Oakland Post, week of June 19 - 25, 2024

Willie Howard Mays: “Simply the Best”

“To a native San Franciscan, some things just go without question: it’s foggy in the summer, cable cars go halfway to the stars, and Willie Mays is the best there ever was.

“It was an unbelievable opportunity of a lifetime to meet someone like Willie Mays. I remember hearing about the struggles that he endured because he was black, and what he overcame to become an icon on the field and the greatest baseball player of all time. He was from a generation who faced segregation and racism, a generation that paved the way so that many of us could have the freedom to thrive.

“Willie Mays meant so much to this City as a player, but also as a leader, staying involved in San Francisco and the Giants organization long after he retired from the game he loved. Willie Mays will forever be the greatest of giants in the story of San Francisco.”

Post

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao Faces First Ever Mayoral Recall in City History

By Magaly Muñoz

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is set to face the first ever city mayoral recall election this November. This comes after the campaign to remove her from office succeeded in filing a sufficient number of signatures to trigger the election.

The group behind this campaign, Oakland United to Recall Sheng Thao, gathered over 40,000 signatures seven weeks before their July 22 deadline. They were only required to submit 25,000 names in order to get the recall on the No-

vember ballot.

Oakland United launched their campaign in January, with failed 2022 mayoral candidate Seneca Scott and former Oakland Police Commissioner Brenda HarbinForte leading the ouster. Thao and her campaign team did not respond for comment at the time of publication.

Opponents of Thao, who has been in office for just 18 months, have heavily criticized her for a perceived rise in crime, the firing of

Raids Home

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao

Special to The Post

The Oakland Police Department (OPD) is investigating a shooting with as many as 15 victims, including one in critical condition, that occurred Wednesday evening as a Juneteenth celebration was coming to a peaceful close at Lake Merritt.

“The opportunity to celebrate with your family and friends should never be marred by gunfire,” Oakland Police Department Chief Floyd Mitchell said in an Associated Press report.

The incident occurred just after 8:45 p.m. on June 19, about 30 minutes after a group of about 20 dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) started a ‘sideshow’ on the north side of the lake at Bellevue and Grand avenues.

A ‘sideshow’ is a street takeover

blocking intersections and involving stunts like ‘doughnuts,’ ‘drifting doughnuts,’ cutting off traffic and that draw crowds that can number in the hundreds and make it difficult for police to deter.

The preliminary investigation revealed that 28 officers and four sergeants monitored crowds of roughly 5,000 people participating in events at and around Lake Merritt.

A short time later, a fight broke out, and as the crowd headed towards the altercation, multiple shots were fired.

Officers located several victims who were struck by the gunfire.

Medical personnel transported several victims to an area hospital.

Most of the injured ranged in age

By Magaly Muñoz

With a massive budget deficit looming over city officials and a short timeline to fix it, Oaklanders are sharing what they want to see in the mid-cycle changes as the fiscal year comes to a close.

A group of nonprofits and community organizations collectively known as the Oakland People’s Budget Coalition, rallied in front of City Hall last week to call on City Council to make changes in the budget to fit the needs of the people, such as housing, accountability, and economic revitalization.

Isaiah Toney, deputy director of Oakland Campaigns at EBASE, was the main speaker for the group and laid out a set of wants that the coalition was asking for including maintaining civilian positions in the Oakland Police Department’s (OPD) Internal Affairs sector, allocating an additional $100,000 for the Public Ethics Commission to implement Democracy Dollars, and establishing funds for tenants who have suffered from no-fault evictions when property owners fail to make required payments.

“We recognize that the historic deficit we are facing is a result of structural problems in how the City of Oakland collects and allocates revenue. We urge our city leaders to look at long-term solu-

tions that ensure corporations are paying their fair share to support the critical services that we all depend on,” Toney said.

Julian Were, a member of IFPTE Local 21 Union, told the Post that the Budget Coalition largely supports what is in the budget, but these asks are what they believe will make the budget even better.

He said there needed to be a bigger focus on public safety and putting more officers on the street to keep neighborhoods safe. He emphasized the need for civilian oversight and more funding for non-emergency services like Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland (MACRO) to handle non-violent situations for those most vulnerable in the community.

Oakland is facing a $177 million deficit and has proposed several changes in order to balance it out before their July 1 deadline including freezing and cutting several positions across the city and using the sale of the Oakland Coliseum to make up for the shortfall.

Oakland is in the beginning steps of selling their half of the stadium to the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG), an Oakland-based development company, and the funds

By Ken Epstein

The FBI raided the home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao early Thursday morning, according to news reports.

So far, few details are available.

“The FBI is conducting courtauthorized law enforcement activity on Maiden Lane; we are unable to provide additional information at this time,” the FBI said.

The mayor’s office said it is aware of reports that the FBI was at the mayor’s home but referred all questions to the FBI. News reports also indicate that the search of the mayor’s home included officers from the IRS as well as the U.S. Postal Service, neither of which could be reached for comment.

In addition, officers searched a second home, which is con-

“This is a sad day for the City of Oakland. Oakland is a city in crisis. Crime, violence, shootings, uncontrolled homelessness, unmitigated encampments, the budget deficit and more. The biggest obstacle to overcoming these crises are the failures of leadership in City Hall. Even before today’s news, some city leaders have done nothing to help--and much to hurt—our city. Oakland needs leadership with a plan to address public safety, leadership who work with businesses, and leadership that’s prepared to meet our challenges with a vision for

the future of Oakland. At this moment we must unite and work together to move our great city forward,” said LeRonne Armstrong, the former Oakland Police Chief, father, and native Oaklander.

