Activism

The Case Against SB357—Black, Vulnerable and Trafficked—Why Us?

Motivated to protect trans, Black and Hispanic people from persecution by police, State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) sponsored the Safer Streets for All Act. Passed by the Senate Public Safety Committee on June 1, 2021, and the Assembly on Sept. 10, 2021, SB357 repeals provisions of California law that criminalize loitering for the intent to engage in sex work. But the impact of the bill goes far astray from the author’s intent.

Published

3 years ago

March 9, 2023

Oakland Post

“The Caged Mind Does Not Move Forward.” Photo courtesy of Sable Horton.

Part 1

By Tanya Dennis and Vanessa Russell

Motivated to protect trans, Black and Hispanic people from persecution by police, State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) sponsored the Safer Streets for All Act.

Passed by the Senate Public Safety Committee on June 1, 2021, and the Assembly on Sept. 10, 2021, SB357 repeals provisions of California law that criminalize loitering for the intent to engage in sex work.

But the impact of the bill goes far astray from the author’s intent.

The uptick in trafficking and prostitution started even before the law was formally adopted in January, and SB357 ties the hands of police to do anything but observe or do a sting.

After the bill passed in the Legislature, “The Track”—where most prostitution occurs in Oakland—along International Boulevard near 15^th Avenue turned into a “drive-thru” akin to a fast-food eatery as the ‘Johns’ lined up to make their choice.

SB 357 is seriously harming the neighborhood on 15th Avenue. Girls are not allowed to take restroom breaks and are defecating in the alley and standing naked in the streets directing traffic on The Track.

This writer has seen a photograph of a little girl having a birthday party in her front yard while a transaction was going on across the street.

To take the pressure off 15th Avenue and give residents some peace, a public official at a recent town hall has even said that the city was considering accommodating the Johns by doing cut-aways on International Boulevard so they can turn around and get back in line.

Wiener says SB357 was the first legislation initiated by the DecrimSexWork CA Coalition, but this first step toward legalizing prostitution turns a blind eye to human trafficking, opponents say.

Before the law passed police were able to recover seven minors who had been forced into prostitution but none have been rescued since.

The Post will present an eight-part series to provide an inside view of why SB357 has left minors, and victims of human trafficking vulnerable. Forty percent of those who are trafficked in the U.S. are Black women and girls. Why is this happening and why is Oakland ground zero for a growing supply of Black bodies to purchase?

How It Began

Black people’s vulnerability to trafficking, violence and abuse in the United States began with slavery in the 1600s. During the slave era, Black people were forced not only to work but engage in sexual servitude to their owners. Black women and men were forced to make themselves sexually available to the slave owner, enduring many levels of violence or oppression to survive. Black mates and fathers learned they could not protect themselves or others.

Slavery and human trafficking are the same beast.

In fact, human trafficking was labeled as modern-day slavery by The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA).

Although slavery in the U.S. was “abolished” in the 1860s, the effects of slavery are on display today in the fragile Black family, a condition that makes Black people vulnerable.

Sixty-four percent of Black families are led by single mothers in the United States. Those family members are four times more likely to experience poverty, seven times more likely to experience teen pregnancy, more likely to use drugs and alcohol, and more likely to experience prison and human trafficking.

The trauma and displacement that Black communities and families have been and continue to experience is heavily impacting children. A study conducted by West Coast Children’s Clinic involving 113 youth ranging in age from 10 to 24 highlighted the correlation between human trafficking and foster care, homelessness, and addiction.

For many Black youth, their desperation to be loved and to belong makes them sitting ducks for exploitation and predatory people, systems, and policies.

One Black girl shared that she would “do whatever as long as you keep telling me that I’m important.”

As we explore the history of human trafficking in Oakland, we invite you to evaluate whether the sex industry is empowering or oppressing the Black community and what you can do to uplift, rebuild and restore.

For more information go to the Post electronic copy of this article for more information and facts.

Online only:

Racial-Disparties-FactSheet-_Jan-2021.pdf (rights4girls.org)

Human Trafficking | Key Legislation (justice.gov).

Children in single-parent families by race and ethnicity | KIDS COUNT Data Center

nationalfatherhoodinitiativefatherabsencecrisis.png (492×1147) and Healthy Alameda County :: Indicators :: Single-Parent Households

WCC_SEM_Needs-and-Strengths_FINAL1.pdf (westcoastcc.org)

Tanya Dennis serves on the Board of Oakland Frontline Healers (OFH) and series co-author Vanessa Russell of “Love Never Fails Us” and member of OFH.

