Politics

Zimbabwe Economic Sanctions Protest Reaches White House

WASHINGTON INFORMER — On African Liberation Day, while Leteefah Carter and her comrades gathered at the African-American Civil War Memorial on U Street to protest the U.S. economic sanctions against Zimbabwe, she reflected on the struggle for housing and land ownership affecting people of African descent across the world.

Published

7 years ago

June 11, 2019

Sam P. K. Collins

By Sam P.K. Collins

On African Liberation Day, while Leteefah Carter and her comrades gathered at the African-American Civil War Memorial on U Street to protest the U.S. economic sanctions against Zimbabwe, she reflected on the struggle for housing and land ownership affecting people of African descent across the world.

That common issue, Carter said, would suffice in broadening concern about the Southeastern African nation’s current woes among Black people living in the District, her Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, and other majority-Black communities across the United States that have been ravaged by gentrification since the turn of the century.

“We want to widen [knowledge] of the atrocities in Zimbabwe and the sanctions the U.S. has committed,” said Carter, a Bed-Stuy resident of 20 years who counted among more than 50 protesters donning army fatigue pants, Black fitted caps with an X emblazoned across it, and yellow bandanas tied around their necks last Saturday.

Along their two-mile march to the White House, Carter and other members of the December 12th Movement, joined by the D.C. chapter of the National Black United Front and other local organizations, waved the Pan-African and Zimbabwe flags and chanted mantras that evoked approving nods and inquiries from onlookers along U Street, and later 14th Street leading to Lafayette Square.

“The people [in Zimbabwe] are suffering because they’ve taken back what’s theirs,” Carter continued. “I want Black people here to be aware of what’s happening and do something about it. We need to be more aware of the ethnic cleansing and genocide.”

In March, President Donald Trump extended sanctions against Zimbabwe, in effect since the early 2000s, and a move supported by the Congressional Black Caucus. Opponents have long described the sanctions as punishment for the Zimbabwe’s 1980 land reforms during which white farmers lost several acres acquired through colonialism, and what Trump calls a threat to U.S. foreign policy.

The December 12th Movement gathering on Saturday, and previous events are organized to pressure the White House and CBC to revisit its stance on Zimbabwe. Protesters particularly expressed a desire for Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA 37), head of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, to host a hearing about the matter that prioritized the voice of the Zimbabwean people.

Though the U.S. government maintains that its sanctions exclusively target 141 people and entities, including Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa and former President Robert Mugabe, opponents said the foreign policy decision has created hardship for most Zimbabweans.

Since 2001, Zimbabwe’s internal debt has expanded, and the country has experienced medical supply shortages. A recent UNICEF report showed that Cyclone Idai exacerbated the ongoing drought affecting more than 136,000 children in Zimbabwe, primarily because of the outbreak of cholera, malaria, and diarrhea.

The concept of using government resources to harm Black people struck a chord with Pam Africa, who has long advocated for the release of journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal and imprisoned members of MOVE, who survived the 1985 bombing on their Philadelphia compound by the local police department.

On Saturday, days after the release of Janine and Janet Africa and nearly a year after the release of Pam and Michael Africa Sr., she continued to express her solidarity with the Zimbabwean people.

“We have the same oppression as the people in Zimbabwe,” Pam Africa said.

“We are pulling together against one monster and Washington, D.C. is the hub. We are here to rock the boat and wake up people. [Some people] don’t want to show support because of the fear. I only fear that [the monster] will continue to exist unless we fight.”

This article originally appeared in the Washington Informer.

Sam P. K. Collins

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Four Candidates, Including Incumbent Barbara Lee, Qualify for Oakland Mayor’s Race

POST NEWS GROUP — Four candidates, including incumbent Mayor Barbara Lee, filed their papers to run for office by last Friday’s deadline, and the City Clerk issued a list this week of those who are qualified to run.

Published

19 hours ago

August 15, 2026

bpusa-syndication

View of downtown Oakland, California and City Hall. iStock photo.

