Oakland Post, week of October 4 - 6, 2023

Oakland Post

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire contributor

Two days after California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that Laphonza Butler would fill the U.S. Senate seat of the late Dianne Feinstein, the new senator was sworn in on Capitol Hill by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

Flanked by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and California Sen. Alex Padilla as she took the oath, Butler than received a round of applause by senators of both parties.

After the swearing-in, President Joe Biden called Butler to congra-

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Special to The Post Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) Tuesday led 18 of their colleagues in urging the BidenHarris administration to develop

and publicly announce a national fentanyl harm reduction strategy specifically focused on enhancing public health infrastructure and addressing the collateral conse-

By Tanya Dennis

Between 1990 and 2020, Oakland lost nearly half of its Black population due to economic and social forces. East Oakland, once a middle-class community, is now home to mostly Black families living in poverty.

In 2021, 314 Oakland residents died from COVID-19. More than 100 of them, or about 33.8%, were Black, a high rate of death as Blacks constitute only 22.8% of Oakland’s population.

By Antonio Ray Harvey

California Black Media

Condolences and tributes poured in from California’s Black community after the passing of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Lawmakers, business leaders, and political service orga-

In an article in last week’s edition on conditions facing tenants at Sojourner Truth Manor in North Oakland, the Oakland Post inadvertently failed to include comments submitted by HumanGood, the nonprofit company that manages the property and other sites in Oakland.

The Post regrets the error and is offering the company space to present its response to tenant concerns. In addition, here is the statement HumanGood staff submitted last week:

“Our residents and team members are our highest priority, and we understand concerns regarding communication and security due to reports of increased crime activity. Before

nizations expressed their condolences and sympathy to family, friends, and staff of U.S. Sen. Feinstein, 90, who died of natural causes in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 28.

On Friday, in a statement, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said,

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we took over management last October, the community was in need of serious repairs and rehabilitation, and we continue to hold resident meetings with translators available to share information and updates and answer questions.

“Our team is working with regulatory agencies to conduct repairs in the community room and its adjacent areas, and we look forward to more rehabilitation projects in the future to help improve the community. Going forward, our team will help ensure that progress on our work is shared more often with our residents to help address any questions or concerns they may have.”

This troubling fact did not go unnoticed by City and County agencies, and the public at large, ultimately leading to the development of several community organizations determined to combat what many deemed an existential threat to Oakland’s African American residents.

Eastside Arts Alliance had already proposed that a Black Cultural Zone be established in Deep East Oakland in 2010, but 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic galvanized the community.

Demanding Black legacy preservation, the Black Cultural Zone

(BCZ) called for East Oakland to be made an “unapologetically Black” business, commercial, economic development community.

Established initially as a welcoming space for Black art and

culture, BCZ emerged into a community development collective, and acquired the Eastmont police substation in Eastmont Town Center from the City of Oakland in 2020.

Once there, BCZ immediately

began combating the COVID-19 pandemic with drive-thru PPE distribution and food giveaways. BCZ’s Akoma Market program allowed businesses to sell their products and wares safely in a COVID-compliant space during the COVID-19 shutdown.

Currently, Akoma Market is operated twice a month at 73rd and Foothill Boulevard and Akoma vendors ‘pop up’ throughout the state at festivals and communitycentered events like health fairs.

“Before BCZ existed, East Oakland was a very depressing place to live,” said Ari Curry, BCZ’s chief experience officer and a resident of East Oakland. “There was a sense of hopelessness and not being seen. BCZ allows us to be seen by bringing in the best of our culture and positive change into some of our most depressed areas.”

The culture zone innovates, incubates, informs, and elevates the Black community and centers it in arts and culture, Curry went on.

Special to The Post Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announced Tuesday the expansion of Drug Court as part of the Alameda County Superior Court’s Collaborative Courts calendar.

“There is a growing body of evidence that shows public safety is improved when courts adopt best practices and a meaningful understanding of substance use disorders,” said DA Price.

