Oakland Post, week of November 30 - December 6, 2022

Black District Attorneys, Supreme Court Justices Bring Justice to Bay Area and throughout California

Attorney Hakeem Jeffries to Lead Democratic Congressional Delegation

tions by acclamation.

In his first statement after the Dem ocrats chose him, Jeffries said, “House Democrats fight for the people. That’s our story. That’s our legacy. That’s our values. That’s our commitment.”

On the eve of the party meeting, Jeffries told reporters, “It’s a sol emn responsibility that we are all inheriting. And the best thing that we can do as a result of the serious ness and solemnity of the moment is lean in hard and do the best damn job that we can for the people.”

By Post Staff

House Democrats this week elect

ed New York Congressman Ha keem Jeffries as their new leader, making him the first Black Ameri can to lead a major political party in Congress.

He was elected after Nancy Pelosi, the current speaker, announced that she and her leadership team were stepping aside next year for a new generation.

Jeffries, 52, will assume his role as minority leader when Congress is sworn in early next year, assuming the position that Nancy Pelosi held for nearly 20 years as a powerful leader and the first woman speaker.

In a show of unity, Democrats unanimously approved Jeffries and two other top leadership posi

The three new top Democratic leaders will include Jeffries, Mas sachusetts Congresswoman Kath erine Clark, 59, as whip and Pete Aguilar of California, 43, as cau cus chair, in charge of messaging, and James Clyburn, 82, the whip from South Carolina.

Referring to the Democratic cau cus as a “beautiful mosaic of the country,” Aguilar said, “Having an opportunity to help guide this cau cus is a great responsibility and I don’t take it lightly.”

The unity of the Democrats stands in contrast to the fractured House Republicans, who are yet to unite around Kevin McCarthy. With only a few votes to spare, Mc Carthy is attempting to shore up enough support to become speaker.

Vowing to “get stuff done,” Jeffries said his caucus would look for op

Black Attorney Joel Young Voted to

By Post Staff

Joel Young, an East Bay attorney and member of the AlamedaContra Costa (AC) Transit District Board of Directors, was chosen re cently to serve as interim president of AC Transit, a position he will hold until January when new offi cers are elected by the board.

Young, who is African American, was recommended for the interim position by the board’s nominat ing committee at the Nov. 16 board meeting. Speaking in favor of the recommendation was Director and Nominating Committee Chair H.E. Christian “Chris” Peeples.

The nominating committee unani mously recommended Young as interim president and Board Direc tor Diane Shaw as vice president.

“Joel (Young) has been the vice president for the last two years, so is quite familiar with the duties of the president,” a written statement submitted by the nominating com mittee reads. “He is a long-time di rector who is always well prepared for meetings but has never been president. He was extensively in volved in AC’s last parcel tax cam paign. He recently received a sub stantial vote of confidence from his constituents (in his campaign for reelection).”

The nominating committee also recommended that Young and Shaw be elected in January as Board President and Vice Presi dent.

Young, who was reelected to the board in November, originally was appointed by the AC Transit Board of Directors in February 2009 to

fill one of the district’s two at-large positions. He was elected by voters in

Lee Applauds Election of Democratic Leadership

”Today is a historic day. Con gratulations to my friend, col league, and our new Democratic Leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, on becoming the first Black law maker to head a major party in Congress. From surviving the longest government shutdown in history to the impeachment of a lawless president, Congressman Jeffries has led our Democratic Caucus as Chair through count less peaks and valleys. I have no doubt he will be an excellent leader and fierce advocate for our communities, putting people over politics.

“I would also like to congratulate Rep. Katherine Clark and Rep. Pete Aguilar on their new roles as Democratic Whip and Demo cratic Caucus Chair, respective ly. They both bring a wealth of experience to the positions. I look forward to working with these skilled lawmakers in ur new era of Democratic leadership to cre ate a better future for this country in the 118th Congress.

Oakland Ballerina, Angela Watson, Dances the SF Nutcracker, From

In 2016, a young dance student graced the stage of SF Opera House as the first African American in four decades to dance the leading role of Clara in SF’s Nutcracker Ballet since Angela Taylor circa 1975. Now 19, Angela Watson, SF Ballet Company Apprentice hits the stage for a 7th season of Nut cracker.

She’ll dance Snowflake and Flow er, which she danced previously as a student. Now a professional bal lerina, Angela also debuts a new role, Spanish Dancer, on Dec. 10. She dances in opening week Dec. 8-11 and throughout the Nutcracker season. Tickets available at www. sfballet.org/nutcracker. The SF Nutcracker Ballet runs through Dec. 27.

began his career as a community organizer at Taylor before becom ing pastor in the 1990s.

A couple of years after he became pastor of Taylor the first time, he began co-hosting Mosaic on KPIX-TV, which he has done for the last 20 years.

Rev. Swisher is a native of the Bay Area born at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland in 1946. He was raised in Alameda, where he spent over 20 years. After graduating from En cinal High School in Alameda, he worked as park director for four years while attending the Univer sity of San Francisco.

Biden Names Ismail Ramsey as US Attorney for Northern California

By Post Staff

Pres. Joe Biden’s Administra tion announced Tuesday the ap pointment of Berkeley criminal defense Ismail Ramsey to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California.

Ramsey is replacing Stephanie Hinds in the esteemed position: there are only 93 nationwide, bro ken down geographically.

“These individuals were chosen for their devotion to enforcing the law, their professionalism, their experience and credentials, their dedication to pursuing equal jus tice for all, and their commitment to the independence of the De partment of Justice,” the White House statement read.

Ramsey, a graduate of Harvard

Law School who also holds a master’s degree in business from UC Berkeley, had previously served in the Northern District as an assistant U.S. attorney from 1999-2003. In the course of his 26-year career, the 1985 Berkeley High School graduate became known for prosecuting and de fending people accused of whitecollar crimes.

In 2006, he became a founding partner in Berkeley’s criminal law firm Ramsey & Ehrlic. Just last year he was the defense at torney in a fraud case for Mu hammad Nuru, former director of San Francisco’s Department of Public Works, and before that he defended engineer Andrew Lewandowski, who eventually pled guilty to stealing trade

The Community at its Best

By Paul Cobb Religion Editor

He said he has been appointed as interim pastor at Taylor Memorial beginning this Sunday, Dec. 4 at 10 a.m.

“I know I will be interim at least until June 2023,” he said. He will be serving as pastor since Rev. Anthony Jenkins is on disability leave.

During the 1970s, Rev. Swisher

He received a BA Degree in Polit ical Science and Philosophy from the University of San Francisco, He received a Master of Divinity from Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley.

He was a community organizer under the aegis of the United Methodist National church pro gram called Black Community Developers. He functioned as li aison with church and community and was assigned to Taylor Me morial in 1970-1972.

“Although I was in Seminary, considered my intern years, it was extremely significant because I was able to work with the Oak land Black Caucus, which was cochaired by Paul Cobb and Elijah Turner, Oakland Black Panthers, NAACP of which I am a Life

By Richard Johnson

On Tuesday, Nov. 22, one of Oak land’s finest, known as Mistah F.A.B., a rapper, businessman, and artivist sponsored his annual celebration to bring the com munity together at the corner of 45th and Market Streets in North/ West Oakland.

