Oakland Post, week of May 17 - May 26, 2023

By Ken Epstein

Striking Oakland educators went back to work this week after the teachers union bargaining team reached a tentative agreement with the Oakland Unified School District at about 4 a.m. Monday morning.

“Our collective power forced OUSD to commit to living wages for educators, more resources in our schools, enforceable working conditions and common good issues for our students and their families,” the union said on social

media.

The tentative contract, which ends the union’s unfair labor practices strike against OUSD that began on May 4, contains significant wage increases for teachers and other union members and is potentially history making as it breaks new ground on “common good” proposals to improve conditions at schools to benefit students, parents, and teachers.

Monday was considered a “Transition Day,” and Tuesday was the first day of classes in a turmoil-

Next week it will be four years since Hadiyah Loudermilk Shakir, was senselessly murdered. Hadiyah was a beloved mother of two children, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a friend a devoted community and cultural advocate and activist who worked multiple jobs to care for her children.

Hadiyah clearly understood the relationship with her God and knew that belief could be the vehicle to drive her children to success in life. Tragically, her own life was cut short when she became the innocent victim of a gun battle that took place on May 22, 2019, in the 7400 block of Weld Street in the early evening.

“This cold-hearted murderer must be identified and face the consequences of that murderous act. Somebody out there knows something, somebody out there saw something. Be courageous, make that call. Put yourself in the shoes of the family. How would you feel?” said a family member.

Hadiyah’s family is seeking

justice and is pleading with the public to come forward and do the right thing. “Evil took her life. Let’s have justice! We believe in Good over Evil. If you believe in Good over Evil, come forward and call!”

The Family Support Advocates stands with Hadiyah’s grieving children, family and loved ones to ask that anyone in the community with information that can lead to the arrest and conviction of the murderer to come forward and contact the Oakland Police Department Homicide Section at 510-238-3821 or the TIP LINE at 510-238-7950.

CrimeStoppers of Oakland is offering a reward for an arrest in this case. #JusticeforHadiyah.

FAMILY SUPPORT ADVOCACY TASK FORCE

The mission of the Family Support Advocacy Task Force, a committee of the Violence Prevention Coalition, is to advocate for local, state, and federal policies and legislation to enhance and expand support to families and friends of those who experienced violence; for more compassionate and transparent communication between law enforcement, the district attorney with the family of homicide victims and to push for the elimination of all violence, but particularly gun violence and homicides.

By Ken Epstein

The Oakland City Council has passed a resolution celebrating May as Jewish American Heritage Month, recognizing Jewish American community leaders “whose service and leadership in Oakland are contributing to a more vibrant and just city,” according to the resolution passed at Tuesday’s Council meeting.

The resolution, which was introduced by Mayor Sheng Thao and Councilmember Dan Kalb, explains that Jewish Heritage Month was proclaimed by the federal government in 2006.

Oakland’s resolution also emphasized connections between Jewish

Americans and other ethnic and racial groups, pointing out that Jewish Americans are ethnically, racially, socially, politically, and economically diverse, and about 25% of Bay Area Jewish households include a person of color.

The resolution also called attention to the dramatic rise in anti-Semitic hate. Between 2021 and 2022, Jewish Americans faced a 36% increase in anti-Semitic incidents, including “physical attacks, vandalism, verbal and physical harassment, and hateful comments posted on social media.”

“The City of Oakland shares an

By Emil Guillermo

The Golden State Warriors’

Jonathan Kuminga was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Congo-Kinshasa, which formerly was known as Zaire.

Kuminga is not from the neighboring Republic of Congo, another country altogether.

But when fans call out Kuminga’s name during the season can they even place his ancestral home on a map of Africa?

Warriors’ announcer Kelenna Azubuike is listed in research docs as “Nigerian-American.”

Where’s Nigeria on the map? East Africa or West? Central? No, that’s Congo. And is his kind of African American more African than American? How about compared to someone born in Oak-

land?

This is the general public ignorance when it comes to all of us in America.

The situation for Asians is not much different from Africans. Replace the continents and consider public figures with Asian backgrounds, and you’ll likely get similar wrong guesses and blank stares.

Try this one: Arab Americans are from Central Asia and are therefore Asian American?

Technically, they are. But when you ask anyone what is or who is Asian, the default answer from far too many is “Chinese.”

The fact is the Asian Americans who contribute to America’s diversity are already wildly di-

By Post Staff

On Tuesday May 16, Oakland

Mayor Sheng Thao announced the launch of the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, a cross-sector of survivors, community organizations and public agencies.

Their mandate will be to:

1. Identify and help implement targeted and strategic plans to address human trafficking, with a focus on buyers, and

2. Build community awareness of human trafficking and the efforts to address it.

Members of the Advisory Council include representatives from the survivor community, communitybased organizations, Oakland Police Department, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, City of Oakland’s Department of Violence Prevention, Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, and the Office of Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas.