“The bottom line is Collaborative Courts work,” Price continued. “Here in Alameda County, and throughout the state, treatment courts are producing better outcomes than traditional crimi-

nal courtrooms. I’m looking forward to creating a dual diagnosis Court to further expand our commitment to justice with compassion.”

Starting this week, Felony Drug Court will now be heard every Monday. Because of the expansion of Felony Drug Court, all misdemeanor Drug Court cases have been moved to Thursdays.

“The additional days for the calendar became necessary as referrals to Felony Drug Court increased because of recent policy changes,” said Masanao Morimoto, who heads the DA’s Collaborative Courts and Diversion Programs Unit. “Those policies include revising the list of eligible

offenses and abrogating the automatic exclusion of defendants with ‘strike’ priors from Drug Court.”

Also, arraignment and pretrial departments are no longer allowed to block referrals to Drug Court.

Instead, members of the Collaborative Courts & Diversion Programs Unit are tasked with assessing all referred defendants to determine if they are amenable and suitable for treatment.

All of these improvements were made in close collaboration with the Alameda County Superior Court, Alameda County Dept. of Behavior Health, the Alameda County Public Defender’s office and the Alameda County Probation Dept.

At the August 2016 unveiling of a statue honoring Tony Bennett, the singer of the iconic song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” California Sen. Dianne Feinstein spoke to longtime city resident Will Ussery. According to photographer Conway Jones Jr., Feinstein, 83 at the time, playfully revealed to Ussery the ‘secret’ of her age. Feinstein, San Francisco’s first woman mayor, passed away last week. She was 90. Photo by Conway Jones.

Gen. Charles Quinton Brown, Jr., New U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Followed the Road Less Taken

By By Conway Jones

After being sworn in last Friday, Air Force General Charles Quinton Brown, Jr. assumed his role as Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff on Oct. 1. He follows retiring General Mark A. Milley who served as the 20th Joint Chiefs of Staff chair.

The chairman is the highest ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces. He is the principal military advisor to the president, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and the Secretary of Defense.

Before being confirmed on Sept. 27 as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Brown, who goes by ‘CQ,’ was the first Black service chief in U.S. military history when he became the 22nd chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force in 2020.

Brown is highly qualified to advise President Joe Biden, and lead in direct support to empower, enable, and equip America’s sol-

diers, sailors, airmen, marines, and guardsmen.

Across decades of warfighting experience, Brown was previously selected to be the Commandant of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School. The Weapons School is responsible for teaching and reinforcing officer and enlisted instructors to further develop the Air Force and National Guard members to be responsible and accountable for the effective employment of the most lethal weapons systems in the world.

The Weapons School Commandant position is possibly the most competitive, selective Brigadier General assignment in the Department of Defense.” said Lt. Gen. Bruce “Orville” Wright, USAF (Retired), president & CEO, Air & Space Forces Association.

General Brown has a command pilot rating with more than 3,000 flying hours including 130 combat hours. He has flown the F-16 fighters A/B/C/D models, and 20 additional fixed and rotary-

A Ban on Book Bans: California Is Second State in U.S. to Pass Law

By Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media

Before Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1078, legislation prohibiting book bans in California, he told Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Riverside), who authored the bill, “I appreciate you and your leadership.”

nia’s schools, ensuring that our students have access to a broad range of educational materials that accurately represent the rich cultural and racial diversity of our society,” said Jackson, a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus, that day.

as a parent. There is no such thing as a parental right,” said Nicolette Vochelle from Southern California and a member of BLEXIT, a conservative community organization co-founded by Candace Owens. Vochelle was one of the speakers that participated in the rally.

“This is about our decisions as parents to raise our children as best as we possibly can and to choose the village and environment that they are raised in,” said Vochelle, expressing her opposition to AB 1078 and AB 5.

AB 5, which Newsom signed into law on Sept. 23, requires the State Department of Education to finalize the development of an online training delivery platform and an online training curriculum to advance LGBTQ “cultural competency” training for teachers.

wing aircraft.

“It is appropriate that the first Black USAF Chief of Staff, General Charles Q. Brown Jr., was a fighter pilot, like the most famous of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II,” said Daniel Haulman, Ph.D., retired Chief Historian, US Air Force.