The Formerly Incarcerated Giv ing Back (FIGB) and the African American Sports Entertainment Group (AASEG) joined in col laboration with Mistah F.A.B. to help provide and distribute gifts, food, and plenty of love to help create harmonious feelings with good music and laughter as our expression of good tidings throughout the community at large.

Several Clergy and elected offi cials that included DA-elect Pa mela Price, City Councilmember

The Formerly Incarcerated Giv ing Back (FIGB) and AASEG

2010 and re-elected in 2014. He has a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and a Juris Doctor from the UC Berkeley School of Law.

Chris Peeples, who has served on the AC Transit Board for 24 years, is a longtime advocate for public transit and AC Transit bus service.

Peeples has been actively involved in the AC Bus Riders Union, Alli ance for AC Transit, Regional Alli

ance for Transit, Alliance for Sen sible Transit, Coalition for A One Stop Terminal, and many other transit groups.

He is also active in local commu nity affairs, having served on the Oakland Ethics Commission and community and political bodies.

Dan Kalb, OPD Inspector Gen eral Michelle Phillips, Ellie Lefiti from She Bliss Transitions, Rev. Ken Lackey and his Tiny Homes Project Team of Rev. Hamilton, Pastor Bea Williams, and Dr. Maritony Yamot told the Post that they look forward to connect ing with and extending Mistah F.A.B.’s vision and energy to help provide tiny homes for families and children, formerly incarcer ated, homeless seniors, and vet erans.

leaders Ray Bobbitt, Samantha Wise, and Jonathan “Fitness” Jones of AASEG along with the distinguished Dr. Maritony Ya mot, the International Ambassa dor of Tiny Homes communities told public officials and the Post that they will work together to ad

Rev. Ron Swisher is back in town for his second coming to the pulpit as pastor to the Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church congregation at 12th and Adeline streets in Oakland.

Lead AC Transit Board

Hakeem Jeffries. Photo courtesy CNN.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee and outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Joel Young

Chris Peeples

Mistah FAB, Pamela Price and Richard Johnson (L-R)

Associate Justice Kelli Evans, pg 2 Associate Justices Martin Jenkins, pg 2 Associate Justice Leondra Kruger, pg 2

Pamela Price, D.A. Alameda County, pg 2

Diana Becton, D.A. Contra Costa County, pg 2 Brooke Jenkins, D.A. San Francisco, pg 2

Rev. Ron Swisher’s Second Coming to Taylor Memorial

Black Justices Bring Diverse Experiences to California Supreme Court

By Aldon Thomas Stiles California Black Media

In November, Associate Justice Kelli Evans became the third Black Associate Justice on the California Supreme Court. Black justices now make up half of the associate justices on the state’s High Court.

The state Supreme Court consists of a chief justice and six associ ate justices. It reviews decisions by the six state Courts of Appeal, decisions by the Public Utilities Commission, and cases that result in a death sentence.

Evans, 54, is the first openly les bian woman justice to serve on the bench of the court. She was nominated by Gov. Gavin New som in August and approved this month after a unanimous vote by the Commission on Judicial Ap pointments.

“Throughout her career, Judge Evans has been widely recognized for her intellectual curiosity, dili gence, work ethic, humility, and integrity,” the commission’s re port reads.

“From all this, the commission concluded that Judge Evans will make an outstanding Associate Justice and found her to be well qualified for the California Su preme Court,” the report contin ues.

Evans is a graduate of Stanford University and UC Davis Law School. She is a former ACLU staff attorney, worked as a senior trial attorney in the U.S. Depart ment of Justice Civil Rights Di vision and represented clients in civil rights litigation at the law firm Relmen & Associates.

In addition, she worked in the Cal ifornia Attorney General’s office, for the State Bar of California, and was Newsom’s chief deputy legal affairs secretary before becom ing an Alameda County Superior Court judge.

Anthony Rendon (D-Lakeside), Speaker of the California State Assembly, called Evans’ approval “excellent news for California’s Supreme Court” in a Tweet.

During a conversation with New som in a video posted by his of fice, Evans spoke about her 28year career.

“I’ve been really privileged to have an incredibly diverse and re warding legal career, having had the opportunity to impact people’s

lives for the better,” Evans said.

Newsom praised Evans’ appoint ment by Tweeting, “Judge Kelli Evans has dedicated her life to promoting equality and justice through her work. Her broad expe rience in law and policy will serve her well as an Associate Justice on California’s Supreme Court.”

Evans is joining two Black col leagues already on the court: As sociate Justice Leondra R. Kruger and Associate Justice Martin J. Jenkins.

Kruger, 46, was nominated by Gov. Jerry Brown and confirmed and sworn in on Jan. 5, 2015. She was the second Black woman to be appointed to the California Su preme Court.

A native of Southern California, she was born in Glendale and raised in Pasadena.

Kruger attended Harvard College before attending Yale Law School and asserts that her approach “re flects the fact that we operate in a system of precedent,” she said in a 2018 Los Angeles Times inter view.

“I aim to perform my job in a way that enhances the predictability and stability of the law and public confidence and trust in the work of

Black Santa: Because Representation Matters

By Tamara Shiloh

The legend of Santa Claus is loosely based on the life of Saint Nich olas. It is said that he lived around the fourth century in what is now present-day Turkey. This, according to The Tulane Hullabaloo, sug gests that St. Nicholas was not white.

The image of Santa seen in stores, in print, on TV and in movies, and gracing the advertising world today was created in the late 1800s by American artist Thomas Nast in a series of cartoons for Harp er’s Weekly magazine.

This image, however, fails to represent everyone and every Santa.

The bearded character can be traced back to the late 19th-century United States, where, according to the Washington Post, he was folded into a rac ist minstrel and vaudeville tradition designed to frame Black people as inferior to whites. President Woodrow Wilson was reported to be “left in stitch es by the antics of a dusky Santa Claus” during his 1915 honeymoon.

Meanwhile, Black newspapers and entertain ers championed and embraced Black Santa. As the numbers of Black freedom protests began to

swell, Black Santa provided civil rights campaign ers greater public visibility to their cause. He had become a symbol in the civil rights movement as a form of Black empowerment.

The Washington Post reported that the local chapter of the NAACP in Bloomington, Indiana, entered a Black Santa float into the city’s annual Christmas parade to raise awareness of discrimination within the city’s Chamber of Commerce. In Milwaukee, a Black Santa led a march for open housing leg islation. In New York, protests about Santa Claus segregation led major department stores, includ ing Macy’s, to integrate their Santa staff.

For some Black power advocates, white Santa was an example of “white cultural hegemony and the psychological harm inflicted upon Black people, and in particular Black children, in a society shaped by white social attitudes and expectations.”

Sharon Nichols-Sargeant of West Sacramento told ABC-10 News: “Every race, every culture, should have a Santa that looks like them.”

In the early 20th century, Black men dressed as Santa were often met with racial slurs and insults. Beginning in the 1950s, Black Santas appeared in inner-city shopping malls more often as whites started mass-migrating to the suburbs. “Many ac tivists called out the portrayal of Santa as a white man as an example of whitewashing even chil dren’s stories,” The Tulane Hullabaloo reported.