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao speaks from the podium inside Oakland City Hall chambers. Courtesy photo.

FBI agents searched Mayor Sheng Thao’s property on Maiden Lane in Oakland, arriving at

LeRonne Armstrong. File photo.

Oakland People’s Budget Coalition held a rally in front of City Hall to ask city council to make changes to the city’s budget that will include housing protections, OPD oversight, and funding the arts and entertainment sectors. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

California Assemblymember Sandré R. Swanson (second from left) honored Mays on the floor of the California Assembly at the state Capitol in Sacramento. “Thank you, Willie Mays for providing lifelong memories of wonderful family times together. It is my honor to shake your hand,” said Swanson. Swanson is seen here with Mays during his tenure as a state assemblyman from 2006-2012. Photo Courtesy California Assembly.

By California Black Media

Last week, California lawmakers added new amendments to Assembly Bill (AB) 886, reviving a controversial piece of legislation that would require online platforms to pay a fee for news content distributed alongside digital advertisements.

The bill, supporters say, was written to protect news publications and the public service journalism they produce – one of the pillars that strengthens America’s democracy.

AB 886 author Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) cancelled a hearing on the bill last year after significant pushback from Google and other major digital tech companies.

Under current law, tech companies pocket all the revenue they generate from digital ads displayed on news articles online.

The “California Journalism Preservation Act” models Canada’s digital news publishing laws that charge online platforms for distributing news content.

The newly amended AB 886 requires tech companies that own online platforms to pay publishers a sizable portion of the ad revenue generated from online news content. The law also obligates publishers to use 70% of the proceeds they would receive from the tech giants to pay journalists who are residents of the state.

Similar to Canada’s law, if AB 886 passes, payment for each news outlet would be based on the number of journalists working in the newsroom as opposed to the rate of engagement and impressions generated by articles. The bill also

aims to create a fund that companies can pay into, which would later be distributed to various news outlets. Since the law took effect in Canada last year, Google has paid approximately $74 million toward a fund that supports the news industry.

“What we learned with the Canada version is that it’s possible, and that news is of value, it’s critical,” said Wicks.

“And that we should be doing everything we can to ensure that our publishers are compensated for the work that they’re providing,” she said.

The California News Publishers Association sponsored the bill despite facing opposition from tech giants like Google, Facebook, and other companies. Google argued that the bill would interrupt its business model, stating in a blog post that the law “undermines news in California.”

Earlier this year, Google removed links to California news sites from online search results as a show of power to push back against the bill.

California lawmakers are also working on a tax measure under Senate Bill (SB) 1327. That legislation, authored by Assemblymember Steve Glazer (D-Orinda), would impose a tax on Amazon, Meta, and Google for the data they extract from users. The “data mitigation fee” will be reinvested into news organizations and reward publishers with a tax credit for hiring full-time journalists.

That bill has been held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Juneteenth 2024: Across California, Celebrations Highlight Black Excellence, Culture

By McKenzie Jackson, California Black Media

When South Central Los Angeles native Nedric Miller was in the third grade he wanted to be gang member. He dropped out of high school when he was 16.

Two years later, Miller was in prison.

“Education wasn’t valuable to me,” he said. “Everyone around me was shooting up, doing drugs — doing this, that, and the third. No one was talking about education. People were trying to survive.”

When Miller was released from prison, he moved to Sacramento and enrolled in Woodland Community College. He took science classes and discovered he enjoyed learning. Miller eventually received his associate’s degree and enrolled in Sacramento State. He graduated from the university this year.

Miller’s remarks detailing his journey from the streets to walking across the stage to receive his degree in kinesiology, clinical rehabilitation, and exercise science came during the final day of Sacramento State’s Juneteenth Symposium.

Dr. Nadine A. Kelley, Sacramento State’s senior director of University Housing Services, said it was important for symposium attendees to hear Miller’s college journey.

“We save lives on college campuses,” she said. “You don’t have to be at a hospital to save a person’s life.”

The June 13-14 symposium was held to celebrate and recognize African American history and achievement, while also highlighting the anti-racism work being done at Sacramento State, which has a student body that is 10% Black, and at the California State University system’s other 22 campuses.

The event was one of many celebrations scheduled across the Golden State in celebration of Juneteenth on Wednesday. The national holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

On June 19, 1865, Black peo-

raise questions and concerns that address historical, current, and emerging challenges in various Black communities across California. Those discussions will focus on educating and motivating the public about the work the California Reparations Task Force has completed and why it is critical to compensate Black Californians for historical wrongs they have endured.

ple enslaved in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom from Union soldiers. This happened two months after the Confederacy had surrendered in the Civil War and more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

On June 13, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a Juneteenth proclamation.

“California is proud to recognize Juneteenth as an official state holiday, honoring the centuries of struggles and triumphs that have brought us to this moment,” the Governor’s statement read. “Amid misguided efforts to rewrite our nation’s history, California is committed to confronting the dark chapters of our past to continue moving forward in pursuit of a more perfect union.”

“This Juneteenth, I urge all Californians to reflect on the ongoing cause of freedom for Black Americans – remembering that, though General Granger’s announcement in 1865 called for “absolute equality” the statement continued.

Across the state, several events were held Wednesday, including Pleasant Hill’s second annual Juneteenth Celebration at the East Bay city’s City Hall. The celebration featured numerous activities, including a reading of the Juneteenth Proclamation and the singing of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.”