“Addressing human trafficking and sex trafficking continues to be a priority for my Administration,” said Thao.

“Part of that effort requires bringing people together who are working on different parts of this issue, who represent diverse perspectives, and bring a range of resources to the table. This is an issue that requires all of us working together to ensure the safety of our residents.”

“Human and sex trafficking has been going on for decades in Oakland and across the state and nation,” according to Bas. She’s been working with survivors, “neighbors and city departments on a comprehensive approach that includes more violence interrupters and outreach workers on the

Mayor Sheng Thao. Official portrait.

District 1 Councilmember Dan Kalb (left) stands with honoree Lisa Shulman Malul who is holding a copy of the resolution celebrating Jewish Heritage Month. Photo by Jonathan ‘Fitness’ Jones.

Photo: iStockphoto

Geoffrey Pete. Photo by JonathanFitnessJones

Hadiyah Loudermilk Shakir

Sis. Loraine Caldwell

Mother’s Day Group

Sis. Nanette Gray

Rev. Dr. Martha C. Taylor

Sis. Margie Traylor

Sis. Norma Mondy & Sis. Joycelyn Hutchinson

Sis. Darlene Nero & Sis. Marilyn Stewart

Sis. Doreen Bullard & Sis. Patsy Lockhart

California Black Media Briefs

Your roundup of stories you might have missed last week.

Tourism in Oakland is Bustling

By Tanu Henry and Maxim Elramsisy California Black

Media

Conservationist Group Wants

More Blacks to Enjoy Great Outdoors

The 40 Acre Conservation League is working to acquire and conserve natural working lands toward greater human connection to nature for underrepresented groups.

Last week, the group held a meeting and reception in Sacra-

dorse her for the U.S. Senate.”

Last week, the California Assembly Progressive Caucus announced that it is backing Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles) in his run for L.A. City Council.

“The California Legislative Progressive Caucus is thrilled to announce our support for our CoFounder Reggie Jones-Sawyer’s campaign for Los Angeles City Council,” the group wrote in a statement. “Throughout his career,

and zero tolerance for hateful or racist behavior, on or off duty.”

Groundbreaking Latina Politician Gloria Molina, 74 Gloria Molina, the first Latina to serve become a member of the California Assembly and on the first to serve on the L.A. City Council and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors has died of cancer. She was 74.

“It is with heavy hearts our family announces Gloria’s passing this evening,” said Molina’s daughter Valentina Martinez in a statement. “She passed away at her home in Mt. Washington, surrounded by family.

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass paid tribute to Molina.

“Gloria Molina was a force for unapologetic good and transformational change in Los Angeles,” wrote Bass in a statement. “As an organizer, a City Councilwoman, a County Supervisor and State Assemblywoman, Supervisor Molina advocated for those who did not have a voice in government through her pioneering environmental justice work, her role as a fiscal watchdog, and her advocacy for public health.

Bass said Molina “shaped Los Angeles in a lasting way while paving the way for future generations of leaders.”

“As the first woman mayor of Los Angeles, I know I stand on Supervisor Molina’s shoulders,” Bass acknowledged.

Governor Appoints 16-Member Advisory Council to Aid San Quentin Overhaul

By Y’Anad Burrell

In 2022 there was an upswing of tourism dollars being spent in Oakland, which to some would seem astonishing given the pandemic.

Tourism has several pillars which include lodging, food/beverage, transportation, retail and entertainment. Given these pillars, most tourism dollars spent in Oakland were in lodging and food and beverage. We have seen a surge of new hotels in Oakland, including the Kissel and the Moxy, which are a part of the increase in tourism dollars.

On May 10, 2023, Visit Oakland hosted IMPACT 510 at Bloc15 in Oakland. The sold-out event welcomed 200 attendees including community partners, city

officials, and business leaders to celebrate Oakland’s tourism 2022 results.

Visit Oakland reported that last year, the total tourism economic impact was $784 million, and visitors supported a total of $590 million in sales at businesses in Oakland.

Of the $590 million spent in Oakland in 2022 by visitors, lodging accounted for $194 million, and food and beverage spending resulted in $155 million. Transportation, including both air and transportation within the destination, as well as retail, captured 16% of total visitor spending. Visitors spent 8% of their budget on recreation, resulting in $50 million.

The date of May 10, ‘5/10,’ was thoughtfully chosen by Visit Oak-

land in honor of Oakland’s 510 area code, in alignment with California Tourism Month and National Travel and Tourism Week. At IMPACT 510, Visit Oakland was presented with a mayoral proclamation officially naming May 10th The Town Tourism Day.

“We have so much to be proud of in Oakland” said Visit Oakland, CEO Peter Gamez. “Our visitor volumes increased 21% in 2022. This is so powerful for The Town because travel confidence has continued to build and bolster the recovery in Oakland. It was a day shared with all who live, work, and visit Oakland.”