The first three Black generals in the United States Air Force were Tuskegee Airmen Benjamin O. Davis Jr., Daniel “Chappie” James, and Lucius Theus, Haulman said.

“I am delighted that General Brown is now the second Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the first one to come from the United States Air Force,” said Haulman.

General Brown’s promotions through the military ranks to this office are reflected in the last line of the Robert Frost poem, “The Road Not Taken.” “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference.”

*Terrence Wilson, Piano

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 3:00 PM ST. JOHN’S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 2727 College Avenue, Berkeley, CA

*Thalea String Quartet

Christopher Whitley, Violin Kumiko Sakamoto, Violin Lauren Spaulding, Viola Alex Cox, Cello

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 3:00 PM

ST. JOHN’S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 2727 College Avenue, Berkeley, CA

Annelle Gregory, Violin

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 3:00 PM BERKELEY PIANO CLUB 2724 Haste St, Berkeley, CA

*Spanish Brass Quintet

Carlos Benetó, Trumpet Juanjo Serna, Trumpet Indalecio Bonet, Trombone Manuel Pérez, French Horn Sergio Finca, Tuba

SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 3:00 PM ST. JOHN’S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 2727 College Avenue, Berkeley, CA

ZOFO Piano Duo

Eva-Maria Zimmerman

Keisuke Nakajoshi

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 3:00 PM

BERKELEY PIANO CLUB 2724 Haste St, Berkeley, CA

“Remarkable,” continued the Governor. “We’re living in a country right now in this banning binge, in this cultural purge that we’re experiencing, all throughout America, and now increasingly here in the State of California, where we have school districts, large and small, banning books, banning free speech, criminalizing librarians and teachers.”

Newsom said codifying AB 1078 into law shows that California isn’t just “pushing back rhetorically” against what he describes as a “banning binge” happening across America.

AB 1078 also makes it illegal to censor instruction material and it mandates schools to provide access to textbooks that educate students about diverse cultures and people, according to Jackson, who was with the Governor when he signed the bill, Newsom said Illinois passed a similar bill that takes effect in January. California is the second state in the nation to make it illegal to ban books or restrict learning material that includes information about the LGBTQ+ community, or specific races or ethnic groups. However, AB 1078 takes effect immediately because the Legislature passed it with an urgency clause.

On Sept, .7, AB 1078 passed in both the Assembly (61 to 17) and the Senate (31 to 9).

“We’re taking a firm stand against book-banning in Califor-

AB 1078 requires school boards across the state to receive approval from the state Board of Education before stripping any instructional materials or books from classrooms and school libraries or “ceasing to teach any curriculum.”

AB 1078 now extends to cover school libraries, prohibiting any censorship or removal of books, instructional materials, or curriculum resources that state law requires be reflected in instructional materials.

The bill’s passage in both legislative houses demonstrates California’s commitment to preserving academic freedom, fostering diverse perspectives, and discouraging the practice of book banning, Jackson observed in an Aug. 21 statement.

Jackson introduced the bill after Temecula Valley Unified School District attracted attention when most of its schools barred a state-approved history textbook that features renowned politician and gay rights activist Harvey Milk.

Milk was assassinated along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone on Nov. 27, 1978, 11 months after he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

On Aug. 14, parent groups opposing AB 1078 voiced their opinions about Jackson Bill and AB 5, the “Safe and Supportive Schools Program” at a rally held on the southeast lawn of the state capitol.

“This is not about your rights

According to BLEXIT’s website, the organization promotes economic independence, individual freedom, strengthening the nuclear family, and fostering a deeper appreciation for patriotism in Black American culture.

Vochelle told California Black Media that “Gov, Newsom, (Attorney General) Rob Bonta, and (Superintendent of Public Instruction) Tony Thurmond have zero rights to our children and it is beyond time that we remind them of that fact. We don’t give them another inch or second of our time to strip our children’s innocence. They will not be victims and they will not be confused. They will be protected.”

Jackson disagrees with Vochelle and other opponents of the legislation.