In Oakland, the Hella Creative, an arts and culture collective hosted Hella Juneteenth, a cookout featuring live music, Black chefs and Black-owned restaurants from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Oakland Museum.

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, the founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, discussed anti-racism at Sacramento State’s Juneteenth Symposium.

“We have been taught the opposite of racist is not racist,” he said. “The actual opposite of racist is anti-racist. The heartbeat of the being racist has historically been denial, and the sound of that denial has historically been, ‘I’m not racist.’ What we should be striving to be is anti-racist.”

before you as we gather to discuss a matter of profound importance: The State of Black California,” said Weber, secretary of the CLBC.

“Today, we come together not only to acknowledge these injustices but to reaffirm the California Legislative Black Caucus’ commitment to rectifying many of the harms outlined in the California Reparations Task Force report.”

By Emil Guillermo

On Father’s Day, how many times did you tell your dad that his wish was your command?

I know, it can get old fast. But it’s just for a day. And Dad has earned it.

Too bad it doesn’t work that way with another holiday, Juneteenth (June 19th).

Descendants of the enslaved slaves don’t get to demand anything of the descendants of masters. At least not without a fight.

Perhaps, that’s why we all got the day off to think about the history of Juneteenth. When the holiday was passed in 2021, more than 60% of Americans had no clue about Juneteenth. It hasn’t gotten all that much better, though there seems to be a push to commercialize Juneteenth like other holidays.

On Sept. 22, 1862, President Lincoln, after the Battle of Antietam, signed the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. It was the warning to the Confederacy that change was coming in January 1863, when the emancipation would take effect and slaves would really be free.

But as they say in TV ads, “some restrictions apply.” And there were some restrictions when it came to border states that allowed slavery. It resulted in a slow rollout of freedom that took until 1865 for everyone to get the word. There was no excuse. Slow wi-fi?

The lack of Black Twitter? It took the U.S. Army to come into Texas and tell slaveholders the law had changed and that the slaves had been working overtime.

Imagine having to spend more than two years enslaved, when in most of America, slaves were free men and women. It causes what I dub a kind of legal and political dysphoria — where the concept of a free democratic society just doesn’t add up to the reality.

It may seem strange for 1865 but look at how a similar kind of legal dysphoria continues to this very day.

In California, an abortion is a guaranteed right prior to viability of the fetus, or when necessary to protect the life or health of the

thought a bill that provided monetary compensation to Black Californians “would divide California.”

“We used the United Nations model in terms of what you’re supposed to do for reparations across the world. So, we had the backing of the international community,” said Weber. “This is the standard across the world: to do reparations.”

woman.

Ironically, that’s not the case in Texas, where a chapter of the Texas Health and Safety Code prohibits abortions outright, with an exception when a woman’s life is at risk.

But even that is a lie.

“Exceptions to abortion bans are a fiction,” Lauren Miller testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. “They don’t exist in Texas, and I am living proof of that.”

Miller had been pregnant with twins when she saw the effect of the law that she said “stripped” away her bodily autonomy to make the decisions she needed.

After 12 weeks of pregnancy, Miller learned one of the twins would not survive, and that she herself was at risk of damage to her kidneys and brain.

But no one in Texas would give her the care she needed. “It still wasn’t dead enough for an exception for abortion care in Texas,” she testified.

Miller was forced to flee to Colorado, where abortion is legal 700 miles away, all the while fearing being turned in by an abortion bounty hunter.

These are the stories of today’s legal dysphoria.

Women in Texas need a Juneteenth fix.

If you had the day off on Juneteenth, the federal holiday signed into law by Joe Biden in 2021, I hope you celebrated the end of slavery and connected to the history of being a slave in a state in an America when everyone else is free.

Far from a perfect union, in some ways just parts of America are just like Texas between 1862 and 1865. It’s stuck in the past and still in need of some emancipation today.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He’s covered race and politics in Hawaii, California, Texas, and Washington, DC, where he was host of NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Contact him at www.amok.com . See him on YouTube.com/@emilamok1

Leaders of local organizations, grassroots advocates, and community members are encouraged to attend an event in their respective communities.

By California Black Media

The California Legislative Black Caucus CLBC) has partnered with the California Black Freedom Fund (CBFF) for a tour that raises awareness about the fight for reparations in California.

The CBFF is a communitybased organization and non-profit leading a five-year initiative that

aims to invest $100 million toward Black power-building and movement-based organizations statewide.

The organization announced the “State of Black California Tour,” a series of six community events that bring together lawmakers, local leaders, and community members. During the events, attendees

The first event in the series was held in San Diego on June 15.

Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber (D-La Mesa) was the host of the San Diego event and moderated the discussion, “on the state of the Black community and how we work to secure the future all Black Californians deserve,” the organization stated.

“I am deeply honored to stand

Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber also spoke at the San Diego event.

The elder Weber said when she was a lawmaker many of her colleagues in the Legislature were reluctant to support AB 3121, the reparations bill she introduced that garnered bi-partisan support and made the task force possible. They were hesitant because they

“The fact that we have not given African Americans reparations is a blemish on this country,” said Weber. “The nation and the world have standards of justice, and this nation has never met those standards. Reparations is one of those standards that needs to be met for African Americans for the 400 years of injustices we have suffered.”

