes votes. Nearly 17% or 1,127,983 voters marked “yes.”

Prop 27 was opposed by over 50 of California’s Native Ameri can tribes who said internet sports wagering would harm gambling business at tribal casinos state wide.

Greg Sarris, chairman of the Federated Indians of the Gra ton Rancheria Tribe in the Bay Area, a member of the Coalition for Safe Responsible Gambling, No on Prop 27, said the No on 27 campaign is thankful voters stood with state Indian tribes and downed the proposition support ed by the gambling companies.

“Today’s vote is a show of support for tribal self-reliance and a total rejection of corporate greed,” Sarris said in an election night statement.

Anthony Roberts, Tribal Chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation in northern Cali fornia, said No on 27’s polling be fore the Nov. 8 election revealed Californians do not support on

line sports betting.

“Voters have real and signifi cant concerns about turning ev ery cellphone, laptop, and tablet into a gambling device,” Roberts said, “and the resulting addiction, and exposure to children.”

Another sports wagering mea sure — this one supported by dozens of Indian tribes — was also smacked down.

Proposition 26 would have legalized sports betting at tribal casinos and allowed them to of fer craps and roulette. Accord ing to the AP though, 69.71% or 4,665,484 voters marked “no” on their ballot to the question of whether they supported the initia tive, while 30.39% or 2,036,734

Californians marked “yes.”

Santa Monica voter Clint Thompson, 39, doesn’t gamble but voted in favor of Prop 26 and opposed Prop 27.

“I wanted the tribes to keep money,” Thompson said. “I feel like it’s hard for them to make money. Any possible hustle they can do on tribal lands, they should have it.”

The runup to Election Day saw advertisements for and against both of the proposi tions overwhelm the airwaves and digital platforms. The

campaigns combined waged the most expensive ballot mea sure contest in U.S. history — spending nearly half a billion dollars.

Both campaigns sought sup port from various individuals and entities across California. Many civil rights organizations, including the Baptist Ministers Conference of Los Angeles and Southern California, the Black Business Association, Califor nia-Hawaii State Conference of the NAACP, and the California African American Chamber of Commerce supported Prop 26.

Voter rejection of the gam bling initiatives leaves the larg est market in America, Califor nia, out of reach to legal sports betting.

Nathan Click, the Prop 27 campaign spokesperson, told media the coalition knew pass ing Prop 27 would be an uphill battle, but they remain commit ted to it.

“This campaign has under scored our resolve to see Cali fornia follow more than half the country in legalizing safe and responsible online sports bet ting,” Click said.

Study Linking Relaxers to Cancer is “Fake News”

By

tional Institute of Health (NHI) found that women who re ceived hair relaxer treatments

Medicare Savings Programs, run by your state, can help lower your healthcare costs.

If you’re single with an income of $20,000 or less, or if you’re married with an income of $25,000 or less, you may be eligible to save with Medicare Savings Programs. Call your state Medicaid office at 1-800-541-5555.

Commentary

Cheryl Morrow, Special to California Black Media A major study by the Na

From the 1800s to Today: Empowering Veteran Business Owners

From JPMorgan Chase

From his years of service in the military to his current work helping former soldiers build their own businesses through JPMorgan Chase’s veteran ini tiatives, Alex McKindra Jr. is a veteran success story.

Moreover, as we celebrate Veteran’s Day this year, Alex’s story is a uniquely American one that veterans and mem bers of the military commu nity across the country can relate to. But, as he is the first to admit, his success story, like many, has a long history trac ing back through generations of his family in the small town of Union Chapel, Arkansas.

Becoming a Cornerstone of the Community

In the late 1800s, Alex’s great-great grandfather, Reu ben Frank McKindra, moved his family to Union Chapel, a town originally settled by freed Black slaves.

Working on their family farm, the McKindras made a name for themselves by dem onstrating their resourceful ness and aptitude for hard work. Namely, the family uti lized mentorship programs, as well as public and private funding, to not only start but grow their family farm.

Amid the success of the family business, the McK indras never lost sight of the support they had been given — and the importance of passing it on to others in their commu nity and society. Generations of McKindras have dedicated their lives to the military, in cluding his grandfather, father, and brother (pictured right), and subsequently to their com munities when they returned home.

