Oakland Post, week of August 23 - 29, 2023

Remembering the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

By Gay Elizabeth Plair Cobb

Editor’s note: The “March on Wash-

ington for Jobs and Freedom,” brought an unprecedented throng to the National Mall on Aug. 28, 1963. From every corner of the U.S., marchers came to demand fair wages, economic justice, an end to segregation, voting rights and long overdue civil rights.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his incomparable “I Have a Dream” speech on

that day. Below, Gay Plair Cobb shares her remembrance.

“Sleepy eyed, joining the early morningchartered bus ride from New York City to Washington, DC … exhilarated, but not knowing what to expect in the late August heat

…. the yearning for justice, solidarity with others on the journey, the possibility of new legislation, and also the possibility of

violence … We just did not know.

In the end, there were an amazing 250,000 of us, awed and inspired by Mahalia Jackson, John Lewis, Dorothy Height, James Farmer and, of course, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Dream that became our North Star is still our North Star 60 years later and into eternity. Grateful to have been a foot soldier then. Still grateful now.”

Oakland Post

“Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18 postnewsgroup.com

Weekly Edition. August 23 - 29, 2023

Dozens of Baptist Ministers of East Bay Pray for DA Price

Rise East 10-Year Plan Calls for $100 Million Investment

By Post Staff

A new philanthropic partnership is kicking off a plan to invest $100 million to enhance the quality of life in a 40-by-40 block area of East Oakland.

By Post Staff

East Oakland’s Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church played host to an impactful event as Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price met and prayed with more than 20 pastors and faith leaders who were participating in the 2023 Bay Cities Baptist Minister’s Union Citywide Revival.

This gathering at 5717 Foothill Blvd., a precursor to the annual revival, presented a distinctive platform for faith leaders to question Price on the current status of the community, her ongoing challenges, her role and responsibilities, and her steadfast dedication to justice reform.

Well-recognized in the faith community, Price seized the

moment to dispel misconceptions surrounding her position. She forthrightly acknowledged the mistaken perception that she wields the authority of a mayor or police chief.

However, she sought to explain that while her role as District Attorney is paramount in ensuring an equitable dispensation of justice, it still has limits.

Rev. Joe Smith, president of Bay Cities Baptist Ministers, told the Post that Mayor Sheng Thao is scheduled to meet their group Thursday, Aug. 25 to also answer questions about crime and her role and responsibilities in solving the city’s problems.

Smith, his fellow ministers and their congregations will be look-

ing for solutions to the problems of the unhoused, job seekers, and school absenteeism.

“We want to work with our mayor, our district attorney, our schoolteachers, and everyone that has contact with our members and their families,” Smith said. “We want progress. We want affordable housing, and we want justice and jobs. We must also do our part to keep our youth in school and train them up in the ways that they should go so they won’t get in trouble.”

Against the backdrop of her personal journey — from the foster care system to her present status in the legal field — Price brought up the transformative influence of

Continued on page 10

Mayor Sheng Thao Speaks on Public Safety, Oakland-Vietnam Trade Opportunities

By Ken Epstein

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, just back from a Vietnam trade mission, spoke at a press conference this week to discuss the results of her international meetings and also to address community concerns about crime in the city.

She said she is “working day and night” to increase public safety: investing in violence prevention programs, seeking more funding to expand public safety

resources, and collaborating with the governor to bring in the California Highway Patrol and Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.

As the mayor of Oakland, she said, “I was able to call the governor directly, and this is now why we have the resources of CHP here in the City of Oakland.

Pointing out that the city now has the highest number of officers in uniform in the past three years, she said there is still work to be done to put the officers where they

are needed most.

Thao also discussed the recent successful trade delegation to Vietnam, which ended Aug. 8 and included the mayor, Alameda County officials and Port of Oakland board members, and was designed to promote Oakland as a trading partner with Vietnam.

“This trip was an investment in Oakland’s future, by cultivating critical relationships that will

Continued on page 10

Rise East is a collective impact initiative that grew out of a community-led vision to develop a Black Cultural Zone in East Oakland almost 10 years ago.

The effort is led by community members who were born and raised in East Oakland and is designed to keep Black families in the area and lead to the return of families who were displaced due to economic barriers and systemic disinvestment.

This privately funded initia-

tive will focus on an East Oakland community known as the “40x40,” which runs from Seminary Avenue to the Oakland-San Leandro border and from MacArthur Boulevard to the Bay. This area is home to the largest concentration of Black residents (over 30,000) who remain in Oakland flatland neighborhoods today.

“As young people raised in the area and now serving as leaders, our vision is for a robust and vibrant renaissance in legacy Black communities; vibrant, thriving Black arts, cultural, and commercial areas in a thriving economy and ecosystem powered by collective efforts that assures our inalienable human right to love, health, well-

ness, belonging, power, safety, and self-determination,” said Carolyn (CJ) Johnson, CEO of the Black Cultural Zone and member of the 40x40 Council, speaking at a press conference Thursday announcing the initiative.

Rise East is a joint effort between the 40x40 Council and Oakland Thrives, which is a network composed of resident leaders, major employers, and representatives of large public agencies, including the City of Oakland and Oakland Unified School District.

“Kaiser Permanente is a proud co-founding member of Oakland Thrives, whose goal is to make Oakland the healthiest city in the

Continued on page 10

JPMorgan Chase Bank Hosts Backpack Giveaway in Oakland

By Selina Pichardo

With the school year kicking into gear, JPMorgan Chase wanted to stress the importance to parents and their children about learning money basics to navigate the world.

To help prepare for the year ahead, JPMorgan Chase hosted a Back-to-School event at its Oakland Community Center branch on Saturday, Aug. 19. The event featured school supplies giveaway, activities for the whole family, financial health workshops, and more. Multiple families joined the financial literacy workshop led by Chase Community Managers while over 300 backpacks were given to children to help celebrate the new school year.

The financial literacy workshop discussed laying the groundwork

for earning and saving and explained how by helping children understand money management, they are being set up for success on a journey toward financial independence.

