Activism

Official Name Sought for the Concord Hill Regional Park

Published

4 years ago

September 16, 2020

Top Photo: Oak Tree with a view of Mount Diablo (Photo by Stephen Joseph). Bottom Zoom photo from left: EBRD Board members Dee Rosario, Ayn Wieskamp, Ellen Corbett. Bottom right: Lewis Thrower representing Citizens for Historical Equity.

The East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors is searching for a new name for the Park District’s 2,540 acre Concord Hills Regional Park that was acquired from the Navy earlier this year.

The Park includes a joint visitor center with the National Park Service highlighting the history of the Port Chicago, the Naval Magazine National Memorial, and the Diablo Valley. This is also the former site of the Concord Naval Weapons Station, and Port Chicago, when on July 17, 1944, over 5,000 tons of munitions at Port Chicago exploded, killing 320 mostly enlisted African American sailors, which accounted for a quarter of all African American deaths in World War II and highlighted racial inequality within the Navy.

After the explosion, 50 sailors, eventually known as the Port Chicago 50, refused to return to load munitions because no safety measures had been implemented, and were sentenced to 15 years in prison.

They were released at the end of the war. A white lieutenant and later, Thurgood Marshall, defended these men at their trial. “This is not 50 men on trial for mutiny,” Marshall said, “This is the Navy on trial for its whole vicious policy toward Negroes.”

Today, names are being sought for the naming of the Concord Hills Regional Park. One name is the “Thurgood Marshall Regional Park” to honor the life and work of the Supreme Court Justice who fought for the civil rights of both Native and African Americans, especially the Port Chicago 50.

The District has planned to name the Park the “Chupcan Territories Regional Park” in honor of the Bay Miwok Indian tribes who lived in central and eastern Contra Costa County. They also welcomed input from the Ohlone, Bay Miwok, Muwekma, and or Delta Miwok Indian tribes.

The Park District will welcome the community involvement and not rush the naming process. They have delayed the naming selection to ensure that all voices can be heard.

During a Board of Directors video conference meeting on Sept. 3 for the naming selection of Concord Hills, Diana McDaniel, representing the Friends of the Port Chicago National Memorial, shared her concern that the Port Chicago story will be lost, and suggested the name Port Chicago Memorial Regional Park.

Lewis Thrower, the spokesperson for Citizens for Historical Equity, said that people of color are underrepresented in East Bay Regional Park names as there are currently no regional parks named after African Americans in Contra Costa County.

Thrower and Citizens for Historical Equity recommend renaming the Concord Hills Regional Park to “Thurgood Marshall Regional Park,” and one or more neighboring parks to “Chupcan Territories Regional Park” to honor the Native tribes in Concord.

For more information, go to https://www.change.org/p/east-bay-regional-park-district-rename-bay-area-park-to-honor-thurgood-marshall?recruiter=1145248678&recruited_by_id=310cba10-ea12-11ea-86a37b226e9af80e&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=petition_dashboard

Michelle Snider

Associate Editor for The Post News Group. Writer, Photographer, Videographer, Copy Editor, and website editor documenting local events in the Oakland-Bay Area California area.

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Michelle Snider

Associate Editor for The Post News Group. Writer, Photographer, Videographer, Copy Editor, and website editor documenting local events in the Oakland-Bay Area California area.

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Activism

Calif. Anti-Sex Trafficking Advocates Discuss Competing Bills, Strategies

Advocates from across California are challenging state officials and community leaders to support legislation that provides resources and services for survivors and victims of human trafficking, as well as assistance as they transition back into civil society.  Some of those advocates are also calling for more effective state policy to curtail trafficking, a crime that has an outsized impact on Black children, particularly girls.

Published

14 mins ago

May 3, 2024

Oakland Post

Shutterstock

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Some of those advocates are also calling for more effective state policy to curtail trafficking, a crime that has an outsized impact on Black children, particularly girls.