Three Bay Area Counties Have Black Women Chief Prosecutors

By Maxim Elramsisy California Black Media

Civil rights attorney Pamela Price made history when she was elected Alameda County’s first African American District Attorney (D.A.).

Price joins two other Black women, Contra Costa County D.A. Diana Becton and San Francisco D.A. Brooke Jen kins holding the same office in their Bay Area counties.

Price is the fifth Black woman to be elected District Attorney in California. Former D.A.s on the list are Vice President Kamala Harris who was San Francisco’s D.A. from 2004 to 2010 and Jackie Lacey who was Los Angeles County D.A. for two terms from 2012 to 2020. She lost a bid for a third term.

“We knew this election was going to be an exclamation point in history for Alameda County,” Price said in a writ ten statement. “The D.A.’s office has been an untouched tower of legacy appointed and unchallenged District Attor neys. For the last 10 years, the D.A.’s office has stood in the way of the progressive reforms

ushered in by our California Legislature and endorsed by

Price defeated another Black candidate, Terry Wiley, a 32year veteran of the Alameda County District Attorney’s of fice and its third-highest rank ing member as a chief deputy D.A.

The California Legislative Black Caucus submitted Bec ton’s and Wiley’s names as possible replacements for the state’s Attorney General posi tion when Xavier Becerra re signed to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services in President Joe Biden’s adminis tration.

“I congratulate Pamela Price on becoming Alameda Coun ty’s first-ever African Ameri can district attorney,” Wiley said after conceding to Price.

“I look forward to working with Pamela in her transition to district attorney.”

Price is a product of the Ohio juvenile justice and foster care systems. She graduated from Yale University with a Bach elor of Arts degree in Politi cal Science in 1978 and from U.C. Berkeley School of Law,

earning a Juris Doctorate and a Master of Arts degree in Juris prudence and Social Policy in 1982. She was admitted to the California bar in 1983.

Price is proposing a progres sive approach to dealing with the criminal justice system. She intends to end racial dis parity in prosecutions, ter minate mass incarceration of Black and Brown people, and ban the practice of charging youth as adults.

“My administration will begin an era of change that ultimate ly will make us stronger and safer,” Price said in a Nov. 18 Twitter post.

In 2017, Becton became the 25th D.A. for Contra Costa County after being appointed by the Board of Supervisors. She was elected D.A. in June 2018 and re-elected in June 2022. Before her appointment, Becton was a judge in Contra Costa County for 22 years, where she was elected as Pre siding Judge.

In April 2021, Becton charged white Danville police officer and Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Hall for an on-duty killing.

Alameda County voters.”

Pamela Price, D.A. Alameda County (left), Diana Becton, D.A. Contra Costa County (center), Brooke Jenkins, D.A. San Francisco (right).

Black Santa. iStock photo.

New California Supreme Court Associate Justice Kelli Evans (left) and fellow associate justices Martin Jenkins (center) and Leondra Kruger (right).

By Post Staff

Irene Cara, the Cuban-Puerto Rican, singer, actress, dancer, and songwriter whose talents were showcased in the 1980 film “Fame,” died in her Flor ida home on Nov. 25, 2022, at the age of 63.

Her cause of death was not known.

Born in 1959 in Bronx, N.Y., she showed early skill, win ning talent shows and attend ing the Professional Children’s School in Manhattan. At 13, she was appearing regularly on “The Electric Factory,” a chil dren’s show broadcast on pub lic television.

In 1976, she had the lead role in “Sparkle,” a film that was panned at the time but would, decades later, become a Black cult classic. It was as Coco, a character in the 1980 film “Fame,” about New York City’s High School for the Per forming Arts, that made her an international star.

In the movie’s title song, she had a hit record as well as

the ballad “Out Here on My Own,” for which she garnered nominations for two Grammy awards and one Golden Globe award.

She co-wrote the lyrics for “Flashdance…What a Feel ing,” the hit record featured in the 1983 film that starred Jen nifer Beale as a working-class dancer, garnering an Oscar for Best Original Song and a Grammy for Best Female Pop Performance.

By 2001, People magazine was describing her as a singer “whose time had come and gone.”

According to Cara, the $10 million suit she filed against Al Coury of Network Records in 1985 for withholding her roy alties, led to false accusations that she was difficult to work with.

It took eight years for the suit to go to court and the jury awarded her only $1.5 million in 1993.

Nevertheless, she was an in spiration to two now-famous

Black and Brown female enter tainers who mourn her passing.

In her 2020 memoir, Mariah Carey recalls winning a talent show singing Cara’s “Out Here on My Own.”

The moment “described my entire life, and I loved singing that way — singing to reveal a piece of my soul,” Carey said.

In a Tweet honoring Cara, ac tress-singer Anika Noni Rose wrote: “Your voice/words were the opening notes of the performer I’ve become.” She thanked Cara “for paving the way for me, inspiring me to be lieve I could b[e], in this space, with this face, as me.”

It was Cara’s background that inspired actor John Leguiza mo. “She was one of the rea sons I am here today,” he wrote in a Tweet. “She made me believe if you were Latin you could make it! She fueled my community.”

Leguizamo was not alone in pointing out the significance of Cara’s contribution to her com Continued on page 11

Three Bay Area Counties Have Black Women Chief Prosecutors

Continued from page 2

Hall was convicted by a jury for assault with a firearm, deadlocking on a charge of voluntary manslaughter. He is serving six years in prison for shooting a mentally ill man during a slow-car chase.

“(We) must continue to hold anyone who harms commu nities accountable — even if they are in elected office or wear a badge — because that is what real safety demands,” Becton said in a written state ment in June 2022.

San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed appointed Jenkins to replace the former D.A. Chesa Boudin following the recall election on June 7, 2022. Jen kins campaigned for the D.A. position decided on Nov. 8 and defeated former police com missioner John Hamasaki on a ranked-choice voting system.

Jenkins served as an assis tant D.A. in the San Francis co District Attorney’s office from 2014 to 2021, where she worked her way up, serving in the Misdemeanor and Felonies Units before working as the office’s Hate Crimes prosecu tor. She was later promoted to the Sexual Assault Unit and eventually to the Homicide Unit.

Jenkins resigned from the San

Francisco D.A.’s Office in Oc tober 2021, because she dis agreed with Boudin’s lenient policies.

Jenkins said after her appoint ment in June that she would “do everything” in her power to navigate a progressive plat form of reform while institut

ing a strict policy of account ability and reform. After the election, she doubled down on her office’s objectives.

“Together, we proved that San Franciscans want accountabil ity and smart reforms in and for our criminal justice sys tem,” Jenkins stated in a Nov. 9 Twitter post. “Together, we proved that we will lead with our city’s progressive values and advance public safety in all of its forms.”

To place a Legal Ad, contact Tonya Peacock: Phone: (510) 272-474, Fax: (510) 743-4178, Email: tonya_peacock@dailyjournal.com. All other classifieds contact the POST: Phone (510) 287-8200, Fax (510) 287-8247, Email: ads@postnewsgroup.com

Irene Cara. Source: MDA TELETHON/YOUTUBE

After Restaurant Depot Fires Single Mom, L.A. Coalition Accuses Them of Being “Anti-Black”

later, she was suspended and the next day she was fired.