“I would not be in the posi tion I am today if not for the opportunities that mentorship provided,” says McKindra.

“The farm my family was able to start, through the sup port and mentorship of others, has helped to educate and put clothes on every generation of my family since the 1880s.”

Honoring a Legacy McKindra chose to honor his roots by joining the service himself. He graduated from West Point in 1993 and then completed a tour of duty serv ing across the U.S. as Captain in the United States Air Force. He worked as a procurement officer, including on the B-2 Bomber Program, which al lowed him to travel across the country, learning from and serving others. During that time, he also spent his nights and weeks pursuing an MBA from the University of South ern California.

Armed with the life experi ence and knowledge he gained from the service — and a fresh ly-minted MBA and banking internship under his belt — McKindra dove into the world of corporate finance. Quickly building a reputation for his in telligence, reliability and kind ness, he rose through the ranks. Today, he works as a Managing Director for JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking in San Francisco

Paying It Forward

Alex didn’t want the chap ter in his family’s story to end with commercial success. He wanted to help those who — like his great-great-grand

father Reuben — had risked their lives for the country and were now seeking to put down roots as civilians. With that in mind, he decided to co-lead JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking’s veteran initiatives alongside Army veteran, Terry Hill. Alex, Terry and their team across the firm share a passion for mentorship and community building. Through various pro gramming, they tap into their military backgrounds to con nect with aspiring and current military-connected entrepre neurs to help them access the resources they need to be suc cessful over the long-term.

For example, McKindra worked with JPMorgan Chase to partner with Bunker Labs, a national nonprofit that sup ports the ventures of veterans and military spouses, to build programs to help veteran busi ness owners.

Today, JPMorgan Chase is powering Bunker Labs’ CEO circle, a monthly peer account ability group for growth-stage companies looking to scale. Through this program, veteran business owners and their fam ilies gain access to the guid ance and resources they need to succeed, including education,

networking, and one-on-one financial coaching. This year, CEOcircle welcomed 71 new individuals to the program in cluding Office Libations from Alameda.

The program uplifts busi nesses that will support mili tary families for generations to come — businesses like the McKindra farm.

“If I’ve learned one thing from my family’s history, it’s that hard work and preparation aren’t always enough. Some times we need to create our own opportunities as well,” Alex says. “That is what we are hoping to do with CEOcircle, to create the opportunities and provide the support veteran en trepreneurs need to help them overcome systemic obstacles to business and professional growth.”

Generational Impact

Less than an hour north of Little Rock, the McKindra’s family farm still stands in Union Chapel. Today, the man icured green fields and trees re main a testament to the effort,

determination, and communi ty it takes to create a successful business.

“If my great-great-grandfa ther were here today, I would want him to know that what he built didn’t just support our family, it also instilled the values in us that would seed the acceleration and growth of hundreds of other veteranowned businesses in the fu ture,” McKindra says. “I know he’d be proud of that.”

If you are a veteran or know someone who is and want to learn more about how JPM organ Chase support veter ans whether through career advancement or small busi ness support or anything in between, please visit: https:// www.jpmorganchase.com/im pact/people/military-and-vets

Study Linking Relaxers to Cancer is “Fake News”

Continued from page 3

at least four times a year had a three times greater risk of uter ine cancer. A previous study found a 30% increased risk of breast cancer.

Manufacturers are current ly facing lawsuits across the country, because, according to the plaintiffs, they failed to warn them about the cancer risks associated with exposure to toxic chemicals in products. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump says manufacturers have “aggressively misled Black women to increase their profits.” He recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of a client who contracted uterine can cer after using chemical hair straightening products sold by L’Oréal USA.

Cheryl Morrow, daughter of Black haircare legend Dr. Willie L. Morrow delivered this letter to Crump and his cocounsel, and it reads:

“I am the daughter of the greatest textured [hair] beauty scientist in the history of the world, and a legatee of the only industrial revolution for American-born Africans. It is my opinion, American-born Africans represent the greatest human ascent in the modern civilized world as well as in human history.