The tour will continue to various cities across the state, including Santa Barbara, Fresno, Sacramento, Oakland, and Moreno Valley. The events will be held once a month starting in June up until October 2024.

Californians interested in attending an event in their area can find additional information on State of Black California https:// www.stateofblackcalifornia.org Details for events held in each city are available online including registration, speakers, and necessary updates.

iStock photo.

iStock photo.

Shutterstock photo.

California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber speaking to the audience at State of Black California San Diego about AB 3121 - the bill she introduced in February of 2020 that led to the creation of California’s first-in-nation Reparations Task Force. Photo courtesy of the California Black Freedom Fund.

Despite 11th Hour Push from Gov. Newsom, Prop 47 Amendment Makes It to Ballot

By California Black Media

California voters will decide the outcome of a measure that aims to amend Proposition 47, a law that made drug possession and theft for property less than $950 a misdemeanor instead of a felony.

Last week, a reform measure that imposes harsher criminal penalties for drug possession and theft qualified for the November ballot. Republican legislators and law enforcement officers advocated for the reform measure they say would reduce crime rates statewide.

Republican Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones said that Democrats are too prideful to admit that Prop 47 was a mistake and continue to deny the need to reform the law.

“To combat the California

crime wave, we need to strengthen our laws, both in the Legislature and at the ballot box,” Jones said in a statement.

“It’s irresponsible to force voters into a false choice between the two,” he added.

Before the ballot measure qualified last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom attempted to negotiate with legislators to keep the reform measure off the November ballot. Democratic leaders made efforts to prevent Republican plans to have parts of Prop 47 repealed.

Democrats accused Republicans of political posturing and intentionally misrepresenting Prop 47, pointing out that most retail theft and other crimes most frequently committed exceed the $950 misdemeanor threshold that has become a point of contention for opponents.

“If a ballot measure purporting to address retail theft and fentanyl issues is approved by voters this fall, aspects of these laws simply won’t be applicable and there will be conflicts,” Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas said.

“We should solve our crime problem with carefully considered legislation that addresses the problem, because that’s how to solve this — not through blunt force, but through informed fixes,” he said.

However, Californians for Safer Communities, a bipartisan group composed of law enforcement officers, community organizers, and business leaders backed the proposed amendment to reform Prop 47. The advocacy group garnered over 900,000 signatures for a petition that qualifies Prop 47 to be included in the November ballot, allowing voters to have a say on the amendment.

Greg Totten, co-chair of Californians for Safer Communities said that State legislators should stop playing politics.

“The Legislature’s plan to include an automatic repeal ... proves they are not serious about addressing the explosion in retail theft and the state’s fentanyl crisis,” said Totten.

Voters approved Prop 47 in 2014 lowering the penalty for crimes including shoplifting, grand

theft, and receiving stolen property. But Republican leaders want harsher penalties for offenses such as drug possession and property theft.

Democratic leaders in the Legislature proposed a bi-partisan package of 14 bills to help curb retail theft statewide to sway voters from repealing Prop 47. Democratic legislators also promised to add an amendment to a proposed bill on retail crimes that revokes the laws if voters pass the statewide proposition regarding harsher crime laws.

Despite the governor’s repeated attempts to avoid including Prop 47 in the ballot box, voters will make the final decision in November.

“Do I think the legislative path is better than the ballot box? Yes, I do, but I also respect the will of our voters here in California,” said Rivas. “They’re frustrated, and I know that’s why our caucus, why our leaders in the Senate – why we have devoted a year to developing good, strong laws to fix this problem.”

iStock image.

Public Notices, Classifieds & Business

Racial Resentment Fueled Jan. 6 Rebellion and Opposition to House Probe, Scholars Find

New research suggests that for some white Americans, “Stop the Steal” refers not just to perceived voter fraud, but to their own loss of status in a more diverse society.

By Edward Lempinen

UC Berkeley News

Americans are deeply divided over the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and it’s widely assumed the split reflects our bitter partisan conflicts. But a new study co-authored at UC Berkeley suggests one source of division stronger than any other: racial resentment.

White people who perceive that Black people use race to gain unfair advantages, and resent it, were far more likely to question the need for the bipartisan U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack, according to the study co-authored by David C. Wilson, dean at the Goldman School of Public Policy.

University.

Many white people perceive that people of color are advancing unfairly, and their resentment is an emotional response to perceived injustice, the authors write. And that, they conclude, is likely the “dominant explanation” for why many think the insurrection was justified and needed no investigation.

In their analysis, the resentment syncs with support for former President Donald Trump and a message at the core of his Make American Great Again (MAGA) movement: that white people are unfairly losing out to groups that are getting advantages that they haven’t earned and don’t deserve.

In that sense, the co-authors wrote, the “Stop the Steal” slogan

“Partisan politics are only part of the story when it comes to accountability for the events of January 6th,” Wilson said in an interview. “There is a strong racial component that is not only about prejudice but, more importantly, about how African Americans advance change and challenge status quo systems of merit.”

The distinction between racial prejudice and the contemporary dynamics of racial resentment is crucial in the research of Wilson and co-author Darren W. Davis, a political scientist at Notre Dame

“used in billboards and placards to promote the theory of election fraud, was also a metaphor for what was at stake for the country.”

The paper — “Stop the Steal”: Racial Resentment, Affective Partisanship, and Investigating the January 6th Insurrection — is published in the latest issue of The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Davis and Wilson, both professors and specialists in political psychology, are the authors of the 2022 book, Racial Resentment in

the Political Mind (University of Chicago Press).