“This protest was a community effort to get justice for Passion, and what this focuses on is what we believe was anti-Black ag gression against her for a basi cally ridiculous firing because she said she liked Kanye West. We really wanted to get that mes sage out that there’s a line that was crossed,” stated Ludlow Cleary II, Schoolfield’s attorney.

Schoolfield did not speak during the press conference. However, she told California Black Me dia that retail has been her career since she was 18, and while work ing at Restaurant Depot, she loved the customers and the people.

The protest was called by the new ly formed, faith-based Grassroots Community Coalition Against Anti-Blackness (GCCAA). For now, they are demanding compen sation for stress caused to School field and her children, particularly her two autistic sons, “Blackness Sensitivity” training — not diver sity training — they emphasized and revising the company’s em ployment policy.

By Angela Birdsong CBM Contributing Writer

About 200 protesters gathered on Nov. 24 at wholesale cash and carry foodservice supplier Restaurant Depot/Jetro in Culver City to demand justice for Passion Schoolfield, a single Black mother who was fired for expressing an opinion about Ye, the rapper also known as Kanye West.

According to Schoolfield, she was speaking with a customer in her cashier’s line about celebrities they like and was overheard by an other customer when she said, “I like Ye. He keeps it real.”

Then, she says, a customer, a white male, got out of the check-out line, got in her face, and questioned her, “You like Ye?” After repeating this several times, he walked off and spoke with a manager. Moments

“Black Jobs Matter and no one will be able to get in here to buy (nothing) from Jetro Restaurant Depot until my sister gets justice, until Passion gets her job back. She has the right to her job to take care of her family,” stated Nation of Islam Western Region Rep resentative Abdul Malik Sayyid Muhammad (formerly known as Tony Muhammad).

“She poses no threat to anybody. We in the Nation of Islam believe

protest.

“This

that a nation can rise no higher than its women and that when you attack a woman, you attack a na tion,” he stated.

Muhammad, who is also the stu dent minister of Muhammad Mosque #27, issued the GCCAA’s 48-hour demand for a response during the press conference and

is a Rosa Parks moment. We’re living in a cancel culture, but it looks like that cancel culture is directed at Black people with consciousness,” he stated. “And any of us who desire to stand up and be conscious and support one another, there seems to be a sys

tem in place that’s telling us we can’t do that,” he said.

Ralph Vasquez, manager of the Restaurant Depot Store, gave no comment when asked about Schoolfield’s termination and the protest. No response has been re ceived yet from Restaurant De

(Left to right) Rev. K.W. Tulloss, president of the Baptist Minister’s Conference of Los Angeles and member of the National Action Network, Abdul Malik Sayyid Muhammad, Nation of Islam Western Region representative, and Passion Schoolfield, during press conference outside Restaurant Depot/Jetro Jefferson Blvd. store in Los Angeles

Not Everyone is Happy as Year-End Holidays Approach: Talk Can Save Lives

Camille A. Brown & Dancers ink

By Godfrey Lee

able to them, and they want their unbearable pain to end. They need to be kept emotion ally safe and supported, so that they can get through their cri sis.

Programs and sessions ranged from LGBTQ allyship train ing, outreach to survivors, grief counseling and even a Well ness Carnival for high school students.

But now, with winter’s short days —and many high hopes hinging on the first holiday gatherings unlimited by COV ID-19 restrictions — the appar ent happiness of revelers can be the very thing that makes life unbearable for members of the community who are struggling mentally and emotionally.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) of fered a presentation via Zoom on Nov. 15, 2022, called “Talk Saves Lives.” Christina Cap pello, area director at AFSP, was the presenter.

Suicide is a significant health issue. In the U.S. suicide is the 12th leading cause of death and affects individuals, families, and communities worldwide.

The AFSP says there is no one single cause to a suicide. Many different stresses can lead to hopelessness or despair. Many people who died by suicide may have overlooked a mental health condition at the time of their death, been undiagnosed or misdiagnosed and not prop erly treated by a mental health professional. Still, most people that have mental health con ditions do not go on to die by suicide. There are many other factors that will increase the person’s risk as well.

People who are suicidal may also be ambivalent about tak ing their lives, as one part of them wants to live, and another part of them wants to die. Dis tance between those two parts needs to be created to help that person connect with reasons for living. At the same time, ef fort should be made to decrease the visibility of those things around them that encourage them to commit suicide, the presentation suggested.

A suicidal person has reached a crisis point, when his/her emo tional and/or physical pain has become unbearable, their life options have become unavail

There are ‘risk factors,’ or key characteristics or conditions that will increase a person’s risk for suicide and can be broken down into three different cat egories: mental health factors such as depression, historical factors such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and environmental factors such as bullying. These risk factors can converge at certain times in life and can increase the risk of sui cide behavior.

If these individuals are kept away from lethal means to commit suicide, there may be more time for She encour aged attendees to watch out for suicide warning signs in those around you (and in yourself), as they are observable signs of suicide risk in the near future.

If you see warning signs, then reach out to those individuals who you are concerned about.

Suicide warnings signs are typ ically displayed in the talk, be havior and mood that are atypi cal for the individual, such as an increased use of alcohol or drugs, trouble sleeping, acting more recklessly, withdrawn and isolation. Cappello shared advice for what to do if you do see the warning signs in a loved one:

Always trust your instincts and assume that you may be the only person there to help that individual. Reach out to that person directly, especially if somebody is depressed or overly anxious.

It is important for us to have a caring and supportive conver sation with the individual, and to listen to them sharing what they are experiencing. A con versation may help you to learn more about their distress. Or they may just need to be com forted and supported.

Listen to their stories in pri vate. Listening is much more important that talking in these moments.

Express concern and caring and ask directly about suicidal thoughts. Don’t be afraid to ask them if they are thinking about harming themselves or about ending their life.

‘Well of Souls’ Delves into Banjo’s Often Hidden African Roots

Continued from page 6

inated instrument of little worth” that enslaved people used for celebrations and funerals, though whites remained intrigued by it.

“Whenever the instrument had ar rived in Louisiana,” says Gaddy, referring to the ear-ly 1800s, “it would soon transform again.”

And by the 1840s, it had trans formed into an instrument em braced by white perform-ers in New York and elsewhere, in the most ironic of ways: minstrelsy performers loved the banjo.

Though you’ve been warned all your life not to judge a book by its cover, “Well of Souls” absolutely calls for doing so. Let the cover photo be your guide.

As promised by said cover, a “hid den history” of the banjo is in this book. It’s there, going back — way back, more than 300 years as au

thor Gaddy reveals an art-lover’s eye to explain why she focuses on this instrument, why she’s eager to tell the deepest story about it and why it matters.

The thing is that she stopped too soon. Her book, thorough as it is, offers teases for modern-day mu sicians, but the bulk of it ends just before the Civil War. Readers get a fascinating, lively background of the banjo from the standpoint of Black history, but nothing about its influence in the 20th century or beyond.