The Chase Oakland Community Center opened in 2021 as only one of 12 among Chase’s 4,800 branches nationwide. It is a community-inspired model led by Chase Community Managers with free financial health resources like skills training, local pop-up shops and ‘fintech’ innovation for local residents and small businesses.

“The goal of the Community Manager is to improve financial health among residents, businesses and the community through identifying programming, resources, and

collaboration opportunities that address local needs,” said September Hargrove, executive director for Community Banking at JPMorgan Chase. “It’s events like our back-toschool giveaway and other events our community managers attend that helps advance our mission to go beyond banking to community building and show up in other ways to help our local communities grow.”

If parents are interested in learning more about Chase’s suite of family banking solutions and resources, they are encouraged to visit chase. com/StudentBanking. Parents and entrepreneurs are also encouraged to visit the Chase Oakland Community Center located at 3005 Broadway in Oakland.

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price was invited to meet with representatives of more than 40 congregations to hear her testimony and to find out how to help her execute “equal justice for all.” Photo by Jonathan Fitness Jones

“We will stand with her. Forget about a recall. Let her do her job.”

As Mayor Sheng Thao speaks, members of her administration stand by: (l.-r.) Cheryl Ho (Port of Oakland); Ken Maxey (Chamber of Commerce); Bryan Brandice (Port of Oakland); Larry Gallegos (Economic Workforce Dev.); Mayor Sheng Thao, Sophia Navarro (Economic Workforce Dev); Michael Colbruno (Port Commissioner) and Jimmy Hoang (Mayor’s office). Photos by Jonathan Fitness Jones.

The support team of the backpack giveaway sponsored by the Oakland Branch of the JPMorgan Chase Bank seen with the host, Community Manager and Vice President Myesha Brown, fourth from right. Photo courtesy of Chase Bank.

Maui, The GOP Debate, an Ex-President’s Arrest, Who Shall Lead America?

ered. He wasn’t like Trump who threw toilet paper at the Puerto Ricans in 2017 after Hurricane Maria.

In Maui, Biden stood by a surviving banyan tree, saw it as a symbol, and vowed that the whole country will be behind Maui. And then he said the government would be respectful of the traditions, and “rebuild the way that the people of Maui want.”

That was an important acknowledgment if you know Hawaiian history.

We need leaders to admit that Hawaii is ground zero for a form of economic imperialism. A reminder about how Hawaii did not come begging for statehood and how it was made a U.S. protectorate via a coup staged against her.

make sure we don’t have another wildfire disaster that kills more than 100 people.

It can’t happen again.

“If this country cannot ramp down the fossil fuel extraction that is exacerbating these weather catastrophes, then the message is loud and clear that we are on the wrong road,” Williamson said last week.

Williamson is one of those candidates for president you don’t hear much about. She’s the other Democrat who is running, who speaks from the heart about people and government in a way that seems more honest and caring.

maswamy, the businessman who’s quickly catching up to DeSantis.

There’s a reason to go after Ramaswamy -- wanting to cancel the Juneteenth holiday is one.

But what we’re seeing is standard after conservatives won the Harvard affirmative action case.

White people going after affirmative action was a no go. The folks who led the Harvard case saw that. With a white plaintiff, they lost. With an Asian plaintiff, they won.

By Emil Guillermo

since.

back freedom for Filipinos living under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

Aquino never made it out of the airport, assassinated on the tarmac, apparently by a single gunman. After an investigation, his murder was pinned to 16 members of the Philippine Army loyal to Marcos.

Ten days after the assassination, I was in Manila at Santo Domingo Church reporting for the San Francisco NBC station from the funeral mass, and then observing the procession to the Manila Memorial Park.

On a week that an ex-president is arrested and arraigned for a historic fourth time, one must wonder what kind of leader the American public really wants.

Especially when the four-time indicted ex-president is leading all Republicans to be our next president.

Here’s one measure. On Aug. 21, 1983, Benigno (Ninoy) Aquino, a Philippine political activist in exile in the U.S., went home to win

More than 2 million people were in the streets following the casket of Ninoy, their exiled leader. But they were also angered by the lost chance at real democracy.

That demonstration was the precursor to People Power, which would lift up Ninoy’s wife, Cory Aquino, and ultimately topple Marcos.

I have never seen 2 million people in one place, before or

That’s the spark missing in American politics. We just don’t have leaders who are beloved and respected as we’ve had in the past.

Instead, we have a personality cult that has a stranglehold on our politics. And even after this week, some people still won’t quit the indicted one.

Think of the Philippines. Could we even see 2 million people on the streets for a real bi-partisan pro-democracy movement in the U.S. today?

Maui Disaster a Test in Leadership

President Joe Biden went to Maui on Monday, as he should.

Last week, he announced $700 per household in cash aid to victims of the Maui wildfires. By Friday, FEMA pledged $5.6 million in assistance to nearly 2,000 families in Maui. But money isn’t everything. This will be the time for Uncle Joe to act like ohana (family).

We needed to see some compassion from Biden. And he deliv-

Those are the words of Marianne Williamson from her Substack article, “Hawaii’s Broken Heart.”

“Hawaii is deeply sacred land,” she wrote “And her heart has been wounded by the soulless economic overreach of everyone from Dole to Monsanto.”

Specifically, James Drummond Dole, who was known as “The Pineapple King.” Aided by exploited Filipino labor, he colonized the spiky fruit and sent it around the world.

He was inspired by his cousin Sanford Dole, a Republican appointed by the U.S. imperial president William McKinley as territorial governor. That wasn’t enough for Dole, who then led a coup against Queen Lili’uokalani in 1893 and became the first president of Hawaii.

Corruption, connections, and greed. This is how paradise has been co-opted in the past. In the modern day, it falls victim to the fury of climate change.

We’ve got to help Hawaii and

If more politicians talked like that, could we end our divides and work together? Or does the loving language of Williamson only deepen the divide?

It’s surely a moral rhetoric from left of center that exposes the right-wing theocracy and all its hypocrisies.

But few people talk about Marianne Williamson.

Maybe because she makes too much sense?