For more information, check out VisitOakland.com.

mento and presented an award to Ernest Bufford, who owns a ranch located on 900-plus acres of land near Walker’s Basin in Kern County, according to ABC News 23.

Last year, the state awarded the non-profit a $3 million grant to ensure Black and other underrepresented communities have access to the great outdoors without fear.

The group’s founder Jade Stevens said she and other likeminded conservationists want to remove the social and historical barriers that prevent some African Americans from enjoying outdoor activities like, fishing, hiking, bird watching etc.

Endorsements – Rep. Barbara Lee and Reggie Jones Sawyer

Stacy Abrams, a former Georgia gubernatorial candidate, voting rights advocate and renowned Democratic Party figure, endorsed U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12) in her campaign to succeed Sen. Dianne Feinstein who is not seeking reelection.

“Barbara Lee is the leader California and the nation need right now in the U.S. Senate,” said Abrams said. “I am proud to en-

from his time as a labor organizer to his tenure in the State Assembly, Reggie has been an unrelenting, pioneering champion on the most critical issues facing California.”

Attorney General Rob Bonta to Investigate Antioch’s Sheriff’s Department

Last week, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that the California Department of Justice is investigating the Antioch Sheriff’s Department. The probe was prompted by allegations of “discriminatory misconduct” and racist and homophobic text messages involving about 44 officers, nearly half of the department.

“It is our job to protect and serve all of our communities,” said Bonta. “Police departments are on the front lines of that fight every day as they work to safeguard the people of our state.”

“Where there are allegations of potentially pervasive bias or discrimination, it can undermine the trust that is critical for public safety and our justice system,” Bonta added. “It is our responsibility to ensure that we establish a culture of accountability, professionalism,

California’s oldest and largest prison, San Quentin State Prison, is being transformed into an education and rehabilitation center as the state rethinks its criminal justice system.

In a press release from his office Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the formation of an advisory council “tasked with assisting the administration in delivering on the Governor’s announcement to transform San Quentin State prison by 2025 into a one-of-a-kind rehabilitation center focused on improving public safety through rehabilitation and education via a scalable “California Model” that can be utilized across the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR

“In order to transform San Quentin into the nation’s most innovative rehabilitation facility focused on building a brighter and safer future, we need a deep and diverse bench of expertise. That’s exactly what the members of this Advisory Council deliver,” Newsom said.

The Council includes criminal justice reform advocates, victims’

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Present at the 40 Conservation meeting were (standing back row):former District 6 Oakland City Councilman Loren Taylor, Robynne Rose-Haymer, Tasha Henneman (pink jacket), Kevin Daniel, Nina Moore (green jacket), Carolyn Veal Hunter, Charles Thomas, Russell Lowery, Deja Pinkey, Delvon Hoggs, Jade Stevens, Ernest Bufford, Tamara Rasberry Harris, Seated: Langstyn Williams, Roxanne Bufford. CBM staff photo.

The 40 Acre Conservation League Board President Jade Stevens presented an award to Kern County ranch owner Ernest Bufford. CBM staff photo.

(l-r) Nia Tahani Wilkes, L. Autumn King, Kim Bardakian Demirjian and Visit Oakland CEO Peter Gamez at IMPACT 510, May 10, 2023. Photo by Y’Anad Burrell.

COMMENTARY: Trump’s ‘Yellow Peril’ Rhetoric Brings Racism to 2024 Campaign

Of course, Biden has allowed the presidential archive to retrieve the documents. There was no need for a subpoena, as was the case with Trump’s haul of documents, many of which were highly classified.

But in Trump’s mind, the boxes are his bridge to get to another issue: The House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the president’s son, Hunter Biden.

something with Biden’s boxes.

“He had boxes sent to Chinatown, Chinatown,” Trump said to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in response to questions about the Presidential Records Act. “Chinatown, where they don’t speak even English in that Chinatown we’re talking about.”

By Emil Guillermo

If you were an Asian American watching that CNN Town Hall in New Hampshire last week, then you know there’s cause for concern.

This was Donald Trump’s big national reveal of his new xenophobic tic.

The man who made the phrases “Kung Flu” and “China Virus” the scourge of Asian America – leading to thousands of transgressions, often violent, toward AAPIs during the pandemic – now has a new trick to deploy.

Considering how he loves to squint his eyes as he emphatically says, “CHY-nah,” it’s the perfect racist follow-up for 2024.

In this new campaign, Trump will now say “Chinatown” more times than a lost tourist with a hankering for egg rolls and sweet and sour pork.

Chinatown, Chinatown, Chinatown. With zeal.

In Trump’s mind, this is as emotionally charged and divisive as it gets in the next campaign.

And since it’s just us Asians, no one will notice, because no one notices us if we don’t speak out. Not even during AANHPI Heritage Month.

So, let me be offended for us all.

The Chinatown slur is made to order for Trump.

When the topic of Mar-a-Lago and the unlawful handling of presidential documents comes up, as it will in this campaign, especially if more criminal indictments are to come, Trump is ready to have Chinatown on the tip of his tongue.