Use that as a warning: If you enjoy early American history with a hint of the islands, “Well of Souls” is the book for you. If you were hop ing for a more modern history of the banjo, though, this isn’t the book to choose.

“Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo’s Hidden History” by Kris tina R. Gaddy

When talking with somebody who may be suffering from de pression or anxiety, avoid min imizing their feelings, avoid trying to convince them that life is worth living, and avoid telling them to “fix their life.”

Encourage them to seek mental health from a trained profes sional and offer to find them a mental health professional.

If that person is in crisis, seek help for them, and get them the support they need to stabilize their situation. Dial 988 for mental health. If it is an emer gency call 911.

They might make an attempt on their life soon. Take the effort to remove any lethal means and make their environment as safe as possible. Stay with them and don’t leave them alone. Re move them from any potential ly dangerous areas and escort them to a mental health service, or to an emergency room.

Help them call the lifeline or call the lifeline yourself. A trained counselor will tell you what you should do to help that person and distract them from committing suicide.

However, if the situation puts your own safety at risk, leave the area immediately and dial 911.

(Please visit www.afsp.org for more information about AFSP, including upcoming educa tional opportunities.)

Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour

SPECIAL ACTIVITY PERMITS

FOR

CITY OF OAKLAND REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR ACCELA CONSULTANT

Contract Amount: TBD Terms: 2 Years Project Description: The City is seeking an Accela certified vendor with at least 5-years of experience with the platform to create a Special Activity Permits Module within the City’s existing Accela Programs. Pre-Proposal Meeting (Mandatory): Thursday, December 8, 2022, 1:00 p.m., Dial-in information is as follows:

Please click the following link to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81208296777 Or One tap mobile: US: +16699009128,,81208296777# or +16694449171,,81208296777# Or Telephone: Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 669 900 9128 or +1 669 444 9171 or +1 719 359 4580 or +1 253 205 0468 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 646 558 8656 or +1 646 931 3860 or +1 689 278 1000 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 305 224 1968 or +1 309 205 3325 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 360 209 5623 or +1 386 347 5053 or +1 507 473 4847 or +1 564 217 2000 Webinar ID: 812 0829 6777

International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kenaEcGyaR

Proposal Submittal Deadline: Submittals are due no later than Thursday, January 19, 2023 by 2:00 P.M. via iSupplier.

Reminders:

• iSupplier will not allow submission of proposals after 2:00 P.M. Thursday, January 19, 2023.

• All who wish to participate in this RFP must register through iSupplier at (https://www.oaklandca.gov/ services/register-with-isupplier ) to receive addenda/ updates on this RFP, submit proposals, invoice payments if selected, and direct notification of future bid opportunities.

• The following policies apply to this RFP: Equal Benefits • Revised L/SLBE (waived, but L/SLBE participation is strongly encouraged) • Living Wage • Campaign Reform Act • Prompt Payment • Arizona Boycott • Dispute Disclosure • Border Wall Prohibition • Sanctuary City Contracting and Investment Ordinance

For Answers to Questions:

1. Project Related: contact Greg Minor via email at GMinor@oaklandca.gov (510) 238-6370.

2. For iSupplier registration support, contact: isupplier@oaklandca.gov or call (510) 238 7643 and advise that you need HELP to expedite registration for this RFP.

Asha Reed, City Clerk and Clerk of the City Council, (Friday, December 2, 2022) The City Council reserves the right to reject all proposals.

3. Project Manager: Greg Minor via email at GMinor@oaklandca.gov (510) 238-6370.

Asha Reed, City Clerk and Clerk of the City Council, (Monday, November 28, 2022)

The City Council reserves the right to reject all proposals.

Marin County pulled out all the stops during September, Sui cide Prevention and Awareness Month.

Left: Christina Cappello. Facebook photo. Right: promotion graphic from thebedfordcitizen.org

Facing Mental Health Challenges in Our Children and Youth: A Free Workshop

elor’s degree from the University of California, Davis, and back ground as a community organizer and program coordinator as well as lived experience as a family caregiver.

Since 2017, the AAFOP has brought excellent speakers on the mental health needs in the African American Community. Topics range from “Medical Care Needs of those with Mental Illness” to “Navigating the Jail and Court System While Coping with Men tal Illness or Substance Abuse.”

By Margo Dashiell

As we look forward to another free “You Are Not Alone” work shop on Dec. 3, 2022, the African American Family Outreach Proj ect (AAFOP) will take this oppor tunity to commemorate our 5-year anniversary in filling an informa tional void for family caregivers of those living with mental illness and/or substance abuse.

Please join us as we host two ex cellent speakers who will present on “Mental Health for Our Chil dren and Youth: Advice for Fami lies.” They are Karriem L. Salaam, M.D., and Jaseon Outlaw, PhD.

Salaam currently serves as the chief psychiatrist in adolescent services at Friends Hospital in Northeast Philadelphia and as a clinical assistant professor of Psy chiatry at Drexel University Col lege of Medicine in Philadelphia.

He maintains an interest in the par ticular needs of African American youth.

Outlaw is an Oakland-based, li censed psychologist and clini cal director of Journey of Life Psychological, Inc. Among sev eral specialties in his practice are adolescent adjustment, academic performance concerns, family relational difficulties, addiction intervention services and multi cultural concerns. In addition to his private practice, he contributes broadly to community-based ef forts in Alameda County.

To prepare for the expansion of our work, the AAFOP appointed Jeramy Dantzler as the project’s first program supervisor. Dantzler comes to this role with a bach

Programs also feature speakers on the “Roads to Healing from Ad diction.” The AAFOP must also acknowledge the consistent pres ence of Dr. Aaron Chapman, the Chief Medical Officer for Alame da County Behavioral Health, and one who continues to win praise for his skill in explaining complex information about mental illness and medications in terms lay peo ple can understand.

The AAFOP is a program of the Mental Health Association of Alameda County and is funded through the Mental Health Servic es Act of Alameda County Behav ioral Health and endorsed by the African American Steering Com mittee for Health and Wellness.

The virtual AAFOP meeting room will open on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, at 9 a.m.; the program will run from 9:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. To register, call (510) 697-8533 or online at https://bit.ly/AAFOPDe cember2022

Ben Jealous

How We Can Influence the Courts that Influence Our Lives?

By Ben Jealous

As I write this, the final few races are being called in the midterm elections that were held weeks ago. It’s clear that the House will be closely divided, with Republi cans holding a very small major ity. History shows that in midterm elections, the party that doesn’t hold the presidency typically gains a lot of seats in Congress — oftentimes in a wipeout of the par ty in power. Republicans’ gains were comparatively tiny this year — but they probably should have been even tinier.

The reason is the far-right Su preme Court, and two rulings that hurt Black voters this cycle.

Two Deep South states, Alabama and Louisiana, redrew congres sional maps months before the midterms. Incredibly, given the high proportion of Black voters in those states, the maps allowed for only one majority-Black congres sional district in each state. That is almost certainly a violation of the Voting Rights Act, which prohib its states from packing minority voters into fewer districts in a way that reduces their power. And you don’t have to take my word for it; federal courts said the same thing and ordered both states to redraw their maps.