In that volume, they argued that modern political divisions that are implicitly or explicitly racial are not solely about white racism. They repeatedly find that racial resentment inflames social and political conflicts that center on fairness, even when the issues have no obvious connection to race.

The new research focuses that lens tightly on the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, won by Democrat Joe Biden, but still fiercely contested by Trump and millions of right-wing Republicans who comprise much of the MAGA movement.

In the flashpoint of Jan. 6, a culmination of U.S. racial history

Since the mid-20th century, landmark civil rights law and policy have given more political and economic power to Black people and other people of color, as well as to women, LGBTQIA+ people and others long marginalized by society. In the same span, the nation has become more racially and ethnically diverse.

A number of factors fueled white resentment, including the election of Barack Obama as the nation’s first Black president, and that sense of dislocation and loss has been further aggravated by economic instability, the COVID pandemic and global geopolitical tensions, Wilson said.

Racial resentment “is about how race disrupts the status quo for people and leads them to believe that they will be morally wronged because of race,” Wilson explained. “African Americans and other minorities have lived with this for the entirety of U.S. history, prompting a great deal of resentment toward whites who refuse to acknowledge structural unfairness or adoption of legitimate actions that restore justice.

“What most whites are thinking about now is, ‘OK, racism is

bad, and I don’t dislike Blacks, but what do these demands for change mean for me, my family and my ability to live a good life?’ They become very protective of what they have, what they know and how they behave. They don’t want change that truly equalizes opportunity in society, they want change that helps Blacks, but at no expense to them.”

Biden won the 2020 election by some 7 million votes, but that masked how tight the contest was in battleground states such as Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Arizona. A relative handful of votes in those states could have tipped the Electoral College to Trump.

In the aftermath of the election, Wilson and Davis write, racial considerations were woven throughout efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results.

Their fraud charges centered on Black-majority cities such as Atlanta, Philadelphia, Detroit and Milwaukee, claiming with no evidence that those cities had deprived him of victory. They viciously criticized two Black poll workers in Georgia, falsely accusing them of perpetrating a massive fraud.

Racial themes were pervasive in the Jan. 6 insurrection itself, Wilson said. White supremacy groups openly displayed their insignias. Some in the mob yelled racial slurs at the Capitol Police. News photographs showed a Civil War-era Confederate flag being carried through the Capitol.

“Many individuals and groups, spurred on by President Trump and his advisors, descended on the Capitol as a clarion call to the beginning of a race war,” the authors wrote.

To understand our political divide, understand our racial divide

In their study, the researchers surveyed a number of public opinion polls to find that the American public was, on average, evenly divided in its attitudes

about the House investigation. It’s no surprise that most Democrats favored it, and most Republicans opposed it.

However, Davis and Wilson argue, the data also show a racial split: “While whites are overwhelmingly opposed to a January 6th investigation, African Americans are overwhelmingly supportive.”

To understand why, the authors collected and analyzed data from a national survey of adults from the Cooperative Election Study conducted by YouGov and used that data to develop four analytic models for assessing opinions about the House Jan. 6 panel.

To be sure, Davis and Wilson found that “affective partisanship” — the life-and-death, usvs.-them quality of today’s partisan warfare — had a strong bearing on how Americans viewed the House investigation. But racial prejudice toward Blacks was virtually “irrelevant” in shaping opinions about that probe, they wrote. Instead, they found that racial resentment has a far greater force.

groups (e.g., feminists and LGBTQ individuals). Exacerbated by racial stereotypes and misinformation that minorities are benefiting at their expense, many whites come to believe that such groups are skirting the rules of the game and violating values of fairness and justice.”

Inaccurate allegations of racism can deepen social division

An accumulation of such grievances has fueled the rise and persistent strength of Trump’s MAGA movement, they suggest.

“Many of President Trump’s supporters believed they were being victimized by election fraud in the 2020 election,” the authors wrote, “but they also believed that whites were being victimized more generally — the American way of life for them was changing and they were being disadvantaged by African Americans and other minorities. To them, the January 6th insurrection was about invalidating the 2020 election in order to retain President Trump for a second term and protect and defend that status quo.”

Given the volatility of the is-

The authors then analyzed the extent to which racial resentment affected the gaps between how people feel about Democrats compared to Republicans— and found that racial resentment is a powerful underlying force in polarization.

There’s so much overlap now between race and party identity “that they’re almost indistinguishable,” Wilson said in the interview. “If you look at most social science research, the strongest predictor of partisan identity is racial attitudes.

“If you make that argument, people might say, ‘You mean, because I’m a Republican, I’m racist?’ Well, no, they’re not racist. It means that when you think about race being used to advance political change in society, it activates fairness concerns that motivate you to scrutinize and question the efforts of racial-ethnic minorities in ways that you would not for whites or Republicans.”

“In this view,” the authors write, “whites’ grip over American society and the status quo is being threatened by African Americans and other minorities, immigrants, and counter-cultural

sue, Wilson cautioned against making broad accusations of racism, and against failing to understand the nature of racial resentment.

Most policy and political discussions are anchored in historical ideas of racism, he said, and ‘racism’ may be the word we use reflexively when policy or cultural issues turn to racial conflict. But that raises enormous risk for continuing polarization — and it makes reconciliation more difficult.

“We shouldn’t treat race in a cheap way, just relying on the easiest explanation,” he said. “Sometimes there’s a sense that white people … dislike Blacks or they want to keep Blacks down. But no — it could be that they genuinely have a problem with a policy, or they like a particular candidate better, but they are not racist themselves.