Why? Because Vice President Joe Biden once had an office in D.C.’s Chinatown. And that’s where Biden kept some of those presidential records he shouldn’t have had.

California Black Media Briefs ...

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rights groups, corrections officers, educators, legal scholars, and medical experts.

Several formerly incarcerated individuals are on the council, which is chaired by Dr. Brie Williams, San Quentin Warden Ronald Broomfield, and Amity Foundation President and CEO Doug Bond.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg was named the governor’s lead advisor, making him the lead liaison between the council and the governor’s office.

The other members are:

Scott Budnick, founder of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition; Neil Flood, state vice president for the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn.; Tinisch Hollins, executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice; Katie James, chief of the Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Office of Victim and Survivor Rights and Services; Terah Lawyer-Harper, executive director of Creating Restorative Opportunities and Programs; Kenyatta Leal, executive director of the Next Chapter Project; Jody Lewen, president of Mount Tamalpais College; Sam Lewis, executive director of the

That investigation has revealed some connections between Hunter Biden and Chinese-based energy companies owned by high-level Chinese officials with connections to the Chinese military and the Chinese political elite.

Does Joe Biden have anything to do with that? No.

But Hunter Biden has big money deals with Chinese companies. And Joe Biden has those archive boxes in Chinatown.

It’s only relevant in the same illogical way Trump made the Obama “Birther” conspiracy a political thing, and a general nuisance. It made no sense and was based on a lie that Obama was not born in the U.S.

But if Trump lovers ate up that xenophobic smear, they’ll love the “Biden’s boxes in Chinatown” treachery.

It’s Trump’s 2024 racist smear. Biden’s boxes—in Chinatown.

To Trump, it’s proof Biden’s in bed, or at least in boxes, with the communists and China President Xi.

And what of Trump’s bootlicking bromance with Putin in Helsinki in 2018?

Nothing like Biden’s boxes in Chinatown.

Trump has been practicing this since last month when the House Oversight Committee led by Rep. James Comer issued its report. Even the Wall Street Journal admits there’s no smoking gun in any of it, and nothing really connects the president to his son’s business dealings.

But Biden has boxes in Chinatown and that’s good enough for Trump, who started the CNN Town Hall with the first of many lies, that 2020 was a “rigged election.”

If that’s his barometer of truth, then he must really feel he has

Anti-Recidivism Coalition; Billie Mizell, founder of Acting with Compassion and Truth; Jonathan Moscone, executive director of the California Arts Council; Mimi Silbert, president of Delancey Street; James Michael Myatt, retired U.S. Marine Corps Major General; Alison Pachynski, chief medical executive at San Quentin State Prison; Chris Redlitz, executive director of The Last Mile; Michael Romano, director of the Three Strikes Project at Stanford University; Jesse Vasquez, executive director of the Pollen Initiative.

Gov. Newsom Honors Peace Officers

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke at the California Peace Officers Memorial ceremony held on the grounds of the California State Capitol.

Officers from around the state showed up at the solemn ceremony to pay tribute to their colleagues who died in the line of duty.

“It requires a certain kind of character, a certain kind of bravery to be a peace officer,” Newsom said at the ceremony. “There is no California without courageous Californians determined to serve and protect.”

California Commission on Aging Wants More Representation

Last week, the California Commission on Aging met in Los

You mean in D.C.’s Chinatown, home of the big sports arena where all of metro Washington goes to see major athletic and pop cultural events? You mean in the mostly gentrified D.C. Chinatown of today, where English is more commonly spoken than Mandarin or Cantonese?

Still, the rowdy live audience, which fed off Trump’s lies, clapped loudly at every Chinatown reference.

Just as they clapped when Trump said he would pardon some of the January 6 insurrectionists.

Just as they clapped when he insulted E. Jean Carroll, the woman who just this week won a $5 million judgment against Trump, who was found by a jury liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

To hear the crowd’s applause is exactly why “boxes in Chinatown” will become a Trump thing. It lets him connect the president to China in an emotional way that brings out a divisive politician’s secret sauce—American xenophobia.

It’s one of the few things in all of politics that actually trickles down.

The negative feelings toward Biden’s boxes in Chinatown transfers to everyone’s negative feelings toward people in Chinatown.

And not just Chinese people, or people of Chinese descent, but all Asian Americans, everywhere.

We saw what happens when Trump scapegoated us with “Kung Flu” and “China Virus” slurs.

An attack on one of us is an attack on all, no matter if you’re Filipino, or Vietnamese, or Korean.

We’re all Chinese to the perps.

And now they’re egged on by Donald Trump and his modern day “Yellow Peril.”

Biden’s boxes in Chinatown.

Emil Guillermo is a veteran journalist and commentator. His talk show is on WWW.AMOK. COM

Angeles.

The group advocates for aging adults and advises Gov. Newsom and the Legislature on issues facing aging Californians.

