Activism

MLK Jr. Freedom Center Delegation in Sacramento to Advocate for Civics Education

The Freedom Center delegation was invited to participate in the 19th bus trip for education to Sacramento May 18, 2022, and students from Alameda, Yolo and Sacramento Counties participated. The event was organized by State Senator Dave Cortese, and featured presentations by more than 25 elected officials discussing legislation that impacts all aspects of education in the state.

Published

3 years ago

May 30, 2022

Oakland Post

A delegation of 25 students and staff from the Martin Luther King Jr, Freedom Center including (left to right) David Gaines, Dr. Karen Bohlke and Carolyn Veal Hunter travelled to Sacramento to meet with California State Superintendent of Schools Tony Thurmond and other elected officials and legislators to advocate for robust civics education in schools. Photo courtesy Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center.

Twenty-five high school age students and staff of the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center in Oakland spent the day in Sacramento with nearly 30 legislators advocating for robust civics education in California Schools.

The Freedom Center delegation was invited to participate in the 19^th bus trip for education to Sacramento May 18, 2022, and students from Alameda, Yolo and Sacramento Counties participated. The event was organized by State Senator Dave Cortese, and featured presentations by more than 25 elected officials discussing legislation that impacts all aspects of education in the state.

Throughout the day, the Freedom Center developed, deepened and strengthened its legislative contacts and relationships and those with other groups focused on empowering students to participate in life-transforming civic engagement work.

While budget hearings in the state Legislature were in process just steps away from the delegation, Freedom Center representatives met with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, Assemblymembers Mia Bonta and Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Nicole Murillo from the Office of the Governor, Erric Garris, deputy secretary of state for Legislative Affairs and many others.

Freedom Center staff and youth made a compelling and eloquent case calling for robust civics education in California schools to strengthen democracy and make sure many generations of Americans are prepared to use their voices to create nonviolent social change.

For more information about the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center visit www.mlkfreedomcenter.org

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

2022 Ford Expedition XLT 4X4 7 Passenger SUV Walkaround | POV

Don't Miss

Moses Fleetwood Walker; Baseball’s True First

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of June 4 – 10, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 4-10, 2025

Published

5 days ago

June 7, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

1 week ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.