“That may lead to some discomfort, because it’s a slippery slope to letting racism and fascism and everything that follows take over. But you also run the risk of the slippery slope if you call everybody a racist, and they’re not. They’ll stop listening to you.”

Annual Convention Ignites with Powerful Civil Rights Exhibit at Baltimore City Hall

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

In a stirring commencement to its annual convention, officials from the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) were feted during the unveiling of the “Marylanders Cry Freedom, Civil Rights at Home and Abroad” exhibit at Baltimore City Hall. This unveiling of the touching exhibit included remarks by Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Democratic Maryland Rep. Kweisi Mfume, NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Cha-

vis Jr., National Chairman Bobby Henry, AFRO Publisher Dr. Toni Draper, and other dignitaries. The exhibit marked the 40th anniversary of Maryland’s groundbreaking divestment from South Africa’s apartheid regime in 1984, a pioneering act of defiance that set a powerful precedent for other states. The NNPA, representing over 250 African American-owned newspapers and media companies, embodies the 197-yearold legacy of the Black Press of America while the exhibit stands as a testament to the Black Press’s unwavering activism and heroic efforts in championing civil rights both domestically and internationally. Visitors to the exhibit were visibly moved as it evoked profound reflections on the struggle and progress of civil rights. Scott poignantly captured the sentiment, stating, “Because of their perseverance and unwillingness to back down, we’re here today. I am here today, and you are here today, able to hold power in these halls that used to serve lawsuits to prevent those who look like us from

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iStock image by: UserGI15633146

David C. Wilson, dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy. Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small for UC Berkeley

National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) leadership and dignataries welcome publishers and guests to the organization’s National Conference with a powerful civil rights exhibition at Baltimore’s City Hall. Photo: Mark Mahoney, DreamInColor Photography.

iStock image by: DanielVilleneuve

achieving our excellence.” His words underscored the transformation from historical injustice to

current empowerment within the same walls of City Hall.

Highlighting Baltimore’s critical role in the anti-apartheid movement, Congressman Kweisi Mfume, who fought alongside Nelson Mandela, asserted, “Don’t

think that Baltimore did not play a role. All those many years of people showing up and forcing the issue caused other cities to force the issue.”

His declaration affirmed the city’s significant contributions to global civil rights advancements.

The exhibit not only covers the struggle against apartheid but also delves into the eras of Jim Crow and other monumental civil rights movements in America. It vividly narrates the Black Press’s instrumental role in advocating for justice, showcasing the adversities and victories African Americans face.

“Marylanders Cry Freedom serves as a profound tribute to this pivotal moment in our state’s history, celebrating the unwavering determination of the people of Maryland to fight discrimination and injustice,” said Dr. Jean

Bailey, project director and Chair of the Maryland/KwaZulu–Natal (South Africa) Sister State Committee. “It truly is a testament to the long-standing legacy of Marylanders as advocates for civil rights and social change.”

Chavis, a former political prisoner as part of the Wilmington Ten in the 1970s, delivered a pas-

sionate commentary on the state of Black America and Africa.

Drawing from his personal experiences, he underscored the importance of continued support for the Black Press and political engagement, making a direct appeal for backing President Joe Biden. His words, rooted in his own journey, resonated with the audience,

emphasizing the crucial nature of unity in the upcoming elections.

Henry, the NNPA chair, also inspired attendees, emphasizing the strength found in collective action. “Together, each accomplishes much more,” he stated, reminding all the power of solidarity in the ongoing fight for civil rights.

The “Marylanders Cry Freedom” exhibit will be open to the public at Baltimore City Hall until August 31st. As the NNPA convention continues, this exhibit stands as a potent educational tool and a profound reminder of the Black Press’s enduring legacy. It serves to inspire future generations to continue the fight for justice and equality, as embodied in Henry’s exhortation: “Together, each accomplishes much more.”

(Left to right:) Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., NNPA Senior National Correspondent Stacy M. Brown, and NNPA Chair Bobby Henry attend the unveiling of the exhibit, “Marylanders Cry Freedom, Civil Rights at Home and Abroad.” The event served as a quasi kick-off to the NNPA’s 2024 annual convention in Charm City. Photo: Mark Mahoney, DreamInColor Photography.

NNPA Chairman and publisher of the Westside Gazette Newspaper, Bobby R. Henry, welcomes guests to the exhibit and National Conference. Photo: Mark Mahoney, DreamInColor Photography.

COMMENTARY:

The Dark Legacy of Slavery Still Impacts Our Black Children 161 Years After Emancipation

By Darryl White Special to California Black Media Partners

As we celebrate the 159th anniversary of Juneteenth, I cannot help but think of how far we still have to go to reach a level of equity in America.

The cornerstone of slavery was illiteracy among enslaved populations. Slave owners did everything they could to keep slaves ignorant and illiterate, often imposing severe penalties for literacy among slaves and those who taught them.

Enslavers realized early that knowledge meant power, and maintaining slavery required policies and laws that promoted high rates of illiteracy among enslaved populations throughout America.

Current statistics continue to paint a stark picture of literacy proficiency among California’s Black third-grade students. Today, only 27% are meeting or exceeding the English language arts state standards. Even more disturbingly, since 2018, scores have plummeted by four percentage points. Clearly, the post-COVID era has exacerbated an already dire situation.