During the meeting, they discussed legislation it is sponsoring, including Assembly Bill (AB) 820, a bill that would “increase the representation of older adults on seven state boards, commissions, and advisory committees.”

AB 820 has been referred from the California Assembly to the State Senate, where it is being reviewed by the Committee on Rules.

California Is Getting Even More Democratic, Report Says

In a report titled, “The Dynamics of Party Registration in California,” the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) is reporting that the number of Democrats continue to increase in the Golden State.

According to the report, “between the 2012 and 2020 presidential elections, the registered population grew about 20% -- roughly twice as fast as the voting-eligible population” in California.

Of that number, 4.2 million new Democrats registered, 3.5 million signed up as some other party or ‘no party preference’ and 1.8 million new registrants were Republican.

10 Quotes: Malcolm X Talks Justice, Equity and Inclusion

By Jaivon Grant California Black Media

Malcolm X, originally known as Malcolm Little, was born 98 years ago on May 19, 1925. He was a prominent activist and minister during the 1960s civil rights movement.

His unapologetic and passionate advocacy for Black rights brought him national attention. However, some have criticized his rhetoric as being extremist and racist.

Others explain that the assertive, Black nationalist posture he took in his speeches was necessary for Civil-Rights-era America when discrimination and segregation were legal in many parts of the country and racism was routine in many aspects of life.

To that point, Malcolm X, who was assassinated in 1965 at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, spoke about what some considered his extremist viewpoints.

“I don’t believe in any form of unjustified extremism. But I believe that when a man is exercising extremism, a human being is exercising extremism, in defense of liberty for human beings, it’s no vice. And when one is moderate in the pursuit of justice for human beings, I say he’s a sinner,” he said.

In 1964, Malcolm X announced his separation from the Nation of Islam, changed his name again to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and converted to Sunni Islam, the branch of the religion most Muslims around the world practice.

After making a religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia and trips to Africa, Malcolm X began to preach less about America’s racist past and divisions and more about Pan Africanism and about the universality of principles like freedom, justice and human rights, especially as they concern people of African descent.

This week, as we celebrate what would have been Malcolm X’s 98th birthday on May 19, here are 10 quotes that capture Malcolm X’s promotion of racial healing, tolerance and racial inclusion.

1. On self-love …

“There can be no Black-White unity until there is first some Black unity. We cannot think of uniting with others, until after we have first united among ourselves. We cannot think of being acceptable to others until we have first proven acceptable to ourselves.”

2. On intermarriage …

“It’s just one human being marrying another human being or one

Black Student Success Week

human being living around and with another human being.”

3. On truth and justice … “I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”

4. On peace and freedom …

“You can’t separate peace from freedom, because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.”

5. On racial and religious unity

From a letter during his Hajj pilgrimage in 1964:

“During the past seven days of this holy pilgrimage [in 1964], while undergoing the rituals of the hajj [pilgrimage], I have eaten from the same plate, drank from the same glass, slept on the same bed or rug, while praying to the same God—not only with some of this Earth’s most powerful kings, Cabinet members, potentates and other forms of political and religious rulers —but also with fellow Muslims whose skin was the whitest of white, whose eyes were the bluest of blue, and whose hair was the blondest of blond—yet it was the first time in my life that I didn’t see them as ‘White’ men. I could look into their faces and see that these didn’t regard themselves as ‘White’”

6. On love and unity … “We need more light about each other. Light creates understanding, understanding creates love, love creates patience and patience creates unity.”

7. On learning to hate …

“If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”

8. On overcoming hatred and anger … “Hatred and anger are powerless when met with kindness.”

9. On fairness and justice …

“You’re not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who says it.”

10. On human rights …

“I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color.”

MONDAY, APRIL 24

TUESDAY, APRIL 25

Meet

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26

THURSDAY, APRIL 27

FRIDAY, APRIL 28

Malcolm X. Photo courtesy California Black Media.

By Patricia Nunley, Ed.D.

I am a Black mother, professor of child development at City College of San Francisco, and the current president of the Bay Area Chapter of the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi). I have taught child development for over 24 years, and I have thought about our Black children as Divine Gifts.

I believe the African American/ Black child has a divine birthright to tap into the deep reservoir of collective Afrikan and Black traditions, wisdom, and resiliency, and that is uniquely theirs.

In the Afrikan worldview, a child is a divine gift. Thus, we, their caregivers, are tasked with a sacred duty to weave into the fabric of their being love, joy, beauty, power, worth and value.

There is a Nigerian proverb that states, “A child is what you put into him.” I think, we as Black caregivers, could add to this statement by comprehending and applying the “6B’s of Blackness”. The 6B’s of

Blackness are Big, Black, Being, Balancing, Beauty-in- Brilliance.