But state officials opposed to Black voting power fought back. And in both instances, the Su preme Court allowed them to go ahead with this year’s midterm elections with maps that just hap pened to preserve “safe” Republi can seats.

It’s infuriating. And those are only two of the infuriating decisions that have come out of this Court since Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell succeeded in stacking it with enough ultraconservative justices to make a supermajority.

I know that the inner workings of the courts, especially the Supreme Court, can seem really remote in our day-to-day lives. Most people don’t know any judges, and if they meet one in court it’s probably happening on a very unpleasant day. In fact, my guess is that a lot of people would rather not think much about the courts at all. But we have to.

We need to pay attention to who sits on our courts and how they get there, because there is such an enormous impact on our lives whether we realize it or not. The Supreme Court’s impact on the House majority is just one ex ample. Those actions by the Court will affect what business gets

done in Congress and what laws get passed — or not passed — that impact how we live and what rights we have.

Judges get their seats in different ways, especially at the state level. If you live in a place where statelevel judges are elected, it’s criti cally important to get informed and vote in those judicial elec tions. When it comes to federal judges, the Senate decides who will be confirmed. So, every time you cast a vote for a senator, it should be for the candidate who will vote to confirm fair-minded judges with a commitment to civil rights. The Biden administration has been doing a very good job nominating diverse, highly quali fied judges who have this com mitment. I believe in supporting senators who have voted to con firm these judges and withholding support from those who haven’t. The same goes for the presidential election, which we will face again in less than two years. In 2016, Donald Trump ran on a platform to name far-right judges to the Su preme Court who would ultimate ly overturn Roe v. Wade. That’s exactly what happened when he won, and now the Court is moving on to do other damage, too — like denying Black voters fair repre sentation in Congress.

So, what do we do? We get in formed, we organize, and we vote in the next election — the same thing we do to confront so many issues this country faces. Next election seems too far away? There is something you can do in the meantime. Call your senators and tell them to confirm the fed eral judicial nominees that are still waiting for a Senate vote between now and the end of the year. There are literally dozens of nominees picked by President Biden, in cluding many people of color and nominees with strong civil rights backgrounds, just waiting for Sen ate action to take their seats on the courts. We can show we care by calling our senators and telling them to confirm these nominees now.

Courts are going to keep showing us how much of an impact they have on our lives. We need to ex ercise every option we have to im pact who sits on them.

Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of the Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. A New York Times best-selling au thor, his next book “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free” will be published by Harper Col lins in January 2023.

After Restaurant Depot Fires Single Mom, L.A. Coalition Accuses Them of Being “Anti-Black”

pot’s corporate and West Coast regional offices.

“There are people in our world that have done worse things than Kanye, that get voted into office, and people never lose their job for supporting them,” said Ryan Sims, pastor of Revelation Church of God in Christ.

As a father, Sims said, no one would want their child, wife, aunt, mother, or even their cousin, to go through what Schoolfield has en dured. As a community, big broth ers and sisters, they are standing with her, he said.

“If someone in our community likes someone in our community, it’s not a violation. It’s not against humanity. It’s not against the law. It’s simply self-love, and if that’s a crime, then lock us all up,” contin ued Pastor Sims.

Schoolfield is that kind and en gaging worker behind the counter who’s attentive to their customers, said Anthony “Shep” Crawford, senior pastor of the Experience Christian Ministries Church. “And in that conversation, someone overhears it, gets offended, tries to bully her…and once she answers the questions, he asks her again. I do not like that. We do not like that, but she stood her ground,” he stated.

Her mistreatment is about a cor rupt system, not a rogue manager, he said, pointing to the store’s en trance. “We will not have it. We will not stand for it. You have here, present today, Muslims, Chris tians, Baptists, Church of God in Christ, community mothers… even law enforcement, here to stand,” said Crawford.

Many who turned out to support Schoolfield felt she was unjustly fired. Some offered donations for the young mother of three who is now unemployed and may be un able to apply for unemployment benefits.

“We’re standing here for Passion because what took place here at Restaurant Depot is unjust,” stated Reverend K.W. Tulloss, president of the Baptist Minister’s Confer ence of Los Angeles and member of the National Action Network.

“What Jetro did was wrong! And we want to make this wrong a right,” he said.

The GCCAA has set up a GoFund Me page, which so far has raised $2,000 to help Schoolfield pay rent and feed her children.

They intend to interrupt the econo my of Restaurant Depot/Jetro, said Bishop Craig Worsham, found er and Sr. Pastor of The Agape Church of Los Angeles.

He challenged all present at the protest to stand united in that cause until Restaurant Depot comes to the table with a reasonable resolu tion.

“There are African Americanowned restaurants, catering com panies, churches that dump hun dreds of thousands up to millions of dollars into this establishment, so if you are anti-Black Passion, then you are anti-Black our dol lars,” stated Worsham.

Other organizations present were Asians with Attitude and Second Call Gang Intervention and Pre vention. She has a right to express her opinion about a public figure, they said.

You can follow this movement on Instagram @_gccaa and #WeStandWithPassion.

The African American Family Outreach Project is offering an informational workshop for

Sheng Thao Won Oakland’s Mayor’s Race, But Is SecondBest Good Enough?

Thao LOST

No.2 vote in all of them to Taylor, except for that landslide she had among Vic tory followers.

But it didn’t matter.

That’s how a democracy works when no one wants to spend the money to figure out a majority in a one-one-one runoff battle.

Black Justices Bring Diverse Experiences to California Supreme Court

Continued from page 5

the courts,” she continued.

From 2007 to 2013, Kruger worked in the U.S. Department of Justice as an assistant to the Solicitor General and as Acting Deputy Solicitor General. While there, she argued 12 cases before the United States Supreme Court representing the federal govern ment.

In private practice, Kruger spe cialized in appellate and Supreme Court litigation. This year, she was on the short list to be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by Presi dent Joe Biden to replace Justice Stephen Breyer when he retired.

Confirmed to the Court in Novem ber 2020, Jenkins, 69, was the first openly gay California Supreme

Court Justice.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts de gree from Santa Clara University. Before entering the University of San Francisco (USF) Law school, he played football for the Seattle Seahawks.

Jenkins previously served as a tri al judge on the Oakland Munici pal and Alameda County Superior Courts. He was a federal district judge for the Northern District of California appointed by President William J. Clinton in 1997. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appoint ed him to the California Court of Appeals. Preceding his appoint ment to the Supreme Court he was Senior Judicial Appointments Ad visor to Newsom.

“Justice Jenkins is widely respect ed among lawyers and jurists, ac

tive in his Oakland community and his faith, and is a decent man to his core,” Newsom stated when he announced Jenkins’ confirma tion. “As a critical member of my senior leadership team, I’ve seen firsthand that Justice Jenkins pos sesses brilliance and humility in equal measure. The people of Cal ifornia could not ask for a better jurist or kinder person to take on this important responsibility.”

At his confirmation, when asked by the Chief Justice Tani CantilSakauye why he wanted to serve on the Supreme Court, Jenkins said, “I felt I could do good work, that I had a voice to add to the dis cussion that might be absent, not better, just different and ultimate ly being a man of faith, I felt this was a calling and never once have I refused the call of service.”