The lawmaker, who is openly gay, said AB 1078 will keep the path open to understanding, trust, equality, and knowledge in the classrooms. He believes that the bill will build a strong bond between schools and parents.

“California is the true freedom state: a place where families — not political fanatics — have the freedom to decide what’s right for them. With the passage of this legislation that bans book bans and ensures all students have textbooks, our state’s Family Agenda is now even stronger. All students deserve the freedom to read and learn about the truth, the world, and themselves,” Newsom said after the Legislature approved AB 1078.

Charles Quinton Brown, Jr., General, U.S. Air Force, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. Official portrait, 2022, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.

AB 1078 now extends to cover school libraries, prohibiting any censorship or removal of books, instructional materials, or curriculum resources that state law requires be reflected in instructional materials. Image courtesy California Black Media.

Parents and Youth Host Candidate Forum for District 5 OUSD Board Representative

grants, are broken. Let’s change that narrative,” Lerma said.

Both candidates shared similar viewpoints in almost all the categories of questions, except for one: charter schools.

Charter schools have been a contentious issue in Oakland for years, as many say that they take away attendance and, consequently, funding from the schools under OUSD.

Ritzie-Hernandez said in her follow-up interview with The Post that while she doesn’t oppose charters in the district, she is against their expansion because it becomes harder to regulate what each individual school is teaching if they aren’t under the district.

“My goal, if I become a board member, is to ensure that we create a robust public education system here in Oakland,” Ritzie-Hernandez said.

Magaly Muñoz

Post Staff

Oakland families gathered at Lazear Charter Academy last Thursday night to meet the candidates running to represent District 5 on the Oakland Unified School District’s school board.

The seat became vacant in March when board president, Mike Hutchinson, transitioned to represent District 4 after previously serving as a D5 representative.

Sasha Ritzie-Hernandez and Jorge Lerma were announced as the final candidates for the position in August.

The forum, at 824 29th Ave., was sponsored by Families in Action, an organization that supports parents and students in their fight for quality education in Oakland.

The event was well-attended, with every seat in the room filled to hear what each candidate had to say about issues concerning the

parents and teachers. However, Lerma was the only candidate present at the forum, leading to disappointment among some organizers about Ritzie-Hernandez’s absence.

“When someone who is running doesn’t have time for the people in the community, it’s very disappointing, it’s like putting our children last versus putting them first,” stated Tunisia Harris, a mother with several family members in D5 schools and a parent leader with Families in Action.

In a follow-up with The Oakland Post, Ritzie-Hernandez explained that her home had been vandalized during the week and she was dealing with the post-traumatic effects of the incident. Despite not being in the best mindset to attend the forum, she mentioned that she had talked to many of the families and organizers and was open to continuing the dialogue.

In lieu of being there in person, Ritzie-Hernandez opted to audio record her responses to the questions, which covered a range of topics from safety to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on education.

When asked about test scores affected by the pandemic, RitzieHernandez said the low scores for kids in Oakland comes from systemic racism and the often limited resources that are available to students of color. She said more attention needs to be put into culturally competent teachings.

Lerma, conversely, stressed that teachings should reflect “the real world.” He argued against blaming the children who are often labeled “defiant or hard to teach” and advocated for providing them with an environment that allows them to grow.

“We always make it seem that kids that are of color or immi-

In a follow-up conversation, Lerma stated that charters are neither bad nor good, they’re simply options available to parents for their child’s education.

He suggested that instead of framing the conversation on charters as bad vs good, OUSD should focus on improving schools that are failing to keep kids in the classroom and provide them ample resources to achieve.

“It’s not the charters that are the biggest threat to [OUSD]-- it’s failing schools because failing schools then add to truancy,” Lerma said. “The kids start thinking, ‘well, there’s nothing there for me.’ It’s the same old thing. Education is like a mass production assembly line, one size fits all, and that’s exactly what I’m fighting against.”

The candidates will continue to campaign for the vacant school board seat until the special election on Nov. 7. All Oakland District 5 voters will be sent ballots to cast their votes by mail.”