The first ‘B’ is for BIG. As daughters and sons of Mama Afrika, we are among the first humans who travelled and populated the Earth. We are part of a global majority. We are BIG! The second ‘B’ is for BLACK. Black is not used to denote the social construct of race. Rather, it is used to proclaim our melanin dominance and the gift it offers to its recipients. Afrikans/Blacks have more of the Black Gold called melanin than other ethnic groups, which enhances our ability to think/react faster, naturally bond to others, improvise, be creative, and experience altered states of consciousness.

The Afrikan Proverb “Every fame has a foundation” reflects the foundational attribute of the third ‘B’ of BEING. Afrikan deep thought teaches that all Afrikan people are Spirit Beings having a human experience in a physical container called a human body. Put simply, we are Spirit Beings not Human Beings. In the Afrikan worldview of human development, our sun-kissed children were formed by the Creator of all things and embedded with a divine, special, and unique purpose/ meaning for BEING.

The fourth ‘B’ is for BALANCING. This can be understood as learning how to behave in a manner that can be understood through the Afrikan proverb “A child who knows how to wash his hands will eat with the chiefs.” Our children should be taught to balance their personal dreams and desires with what is good and needed by their people as a guide for everyday living.

The fifth and sixth ‘Bs’ in the 6Bs of Blackness are BEAUTYin-BRILLIANCE, i.e., brilliance is beautiful! We must invite and encourage our children’s natural creativity and curiosity at every age and stage of development.

We should nurture the innate Brilliance found within their Knowing & Knowable Spirits.

Doing so will result in illuminated internal and external BEAUTY that is reflected and reverberated amongst and within our communi-

ties.

There is or should be a grave concern with the increase in suicide rates among our youth. Predictably, a positive sense of self can serve as a protective factor against later development of mental disorders rooted in internalized self-hatred. Another Afrikan proverb reminds us, “If there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do no harm.” We must help our children to love themselves and their reflections.

I think blending the 6Bs into our special living gifts will be a protection against societal antiBlackness. For young children, opportunities to feel, hear, and sense love directly not only contributes to their positive development, but also builds an internalized protective shield around them to combat anti-Blackness, racism, discrimination, oppression, self-hatred, and Afrophobia (fear/avoidance of all things Black/Afrikan).

Using the 6Bs can create an environment that allows our young gifts to experience self-love, wellbeing, and Black Joy.

A Congolese proverb tells us, “A tree cannot stand without its roots.” As we engage in our sacred duty of caring for the Divine Gift that is the Black Child, we are obligated to equip our Divine Gifts with protective shields of awareness, esteem, meaning, purpose, and wisdom of their unique Afrikaness, Blackness, and Spirit ‘ness.’

In calling ourselves Black, we must never forget that we and our children are BIG, BLACK, BEING, BALANCING, and BEAUTY-in-BRILLIANCE! That’s what I been thinking. What do you think?

The ABPsi-Bay Area Chapter is committed to providing the Post Newspaper readership with monthly discussions about critical issues in Black Mental Health. The ABPsi-Bay Area Chapter is a healing resource. Readers are welcome to join us at our monthly chapter meetings every 3rd Saturday via Zoom. We can be contacted at bayareaabpsi@gmail.com.

Mayor’s Commission ...

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streets, law enforcement focused on the buyers, crime prevention through environmental design,” and addressing the root causes of poverty and violence with housing, job training, and food security, Bas said.

“The Mayor’s Human Trafficking Advisory Council gives me hope that this issue will finally receive the attention and resources necessary for real change, centering the leadership of survivors and impacted communities,” she continued. “I’m grateful to Mayor Sheng Thao and her administration for bringing us together.”

Leading the Advisory Council will be Brooklyn Williams, chief of Education and Community Safety.

“Sex trafficking, and specifically commercially sexually exploited children, is an issue that is close to my heart,” said Williams. “Too many of my former students and their families have suffered as a result of this market that preys on the most vulnerable. I look forward to wielding the collective power of this Advisory Council and its sup-

Jewish Heritage Month...

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obligation to condemn and combat antisemitism wherever it exists, to include Jewish Americans in all facets of civic life, and to stand with the Jewish American community against hatred and bigotry in our city, state, and country,” the resolution said.

Each Council member honored a leader or organization in their district who is making an important contribution to the community.

Councilmember Kalb recognized Lisa Shulman Malul, executive director at Rebuilding Together Oakland/East Bay, working to prevent homelessness and preserve communities by providing services to lower-income older adults and nonprofits who serve low-income residents in need of home-building modifications and rehabilitations at no cost to them.

Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas honored Talya HusbandsHankin for her work advocating and organizing with Love and Justice In The Streets to advance more equity and uplift the voices, organizing and policy efforts of the unhoused, to build a world where Housing is a Human Right.

Councilmember Carroll Fife recognized Temple Sinai and Temple Sinai Social Action, which has a long history in downtown Oakland, starting in 1875 as the First Hebrew Congregation in Oakland.

Teachers’ Strike...