“Enough is enough.” The exploitation of Black health for profit is ENOUGH!

The latest study of relax ers being linked and making Black women three times more susceptible to uterine cancer is simple junk research. This is an attack. I am taking the NIH study as an attack on our legacy.

What researchers seem to be missing, is that out of all the so-called corrosive salon treatments all races of women receive, relaxers are the one that carry the least amount of processing time. This simply

means that researchers have not taken this into consider ation, the time exposure factor.

Ben Crump and attorney Di andra Zimmerman, along with their client Jenny Mitchell, blindly filed this lawsuit while being grossly ill-informed.

If you, Attorney Crump want to chase a lawsuit because you think L’Oréal has deep pockets and money to blow just to save its face, I will push to encour age them not to do so. This will cast a stain on an ethical indus try and will be an atrocity for an industry that has built enor mous wealth and power for Black America.

I will not allow the propa ganda machine’s random re search to destroy and wither our industrial juggernaut with false concern and hidden agen das. This is fake news and junk research at its best.

To read the full story, go to postnewsgroup.com

Alex McKindra Jr.

The McKindra family has been foundational to the com munity of Union Chapel. Pictured is the local school house, which Reuben Frank McKindra helped to fund and maintain through private public partnerships dating back to 1920.

Address Rising Hate

The legislation brings par ity to penalties for burning crosses and using swastikas and nooses. Using a noose as

a hate symbol currently has the lightest penalty of the three while cross-burning is the most highly penalized. People who use any of the three sym bols of hate will be subject to

the strongest of these criminal penalties under the signed bill.

Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda), AB 2282’s author, said hate sym bols are violent and terrifying. “With hate crimes increas To read the full story, go to postnewsgroup.com

Crude oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, and other petroleum products can expose you to chemicals including toluene and benzene, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. These exposures can occur in and around oil fields, refineries, chemical plants, transport and storage operations, such as pipelines, marine terminals, tank trucks, and other facilities and equipment. For more information go to: www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/petroleum.

The foregoing warning is provided pursuant to Proposition 65. This law requires the Governor of California to publish a list of chemicals “known to the State to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity.” This list is compiled in accordance with a procedure established by the Proposition, and can be obtained from the California Environmental Protection Agency. Proposition 65 requires that clear and reasonable warnings be given to persons exposed to the listed chemicals in certain situations.

Faith and Housing Faith and Housing

EXXON MOBIL CORPORATION its affiliates and subsidiaries

SHELL OIL PRODUCTS US PHILLIPS 66, including its divisions and subsidiaries (and under the trademarks 76)

AERA ENERGY LLC

VALERO Refining and Marketing Company, Ultramar Inc., and their affiliates and subsidiaries

PBF Energy Western Region LLC its affiliates and subsidiaries

Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company LLC (a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corporation) and its affiliates (and under the trademarks ARCO, USA Gasoline, Shell, Thrifty, and ExxonMobil)

believe in.”

Is America’s Ethnic Vote a Blue Wave Rising or Falling?

By Emil Guillermo

A week ago, there was no Red Wave. Was there a Blue one?

If you look at other exit polls, not as much as there could have been.

BIPOC voters were seen and heard on elec tion night. And their unity was the key.

But from the numbers, it appears the coalition is beginning to fray a bit.

Overall, whites were 72% of the voters on Nov. 8, according to the Associated Press Vote Cast exit polling. And they voted Red (Republi can) 59% to 39% Blue (Democratic).

Those among that 39% are allies to tradi tional BIPOC voters. And we’d better hope that number grows.

Comprising less than 25% of voters on Nov. 8, BIPOC voters could still use all the help they can get. While they provided surprisingly good midterm election results for Democrats, it should have been even better.

It wasn’t.

The reason? Blues are becoming ever slightly less blue.

Sure, on election night BIPOC voters were predominantly Democratic, and thanks to that, we did we see an unexpected “mini-Blue Wave.”

Blacks made up 11% of the voters and went 83% Blue, with just 14% Red.

That’s high, but it was still lower by up to seven percentage points compared to the 2018 midterms, according to network exit polling and the AP VoteCast poll, as reported by the Wash ington Post.