GOP’s Anti-Asian Hate and the Personal Debate of Tucker / Trump

You’re likely not going to hear much candor about Maui from Republicans at this week’s first GOP debate.

But there will be a debate, and Donald Trump won’t be there.

Trump will show his stranglehold on Republicans by refusing to debate the also-rans. Instead, at the same time, he’ll submit to an interview by the disgraced former Fox host Tucker Carlson, a noted Trump sycophant.

I will be watching the debates mostly because Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign has been exposed as adopting an anti-Asian, name-calling approach against Vivek Ra-

So, the model for conservative causes will be to lead with the Asian. Let the ‘model minority’ do it. It may even be the reason we see so many Asians in local races leading conservative recall efforts.

Vivek is a congenial panderer who will do anything for attention – even rap like Eminem last week at the Iowa State Fair.

He’s making headway by being the likeable non-white white. It hasn’t worked that well in this campaign for Nikki Haley. But it may yet work for Tim Scott.

For now, Vivek is the dynamo among the also-rans and it’s getting to DeSantis. If you hear DeSantis say “Vivek the Fake,” you’ll know he is running out of gas. Call it model minority politics, acceptable for white consumption. And after the conservative win over Harvard to defeat affirmative action, expect to see more of that in the future.

It’s fighting race with the nonwhite face.

You won’t get 2 million marching in the streets. But it gets a candidate what he needs in our polarized society, one more vote than the minority.

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. See his web talk show on www.amok.com

iStock photo.

VETERANS OF OAKLAND CALIFORNIA

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2727, located in Oakland, CA is seeking new members to join its Post.

Must meet eligibility as follows:

1. Proof of Service by providing a copy of your DD Fm 214

2. Must have been awarded a recognized campaign medal or badge

3. Served in Korea between 30 June 1949 until present, or earned Hostile Fire or Imminent Danger Pay as evidenced by your DD Form 214.

4. Overseas service in hostile areas. If eligible, Post 2727 will pay the membership fee for the pt 2 years of your membership. For more eligibility details and to apply, please contact one of the following individuals: Arthur Butler, 253-343-8554, Aumont Phipps 510-677-4843, Al Dean 510-332-2891

1. BID OPENING: The bidder shall complete the “Proposal to the City of San Leandro” form contained in the Contract Book. The proposal shall be submitted in its entirety. Incomplete proposals will be considered non-responsive. Sealed bids containing the completed Proposal Section subject to the conditions named herein and in the specifications for ANNUAL SIDEWALK REPAIR PROGRAM 2023-24 addressed to the City of San Leandro will be received at City Hall, 835 East 14th Street, 2nd Floor San Leandro at the office of the City Clerk at up to 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 14, 2023, at which time they will be publicly opened and read.

2. WORK DESCRIPTION: The work to be done consists of removal and replacement of concrete sidewalk, curb and gutter, and construction of curb ramps, and doing all appurtenant work in place and ready for use, all as shown on the plans and described in the specifications with the title indicated in Paragraph 1 above, and on file in the office of the City Engineer. Reference to said plans and specifications is hereby made for further particulars.

3. OBTAINING THE PROJECT PLANS AND CONTRACT BOOK: The project plans and Contract Book may be obtained free of charge from the City’s website at: https://www.sanleandro.org/Bids.aspx Bidders who download the plans are encouraged to contact the City of San Leandro Engineering and Transportation Department at 510-577-3428 to be placed on the project planholder’s list to receive courtesy notifications of addenda and other project information. Project addenda, if any, will be posted on the website. A bidder who fails to address all project addenda in its proposal may be deemed non-responsive. Bidders may also purchase the Project Plans and Contract Book from East Bay Blueprint & Supply Co., at 1745 14th Street, Oakland, CA 94606; Phone Number: (510) 261-2990 or email: ebbp@ eastbayblueprint.com.

4. PRE-BID CONFERENCE: All bidders are strongly encouraged to attend mandatory one of two virtual pre-bid conference and sign the attendance sheet. Pre-bid conferences will be held as follows:

Pre-bid meetings will be held via zoom. Pre-bid conferences will be held for this project as follows:

• August 23, 2023, at 1:30 pm. This meeting will be cast on Zoom: the virtual meeting can be accessed by internet as follows:

Wednesday, August 23, 2023, at 1:30 pm

Meeting ID: 884 6736 2047

Passcode: 562190

Zoomlink: https://sanleandro-org.zoom.us/j/88467362047?pwd=ektRQXJSNkVzQkpQS0ZEZ2YwU k5DUT09

• August 30th, 2023, at 1:30 pm. This meeting will be cast on Zoom: the virtual meeting can be accessed by internet as follows:

Wednesday, August 30th, 2023, at 1:30 pm.

Meeting ID: 884 6136 1641, Passcode: 233903

Zoomlink: https://sanleandro-org.zoom.us/j/88461361641?pwd=OWtKTS9uQW4xRjRUVjlHWVA1 U1g0UT09

A bidder who fails to attend one of two pre-bid conference will be held responsible for any information that could have been reasonably deduced from said attendance.

Questions regarding the plans and specifications may be submitted in writing to the project engineer until 5:00 p.m. five (5) days before, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays, bids must be received by the City. The City will not respond to oral questions outside of the pre-bid conference. The response, if any, will be by written addendum only. Oral responses do not constitute a revision to these plans or specifications.

5. SAN LEANDRO BUSINESS PREFERENCE AND PARTICIPATION GOALS: The work performed under this contract is subject to Section 1-6-225 of the San Leandro Municipal Code regarding local business preference and participation. A list of companies that hold a San Leandro business license is located on the City webpage under the finance department, here: https://www.sanleandro. org/340/Business-License

6. SAN LEANDRO COMMUNITY WORKFORCE AGREEMENT: The work performed under this contract is not subject to the Community Workforce Agreement adopted by City Council Resolution 2015-104. Contractors attention is directed to Section 10.

Dated: August 18, 2023

Kelly B. Clancy City Clerk

OPINION: When Trash Becomes Trash: Denunciation of Rap, Part 2

By Charles Blackwell Special to The Post

Last week, The Post published Part 1 of a commentary on the effects of rap/hip-hop music on youth. Part 2 is below.