Reading develops essential skills necessary for participating in American society, democracy, and the capitalist system. It enhances concentration, intellectual development, higher-order thinking, imagination, and creativity.

Moreover, it helps individuals understand the world around them, allowing them to take advantage of available knowledge and opportunities. Those who read well tend to function more effectively in American society and advance more quickly.

Systems of advancement are often centered around testing.

For instance, students must take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and compete with others to enter higher education. Those who cannot not read well, regardless of their true aptitude, perform poorly on the SAT. Their scores reinforce the false belief that the SAT determines inherent intelligence.

Today, if high schools graduated highly literate Black students, graduation day would be a jubilant celebration akin to Juneteenth.

Asian Women Are Receiving Higher Lung Cancer Diagnosis Than Other Ethnic Groups

The medical community has discovered that 2% of young, nonsmoking Asian American women have lung cancer. The rate of detection in these women is higher than the national rate of 1% with 1.5% detection. Photo credit ronnachaipark, iStock.

By Magaly Muñoz

After almost a year of chest pains and asthma-like symptoms that were not going away, Dr. Phuong N. Ho decided to finally get some tests done to uncover the cause of her persistent health concerns. She soon discovered she had joined the high rates of Asian American women who are diagnosed with lung cancer every year.

a lack of reach when researchers are attempting to find common denominators for this trend.

Ho said that a lot of the problem is also cultural because older Asian women do not often acknowledge that there is something wrong with them and feel like a burden if they do speak up.

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from that $105 million sale are intended to help alleviate the budget gap.

Many residents have said that this one-time sale will not solve the deep structural issues and poor mismanagement of city funds, and that more will need to be done to avoid the problems that drove them to this current large deficit.

Additionally, some of the most notable changes residents have been seeing are from the public safety sectors like the police and fire departments.

CCE, warns that these changes will mean that officers will be required to take over the duties of these missing positions, ultimately keeping them from performing essential duties like patrolling neighborhoods and investigating crimes. He adds that crime prevention is also key to the concerns around public safety.

“We need quality community policing and increasing the amount of focus on crime prevention, and working with the community to find solutions together,” Escobar said.

In 2000, the National Reading Panel, a government-formed entity, conducted analysis to determine the most effective approach to teaching children how to read. Their findings –informed by rigorous, interdisciplinary scientific research from educators, psychologists, linguists, neuroscientists, and cognitive scientists–outlined five critical areas of reading instruction based on how a child best learns to read: (1) phonemic awareness, (2) phonics, (3) vocabulary, (4) fluency, and (5) comprehension.

Across 17 states (and counting), legislation has been introduced to embrace the principles supported by the National Reading Panel and other literacy experts. Now, California stands poised to follow suit.

The Black Parallel School Board fully supported Assembly Bill 2222 (Rubio), which introduced legislation in February 2024 requiring all California public elementary schools to use evidence-based reading instructional materials and train educators on providing evidence-based early literacy instruction. Unfortunately, the 2024 version of the bill died in the Assembly without a hearing. We will again support the 2025 version of the bill because the cause is too important.

Our children deserve nothing less.

Learning to read is a civil right. Therefore, the movement to ensure that all students learn to read well can be seen as the catalyst to emancipate BIPOC people trapped at the lower rungs of the education ladder.

Until we assure every parent/ caregiver in California that their public education system can and will prioritize teaching their children to read, Black children will continue to experience high rates of illiteracy and inequity.

The right to Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) is meaningless if an educational system created through civil rights fails to promote literacy, as it has then certainly failed to educate.

About the Author

Darryl White Sr. has been a teacher, curriculum specialist, race/human relations/equity trainer, and inner-city elementary, middle, and high school administrator. As a middle school principal, he provided the leadership to move Vallejo’s lowest achieving middle school to the city’s best (includes charter schools) in only three years while improving the school’s Academic Performance Index (API) over 100 points.

Over the last few years, a health phenomenon has been discovered in the medical community that 2% of young, non-smoking Asian American women have lung cancer. The rate of detection in these women is higher than the national rate of 1% with 1.5% detection.

Dr. Ho, an emergency medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente, is a non-smoker and was in relatively good health prior to her cancer diagnosis in 2020.

She explained that she had to ask for a series of tests, scans, and referrals to specialists until receiving the final diagnosis, a caveat Ho acknowledged she has in possessing the knowledge and courage to keep looking until she got what she needed.

During this journey, Ho met fellow Kaiser physician thoracic surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Velotta, who is currently conducting research at UCSF on why Asian women are at a higher risk for lung cancer.

Doctors are not quite sure exactly what the reasons for this trend are. Not for lack of effort, but lack of data and unwillingness from this community to get tested or take a part in the research.

Velotta said that half of the women who come in with the lung cancer diagnosis are already at Stage 4 and the disease has spread into multiple parts of the body.

He explained that unlike Ho who understands medical jargon and knows what tests to ask for, most Asian women are not advocating for themselves before or after a diagnosis. This has led to

“If Asian women out there don’t know that the risk for lung cancer is high and you have those chronic symptoms, then they won’t seek out medical attention until it’s too late,” Ho said.

A 2021 study found that among Asian American women who have cancer, 50% had never smoked tobacco before. Velotta said that because smoking is a misconception of being susceptible to lung cancer, many patients do not think that is what is driving their health problems.

Although no concrete data has gotten to the root causes for this trend in Asian women, it does seem to potentially have ties to family history and the susceptibility one has if their maternal line also has people with the diagnosis.