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filled school year, which is set to end next week on Thursday, May 25

Before the agreement is final, it must be ratified by members of the Oakland Education Association (OEA), approved by the Oakland Board of Education and the Alameda County Office of Education, which oversees the district’s finances.

Under the agreement, OEA members will receive a 10% raise, retroactive to Nov. 1, 2022. Fulltime union members will also receive a one-time $5,000 payment. Annual stipends will also be paid to educators with bilingual credentials and dual language program teachers.

In addition, the starting salary for first-year teachers will increase from $52,905 to $62,696. Salaries for educators at the top of the salary schedule will increase after 24 years from $98,980 to $109,878. Formerly, union members could only reach the maximum salary after 32 years.

Potentially history-making progress also was made on OEA’s common good demands, which had been strongly opposed by the administration and several members of the school board.

porters to center victims as we work toward solutions.”

Oakland has historically been at the forefront of developing innovative and healing-centered practices to address human trafficking—with

Some of these agreements,

a renewed focus on the issue by the City and Mayor’s Office this year.

On February 25, the Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT) installed 35 water-filled plastic traffic diverters along E. 15th St, at the intersections of 16th, 18th, and 20th Avenues.

Designed to disrupt cruising on this residential street that also has a school and nearby park, the divert-

A new facility opened in 2010. Senior Rabbi Mates-Muchin, the first Chinese-American Rabbi, focuses her efforts in serving the community through teaching, worship, pastoral care, social justice work, and encouraging the recognition of the vast diversity within the Jewish community.

Councilmember Janani Ramachandran’s honored Zac Unger for his dedicated service to uplifting public safety in Oakland as a firefighter, community leader, and labor organizer. He serves District 4 residents as a firefighter paramedic in Station 24.

Councilmember Noel Gallo recognized Kenneth Lupoff for his work for communities of Oakland for more than 20 years, serving as chair of one of the Fruitvale area’s neighborhood councils, and then as executive director of the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation, where he worked to promote equity and inclusion outcomes at parks throughout Oakland.

Councilmember Kevin Jenkins honored Rena Rickles, who spent her first six years as an attorney serving as staff council to the State of California’s Department of Industrial Relations and then opened a private law practice focusing exclusively on land use cases.

Councilmember Treva Reid recognized the Bay Area Jewish Coalition for Literacy (JCL) for its work opening books, opening minds, and opening doors for children to reach their full potential. The organiza-

placed in a Memorandum of Understanding (M.O.U.) outside the formal contract language, will be enforceable through the contract’s grievance procedures.

The common good agreements include support for Black community schools; “shared governance” of community schools, which means parents and teachers will be able to vote on school site budgets, students housing and transportation.

“Whether it’s an MOU that’s binding, that ties to our grievance process, or it’s in our contract, that doesn’t make a difference to us,” said OEA President Ismael “Ish” Armendariz, emphasizing that all the common good demands were not going to be won all at once in a single contract.

“In three years, we’re going to be at the table again, fighting for the same things and ensuring that our students have what they need,” he said.

“(This is) a very powerful contract. Our students were worth the fight,” Armendariz said.

“This strike has never only been about teacher salary,” said OEA Second Vice President Kampala Taiz-Rancifer. “This isn’t just about us trying to get a living wage, or to be able to afford the housing here in Oakland. It’s also been about making sure that our students have the ability to be

ers are part of a larger effort to address community safety and human trafficking.

The Advisory Council will build off of these past and existing efforts to create a focused strategy with input from individuals who understand the issue firsthand.

“To truly combat human trafficking, we need to be educated about the inextricable links between prostitution and sex trafficking, including the harm, violence, and death that may result from activities within the sex trade,” said Sarai Smith-Mazariegos, executive director of S.H.A.D.E Movement.

“We, as a society and community, cannot be complicit in the pain, trauma, and violence. This will continue to grow and spread if we do not protect the most vulnerable members of our society, who are Black, Brown, Asian, and poor.

To do this there must be a cohesive plan of action to strategize public safety of the community,” SmithMazaiegos said.

The Advisory Council will begin meetings in mid-June.

For information, go to the City of Oakland’s webpage on GenderBased Violence Response.

tion has provided District 7’s New Highland Academy students oneon-one literacy tutoring.

At-Large Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan honored Dev Noily, who serves as senior rabbi at Kehilla Community Synagogue on the Oakland/Piedmont border. Kehilla’s members are co- creating a joyful and liberatory Jewish community that lives in solidarity and mutuality with communities pursuing equity, justice, and healing.

Oakland’s Allen Temple Baptist Church held a Mother’s Day Hat Parade on Sunday, May 14 at the beginning of 9:30 a.m. worship service. Shown are some of the queens in their crowns. All photos courtesy of Rev. Dr. Martha C. Taylor.

A Look Back at Mother’s Day = ‘HATtitude’ for Black Queens

By Rev. Dr. Martha C. Taylor

heads with beautiful hats on Sunday morning, especially Baptist and Church of God in Christ (COGIC) denominations.