As one African American writer on C-Span said recently, “We no longer have music.”

We agree with that assessment. An agenda of cultural destruction, comprising of illegal narcotics, gang violence, and the broadcast of rap (which in effect is violence) has been activated.

It has reached a point in our society where we can no longer separate one from the other.

A few years ago, Dr. Jeffries spoke at a conference on rap and hip hop at Purdue University. He noted, “When rap and hip-hop came on the scene, the homicide rate skyrocketed. The language of rap suggests violence, the degrading of the self, and an absence of love. We need to elevate the aesthetics of hip-hop like it once was, to uplift the youth of the Black community.

The overuse of the N-word is dehumanizing, making it easier in one’s mind to kill one’s neighbor. One rap group’s message implies that cash rules everything around me except me! There is big cash for Black artists that want to call themselves “n---a” and call other black people “n---a.”

Many white folks love that mess, and they pay big money to keep it going. This is self-destructive for Black people.

The use of the word “b---h” falls into the same category – to degrade a woman and create a person of worthlessness. It also creates

hateful relationships between men and women. These antagonizing words continue to build poor selfesteem, self-hatred, and relationships based on sex without love.

Many of us are aware of producers, agents, and recording companies meeting behind closed doors designing destructive rap with the potential to destroy Black communities that parallel actions by city officials, real estate companies and politicians when they drew up plans to implement policies of restricted covenants which was actually, segregated housing.

Power brokers have collected artists, influencing them to sign their souls away and produce obscene, destructive material. Chaching! All of this falls in line with the government’s drug plan in Black communities which journalist Gary Webb presented during the 1990s. It was clearly an act of genocide, and so is this new rap.

The “blanger” or Black anger in Rap continues to proliferate in the minds and emotions of our youth. It is plain and simple the glorification of our own self de-

struction. We are being crushed by white racism on the one hand and Black self-hate on the other.

We have so many issues facing us as a community that we really need all hands on deck. We need hip-hop to step up and help us address these issues and thus attempt to eradicate what we can.

We can party and still help our children improve their reading scores, right?

According to the National Assessment of Education Progress, 56% of Black 4th graders did not meet their reading benchmarks and 48% of our Black 8th graders did not meet their reading benchmarks.

Hip-hop needs to move from boys to men because we need that maturity, we need that accountability, we need leadership and inspiration from the young to improve as a community.

Rapping about killing other Black men, chopping them up, and stuffing them in the trunk of your car is an extreme form of selfhatred.

America will consume your

internalized racism till the fat lady sings, “until the trees and seas just up and fly away, until the day that eight times eight times eight is four” (Stevie Wonder). Why help them in our own destruction?

It is time for us, if we intend to exist as a people, to take a stand against this destructive disease. We must stop our children from being a part of it, get churches to speak out against it, and not allow it to be presented at community events.

At this point in time, we who stand on the shoulders of our ancestors are not here to debate the right to free speech.

Rather, we are here to push for the continued existence of Black people instead of our calculated annihilation. We must be that man in the mirror and take a pause for the cause and check ourselves before we continue and continue and continue wrecking ourselves. Make it make sense.

Besides myself, this concerned community includes: Warren Goodson, Artist North Carolina; Vincent Kobelt, poet writer, Sacramento; Safell Gardner, sculptor, Detroit; Stephen Monroe, poet/ journalist, Washington D.C.; Arlene Goodson, poet, New York City; Alan Laird, artist/writer, Florida; Sylvester Guard, artist-poet, San Francisco; Bisola Marignay, poet writer, Oakland; Napoleon Henderson, artist with Afrocobra, Boston.

COMMENTARY: African American Culture Under Attack

Defending The Historic Truth

By Honorable Sandré R. Swanson

In the state of Arkansas, high school students will no longer be offered college credit for courses in African American studies.

This appalling decision is supported by legislation signed by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the actions of the Arkansas Department of Education.

Sanders is joining Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign of hate. Eliminating college credit for African American studies is a blatant attempt to rewrite history and roll back the civil rights gains of the past 60 years. This censorship of American history is happening, in part, because these governors feel the truth, quote, “will make some people uncomfortable.”

Their embrace of a white supremacy doctrine is manifesting itself by book banning, and prohibitions on the teaching of African American history in classrooms.

The recent denial by the Supreme Court of the need for diversity in our educational institutions supports and spawns these seeds of hate.

The purging of many Black

writers, poets, and scholars should help us understand how far this hate movement will go to challenge African American culture.

Removing topics of the historic gains in civil rights and the Black Lives Matter movement from high school and college curriculum is part of this attack and campaign of hate.

This attempt at “Cultural Cleansing,” and campaign to rewrite American history, must be challenged now.

Each generation of like-minded people of all backgrounds has a moral obligation to fight for social justice and challenge this cultural war of hatred. We have a proud legacy of social justice and cultural pride and will defend it.

Note: Former Assemblymember Sandré Swanson served as chief of staff for Congresswoman Barbara Lee, district director for Congressman Ron Dellums, and is a current candidate for the California State Senate. www.sandreswanson.net

If elected Sandré Swanson would be the only African American in the California State Senate from Northern California.

Thousands of Black Californians Have Lost Their Health Insurance — Don’t Lose Yours

By McKenzie Jackson California Black Media

Five percent of the 225,231 Californians who lost their MediCal coverage in June were African American.

According to numbers from the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), around 14,000 Black Californians lost health insurance with the state’s safety net health care exchange because they didn’t turn in the required renewal paperwork to continue their Medi-Cal enrollment or their coverage was switched to the state’s insurance provider, Covered California.

Mayra Alvarez, president of The Children’s Partnership, a Los Angeles-based organization that advocates for affordable health care service for families, said it is important for minorities to have health insurance.

“Especially, as we come out of this public health emergency that has disproportionately hit communities of color, we know health coverage is important to our families and livelihoods,” Alvarez said referencing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Medi-Cal is California’s version of the Medicaid program, which offers free or low-cost health care access to low-income people across the nation.