Irene Cara, ’80s Icon, Actress and Dancer, 63

Continued from page 5

munity both Black and Brown. Actress Kim Fields referred to a little-known romance in which Cara starred. “My fave memory is a childhood one: seeing people of color in a love story for the first time: Aaron Loves Angela. Her NY light will shine in this NYer,” Fields said.

In Jet magazine interview in 1981, Cara refused to say whether she related more to her Black or her Latino back ground.

“We have a tendency in this country that when we say Black it automatically means Black Americans. But that’s a big mistake, and that keeps us divided,” she said. “There are Blacks all over this entire

world.”

“I happen to be a Black His panic person who was born in this country,” she added. “So, whatever you call it…I like to think of myself as an actress.”

Sources for this report include the New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Peo ple magazine, Jet magazine and Wikipedia.

By Emil Guillermo

We’re No.2?

Doesn’t sound quite right. But that’s what Oakland got.

So, we ask ourselves what is Oakland settling? Or is the way it’s done in Oakland (and a few other places now) the way of the future when it comes to making democracy efficient?

Do we really want that kind of efficiency in democracy? Wasteful spending is high priced furniture in a city office. Or an excessive out-of-town trip. A fair election is not an ex travagance.

This is the debate over rank choice voting (RCV), though if you were pre-occupied last week, we know you had other complicated choices when it comes to turkey or ham, veg an or non-vegan, pumpkin or mince.

In that case, you may have missed the tougher choice when it comes to the mayor’s race in Oakland. Just before the holiday, the Alameda County Registrar had a clear winner.

An Asian American Hmong woman won, District 4 City Councilmember Sheng Thao. Hooray?

Yeah, sure.

But not if you supported Dis trict 6 City Councilmember Loren Taylor.

Didn’t he win? Not in the very end. And not with RCV.

RCV is an electoral gimmick to make repeated elections less costly. It solves the problem when no one wins a majority, which would force a runoff. No one won a majority on election night, but there was no runoff.

That’s because voters marked their ballots ranking the 10 mayoral candidates. And when no one won a majority, the other election began automati cally.

When Tyron Jordan was elimi nated, his voters named Taylor second (112 votes) rather than Thao (96 votes). That gave Taylor a lead of 1,645 votes. But it wasn’t over.

As each of the remaining can didates was eliminated (nine rounds total), whoever was named their No.2 picked up their votes.

By Round 7, when Treva Reid was eliminated, 3,610 votes went to Taylor. Thao was named No.2 in 2,016 ballots.

After that round Taylor was ahead by 3,567 votes. Not over.

And then a funny thing hap pened when it was just the top four, Taylor, Thao, Ignacio De La Fuente and Allyssa Victory.

In Round 8, when Victory was eliminated, Thao was named second choice among 8,425 Victory voters. 8,425!

Taylor was named second choice in just 2,161. But the difference was enough to put Thao in the lead by 2,677 votes over Taylor.

In the ninth and final round, veteran politico De La Fuente was eliminated and most of his voters picked Taylor as their second choice 6,107. Thao picked up 4,112. But it didn’t matter, Thao being named sec ond choice on fourth-place fin isher Victory’s ballot was mar gin enough.

Consider that among the top

Oakland saved money but did it get the real vote of the people?

Who would win if it were just a head-to-head vote, Taylor and Thao straight up?

We’ll never know. No one wanted to pay for that election.

I have gone back and forth on RCV since its inception. There are good things about it, be yond the savings. It encourages new faces to run and form co alitions. It encourages people to vote you in as No.2. And if you get enough No.2 votes, you can be No.1.

That definitely changes the game. You’re not Stephen Cur ry playing one-on-one. You’re one person playing against everyone all at once. Different game.

Usually, gimmicks like RCV allow for diversity or for the disenfranchised to get repre sentation, like having district vs. citywide elections.

But that’s not the case here. Taylor, an African American councilmember, and a relative political neophyte like Thao, was seen as a good choice among many.

Fortunately, Thao has a good story. And a good heart. Home less 15 years ago, she’s now a renter in Oakland and says she “has your back.” She wants to solve crime issues, make Oak land safer. She wants to bring together a divided city.

RCV proves she has a coalition of support to make that hap pen. Enough people like her enough. Victory’s supporters like her overwhelmingly.

She was the best No.2. Let’s see if she can become the peo ple’s No.1.

Emil Guillermo is a veteran journalist and commentator. He does a talk show on www. amok.com

Black Santa: Because Representation Matters

Continued from page 2

During Chicago’s 1969 “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud” Christmas parade, a Black Santa greeted onlookers with a “defi ant Black power salute” instead of the traditional “ho, ho, ho.” Santa being a fictional character suggests there are no rules as to

the color of his skin. He can be whatever a child’s mind’s eye creates. “When you have a child of color, and they don’t see that character looking like them, it’s harder for them to believe that character is for them,” NicholsSargeant said.

seven serious candidates,

the

By Conway Jones

“A Generation Found: The Jour ney Continues,” a continuation of author Roohee Marshall’s first book, “A Generation Found: Pre cious Pearls of Wisdom,” provides more stories from another select group of African American elders who reveal their challenges dur ing their youth and love, racism, faith, and raising their families.

Among those interviewed from the Bay Area are: Paul Cobb, pub lisher of the Post Newspapers, WWII veteran Conway Jones,

former BART Board member Wil Ussery, and former Berkeley Mayor Gus Newport.

“’A Generation Found: The Jour ney Continues’ contains testimo nies of the monumental accom plishments of our beloved elders amid the ongoing challenging circumstances they endured over each of their 80-plus years,” said Marshall. “They were still able to accomplish great things with pride and honor in the midst of their trials and tribulations on their roads of fighting for social justice and self-expression,” she continued. “This book reveals the incredible grace, energy, and courage they shared.”

A reception including a documen tary screening and book signing will be held on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m., at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, 410 14th St., Oak land, CA.

For further information or to or der books, go to www.Roohee Marshall.com, or call (313) 3990421, or e-mail rooheesbooks@

The

By Edward Henderson and Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media

Starting Jan. 1, 2023, California joins Georgia, Colorado, Michi gan, and Arizona as states that have approved digital license plates for use statewide, after completing a four-year pilot pro gram that evaluated a replacement for metal plates.

Reviver, a tech company found ed by Black entrepreneur Nev ille Boston, is the creator of the world’s first digital license plate. About 10,000 California drivers bought digital plates during the pilot program.

Based in Granite Bay, 24 miles east of Sacramento, Reviver ex pects the number of digital plate users to increase exponentially as all 40 million vehicles registered with the state are now eligible to adopt the new high-tech tags.

Thanks to Assembly Bill (AB) 984 signed by Gov. Gavin New som in September, trips to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) — which many Califor nians would like to avoid because of the long lines and waits they ex pect — might become a thing of the past.

Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City), chair of the Cali fornia Black Legislative Caucus for the 2023-24 legislative session, sponsored the legislation.

“I am honored and humbled to see AB 984 signed into law,” said Wil son. “AB 984 strikes a necessary balance between innovation and privacy while digitizing the only thing on our cars today that re main antiquated: license plates.”