Hispanic/Latino voters were 11% of the elec torate on Nov. 8 and were 56% Blue to 40% Red.

Again, that’s a decrease of about 9 to 10 per centage points from the 2018 midterms.

Asian Americans were just 2% of the Nov. 8 voters and were 64% Blue to 34% Red.

That’s in keeping with what the AALDEF exit poll found in its 15-state multilingual exit poll

that targeted Asian American/Pacific Islanders.

But in the 2018 midterms, Asian American Blue support was around 71%.

Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders were less than .5% of the voters and were 58% Blue to 38% Red. That’s lower than the AA part of the Asian Ameican Native Hawaiian Pacific Island er.

I was also surprised that American Indian vot ers, just 1% of the voters on Nov. 8, were 37% Blue to 57% Red.

So, are American Indian voters already where the rest of the BIPOC voters are heading? One might chalk up the ethnic vote slide to turnout. But considering motivating factors like the economy, abortion, or even the fate of democ racy, I think despite good turnout, some may be tired of divided government and willing to test new ideas that might work for them.

Could that new idea possibly be Donald Trump?

TRUMPY REDUX?

Trump, who was set to announce his candi dacy for a third run for president this week, is doing so into a headwind.

His election deniers have lost. For governor, for Congress, for state level election chiefs. He is no longer seen as a winner. He is a bona fide loser among losers. Even the exit polling on fa vorability for Trump is disastrous.

How can he possibly win? By acknowledg ing how America’s demographics have changed and begin courting the ethnic vote.

I don’t mean the Herschel Walkers, whom Dave Chappelle on SNL called “observably stu pid.”

I mean regular folks who see themselves as independent swing voters.

I say this not in jest, though I wish I were.

Courting the ethnic vote was one of the things the GOP seemed committed to in 2016, but then Trump came in and the GOP embraced the Trump base.

That would be the irony if outreach to ...

Healing and Hope for the Holidays and Beyond: Charlotte

Clinic’s 365 Mission

• Movement Therapy

• Chinese & Western Herbs

• Homeopathy

• Nutrition Advice

Studies from the National Institute of Health have shown that these healing modalities help the immune system recover from the often harsh, but neces sary and life-saving treatments of western medicine and con tribute to improved quality of life and rates of survival. CMC receives referrals from medical centers throughout the San Fran cisco Bay Area as well as selfreferrals. Skilled professionals

volunteer their services to pro vide client treatments. The clinic does not receive government funding and relies on donations to continue the mission begun by friends of Charlotte Maxwell, a progressive social worker, who found that integrative care provided profound benefits dur ing her cancer journey.

One client says of CMC, “It has been amazingly and incredibly supportive. I don’t know how I would have gotten through the pandemic without it.”

Another says, “It is fantastic

to come here after everything and be in a place where I can re lax and be taken care of, and my condition is not seen as an incon venience to anyone.”

This holiday season, for a woman who may be dealing with the impact of cancer and fears that integrative care is be yond her means, Charlotte Max well Clinic is a beacon of hope. And CMC has provided a gift below for all Post readers. To learn more, please visit www. charlottemaxwell.org, email mail@charlottemaxwell.org or call 510-601-7660.

Oakland’s Two Star Market to Host 20th Annual Thanksgiving

bonga@gmail.com. Dona tions are welcomed by visiting www.2starmarket.com. For more information, call 510531-3576.

By Clifford L. Williams

Autumn is in the air, which means the holiday season is getting ready to set it off, and one of the biggest holidays is celebrating Thanksgiving.

Oakland’s Two Star Market, a family-owned, communityoriented convenience store, lo cated at 2020 MacArthur Blvd. (off Fruitvale Avenue in the Dimond District), is gearing up once again to recognize the special holiday with its 20th Annual Thanksgiving Com munity Celebration Thursday, Nov. 24, between 1 p.m and 4 p.m.

To make this a successful event, Two Star is seeking at least 100 volunteers to help with serving the throngs of people expected to attend. Vol unteers should bring their own aprons and oven mittens.”