Alvarez and other California officials and advocates were speaking during an online video news conference last week organized by California Black Media and Ethnic Media Services.

The eligibility of 18 million Californians who are enrolled in Medi-Cal will be reviewed by the DHCS for the first time since 2020.

As a result, between this summer and next spring, state officials estimate that 1.8 million to 2.8 million people could lose their Medi-Cal coverage.

To help Californians keep their insurance, DCHS has created a number of easy-to-navigate resources that state residents can access online. The state is also part-

nering with Community Based Organizations (CBOs) already connected to people in cities and towns across California to help educate the public through a bilingual campaign informing people about how they can prevent losing their health care coverage.

The Medi-Cal eligibility redetermination process, which officials call the “great unwinding,” is part of a massive undertaking taking place in every state to find out who qualifies for Medicaid.

A single Californian making $20,121 or less annually is eligible for Medi-Cal. In the past, participants had to prove their eligibility each year, but in March 2020 Congress suspended the income-verification requirement for Medicaid to make sure people had health insurance during the pandemic.

Those protections expired in March. The federal government has projected that 15 million Americans will lose their health insurance during the nationwide renewal process due to procedural reasons or excess income.

California’s DHCS began verifying the eligibility of Medi-Cal enrollees two months ago.

DHCS Assistant Deputy Director of Health Care Benefits and Eligibility Yingjia Huang said over one million Medi-Cal users had their eligibility reviewed in June. She expects that trend to continue monthly as batches of people come up for renewal until the end of the redetermination process in May 2024.

DHCS has an automatic renewal system for Medi-Cal users whose income the state can confirm on its own. The department is notifying people that they will receive a renewal packet in the mail via text, phone calls, and email.

Huang said individuals lost their Medi-Cal service either because they didn’t complete the renewal paperwork and return it to a county DHCS office by the June 30 deadline or they had an increase in income that allowed DHCS to move their coverage to an affordable health plan with Covered California.

Residents whose coverage was transitioned to Covered California are notified and able to review their new health plan, according to Covered California CEO Jessica Altman.

“California is well-positioned to help consumers through this process and help them keep coverage,” she noted.

Participants who were removed from Medi-Cal’s rolls but are still eligible for the service have until Sept. 30 to get their insurance reinstated. To do so, they must complete the renewal packet and return it to a DHCS office.

DCHS is advising all Californians to take the following steps: update their contact information online; check for mail from their county health office; create or check their online accounts; and complete their renewal forms (if they receive one in the mail).

DHCS and its partners, Huang

stated, are committed to helping people maintain health insurance.

“Please be sure you are looking out for the yellow envelope and renewal packet,” she said. “We really hope we continue to keep our members on coverage.”

Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County CEO and President Louise McCarthy said 64% of the 1.9 million Los Angeles County residents that visit CCALAC locations for health services are Medi-Cal enrollees. They can receive help completing the renewal forms at any of the 113 centers, McCarthy explained.

“A number of folks are letting that yellow packet slide,” she said. “If you haven’t seen the packet, reach out, and we will help you navigate the system.”

There were also 53,836 newly enrolled Medi-Cal participants in June, according to DHCS figures.

Alvarez, the president of The Children’s Partnership, said no one needs to lose their access to health care during the redetermination process.

“People are falling through the cracks,” she said. Keeping people enrolled, Alvarez added is “an all hands-on-deck effort.”

For more information on renewing your health insurance, visit DCHS online. For individuals who receive Social Security Insurance benefits and don’t have online access, call, 1-800-772-1213 or contact your local Social Security office.

Celebrating 50 Years of Hip-Hop: Legislative Black Caucus Honors West Coast Greats

By Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media

The California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) celebrated the 5oth anniversary of hip-hop on Aug. 14, with a tribute to the West Coast pioneers, leaders and innovators who shaped the genre.

The Bring the Peace Movement organized the rally and ceremony where speakers paid homage to the honorees.

Juana Burns-Sperling, cofounder of Rialto/Los Angelesbased all-female hip-hop group JJ FAD, told California Black Media (CBM) that the love received from state lawmakers -- which included standing ovations on both the Senate and Assembly floors — was a long time in the making, but well worth the wait.

“It was amazing. It was an honor to be there to represent the West Coast and represent my group,” said Sperling, who goes by the stage name, MC JB. “When I first heard about it my thoughts were, ‘finally’ because the West Coast seems to be left out of things that are going on right now. So, the fact that our (lawmakers) were honoring us, we didn’t have to rely on other geographical areas. I was truly happy. We’re finally getting recognized.”

The rap songs Sperling, “Baby D” (Dania Birks) and “Sassy C” (Michelle Ferrens) performed were produced by world-renowned Hiphop mogul Dr. Dre (Andre Young), and Arabian Prince (Kim Renard Nazel). They group was signed to Ruthless Records.

JJ FAD (an acronym created with the names of the original group members in 1985: Juana, Juanita, Fatima, Anna, and Dana) reached the top of the charts with their signature song, “Supersonic” in 1988.

The program organized by Jamilia Land of the Bring the Peace Movement, featured a voter registration drive and entertainment and

Assemblymember Tina McKinnor and Colleagues Ask Gov. Newsom to Intervene in State Employee Pay Negotiations

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. and Edward Henderson California Black Media

Tensions are flaring over ongoing contract negotiations between government employee unions and the state. Some are deadlocked.

The delays have prompted Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D - Inglewood), who is a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus and other lawmakers to write a letter asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to intervene.

“State workers play a crucial role in all of California’s pro-

grams,” lawmakers said in the letter dated Aug. 14. “To achieve your Administration’s goals, such as combating climate change, ensuring accessible and affordable healthcare, and improving our transportation infrastructure, it is crucial to retain public workers who can effectively implement these vital programs and policies. Unfortunately, without a new contract many of these workers’ economic futures, and our ability to retain them as employees, are in jeopardy.”