‘Kalimba King’ Carl Winters Comes to MoAD on Oct. 14

Special to The Post

Carl Winters, The Kalimba King, will be performing at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD) in San Francisco on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 2 p.m.

This will be a free show suitable for the entire family that will feature jazz, blues, pop, oldies, freedom/civil rights songs, and gospel played on 12 kalimbas (African thumb pianos).

Winters will also provide an educational component that includes a discussion of how kalimbas are used in African countries, a question & answer period, hands-on opportunities for participants to play the kalimbas, and handouts that illustrate how to make kalimbas.

In the 1970s, Winters was inspired to play the kalimba by the late Maurice White, founder of Earth, Wind, & Fire, and has been play-

ing festivals, universities, schools, churches, libraries, senior homes, and special events for over three decades. Some past performances include the Smithsonian Institution, the Gullah Festival in South Carolina, and the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee.

While teaching in the Oakland and Hayward school districts, Winters incorporated music into the curriculum and his students performed for TV and radio stations, the mayor of Hayward, and senior homes.

Now a retired teacher, he still gives kalimba lessons and performs in the San Francisco Bay Area as well as across the country.

Winters also assists with the Allen Temple Baptist Church Children’s Choir in Oakland. For more information go to www.kalimbaking.com.

Stephisha Ycoy-Walton, a parent leader with Families In Action speaks as District 5 School Board candidate

Jorge Lerma stands nearby. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church, 5150 Bayview Ave, Richmond, CA

Zion Hill is seeking a pastor to lead the congregation.

If interested in being a potential candidate, please send resumes to the above address or email to the assistant chairman of the Deacon Board, Deacon Gregory Jackson at gmansr54@att.net

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING, PUBLICATION AND REQUEST FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE CITY OF OAKLAND’S PATHWAYS TO REDUCING OBSTACLES TO HOUSING GRANT APPLICATION

The Public is invited to review and comment on the City of Oakland’s “Pathways to Reducing Obstacles to Housing” Grant (PRO Housing Grant), to be submitted to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This grant application proposes to seek federal funds to support predevelopment and process streamlining for affordable housing in Oakland.

A Public Hearing for the PRO Housing Grant will be held on Tuesday October 17, 2023 at the Oakland City Council meeting as a public hearing item. The public will be able to view and participate in the public hearing made available in person or via KTOP and Zoom. For public participation and viewing instructions go to: https://oakland.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx, select the “Agenda” icon for the October 17, 2023 City Council meeting. Translation and assistance for persons with disabilities is available upon advance request. See details on the October 17, 2023, City Council Agenda.

Availability of PRO Housing Grant Application – Public Review Comment

Period

The PRO Housing Grant Application is available online for public review and feedback between October 10, 2023 – October 25, 2023 at https:// www.oaklandca.gov/departments/department-of-housing-and-communitydevelopment. Any modifications to the public hearing date or the PRO Housing Grant Application will be noted on this same site.

Submission of Written Comments

Public comments or requests for additional information on the PRO Housing Grant Application must be submitted by October 25, 2023, at csmith4@oaklandca.gov with Subject: “PRO Housing Grant Application Comments.”

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“In Senator Feinstein’s honor, I am directing the flags flying at all City facilities to be lowered to half-staff.

“I am saddened by the passing of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, one of our nation’s great leaders and someone I was blessed to call a colleague and friend,” added Bass. “Sen. Feinstein was a trailblazer on whose shoulders I, and women in elected office all across America, will always stand. She worked harder than anyone I knew on Capitol Hill, and she will be remembered as one of the most effective and impactful Senators in American history.”

Feinstein made history as the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from California. She served over three decades in the upper chamber of the U.S. Congress and was the oldest lawmaker on Capitol Hill.

“California lost a trailblazer and a giant today,” wrote Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “Senator Feinstein broke glass ceilings for women in politics and fought fearlessly for safer communities free of gun violence. My deepest condolences go out to her family and loved ones.”

Feinstein built a reputation as an independent voice, working hard to find practical solutions to issues confronting California and the nation. She was the first woman to chair the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, a position she held for six years beginning in 2009.