By Post Staff

The four mayoral candidates who will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot are:

Brenda Grisham. A business owner in East Oakland and public safety advocate, Grisham led the successful recall campaign against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. As part of her platform, she pledges to work with local, state, and federal partners to secure stricter gun control measures and investments in community violence intervention programs.

Barbara Lee. A former congressional representative and state Assembly member, Lee was elected by voters in a special election last year for a two-year term. Now running for a four-year term, she points out that her administration achieved major successes in addressing some of the city’s major challenges, including balancing the city budget, dramatically reducing crime, and making significant inroads into homelessness and illegal dumping.

Mindy Pechenuk. An educator and activist, Pechenuk is a registered Republican and supporter of Lyndon LaRouche, who has been described by observers as a conspiracy theorist and cult leader. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in last year’s special election and for the at-large council seat in 2024. She seeks to end Oakland’s police commission and MACRO and invest in more police while launching a new local war on drugs.

Julius Robinson. While little information is available so far about Robinson, he was quoted in a KTVU story about Thao’s recall, stating that people in Oakland want to come together as a community but lack infrastructure and leadership.

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Oakland Post: Week of August 12 – 18, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of August 12 – 18, 2026

Published

21 hours ago

August 15, 2026

Oakland Post

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Commentary

COMMENTARY: Why Local School Tax Measure G1 Will Not Be on the November Ballot

POST NEWS GROUP — Measure G1 is the local tax measure that supports middle school teacher retention and the expansion of arts, music, and world language programs at both OUSD middle schools and charter middle schools. The current measure expires in 2029.

Published

22 hours ago

August 15, 2026

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By Jennifer Brouhard, Oakland School Board President

There has been considerable speculation recently about why Measure G1 will not appear on the November ballot and what that means for the Oakland Unified School District’s current budget.

I want to provide some clarity about what happened and, importantly, what did not happen.

Measure G1 is the local tax measure that supports middle school teacher retention and the expansion of arts, music, and world language programs at both OUSD middle schools and charter middle schools. The current measure expires in 2029.

Because these funds are important to our schools and to the continuity of these programs, the district initially intended to place a renewal initiative on the November ballot to provide greater early certainty about funding beyond the expiration of the current measure.

As part of that process, the Board scheduled a special meeting for the required public hearing on the ballot initiative. There has been some suggestion that this meeting was noticed only one day in advance. That is not accurate.

Public hearings of this nature are subject to specific notice requirements, and the meeting must be noticed at least two weeks before the hearing. In practice, the notice may appear even earlier depending on publication schedules. The notice for the Measure G1 public hearing was published in the Tribune on 7/24/2026 and 7/31/2026.

So, why wasn’t the Measure G1 paperwork ultimately filed?

After the Board approved placing the measure on the ballot, the next step required the Alameda County Superintendent of Schools to sign the necessary paperwork before it could be submitted to the Oakland City Clerk.

During that process, Alameda County Superintendent Alysse Castro raised concerns about potential litigation stemming from another court case unrelated to OUSD and about whether proceeding with the measure could expose the district or County to legal challenges. Superintendent Castro’s action is unprecedented and concerning.

It is important to distinguish between the Board’s decision to pursue Measure G1 and the subsequent procedural and legal issues that arose. The Board did approve moving forward with the measure. The measure did not fail because the Board chose not to support it, nor was the public hearing improperly noticed.

The decision not to proceed with the November ballot was made in light of the County’s concerns about potential litigation and the County’s required approval process.

We also need to be clear about what this does, and does not, mean for OUSD’s current budget. The existing Measure G1 funds remain available through the expiration of the current measure in 2029. The immediate issue is the longer-term continuity of funding beyond that date, not the elimination of these resources from the current year’s budget.

Our responsibility as a Board is to protect the educational programs and services our students depend on while ensuring that our decisions comply with the law and protect the district from unnecessary legal and financial risk.

We will continue working to understand the County’s concerns, explore our options, and advocate for the resources our students deserve. Our middle school students, teachers, and school communities deserve stability, and continued investment in arts, music, world languages, and teacher retention—and that work remains a priority for Oakland Unified.

Jennifer Brouhard is a retired OUSD educator and is the current OUSD School Board President representing District 2.