How Nonprofits Can Strengthen Legal Guardrails

Bronx borough of New York City. Hip-hop consists of four elements: “deejaying,” or “turntabling,” “MCing” or “rhyming,” graffiti painting, and the hip-hop dance, style, and attitude of “B-boying.”

was attended by CLBC chair Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson (DSuisun City), Vice-Chair and Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) and other officers and members.

“At the time of its founding, hip-hop was met with vitriol from politicians. However, today a host of politicians, community organizations and leaders convene to honor the pioneers and architects of the hip-hop movement,” Wilson said on the Assembly floor.

Sperling was joined at the State Capitol with West Coast hip-hop artists and music producers King T (Roger McBride), Kid Frost (Arturo R. Molina Jr.), Arabian Prince Mistah F.A.B.(Stanley Cox), Micheal Latt, Karega Bailey, Tinish Hollins, Greg Mack, Violet Brown, LaRussell Thomas, Greg Mack, Casual from the Hieroglyphics (Jon Owens), Disco Daddy (Michael Khalfani), filmmaker Deon Taylor, and Alonzo “Lonzo” Williams.

Mickelle “Hayón” Hellon, Leila Steinberg (who was Tupac’s manager), the Magical Rock Band, and retired legislative aid Rory Kaufman were also recognized as honorees.

Known to the West Coast hiphop community as “Grand Master Lonzo,” Williams is the innovator behind the legendary R&B/Rap group “World Class Wreckin Cru,” that found major success with the 1987 hit “Turn Off the Lights.”

“When I called my partner and Senator, Sen. Bradford, and told him we need to do something for hip-hop on the West Coast I had no idea that it would end up on the Assembly and Senate floors,” Wil-

liams told CBM. “My initial plan was to do something in Compton, get all the homies and OGs together and show some love. But here we are today, and it was a great event.”

Bradford and Williams “go way back” on the music scene of Gardena, Compton, and Los Angeles. They used to promote singing groups, bands, and hip-hop dancing cliques. The artists received a warm welcome from lawmakers in both chambers; thanks to Bradford, Wilson, and Sen. Lola SmallwoodCuevas (D- Ladera Heights).

“Steve understood what we did back in L.A. back in the day because he was a part of it but only on another level,” Williams said. “Steve was a dance promoter before he became a Compton city councilman, assemblymember, and senator. He was my competition. It just made for a great situation.”

Williams is credited with launching the careers of Dr. Dre, Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson), D.J. Yella (Antoine Carraby) and Eazy E. (Eric Wright), formerly known as N.W.A. The group is credited with ushering in a form of hip-hop music that was coined gangster rap.

The gangster rap genre propelled the careers of Snoop Dogg (Calvin Broadus Jr.), Nate Dogg (Nathaniel Hale), DJ Quick (David Marvin Blake), Above the Law, Warren G (Warren Griffin III), Lady of Rage (Robin Yvette Allen), Yo-Yo (Yolanda Whitaker), E-40’s (Earl Stevens) little sister Suga-T (Tenina Stevens), among others.

The elements of hip-hop culture first emerged in the 1970s in Morris Heights, a neighborhood in the

The West Coast artists extracted the characteristics and stylings from East Coast hip-hop but were able to create their own musical flavor with stories, references and imagery that reflected street life and living in urban centers, mostly in California.

Gangster rap and the “G-funk era” dominated the hip-hop scene in the late 1980s and all through the 1990s from the Los Angeles region to Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area by standouts like Too $hort (Todd Anthony Shaw).

Joel Flatow, Senior Vice President, Artist and Industry Relations, and Chief of West Coast operations for RIAA, said the accolades bestowed on the artists in Sacramento are a tribute to the innovation and foresight they brought to the culture.

“We just have a tremendous wealth of talent in this state,” Flatow added.

RIAA is a trade organization that supports and protects the rights of artists and music labels in the US.

Adding to the cultural weight to the celebration, Land and other community activists issued a proclamation, offered samplings of poetry, gave shoutouts to hip-hop history, and appealed to the audience to become politically engaged champions of peace.

“This is a time of celebration and reflection,” stated Land, who is also the co-founder of the Anti-Violence, Safety, and Accountability Project (ASAP). “We acknowledge the monumental achievements of West Coast artists and also reflect on the effect of unresolved trauma and violence in the Culture.

By Carmen Bogan

On Aug. 31, OCCUR & San Francisco Foundation FAITHS A

Model Built on Faith (AMBOF)

will present: Strengthening Your

Legal Guardrails 2023 - What

Faith Based and Nonprofit Organizations Need to Know.

In this important training, Karl Mill, founding attorney of the Mill Law Center, along with attorney Patrick Hogan will provide an overview of key legal principles every nonprofit leader must know and observe now for the organization’s protection and stability.

“Now more than ever, our communities look to faith-based and nonprofit organizations to fill service gaps and critical safety nets for those who are struggling to survive and thrive in every area,” says Mill, a specialist in nonprofit law. “As faith-based organizations and CBOs push forward to meet these community needs, now more than ever, it’s essential that they are also diligent to continually examine and strengthen their own legal infrastructures. Not learning the basics of nonprofit law can be a costly mistake.”

Training participants will

learn:

• Overview of some key legal issues for 2023

Maintaining 501 (c)(3) status

• Fiscal sponsorship briefing

• The Board’s legal responsibilities

• Risk factors for your tax exemption

• Non-negotiable reporting and filing requirements

• Funding issues: donations, donors, and due diligence

Paying attention to employment law issues (employees vs. contractors vs. volunteers)

How to engage in political advocacy without creating risk for your organization … and more.

“Legal guardrails are central to the organizations’ very ability to function and thrive. Legal stability is critical to getting funding, acquiring loans, managing staff and volunteers, collaborating and partnering with other CBOs, and so much more,” says nonprofit consultant, Carmen Bogan, CEO, The Bogan Group. “This free training from experts in the field, Karl Mill and Patrick Hogan, is a valuable opportunity for our nonprofit community.”

Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Los Angeles)

Karl Mill, Esq., founding attorney of the Mill Law Center. Courtesy photo.

DA Pamela Price ...

Continued from page 1

grace and education. She candidly revealed that her trajectory owes much to both divine grace and educational opportunities.