In 2017, Sen. Feinstein became the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee — the first woman to assume that role — where she helped shape policy on criminal law, national security, immigration, civil rights, and the courts. She held that position until 2021.

“We have fond memories to cherish of the work accomplished together on behalf of our most vulnerable and underserved communities,” stated Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) founding member and state President Dezie Woods-Jones. “The Senator is truly a trailblazer.”

BWOPA’s mission is to empower and educate African American women about politics, encourage involvement, and address issues affecting the African American community.

Over 50 years ago, BWOPA charter members Hon. Ella Hill Hutch and Hon. Doris Ward collaborated extensively with Feinstein on a range of social issues during her time on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and as San Francisco Mayor.

Woods-Jones recalls Sen.

The Black Cultural Zone’s Pivotal Role ...

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“With the mission to center ourselves unapologetically in arts, culture, and economics, BCZ allows us to design, resource, and build on collective power within our community for transformation,” Curry concluded.

As a part of Oakland Thrives, another community collective, BCZ began working to secure $100 million to develop a ‘40 by 40’ block area that runs from Seminary Avenue to the Oakland-San Leandro border and from MacArthur Boulevard to the Bay.

The project would come to be known as Rise East.

Carolyn Johnson, CEO of BCZ says, “Our mission is to build a vibrant legacy where we thrive economically, anchored in Black art and commerce. The power to do this is being realized with the Rise

Feinstein hosted BWOPA’s first annual Board retreat.

“May her profound legacy of supporting women’s rights and leadership continue to be front and center. Thank you for your years of service Senator,” said Woods-Jones. “May her profound legacy of supporting women’s rights and leadership continue to be front and center.”

Feinstein was instrumental in helping the Black American Political Association of California (BAPAC) grow and become a force to be reckoned with in California politics. The group is dedicated to amplifying the economic, social, and political influence of the Black community in California.

According to BAPAC Sacramento Regional Director Rory Kaufman, BAPAC’s growth and influence were bolstered by the support of former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, former Gov. Jerry Brown, and Feinstein. The organization was founded by Percy Pinkney, an outspoken champion for solutions to challenges facing Black Californians, who also served as a senior state field representative for Feinstein.

“The bottom line is that Dianne Feinstein helped keep BAPAC alive because she had Percy Pinkney on her staff,” Kaufman said. “If memory serves me correctly, it was either Brown or Feinstein that sent Pinkney to Indiana where he discovered an organization similar to BAPAC and brought it back here (to the West Coast) to start the organization.”

The California Black Women’s Collective (CBWC) also issued a statement on the passing of Feinstein. CBWC serves as a resource for lawmakers, elected officials, business leaders, and advocacy organizations.

“We are all saddened by the passing of Senator Diane Feinstein, who paved the way for women to serve their communities in California and nationally,” said Kellie Todd Griffin, founding convener of CBWC.

“It is imperative that we all take a moment to honor her contributions that positioned California as a beacon for others to follow.”

Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood), vice chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), called Feinstein an “icon for her service and leadership.”

“Senator Dianne Feinstein dedicated her life to public service. As the longest-serving woman in the U.S. Senate, she was a trailblazer who served our state with strength, vision, and compassion,” said Bradford. “Her career was forged through the tragedy of gun violence which fueled her unwavering resolve to pass groundbreaking gun control. A true giant has left us.”

East Project.

“With collective power, we are pushing for good health and self-determination, which is true freedom,” Johnson says. “BCZ’s purpose is to innovate, to change something already established; to incubate, optimizing growth and development, and boost businesses’ economic growth with our programs; we inform as we serve as a trusted source of information for resources to help people; and most important, we elevate, promoting and boosting Black folks up higher with the services we deliver with excellence.

“Rise East powers our work in economics, Black health, education, and power building. Rise East is the way to get people to focus on what BCZ has been doing. The funding for the 40 by 40 Rise East project is funding the Black Culture Zone,” Johnson said.

Fentenyl Harm Reduction Strategy ...

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quences that stem from drug arrests and convictions.