In the meantime, Velotta and others at UCSF are looking for more people to talk to for their research, but they acknowledge that the first step is creating more awareness within the Asian community to look out for symptoms of chest pain, trouble breathing, coughing, and encouraging them to advocate when talking to their physicians.

These doctors are also reaching out to other physicians so that they are aware of the trend amongst these women and can provide better culturally competent care. The point is to bring more attention to the issue so that potential patients can receive the proper care before it is too late.

“We’re getting there, but it’s a grassroots effort,” Velotta said.

Recall Campaign Demands that Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao Resign Immediately Due to FBI Raid and Overwhelming Support for Recall

By Oakland Post Staff

Oakland United to Recall Sheng Thao (OUST) today demanded that Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao resign immediately because of today’s FBI raid of her home and office and the overwhelming public support for her recall.

The recall’s lead proponent, civic leader and retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte, has frequently highlighted the numerous open Public Ethics charges concerning allegations of illegal campaign activities during Thao’s mayoral bid. It is a fact that Thao did not file on time for the 2022 mayoral election and should never have been on the ballot.

“While the FBI raid does not prove her guilt in the ongoing investigation, we already have multiple smoking guns indicating Thao’s lack of fitness for public office,” remarked Harbin-Forte. “OUST calls on the numerous individuals and organizations that endorsed Mayor Thao to speak out on these recent events. They spent millions to get Thao elected, and all of these relationships are now called into question.” added Harbin-Forte.

If Thao resigns at least 120 days before the general election, Oakland may hold a special election for a new mayor on November 3rd. OUST believes this is the best option for Oakland to move forward and begin to heal.

In the Police Department, the city is proposing freezing hiring on 18 vacant sworn positions, bringing the number of sworn officers from the proposed 696 that were budgeted in the Biennial Adopted FY 24-25 budget to 678 sworn officers. The 678 sworn police positions funded in FY 2024-25 are 34 fewer than the 712 sworn police positions funded in the FY 202324 Biennial Budget.

Several staff positions including patrol, communications, criminal investigation, human resources, and crime analysis will also face freezes.

Members of the Coalition for Community Engagement (CCE), a group which largely supports the recall of Mayor Sheng Thao, told the Post that these freezes and cuts from police and fire are diverting essential dollars that Oakland needs in order to combat the public safety issues in the city.

Edward Escobar, founder of

Crime prevention programs like Ceasefire, a city program that investigates gun violence and how to prevent it, are set to be fully staffed in the mid-cycle proposal budget with an almost $7 million increase added to the department.

Other members of CCE told the Post that although it looks as though the city is giving more money to public safety through voter-passed measures like Measure Z, that may not actually be the case.

“They were taking departmental expenses that were already being paid for by the general purpose fund and they’re moving them over to those measures so that instead of being paid for by the general purpose fund, those same expenses are now being paid for by the measures,” Tim Gardner said.

Oakland City Council will have final discussions and vote on the mid-cycle budget adjustments at their June 26 meeting.

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from 20 to 30 and injuries included loss of fingers and gunshot wounds.

Additional victims were taken to various hospitals by private transportation. At this time, there are no reports of fatalities, and the exact number of those injured is still under investigation.

No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting. It is currently unknown if there was a single shooter or multiple shooters involved, as there were more than 50 shell casings discovered after crowds cleared.

Following the shootings, officers attempted to guide the crowd into a safe area. During this effort, some individuals in the crowd

punched and pushed officers, resulting in minor injuries. One person was taken into custody for assaulting an officer who was giving first aid to a gunshot victim. The events were not sanctioned gatherings. Police are searching social media to try to identify the shooters.

This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the OPD Felony Assault Unit at (510) 238-3426. If you have any videos or photos that could assist with the investigation, please send them to cidvideos@ oaklandca.gov

Sources for this report are the Oakland Police Department press office and the Associated Press.

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nected to Andy Duong, one of the Duong family members who own and manage Cal Waste Solutions, a company that provides recycling services to Oakland residents. Duong could not be reached for comment.

The FBI confirmed the two search warrants but declined to say who the targets of the search warrants were and if they were connected.

“We are fully aware of the raid, and we’re fully cooperating,” said Teresa Hoang, a staff member at Cal Waste Solutions, who is also director of the Vietnamese American Business Association.

“We’re confident that the results (of the investigation) will show we are not doing anything unlawful or improper,” Hoang said, quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle.

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former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong, the departure of the Oakland A’s, and the city’s financial hardships.

Crime data from OPD has shown that crime is trending down by 34% from 2023, but many have said that the data is neither accurate nor credible.

Scott did not respond for comment at the time of publication. He has previously told the Post that Oakland United has no interest in speaking with our reporters because of the supposed “biased” and “liberal reporting” from the news group.

This is not the only recall that will be featured on the November general ballot. Alameda District Attorney Pamela Price has also been combating a county-wide

campaign to be removed from office because of what her opponents consider a “soft on crime” approach.

Similar to Thao, Price has also only been in office since January 2023. Both officials had rumblings of potential recall campaigns against them very early on in their administrations, Price as early as April 2023 and Thao around the same time.

The campaign to remove Price is being led by Save Alameda For Everyone (SAFE) with community leader Carl Chan and activist Brenda Grisham at the forefront of the cause.

The Oakland City Council will discuss certifying the signatures at their July 2 meeting.

iStock photo.

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao speaks from the podium inside Oakland City Hall chambers. Courtesy photo.