She presented data drawn from a UCLA article that revealed jarring racial disparities woven into the fabric of the criminal justice system. In Alameda County, a staggering 70.7% of those sentenced to Life Without Parole (LWOP) are Black.

This discrepancy is alarmingly disproportionate, given that the Black population constitutes merely 9.9% of the whole. Price pointed to Alameda County’s Special Directive, a blueprint for instituting equitable adjustments, that recognizes the severity and significance of this chasm.

In a candid conversation with the audience, Price emphasized that a compassionate prosecutorial approach does not entail a lapse in prosecution itself.

In her remarks, she aimed to rectify common misconceptions about the district attorney’s role, describing its essence in upholding fairness, abiding by the law, and guaranteeing an impartial platform for all.

She repeatedly told the audience that she would remain committed to reforming the system to

Sheng Thao ...

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grow our city’s economy,” Thao said in a statement.

The Oakland delegation met with representatives from private industry, Long An International Port, the mayors of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

In-depth discussions with Pham focused on climate change issues, including establishing “green corridors” for all Vietnam ports and the Port of Oakland.

Other productive meetings were held with several companies, including electric vehicle manufacturer, VinFast, where discussions focused on importing their vehicles through the Port of Oakland; and airline, VietJet, which launched discussions on a possible new international route to Oakland Airport. An MOU was signed with THACO Industries, a leading manufacturer in mechanical products and technology.

Elaborating on the city’s commitment to reduce crime and make Oakland residents safer, Mayor Thao said, “To actually catch the perpetrators, that means we have to have the manpower for that. We are talking about how we free up our officers, whether it’s ‘civilianizing’ some positions, so we can get more officers doing investigative work.”

Despite inheriting a major

bring about justice through fairness and equal treatment.

Price’s affinity for the church was evident as she spoke about her Christian values and the comfort she derives from the congregation.

This sentiment was underscored by a private session during which pastors offered prayers and support for Price.

During the hot summer evening, the revival fervor in the church set the scene for joyful singing and clapping.

Preceding Price’s address, Laney College president Rudy Besikof announced the extension of the “Spring is Free” initiative, offering free classes for an extended period. Price lauded this initiative, acknowledging its potential to guide young adults away from potential difficulties.

In conclusion, Price reiterated her resolve to realize justice for all. Sharing her personal narrative, she inspired the attendees to stand alongside her in pursuit of transformative change. She told the gathering at Good Hope Baptist Church that their prayers and community support would be indispensable in the county’s quest for justice.

Many in the audience were surprised to learn that Price had filed a response to a petition by outlining her accomplishments as D.A., which included:

deficit from the previous administration, the mayor said the city’s new budget did not cut funds for violence prevention and received $1.2 million from the state to fund technology upgrades.

Specifically, she said the city is expanding Ceasefire, the Oakland Police Department’s anti-violence program, installing more license plate readers throughout the city, and working with the sheriff’s office to set up check points for intoxicated drivers.

She added, “Arguably, I would say that crimes would be even higher than it is today if I were to have cut in my budget the programs for our after-school programming, for summer programming.”

Thao emphasized that the changes will not occur overnight, but the public can expect to see progress.

“Although this is a hard moment in time - this, too, shall pass,” she said. “Because we are now in the phase of implementing. But I promise you, you will start seeing some of those results moving forward, towards next year.”

Property crime in Oakland has increased 28%, according to an ABC7 report in July. Homicides, so far, in 2023 are down 13% compared to 2022, while burglaries are up 41%. Vehicle thefts have increased 50%.

While rising crime is an issue that is frequently connected to “law and order” partisan political campaigns and is often viewed as

charging over 7,610 cases,

• expanding the victim-witness advocacy program

• enhancing police collaboration promoting diversity within investigative teams

• prioritizing mental health support addressing workplace wellbeing

• training staff on the Racial Justice Act securing budget approvals

• expanding specialized court programs

• establishing various community-focused commissions and bureaus.

Smith said his group would continue to seek solutions from the major departments chartered with responsibility to dispense justice such as the DA, the mayors of Alameda County, the Alameda County Sheriff, police chiefs, the Public Defender, the Probation Department and the Grand Jury.

“We want them all to find ways to work for solutions rather than point fingers at one another,” Smith said. “Everyone should accept responsibility for their part in the process, and that includes the churches too. We must stay alert, read, pray, register to vote, and hold all our officials accountable. And in the meantime, let Pamela Price do her job.”

an intensely local concern, the data points to more complex national reasons and solutions, spurred by the pandemic and other intersecting crises.

According to a report from the Brooking Institution in April, “Cities and towns of all sizes saw their murder rates increase … rising over 35% in cities with populations over 250,000; 40% percent in cities with populations of 100,000 to 250,000; and around 25% in cities with populations under 25,000.

In an article about “recent trends in violent crime,” from the Brennan Center for Justice, which opposes mass incarceration, the dramatic growth in crime across the country started during the pandemic.

“Despite politicized claims that this rise was the result of criminal justice reform in liberal-leaning jurisdictions, murders rose roughly equally in cities run by Republicans and cities run by Democrats. So-called red states actually saw some of the highest murder rates of all.

“This data makes it difficult to pin recent trends on local policy shifts and reveals the central flaw in arguments that seek to politicize a problem as complex as crime. Instead, the evidence points to broad national causes driving rising crime.”

This news story included reporting from KGO7, SF Chronicle, KRON4 and the Oakland Post.

U.S. Provides Resources to Help Universities, Colleges to Lawfully Promote Racial Diversity

Building Democracy 60 Years After the March on Washington

ment; elevating the values, views, voices and leadership of women of color; and embracing, amplifying, and mobilizing young people.

“Change happens at the speed of trust,” said Stephen M.R. Covey, and the Rev. Jennifer Bailey added that “relationships are built at the speed of trust, and social change happens at the speed of relationships.” Thus, longstanding, systemic, and generational change is built over time by creating meaningful relationships. It’s not enough to rally folks for a single election or campaign. You must give people a real reason to believe that their voice and vote matters. Even more, you must show them how to engage in the democratic process regularly, beyond election cycles, and remind them that our systems are only as strong as the people who run them. We must hold those elected and appointed officials accountable to the will of the people.