“I’ll Do Whatever as Long as You Keep Telling Me That I’m Important”: A Case Study Illustrating the Link between Adolescent Dating Violence and Sex Trafficking Victimization. | Semantic Scholar .

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Activism

Ann Lowe: The Quiet Genius of American Couture

Lowe was born in Clayton, Alabama, into a family of gifted seamstresses. Her mother and grandmother were well-known dressmakers who created exquisite gowns for women in the area. By the time Lowe was a young girl, she was already showing extraordinary talent — cutting, sewing, and decorating fabric with a skill that far exceeded her age. When her mother died unexpectedly, Lowe – only 16 years old then – took over her mother’s sewing business, completing all the orders herself.

Published

5 days ago

December 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Photo courtesy of National Archives.

By Tamara Shiloh

Ann Cole Lowe, born Dec.14, 1898, was a pioneering American fashion designer whose extraordinary talent shaped some of the most widely recognized and celebrated gowns in U.S. history.

Although she designed dresses for society’s wealthiest families and created masterpieces worn at historic events, Lowe spent much of her life in the shadows — uncredited, underpaid, yet unmatched in skill. Today, she is celebrated as one of the first nationally recognized African American fashion designers and a true visionary in American couture.

In 1917, Lowe moved to New York City to study at the S.T. Taylor Design School. Although she was segregated from White students and forced to work separately, she, of course, excelled, graduating earlier than expected. Her instructors quickly recognized that her abilities were far above the typical student, especially her skill in hand-sewing, applique, and intricate floral embellishment – techniques that would become her signature.

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, she designed gowns for high-society women in Florida and New York, operating boutiques and working for prestigious department stores. Her reputation for craftsmanship, originality, and elegance grew increasingly. She was known for creating gowns that moved beautifully, featured delicate hand-made flowers, and looked sculpted rather than sewn. Many wealthy clients specifically requested “an Ann Lowe gown” for weddings, balls, and galas.

Her most famous creation came in 1953: the wedding gown worn by Jacqueline Bouvier when she married Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy. The dress – crafted from ivory silk taffeta with dozens of tiny, pleated rosettes – became one of the most photographed bridal gowns in American history. Despite this achievement, Lowe received no public credit at the time. When a flood destroyed her completed gowns 10 days before the wedding, she and her seamstresses worked day and night to remake everything – at her own expense. Her dedication and perfectionism never wavered.

She eventually opened “Ann Lowe Originals,” her own salon on New York’s Madison Avenue. She served clients such as the Rockefellers, DuPonts, Vanderbilts, and actresses like Olivia de Havilland. Yet even with her wealthy clientele, she struggled financially, often undercharging because she wanted every dress to be perfect, even if it meant losing money.

Lowe’s contributions were finally recognized later in life. Today, her exquisite gowns are preserved in museums, including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In the last five years of her life, Lowe lived with her daughter Ruth in Queens, N.Y. She died at her daughter’s home on Feb. 25, 1981, at the age of 82, after an extended illness.

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2025 in Review: Seven Questions for Black Women’s Think Tank Founder Kellie Todd Griffin

As the president and CEO of the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute, Griffin is on a mission to shift the narrative and outcomes for Black women and girls. She founded the nation’s first Black Women’s Think Tank, securing $5 million in state funding to fuel policy change.

Published

5 days ago

December 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Kellie Todd Griffin. CBM file photo.

By Edward Henderson
California Black Media

With more than 25 years of experience spanning public affairs, community engagement, strategy, marketing, and communications, Kellie Todd Griffin is recognized across California as a leader who mobilizes people and policy around issues that matter.

Griffin spoke with California Black Media (CBM) about her successes and setbacks in 2025 and her hopes for 2026.

Looking back at 2025, what stands out to you as your most important achievement and why? 

Our greatest achievement in this year is we got an opportunity to honor the work of 35 Black women throughout California who are trailblazing the way for the next generation of leaders.

How did your leadership, efforts and investments as president and CEO California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute contribute to improving the lives of Black Californians? 

We’re training the next leaders. We have been able to train 35 women over a two-year period, and we’re about to start a new cohort of another 30 women. We also have trained over 500 middle and high school girls in leadership, advocacy, and financial literacy.

What frustrated you the most over the last year?

Getting the question, “why.” Why advocate for Black women? Why invest in Black people, Black communities? It’s always constantly having to explain that, although we are aware that there are other populations that are in great need, the quality-of-life indices for Black Californians continue to decrease. Our life expectancies are decreasing. Our unhoused population is increasing. Our health outcomes remain the worst.