Volunteers interested in helping to feed residents should text Aleja Rambonga at 510-847-9398 or alejaram

Similar to last year, the an nual Thanksgiving meal will be modified because of the lingering pandemic which has determined how large groups of people can gather and cel ebrate during festive times. Attendees are encouraged to wear a mask as well as social distancing. Masks will be pro vided upon request.

Already, the Market’s staff is stocking up for the big meal and making arrangements to reconfigure its parking lot to handle the nearly 800 guests who attended last year, and the many more who are expected to attend the free event this year.

Food will be served buffetstyle to guests, and there will be limited seating outside throughout the day. Families with more than two members will be able to take additional dinners with them.

Farouq Alawdi, manager of Two Star, the former historic site of the Tepper Hotel and Beer Garden, said his staff and volunteers are ready to feed an anticipated 1,000+ guests during the afternoon celebra tion feast. “We are prepared to cook 100 turkeys, 500 pounds of grilled chicken, side dishes, and plenty of pies for dessert,” said Alawdi.

“All of the turkey dinners

are provided by Two Star Mar ket,” said Alawdi. “We’ve been serving these hot dinners for the past 19 years, feeding lo cal residents, as well as people from other cities. It is our way of paying back to the commu nity because without them, we wouldn’t be here. The commu nity has helped to sustain our business since we first opened in 1983.”

“The dinners have become a tradition that began with my grandfather back home in Ye men. It was during the Holy Month of Ramadan where din ner is served for those in need. So 19 years ago, my brother Adob, and our dad, decided to continue that tradition here in the United States. It was the best way to give back to the community.”

“When we first started here in Oakland, it was just for local residents, and over the years we’ve reached out to provide dinners to anyone who wanted a Thanksgiving meal. Past cel ebrations had guests coming from Richmond, Hayward and Fremont.”

Alawdi said “the only thing the public needs to bring is a good appetite, and have fun while listening to live enter tainment including DJ-provid ed Latin jazz, old-school and rap music.” Children attending the event will also enjoy play ing in a jump house and other activities at the venue. An as sortment of donated clothing and shoes will be available for

Giving Back, While Giving Thanks

This year, the Formerly In carcerated Giving Back (FIGB) organization, in partnership with the African American Sports Entertainment Group (AASEG) and the Post News Group, will volunteer in col laboration with Mistah FAB by distributing a variety of items — from turkeys and other food items to coats, gloves, blan kets, boots, umbrellas, hats and more to the needy.

The upcoming event is Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022 from 1 - 4 p.m. at 4506 Market Street, Oakland, CA. All items are Free! As stated by Mr. Fab, a hot meal will be prepared on the spot for homeless individu als. We look forward to your attendance.

FIGB considers this op portunity to serve, especially needy families with children, both a pleasure and an honor.

The gifts we give are confir mation of what’s in our hearts.

FIGB wants everyone to tru ly embrace the concept of giv ing back year-round to those in need, which could help to al leviate homelessness, jobless ness, poverty, hunger, health care and many of the ills that have befallen our community in every conceivable way.

Giving back is our way of saying that we are truly our brother’s keepers. When each one of us reaches others through selfless actions we will set a positive example for oth ers to emulate.

At times, as a society, we fail to realize that life always has its ups and down, yet through the graciousness of God we overcome a lot.

In recent years, however, it appears that society has al lowed the failures to overtake the successes, causing too many to lose hope and faith and replace it with selfishness, greed and disregard for their fellow human beings.

Look around you and see what I see; the pain, hurt and despair is what we have al lowed ourselves to become and to exist in. People of wealth and means can be at the forefront of giving if they truly desired.

It should never be a question of “should I,” or “shouldn’t I?” It should always be “how can I help?” It should always be how can I help change suffering and poverty into stability, joy, and appreciation for life?

Whether we accept it or not, we are an extension of one an other.

We need more people like Mistah FAB who truly under stands what it takes for us to believe, trust and have faith that through a sense of giving we can change the trajectory of defeat.

One does not have to be wealthy to give. The only crite ria are that you give wherever you can to help others. Every thing will fall in place and take shape for the betterment of all

Rep. Barbara Lee Inquiring About Barriers to Capital for Minority Cannabis Businesses

By Sean Ryan

Reps Barbara Lee (CA-13) and Earl Blumenauer (OR-03) sent a letter on Wednesday to the Financial Crimes Enforce ment Network (FinCEN) re questing recent data on the financial services offered to minority cannabis businesses in an effort to better understand the barriers faced by minority cannabis businesses owners.