By Tamieka Atkins

face new threats each day.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. and Edward Henderson California Black Media

The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office for Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division are jointly releasing resources to help colleges and universities lawfully pursue diversity in their student bodies.

The departments have issued a Questions and Answers resource to help colleges and universities comply with the Supreme Court’s

decision that ruled affirmative action unconstitutional.

“Educational institutions must ensure that their admissions practices do not create barriers for students based on any protected characteristics, including race,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke.

The resource gives examples of how colleges and universities can lawfully take steps to achieve a racially diverse student body. Examples included targeted outreach, recruitment, pathway programs, evaluation of admission policies,

and retention strategies and programs.

ED will release a report in September that showcases practices to build inclusive, diverse student bodies, including how colleges can give thoughtful consideration to measures of adversity when selecting among qualified applicants.

This includes the economic status of a student or their family, where a student grew up, and personal experiences of hardship or discrimination, such as racial discrimination, in their admissions process.

Sixty years ago, more than 200,000 people descended upon the National Mall for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, making a stand for freedom and equality. Black people, women, and poor people had been treated like second-class citizens for too long, and it was time to demand justice.

The March led to unprecedented federal legislation addressing the systemic racism and economic injustices that had plagued Black people through slavery and the Jim Crow era. Within a year, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed, followed by the National Voting Rights Act of 1965 a year later. Sit-ins, protests, and other demonstrations set the stage for change, but the March on Washington set a new standard for civic engagement and exemplified the impact that could be accomplished when we organize broad coalitions toward a common goal. Those lessons will stand the test of time. The march remains a call to action for social justice advocates to continue the fight against discrimination, voter suppression, police brutality, and wage disparity. It is also a platform to elevate the greater narrative on racial injustice.

Now, as we commemorate August 28, 1963, we understand that while progress has been made, we have so much more work to do. Our democracy is fragile, and we

$100 Million Investment in Oakland ...

Continued from page 1

nation. We are honored to support the transformational work of Rise East, which will help us realize this shared vision,” said Colin Lacon, East Bay Public Affairs director, Kaiser Permanente Northern California.

Oakland Thrives is working to raise $50 million in local funding, which will be matched by national philanthropic organization Blue Meridian Partners for a total of $100 million in new investment for East Oakland.

Rise East strategies will be implemented over 10 years, beginning in 2024, and fundraising will continue as the work unfolds.

In Georgia, threats against democracy linger around every corner. Over the past five years alone, potential voters have faced a new wave of voter purges, the elimination of polling places, reductions in early voting options, limitations on the use of mail-in/absentee ballots, efforts to undermine poll workers and legislation that would subject citizens to a criminal investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for claimed suspicion of voting irregularity. We’ve always been a hotbed for civil rights and social justice, but recent years have shown just how far some people will go to suppress the will of the people. The needs of real people too often take a backseat to partisan jockeying, rampant mis- and disinformation, and wholesale agendas reversing decades of legal precedent promoting equity. At this moment, we cannot afford to view the March as a thing of the past. The fight for our most basic civil rights never ended. We need urgent action and consistent civic engagement.

That’s why for more than a decade, ProGeorgia has worked to help uphold the legacy of community organizing, civic engagement, and viable policy change set forth by the trailblazers behind the March on Washington. Alongside our 61 partner organizations, we continue to employ smart, robust, and innovative strategies to rebuild democracy and magnify civic engagement. While we organize for equity in our state, we also try to provide a framework for creating people-centered, positive change nationwide.

What we’ve found most effective is centering our work around three major premises: relational, rather than transactional engage-

More information can be found at www.riseeast.org.

“I applaud the East Oakland community leaders and everyone that has been working tirelessly toward the Rise East initiative and securing this investment in East Oakland,” said Mayor Sheng Thao in a press statement.

“My Administration is committed to working in partnership with this coalition to ensure the resources needed for the health and vitality of our East Oakland residents are provided to address historic inequities and ensure current residents continue to call this community their home,” she said.

Rise East is guided by a 10-Year Plan, which includes a five-part strategy to improve schools, boost economic opportunity, and improve health and wellbeing at the

Beyond non-transactional relationships, it’s important to center and elevate the voices, values, and leadership of people guiding this work every day, many of whom are Black women and women of color. The face of civic engagement must reflect the communities being served. We need more brown, black, queer, and differently-abled people as activists, organizers, candidates, policymakers, judges, district attorneys, and lawmakers. Even as we strive toward greater inclusivity, we must also embrace and elevate the ideals and actions of young people. At the time of the March on Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr. was 34 years old, and Georgia’s own senior statesman, John Lewis, was just 23 and a fierce advocate for justice. Young people have always been at the heart of movements for civil rights and social justice, and real progress requires that we continue to amplify their efforts. Engaging them today means speaking their language and empowering them to engage on their own terms.

So, the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington represents a commemoration and a continuation of the work that’s already been done to make America live up to her promise. As Anna Hedgeman wrote in her memoir The Trumpet Sounds: A Memoir of Negro Leadership, “We will not rest until there is justice in our beloved country, and we know that as justice comes to all Americans, it will come in increasing measure to the rest of the world.”

Tamieka Atkins is the executive director of ProGeorgia, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening democracy in the state. To learn more about our effort to protect Georgians’ voter rights, visit www.govotega.org.

individual, household, neighborhood, and systemic level.

“More than 400 residents contributed their ideas to the plan,” said Oakland Thrives CEO Melanie Moore. “Data on the particular challenges facing East Oakland’s Black community ultimately led participants to make the decision to focus on Black children and families in the 40x40 area as the starting place for this effort.”

Speakers at the press conference at the East Oakland Youth Development Center included East Oakland residents, members of the 40x40 Council, Mayor Sheng Thao, OUSD Superintendent Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell, and representatives from Oakland Thrives and Kaiser Permanente.

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom