Black History

A Fully Illustrated Edition of James’s Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time” with Photography by Steve Schapiro

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — In 1963, two of James Baldwin’s most influential essays were fused to form a bestselling book titled “The Fire Next Time,” cementing him as a central voice in America’s reckoning on race relations during the civil rights movement. Nearly 60 years later, Baldwin’s words on Black resilience, White ignorance, and false social progress ring as true as ever.

Published

7 years ago

July 30, 2019

Oakland Post

By Imani Sumbi

In 1963, two of James Baldwin’s most influential essays were fused to form a bestselling book titled “The Fire Next Time,” cementing him as a central voice in America’s reckoning on race relations during the civil rights movement. Nearly 60 years later, Baldwin’s words on Black resilience, White ignorance, and false social progress ring as true as ever.

Two years ago, in recognition of the continued relevance of those words, Taschen published a glossy, gorgeous new edition of “The Fire Next Time,” interspersing between its paragraphs over 100 images taken by photojournalist Steve Schapiro.

From the ashen remains of a bombed building, to a crowd of Black worshipers kneeling with Dr. King on the steps of a church, to a smiling James Baldwin attending the March on Washington, Schapiro’s photographs span not just the duration of the civil rights movement, but a great range of people and emotions associated with it. The pictures show people both well-known and unknown, and document hope and unity just as much as violence and persecution.

Like Baldwin’s writing, these photographs are both documentary and instructive, providing a clear record of a tumultuous time in American history while showing the next generation the power of imagery to effect change. The fact that Baldwin’s extraordinary essays pair so well with equally striking visuals by a White photographer proves his belief that “we, the Black and the White, deeply need each other here” in order to make America practice the ideals of freedom and equality it preaches.

The 2019 edition builds on the intimacy and emotional depth of the original with a foreword by renowned civil rights leader John Lewis, a short essay by Steve Schapiro on his experience photographing the civil rights movement, and an afterword by Baldwin’s sister Gloria Karefa-Smart. These additions illuminate the paths Baldwin and Schapiro took to become two of the most important recordkeepers of the civil rights movement and bring to their work a sense of current importance as this country continues to struggle with widespread racial inequality.

At a time when racism is less overt but no less prevalent, we would do well to learn the lessons they left behind as we take up their fight.

This article originally appeared in The Los Angeles Sentinel.

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Activism

Cassie ‘Mama C’ Lopez Honored as Oakland’s Mother of the Year

Cassandra “Mama C” Lopez, a dedicated parent, teacher, and activist, was honored as Oakland’s Mother of the Year for her unwavering commitment to community and justice.

Published

29 minutes ago

May 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Cassandra Lopez, known as “Mama C,” is surrounded by family, friends, and neighbors at Oakland’s annual Mother of Year celebration at the Morcom Rose Garden, Saturday, May 9. Photo by Mateenah Floyd-Okanlawon.

By Ken Epstein

The City of Oakland recognized Cassandra, “Mama C,” Lopez – parent, teacher, community activist, and justice warrior – as Oakland’s Mother of the Year in a celebration at Oakland’s Morcom Rose Garden on Mother’s Day weekend.

Long recognized as a leader in her community, she was nominated by District 3 City Councilmember Carroll Fife to receive the city’s 73rd annual Mother of the Year award.

Speaking at the crowded ceremony on Saturday, May 9, where Mama C received roses and a proclamation from Mayor Barbara Lee, Fife said she felt honored to nominate Lopez, an “amazing woman – a hell-raising humanitarian, for the energy, the passion, but most of all the love for community” that makes her one of those “exceptional women whose lives, exemplify love, sacrifice, leadership, and unwavering commitment to the family and community they serve.”

Cassie Lopez was born in 1945 to Pauline and Calvin Weaver, a family that had left Florida and Jim Crow for the east side of Detroit. From an early age, she was instilled with a sense of Black awareness, love, and the importance of community in the face of hardships, including poverty, freezing winters, low pay, and slum landlords.

Fifty-five years ago, she married Juan Lopez. The couple has three children and has lived for decades in a neighborhood on the edge of downtown Oakland near Mosswood Park.

Said her husband, Juan, “Mama C has been a selfless mother of our own children, and she also became a teacher. Our home became a second home for many young people. For some, it was refuge from difficult home situations, and for others, a safe place to hang out.

“Throughout the years, Mama C was sometimes a foot soldier and other times a leader, immersed in some of the biggest national and citywide struggles of the day,” Juan said. “But less known to many is the role she played day in and day out where the rubber hits the road.

“For 35 years, she has shepherded the Mosswood Park and Recreation Center – through its good and bad times. If the Center exists (and thrives) today, it has to do with Mama C, working alongside neighbors, center directors, community advisory council, and when necessary, community coalitions, city officials, the religious community, and the labor movement.”

Said Mateenah Floyd-Okanlawon, “I am an old friend of my sister here. We met in 1970 in the sugarcane fields of Cuba, where we were helping the Cuban government harvest their sugar. We have been friends ever since. She has always been someone who does not give in to despair.”

David Johnson, an educator in Oakland, was one of the neighborhood children who grew up in the community created by Mama C and her family

“Cassandra Lopez is a beacon of light, full of compassion. She has dedicated her life to quality education to the poor and working class,” serving for 40 years as a Spanish teacher in Oakland schools, he said.

“She has dedicated her life to speak truth to power, justice to the silent, and as a member of the community, she advocates for programs and resources,” he said.

In her remarks, Mama C recognized the influence and power of all mothers. “Together, we all stand on the backs of our mothers. Mothers play a special role in society. We give when we have almost nothing left to give. We hurt when some people don’t see the hurt and the pain that our families endure. But we keep on moving forward.”

Looking at what African Americans, other people of color and working people face in the country today, she said, “We are deserving of the very best because our hands, our bodies produce the wealth of world, and yet we get the least. We see our country wholesale being stolen away from us, and we are told to grin and bear it. We’re not bearing it; we’re fighting against it.”

Continuing, she said, “There’s enough wealth in this world that there should be no hunger in the world. There should be nobody without a decent place to live. Nobody should be sleeping on the street. Teachers should get the freedom to be creative and tell the stories that exist in this nation that make us strong and great.

“We have a lot to do. We cannot despair. We cannot run. People are learning, and together, collectively, we can do it.”