Entertainment

Book Review- “Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality”

Published

10 years ago

August 23, 2016

The fix won’t be quick.

It never is. There’s no magic wand to change the things that have been on your mind lately: social issues, inequality, poverty, politics, apathy, violence. Those ills didn’t arrive quickly, and they won’t leave quickly, but, says Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, they can be repaired. In his new book “Writings on the Wall” (with Raymond Obstfeld), he explains.

When people ask Abdul-Jabbar what he might’ve become, had he not played NBA basketball, his answer often surprises them: he would’ve been a history teacher. History fascinates him – especially in the way it reflects racism, religious intolerance, and gender issues.

In history, as in current events, the truth is sometimes bent.

Take, for instance, politics, which is on everyone’s mind. We rail and complain about issues and promises broken and we like to think it’s all out of our hands. The truth is that we are the problem: we grow complacent about things we don’t want, acting “like children when it comes to politics” and hoping the government will “take care of us,” rather than taking steps to fix the system ourselves.

White people may deny that racism exists, says Abdul-Jabbar, while Black people know that it does. Racism didn’t stop with the election of the nation’s first Black president. It doesn’t end with melting-pot cultural appropriation. It actually comes in two forms, he says, and education is the first step in dealing with it, not eliminating it, because racism is always going to be around.

On religion, we should never lose sight of the fact that this “country was founded by religious outcasts running for their lives from persecution for their beliefs.” When it comes to equality for women, we must embrace the true meaning of “feminist” and adhere to what we tell pollsters when it comes to gender.

We need to look at the media and how to maximize its potential, and we must take better care of our seniors.

“We cannot afford to just wring out hands and depend on the kindness of strangers,” Abdul-Jabbar says. “We have to bring about change on our own.”

Remember when your grade school teacher told you to put on your thinking cap? You’ll need it again as you’re reading “Writings on the Wall.”

Authors Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld don’t just examine issues that are on the minds of every American. They turn them over and blow them apart, looking for solutions that can be accomplished and chiding us gently for not already working.

That makes for a thought-demanding, intellectually heavy book but it’s also a worthy call to action; you may also be delighted to see that Abdul-Jabbar doesn’t miss a chance to add a touch of the personal here, which includes quietly unexpected humor.

Readers with the right mindset will find this book to be informative and entertaining but be prepared to take your time get the most from it. There aren’t a lot of pages inside “Writings on the Wall,” but what’s here is deep and wide and nowhere near quick.

“Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White” by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld, c.2016, Liberty Street Books, $27.95; 256 pages.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

The Bad Boy Family Reunion Stops In Oakland

Don't Miss

“Fruitvale Station” Co-Creator Ephraim Walker Finds Home at D Street Pictures

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Business

21st Annual Taste of Soul: California’s Largest Black Street Festival Comes Alive With Culture, Music and Connections

The 21st annual Taste of Soul Family Festival drew over 300,000 attendees to South Los Angeles for a massive celebration of Black culture, food, and music. Spanning the Crenshaw Boulevard corridor, the free event featured roughly 350 vendors, offering everything from Southern cuisine to professional health services and job recruitment opportunities. While headlining musical acts performed across three stages, the festival also served as a vital platform for small business entrepreneurs to reach a vast audience. Organizers are now addressing reports regarding several incidents that occurred during the festivities. Read more.

Published

13 hours ago

November 3, 2026

Post News Group

INSIDE Danny Bakewell Sr. (left) and Pamela Bakewell (right), longtime community leaders and organizers of the Taste of Soul Family Festival in Los Angeles.

The 21st annual Taste of Soul Family Festival brought hundreds of thousands to Crenshaw Boulevard in South Los Angeles on Oct. 17 for food, music and a celebration of Black culture. Visitors could shop with small businesses, enjoy live music performances, speak with health professionals and learn about job opportunities.

Presented by Bakewell Media and the Los Angeles Sentinel, the free festival stretched along the corridor from Stocker Street to Obama Boulevard. The Sentinel estimated attendance at more than 300,000. The day also marked founder Danny J. Bakewell Sr.’s 80th birthday.

“We call it a party with a purpose,” Pam Bakewell, the founder’s sister and a longtime festival organizer, told California Black Media (CBM).

The enticing aromas of barbecue, fried chicken and catfish filled the air as food vendors served up a tempting array of Southern favorites, including cobbler and other desserts. Vendors also offered clothing, jewelry, books and beauty products. About 350 vendors and sponsors participated, including approximately 80 food vendors, Bakewell said. Businesses came from across Southern California and as far away as Chicago and Atlanta.

“In one day, an entrepreneur has the opportunity to showcase their business to hundreds of thousands of people,” Danny J. Bakewell Jr., president of the Sentinel.

Chase offered vendors training in marketing and financial management, followed by a reception.

Experienced vendors also helped newcomers. Pam Bakewell cited Cobbler King, a longtime participant who shares lessons from his early festivals about preparing for crowds and building a business.

“We want everybody to be successful,” she said. “We can’t guarantee that, but we give you the crowd.”

Kaiser Permanente served as the festival’s main medical provider. St. John’s Community Health sponsored Children’s World, where children played games while families received preventive care and information about follow-up services.

St. John’s provided flu shots, fluoride treatments for children and clinic sign-ups for physical examinations. It also reported distributing more than 10,400 bags of diapers.

CBM hosted a booth as part of its California Black Health Journalism Project, a yearlong, solutions-oriented reporting initiative to advance health equity for Black Californians.

Dr. Deidra Beckles, who practices family and internal medicine, and Adriana Westby-Trent, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist, held “Ask the Doc” conversations. Both are with Divinely Restored Health & Wellness. The booth drew steady traffic as they answered attendees’ health questions. Visitors received a “Your Wellness Matters” T-shirt.

The Sentinel promoted a developing jobs platform, inviting attendees to post resumes and connect with employers. Bakewell said about 350 people signed up along the boulevard.

Three stages offered music for different generations. The Bakewell Media Sounds of the Soul Stage featured Thelma Houston, Switch and headliner Midnight Star. Tony Cornelius, son of “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius, introduced Midnight Star and appeared with eight veteran dancers from the television show.

The Radio Free KJLH Music Stage featured Lucky Daye, Alex Isley, Allen Stone and Terisa Griffin. On the Brenda Marsh-Mitchell Gospel Stage, MAJOR. served as host and performer. The lineup included Deitrick Haddon, local choirs and a youth performing arts ensemble.

During the festivities, ABC7 reported two stabbings and an hours long Los Angeles Police Department citywide tactical alert.

Pam Bakewell said police told organizers the incidents occurred outside the festival boundaries. She said organizers are reviewing safety measures with security personnel and police.