We’re not asking anyone to choose one group to prioritize. We are saying, though, in addition to your investments into our immigrant brothers and sisters – or our religious brothers and sisters – we are also asking you to uplift the needs of Black Californians. That way, all of us can move forward together.

What inspired you the most over the last year?

I’ve always been amazed by the joy of Black women in the midst of crisis.

That is really our secret sauce. We don’t let the current state of any issue take our joy from us. It may break us a little bit. We may get tired a little bit. But we find ways to express that – through the arts, through music, through poetry.

What is one lesson you learned in 2025 that will inform your decision-making next year?

Reset. It’s so important not to be sitting still. We have a new administration. We’re seeing data showing that Black women have the largest unemployment rate. We’ve lost so many jobs. We can have rest – we can be restful – but we have to continue the resistance.

In one word, what is the biggest challenge Black Californians faced in 2025?

Motivation.

I choose motivation because of the tiredness. What is going to motivate us to be involved in 2026?

What is the goal you want to achieve most in 2026?

I want to get Black Californians in spaces and places of power and influence – as well as opportunities to thrive economically, socially, and physically.

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BRIDGE Housing President and CEO Ken Lombard Scores Top Honors for Affordable Housing Leadership

The Development Company of the Year honor represents a milestone for BRIDGE Housing, which received the Gold award—its top designation—in a category that included both affordable and market-rate developers. The recognition caps what has been one of the strongest growth periods in the organization’s 42-year history.

Published

5 days ago

December 14, 2025

Oakland Post

BRIDGE Housing President and CEO Ken Lombard. Courtesy of BRIDGE Housing.

By the Oakland Post Staff

San Francisco-based BRIDGE Housing and its president and CEO, Ken Lombard, have been named among the nation’s housing industry standouts, earning two of the top prizes at the 2025 Multi-Housing News Excellence Awards.

BRIDGE Housing was named Development Company of the Year, while Lombard received Executive of the Year, recognition that places the nonprofit affordable housing provider alongside leading national developers of both affordable and market-rate housing.

The awards were announced in New York for the accomplishments achieved during 2024.

Multi-Housing News is one of the industry’s most respected publications. Award winners are selected by a panel of housing professionals, including multifamily developers, architects, and owners.

“BRIDGE Housing is deeply honored to be recognized by Multi-Housing News and our industry peers,” Lombard said. “These awards are a testament to the high-impact, mission-driven work by BRIDGE’s exceptional team to deliver quality affordable housing and support services that empower residents to improve their lives.”

In 2024, BRIDGE significantly expanded its footprint across California, Oregon, and Washington. That momentum continued into 2025, with portfolio growth of 9%, including the addition of nine new communities and 1,187 new or acquired affordable housing units. The nonprofit also added three new projects to its development pipeline as it nears a portfolio of 16,000 units.

The growth reflects a broader strategy aimed at accelerating both acquisitions and ground-up development, supported by partnerships with major financial institutions and innovative capital markets strategies. BRIDGE has also emphasized high-quality design and deep community engagement as central elements of its approach.

BRIDGE became the first affordable housing developer to issue tax-exempt construction bonds for one of the largest affordable housing projects in Portland, Ore., leveraging its strong credit rating.

Earlier this year, the nonprofit launched the BRIDGE Housing Impact Fund, with a goal of investing $1 billion to preserve and create affordable housing. It also closed on $175 million in taxable general-obligation bonds after increasing the offering in response to strong investor demand.

The company’s performance also underscores the role of Lombard, who has led BRIDGE since 2021 and was honored individually for his leadership.

Under Lombard’s tenure, BRIDGE has built a new leadership team with experience drawn from both the nonprofit and private sectors, with a particular focus on what the organization describes as efforts to “break the status quo,” especially in affordable housing finance. Those initiatives have helped reduce capital and construction costs, strengthen relationships with institutional investors, and expand resident support services.

Today, BRIDGE Housing serves more than 33,000 residents across 139 communities on the West Coast.

“Ken has dedicated his career to innovative real estate solutions that improve the quality of life in underserved neighborhoods,” said Kenneth Novack, chair of BRIDGE Housing’s board of directors. “His visionary leadership and the work of our incredible team have positioned BRIDGE for long-term growth that will extend our impact throughout the West Coast.”

Founded in 1983, BRIDGE Housing has helped create more than 23,000 affordable homes with a total development cost of $6 billion.