Minority cannabis entrepre neurs often cite a lack of access to capital and financial services as a major barrier to entering the legal cannabis industry. A 2021 Brookings Institution report re vealed that Black-owned busi nesses faced more disparities in access to banking services and deposits, mortgage credit, and small business loans than their white counterparts.

These alarming findings were further substantiated by a 2021 Federal Reserve re port that found that Black and Latino-owned businesses were less than half as likely as their white counterparts to be fully approved for loan applications.

“As momentum for mari juana decriminalization con tinues, FinCEN data could help shed light on the state of minor ity-owned and small cannabis businesses (which constitute businesses with revenues un der $40 million) seeking finan cial services,” the lawmakers wrote. “Existing disparities in

access to capital and financial services for individuals and businesses increase financial barriers and exacerbate the ra cial wealth gap, further harm ing those most harmed by the failed War on Drugs.

They continued, “Given the increasing momentum of can nabis legalization and muchneeded clarity from the federal government, Congress must devise a federal solution to eq uitably end the cannabis prohi bition and encourage industry growth.

As we work to invest in the communities disproportion ately harmed in the failed War on Drugs, FinCEN data on ac cess to financial services could help promote equitable access to financial services for small and minority-owned cannabis businesses.

“We welcome the opportu nity to work with FinCEN to ensure Congress is equipped with the critical data needed to effectively address equity con cerns when crafting solutions to end the federal cannabis pro hibition.”

Representatives Lee and Blumenauer serve as the Dem ocratic co-chairs of the Con gressional Cannabis Caucus.

Sean Ryan is the communi cations director in the media relations office of Rep. Barbara Lee.

Pamela Price Takes Leads in Alameda County DA Race

Continued from page 1

reelection in District 2, and Janani Ramachandran has already declared victory in District 4. District 6 candidate Kevin Jenkins has a comfortable lead over three opponents.

Still undecided is the race to replace Libby Schaaf as mayor of Oakland. Councilmember Loren Taylor holds the lead over Councilmember Sheng Thao, but the gap is narrowing this week with updated vote counts, released at 5 p.m. each day by the Al ameda County Registrar of Voters.

Only 1.78% separated Taylor and Thao on Wednesday.

According to reports, at the beginning of this week, there were over 70,000 votes remaining to be counted. About 13,000 were counted today, leaving about 42,000 still uncounted.

Observers notice that in recent elections the ballots of progres sive and very liberal voters in Oakland are counted later, meaning that their influence is not fully felt until the final days of tallying the vote.

Vote totals as of Wednesday afternoon:

Alameda County District Attorney

• Pamela Price 51.08%

• Terry Wiley 48.95%

Alameda County Board of Supervisors District 3

Lena Tam 53.06%

Rebecca Kaplan 46.94%

Mayor of Oakland (with Ranked Choice ballots)

Loren Taylor 50.89%

Sheng Thao 49.11%

Oakland City Council District 2

• Nikki Fortunato Bas 65.97%

• Harold Lowe 34.03%

Oakland City Council District 4

• Janani Ramachandran 67.71%

• Nenna Joiner 32.29%

Oakland City Council District 6

• Kevin Jenkins 69.86%

• Yakpasua Michael Gbagba Zazaboi 11.51%

• Nancy Sidebotham 11.36%

• Kenny Session 7.28%

Board of Education District 2 (with Ranked Choice bal lots)

• Jennifer Brouhard 62.66%

• David Kakishiba 37.34%

Board of Education District 4

• Nick Resnick 39%

• Mike Hutchinson 31.29%

• Picolia Manigo 29.71%

Board of Education District 6 (with Ranked Choice bal lots)

• Valerie Bachelor 53.25%

• Kyra Mungia 46.75%

Rep. Barbara Lee. Congress. gov photo.

Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer. Congress.gov photo.

FIGB co-founder and Post columnist Richard Johnson with Stanley Cox, aka, Mistah FAB