The lawmakers emphasized that this strategy should support increased availability of local overdose prevention centers (OPCs) and expanded access to vital medical interventions, including naloxone, drug testing strips, sterile syringes and pipes, methadone, and buprenorphine.

According to the most recent data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as 109,593 people in the United States died of drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending in January 2023. Of this figure, a staggering 67% of deaths involved synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

Fentanyl is involved in more deaths of Americans under the age of 50 than any other cause of death, including heart disease, cancer, homicide, suicide and other accidents.

The lawmakers urged the administration to:

• Deploy federal resources to enable agencies to better identify and repeal collateral consequences that result from drug possession arrests and convictions, such as the drug felony ban on federal food security programs;

• Improve equitable access to effective harm reduction services — which involves an examination of barriers that community-based syringe services programs may face in applying for federal funds,

Laphonza Butler Becomes California’s Newest U.S. Senator ...

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tulate her, the White House said.

“I am honored to accept Gov. Newsom’s nomination to be a U.S. Senator for a state I have long called home,” Butler said in a statement Monday. “I am humbled by the Governor’s trust. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s leadership and legacy are immeasurable. I will do my best to honor her by devoting my time and energy to serving the people of California and the people of this great nation.”

She will be the third Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate, preceded by Illinois’s Carol Mosely Braun, and current V.P. Kamala Harris. Butler is also the first openly lesbian Black U.S. senator: Her wife, Neneki Lee, held the Bible during Butler’s swearing-in.

Since 2021, Butler has been serving as the president of EMILY’s List. The fundraising platform supports and funds women candidates and amplifies issues that disproportionately impact women.

Before that she was involved in labor organizing, elected president of California’s largest union, Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

“As the president of SEIU 2015, Laphonza Butler led the fight for fair wages and respect for home care workers,” said Mary Kay Henry, current SEIU president, in a statement Monday. “As president of SEIU California, she was a driving force in winning the first statewide $15 an hour minimum wage in the nation. She has been a strong ally electing pro-women candidates as president of Emily’s List.”

Fellow California Sen. Alex Padilla also expressed strong support for Butler. “Throughout her career, Laphonza Butler has been a strong voice for working families, LGBTQ rights, and a champion for increasing women’s representation in politics. I’m honored to welcome her to the United States Senate,” Padilla wrote in a statement.

such as reporting requirements that incorporate personally identifiable information — and adopt policies that minimize those barriers; and

• Close research gaps and undertake a comprehensive evidence review on the role of distribution of safer smoking supplies in harm reduction measures, including engagement and retention, risks for overdose and infectious diseases, referral and linkage to other services, and health equity.

The lawmakers wrote, “Furthermore, strong evidence indicates that (Outpatient Procedure Programs) reduce the transmission of HIV and hepatitis, prevent overdose deaths, reduce public injections and the volume of shared or discarded syringes, and increase the number of drug users who enter treatment programs.

The Biden-Harris administration should set forth federal policy to support the availability and expansion of OPCs as effective harm reduction tools.

“Further criminalizing fentanyl and doubling down on punitive drug policies only complicates our efforts to address the overdose crisis; people are deterred from seeking needed medical help, and illicit drug manufacturers and sellers are incentivized to create new and increasingly deadly drugs that aren’t covered by existing criminal laws,” they continued. “With the Biden-Harris administration’s recent announcement of a plan to address the growing threat of fentanyl, we urge you to take every opportunity to prevent fentanylrelated overdoses from claiming scores of American lives daily.”

“Governor Newsom’s swift action ensures that Californians maintain full representation in the Senate as we navigate a narrow Democratic majority. I look forward to working together to deliver for the people of California.”

Newsom’s decision was not on the political radar screen of most prognosticators.

With the selection of Butler, the decision by California’s Governor did not include any of the currently announced candidates for U.S. Senate in 2024 in California. Those current candidates include veteran members of Congress Barbara Lee and Adam Schiff and relative newcomer Katie Porter.

“As we mourn the enormous loss of Senator Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for — reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence — have never been under greater assault. Laphonza will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington, D.C.,” wrote Gov. Newsom in a statement released on the evening of October 1 announcing Butler’s appointment.