The new digital plates will ap pear as wireless tablets about the same size as traditional plates on the front and back of vehicles. The digital plate will include a pro cessing unit, wireless connectiv

Mistah Fab Celebrates:

dress the needs of the city’s home less encampments. They want to help the homeless population help themselves.

FIGB wants to help decrease crime, joblessness, and mental illness caused by living on the streets.

Rev. Lackey’s overall vision to create various tiny home gated communities that will be selfsufficient and based on the work mostly done by occupants them selves while making sure to care fully build in accordance with all specifications required by law and city ordinances. Lackey, Wil liams, and Yamot’s comprehen sive Tiny Homes Project does not just focus on housing needs but also seeks to address crime reduc tion, jobs training, and emotional brain training.

Rev. Lackey has built hundreds of homes, mostly out-of-pocket from his own means — but he and we could help build much more if there were grants, donations, and investments of time, money, and donated supplies.

It is our combined committed in tention to aide and give solidarity to this very needed endeavor that truly serves and meets the needs of the people in so many ways.

It will be a challenge of course.

Nonetheless, with devoted pas sion and the grace of God, it can be met on all levels.

Monetary donations are welcome as well as materials necessary to build with, manpower, land, and other needed resources are ap preciated that will help to enhance the Tiny Homes Project. Mistah F.A.B. in conjunction with other associates made it quite clear when he said, “community is common unity that helps grow and maintain community in a viable and livable manner with continu ity.” Mistah F.A.B., a community artivist (artist and activist), has also signed on to assist with the Tiny Homes Project along with FIGB and the Post.

Many formerly incarcerated were noticeably in attendance at the

Nov. 22 event,

Plates

ity, and storage media all built into an electronic display.

Drivers will be able to update their titles, registrations, and oth er vehicle records remotely. Other advantages of the technology in clude a flashing message if a ve hicle is reported stolen or if there is an Amber Alert. The wired or battery-powered plates can be purchased with monthly rates starting at $19.95 and yearly rates at $215.40 for a four-year agree ment.

Boston, who majored in politi cal science and business, applied his academic training to create a compelling vision that attracted high-level investors, software and hardware engineers, and financial consultants to the concept.

It was just one meeting that dis cussed how to get people to have a “better customer experience” at the DMV. That discussion led to a meeting with then-Senior Vice President Avery Brown of the Automobile Club of Southern California and about a dozen offi cials from the California Highway Patrol.

To avoid asking “for forgiveness later” in case the idea ran into ob stacles years later, Boston said he first asked all parties what their thoughts and ideas were to avoid implementing a prototype without their input.

“Our first meeting was in 2008,” Boston said. “We met with Dennis Claire at (California) DMV about a crazy idea of a digital license plate. What I thought would be a five-minute meeting ended up be ing an hour-and-a-half meeting. What I got from those meetings was the impetus for us to move forward.”

Boston raised seed money do mestically and internationally

Continued from page 1

portunities to work with Republi cans but would “push back against extremism whenever necessary.”

House Democrats honored Pelosi with the title of “speaker emerita.”

Jeffries is a former lawyer who represents a diverse district in Brooklyn and Queens once rep resented by Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to serve in Congress. He has a reputation in Congress as a disciplined tacti cian.

Jeffries was born in Brooklyn, the son of a caseworker and a social worker. Motivated by what he de

scribed as a commitment to “ad vance the ball for everyday Amer icans,” he first won election to the New York state assembly, where he served for six years.

Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said: “With this new generation of leader ship, House Democrats are well positioned to enter the 118th Con gress and confront the challenges ahead.”

Jayapal also noted that House Democrats’ top three leaders would for the first time be entirely “women or people of color.”

Berkeley Attorney Ismail Ramsey...

Continued from page 1

crets from his former employer, Google.

From 1996-97, Ramsey was a law clerk for Harry T. Edwards, who was then the judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Ramsey was an associate at Keker & Van Nest LLP in San Francisco from 1997 to 1999 and again from 2003 to 2005.

According to his biography on the Ramsey & Ehrlic web site, (Ramsey) currently serves as an adjunct professor at UC Berkeley Law, teaching a seminar on whitecollar crime. He also is on the fac ulty for the Trial Advocacy Work shop at Stanford Law School.

California senators Dianne Fein stein and Alex Padilla issued a statement supporting Ramsey, although his confirmation in the Senate is still in question despite the Democrats holding a slight majority.

“President Biden has nominated an outstanding individual to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the North ern District of California,” the

statement reads. “Ismail Ramsey brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the job, and he is ex tremely well qualified for the posi tion.

“Ramsey knows the issues facing the district, having served as an assistant U.S. attorney from 1999 to 2003. As an Air Force veteran, he has demonstrated a commit ment to public service.

“We look forward to working with our Judiciary Committee colleagues to swiftly confirm his nomination,” the statement con cludes.

There has been a lot of turnover in the Northern District of Cali fornia’s District Attorney’s office since the Obama administration with four people serving since 2015. Hinds has been serving in the top slot in San Francisco since March, 2021.

SFist, San Francisco Chronicle, Wikipedia, Ramsey & Ehrlic LLC web site and the Media Relations Office of California Senators Di anne Feinstein and Alex Padilla are the sources for this story.

Rev. Ron Swisher...

Member, and other community organizations. It helped me under stand the importance of social jus tice connected to personal faith,” he said.

Beginning in January 2023, Rev. Swisher will co-host Mosaic KPIX/CBS, Channel 5 at 5:30 a.m. Sunday mornings. Mosaic’s format permits the Catholic com munity to host one Sunday, the Jewish community to host one Sunday, and Protestants to host a Sunday.

A few of those Sundays, they’ve had a Muslim host.

Swisher has served as pastor at the Elmhurst UMC, Oakland, 1973-1978; the Easter Hill UMC, Richmond, 1978-1990; District Superintendent of Delta District, Sacramento,1990-1996; Glide Memorial UMC, San Francisco, 1996-1998; Taylor Memorial UMC, Oakland,1998-2010; St. Mark’s UMC, Orinda, 2010-2012; Community UMC, Fairfield, 2012-2019.

so

others lending their support to the cause. There is a special shout out to these men and their firm support. FIGB has asked The Oakland Post News Group to continue to help spread the Tiny Homes message to churches, tran sitional houses, and non-profit organizations that serve the for merly incarcerated. For those who wish to give back to this effort, please see the Tiny Homes flyer at the end of the column. Join with the FIGB organization and con tinue to give back to those in need by sponsoring a homeless family with a home from Rev. Lackey’s Tiny homes Project contact him today at 415-574-5006

such as: Minister King X, Leroy Fox Hughes, Terry Samaki-Williams, Jewel Mahi ri-Harrison, Elmo Hamin Dill, Leonard “Pretty Rick” Ricardo, and

many

This image of culture was taken at the Kwanzaa holiday gift show at the Oakland Downtown Marriott sponsored and organized by entrepreneur James Moore.

The booth photo features James Moore (Blue sweat jacket); Egypt sia M.Mosley, Head of the Black Vendors Association and the Lake Merritt Marketplace with her Kulchaa clothing brand; and her vol unteer assistant Isaiah L. is on the left.

Photo by Auintard Henderson.