Some women have associated wearing hats with the biblical scripture, I Corinthians 11:2-16. However, this text has little applicability to the majority of women who wear Sunday hats today.

Women seem to be drawn to elaborate, sassy hats that speak without words; they are dressed to

Easter and Mother’s Day are the most highly attended Sundays for worship and African American women come wearing hats of all shapes and colors with matching suits and dresses.

Some call it “Hattitude with an Attitude.”

Mother’s Day became official on May 8, 1914. Carnations, candy, Hallmark cards, large family dinners and attending church became symbols that celebrated mothers. Wearing ornate hats were part of

ment that “work” is over and the time has arrived to put on your Sunday Best, hold your head high as you walk into the sanctuary and take your unofficial assumed pew seat.

Some hats have been identified as “first lady hats” to distinguish the wife of a male pastor as a properly adorned woman that sets the fashion trend. Author of the book

District 5 Councilmember Noel Gallo, left, introduces honoree Kenneth Lupoff who has worked to promote equity and inclusion outcomes at parks throughout Oakland. Photo by Jonathan ‘Fitness’ Jones.

Rabbi Dev is one of the only transgender/non-binary rabbis serving a congregation as senior clergy.

housed.

“This strike has never simply been about us being able to put food on our own tables, but making sure that we were able to provide for not only services, but also shifting the way we were able to provide instruction, to feed the minds of these students,” TaizRancifer concluded.

Vilma Serrano, OEA bargaining team co-chair and teacher at Melrose Leadership Academy, said teachers are really excited and ready to be back with their students, and “really excited to meet the goals we set out to accomplish, which were to stand together in service of Oakland students and in service of each other, knowing that what we are fighting for is dignity in teaching and learning. We feel we have accomplished that.”

Speaking at a press conference Monday, OUSD Supt. Kyla Johnson-Trammell said “My goal has always been to stabilize the foundation of our district through fiscal stewardship so that eventually we could position ourselves to pay our teachers and educators what they deserve.

“We realize we’re not there yet. This is one crucial step towards getting there,” she said.

the sassy fashion attire that women wore on Mother’s Day.

Black women wearing hats is a tradition rooted in African culture that goes back centuries. It is not unusual to find hats designed after West African hair dressings, filled with beads, sequins and other ornate decorations, including feathers, beads, and other jewelry.

These elaborate hats were worn at African rituals and continued long after slavery. As we gained greater freedom, hats, known as “crowns,” took on a status symbol of freedom.

However, wearing hats isn’t just about fashion: Hats have been associated with deep spiritual and cultural meanings.

The Black Church is the one place where women adorn their

the nines. Wearing big, bold sassy showstopper hats tipped to the side, or lowered forward is a sign that the fancy hat wearer needs no affirmation, she knows she is dressed to the nines.

Most Black women wear church hats as a sign of pride, confidence, and individual self-esteem of expression.Wearing church hats are a bold statement that the “lady” has arrived and ready to give God the glory in her Sunday Best.

The hattitude is in the “walk” without talk. Black queens come

“Crowns,” Craig Marberry said, “In my church, women only wore three types of hats; large hats, larger hats and “why’d you have to sit in front of me?”

To make it clear, the hattitude is an attitude without spoken words. We close with a reminder and a heartfelt prayer that Mother’s Day also bring heartache; some mothers are deceased, homeless, incarcerated, victims of abuse, and in some cases, the mother has all but been forgotten.

from families of all economic backgrounds. Most church mothers are age-seasoned and a person filled with the spirit, and a wisdom bearer.

For sure, church mothers set the etiquette for younger women.

Church mothers are highly revered and respected.Wearing that special Mother’s Day hat is a state-

High-Rise Threatens Future of Geoffrey’s Inner Circle

By Post Staff

The Oakland Planning Commission Wednesday evening approved an upscale high-rise office building next to Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, ultimately rejecting the arguments raised by owner and community leader Geoffrey Pete and community supporters that the project would be detrimental to the future of the historic jazz venue and the Black Arts Movement Business District (BAMBD) in downtown Oakland, where Geoffrey’s is located.

City Council chambers were packed with people emotional speeches in support of Geoffrey’s and the BAMBD.

Mr. Pete now has 10 days to appeal the commission’s decision to City Council. Oakland Post publisher Paul Cobb has pledged to contribute half the cost of the filing fee to make the appeal and is requesting that the community back Geoffrey’s challenge.

The Oakland Post will publish a report next week on the Planning Commission decision.

Rev. Martha C. Taylor

Sis. Nanette Gray

Sis. Norma Mondy and Sis. Joycelyn Hutchinson, mother and daughter

Sis. Loraine Caldwell

Sis. Darlene Nero and Sis. Marilyn Stewart

Sis. Margie Traylor

Sis. Doreen Bullard (left) and Sis. Patsy Lockhart

Nikki Fortunato Bas

Geoffrey Pete. Photo by JonathanFitnessJones