Butler will be the only Black woman in the Senate. But Delaware Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester is expected to win the Senate seat vacated by Senator Tom Carper. Carper announced he would not run for re-election in 2024 and Rochester announced shortly afterwards that she would run for Carper’s seat.

Butler formally became another addition to the Congressional Black Caucus when she was welcomed with a swearing in by those members later on Tuesday.

Butler grew up in Magnolia, Miss., one of four siblings raised by a single mother. Her father, who suffered from heart disease, passed away when Butler was 16. She attended Jackson State University, an HBCU, graduating in 2001.

Bayard Rustin’s Legacy of Protest, Politics Redundant in Essay Form

was illegal then.

At that point, though, he had seen many wrongs around him, and he became an activist. He also worked for justice as a speaker and organizer; at one time, he’d embraced communism but eventually became a socialist. By his own admission, Rustin was jailed more than 20 times and served on a chain gang for several months – but even then, his nonviolent Quaker beliefs emerged, and he befriended his jailers, gaining their respect.

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

The Bookworm Sez

You will never settle.

And why should you? If it’s not right, you make it right. If it can be better, well, then get at it. You find the solution, or you go on to the next thing because good enough is never good enough. As in the new book “Bayard Rustin,” essays edited by Michael G. Long, there’s always work to do and good trouble.

Somehow, it seems, in the discussion about Martin Luther King Jr. and the leadership he brought to the Civil Rights Movement, certain things may be left out. In the case of Bayard Rustin, says Long, the record needs to be altered.

Today. Now. His mother was still a teenager, and unmarried, when Rustin’s grandmother helped deliver him in the spring of 1912. The boy’s father refused to acknowledge him, so his grandparents gave him a family name and raised him in their Quaker faith.

Still, alongside the peaceful, gentle mandate of Quakerism, young Rustin experienced Jim Crow segregation. His grandmother left a major impact on him, teaching him compassion, kindness, and generosity – she reared him to do the right thing – but they lived in Pennsylvania, where racism was common, and the Klan maintained a nearby presence. As if that wasn’t difficult enough, Rustin realized he was gay, which

By the time he met a young preacher named Martin Luther King, Jr., Rustin was well-versed on civil rights work. He had direction, contacts, and the organizational skills the movement needed.

And yet, he was willing to let King take the front stage...

Pulled together as a collection of essays, “Bayard Rustin” has one flaw that probably can’t be helped: it’s quite repetitive. Each of the essayists in this book wrote extensively about Rustin, his work, and his impact, but there just doesn’t seem to be quite enough about Rustin himself – perhaps because, as editor Michael G. Long indicates in his introduction, Rustin left a legacy, but history left him more in the background. This means that the nearly two dozen contributors to this book had only what they had to go on, hence, the repetition.

Even so, if you look for Rustin, you’ll find abundant tales about him and this book has a good portion of them. Readers will be entertained, confounded, and pleased by what they read here. It’s like finding treasure you never knew you needed.

This book needs to sit on the shelf next to everything written about Dr. King. It’s an essential companion to any volume about the Civil Rights Movement. If you need history, find “Bayard Rustin” and settle in.

“Bayard Rustin: A Legacy of Protest and Politics,” edited by Michael G. Long, foreword by Clayborne Carson, c.2023, NYU Press, $27.95, 256 pages.

San Francisco Foundation Celebrates 75 Years of Social Justice in the Bay Area

Post News Group Co-Publisher and former ten year Foundation trustee, Gay Plair Cobb, shares a laugh with San Francisco Foundation CEO Fred Blackwell at the organization’s 75th anniversary celebration on Sept. 28. The event brought together leaders of the non-profit, public, and private sectors and featured a land blessing by by Pomo nation community educator Ras K’Dee, poetry by Chinaka Hodge, and remarks from former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao was also present. The cities of San Francisco and Oakland each declared Sept. 28 as San Francisco Foundation Day, and the foundation received commendations from the City of San Jose and the California Legislature. Photo by Conway Jones.

Michael A. Long edited the book of essays published by NYU Press. Courtesy photo.