According to the FBI, a report covering a two-year period found Black children accounted for 57% of all juvenile arrests for prostitution. In addition, 40% of sex trafficking victims were Black and 60% of those victims had been enrolled in the foster care system.

“It is time to hold the perpetrators who take advantage of our children accountable,” said the Rev. Shane Harris, a San Diego-based activist, former foster youth and founder of the Peoples Association of Justice Advocates, (PAJA), a national civil rights organization and policy think tank.

“It is time to send a thorough message that if you seek to buy a child for sex, you will pay the highest criminal penalties in this state,” added Harris who was speaking at a rally at the State Capitol earlier this month. Harris was speaking in support of Senate Bill 1414, authored by Sen. Shannon Grove (D-Bakersfield), which calls for people who buy sex from minors to be punished with a felony. The punishment includes a two-year prison sentence and a $25,000 fine.

Harris said the PAJA is the only civil rights organization in the state that supports SB 1414.

Harris urged other Black-led groups who favor anti-trafficking legislation more focused on criminal justice reforms (as opposed to stiffer penalties), to “join the movement.”

Many of those civil rights groups fear that SB 1414 could lead to the incarceration of more Black youth.

Those sentiments were echoed in a panel discussion organized by Black women advocates on April 26 to examine the cause and effects of human trafficking in California’s Black communities. The virtual event was hosted by the Forgotten Children, Inc, a faith-based nonprofit that advocates for survivors and victims of human trafficking through anti-trafficking campaigns and initiatives.

Panelists shared the psychological impact of sexual exploitation on youth and children in the long term.

Author and educator Dr. Stephany Powell shared statistics and information revealing that African American women and girls are the most trafficked nationwide.

Powell, who serves as the senior advisor on law enforcement and policy at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation said that national data indicates that sex trade survivors are disproportionately women of color. She stated that male survivors often go unnoticed because boys rarely report trafficked crimes.

Powell said that decriminalizing prostitution in California could increase human trafficking. She argued that Senate Bill 357, authored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), which was signed into law in 2022 and legalized loitering for prostitution, caused a surge in street-level prostitution.

Panelist and psychologist Dr. Gloria Morrow shared opposing views on decriminalizing prostitution. She said that decriminalizing prostitution could help survivors gain access to state resources and support.

Despite opposing views, Powell and Morrow agree that the Black community needs resources and educational programs to address human trafficking.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Obituary: Social Justice Leader, the Rev. Cecil Williams, Passes at 94

On April 22, community leader and social justice advocate Reverend Cecil Williams died at his home in San Francisco surrounded by his loved ones, according to his family. He was 94 years old.

Published

1 hour ago

May 3, 2024

Oakland Post

The Rev. Cecil Williams, civil rights activist and social justice leader was the head pastor of San Francisco’s non-denominational GLIDE Memorial United Methodist Church.

By California Black Media

On April 22, community leader and social justice advocate Reverend Cecil Williams died at his home in San Francisco surrounded by his loved ones, according to his family.

He was 94 years old.

The reverend was a civil rights leader who advocated for the equal rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people in the Bay Area.

Williams was the head pastor of the non-denominational GLIDE Memorial United Methodist Church. The church welcomed individuals from the queer community and people struggling with homelessness, housing instability and substance use disorder (SUD).

Through his work, Rev. Williams attracted national attention. Prominent political and cultural leaders such as Maya Angelou, Bono, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Clinton all attended church services at Glide.

Congressmember Barbara Lee (D-CA-12) said she is deeply saddened about the passing of her dear friend.

“The Reverend changed the lives of millions through radical love, support, inclusivity, and a commitment to service to the most marginalized,” Lee said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the reverend inspired people across California to embody the values of generosity and acceptance.

Rev. Williams was, “a visionary leader whose legendary compassion and love for his community transformed the lives of people from all walks of life,” Newsom said.

Rev. Williams served as the chief executive officer of the Glide Foundation until his retirement in 2023.