Black History
Peralta College Trustee Speaks of ‘Passing the Torch’ at Marin City’s MLK Celebration
Marin City Community Service District and Oshalla Diane Marcus co-produced the program at the MC Art and Culture Gallery in Marin City. It was seen virtually through hopin.
Marin City celebrated the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Birthday on the afternoon of Jan. 18, 2021. The theme this year was “Passing the Torch.”
Marin City Community Service District and Oshalla Diane Marcus co-produced the program at the MC Art and Culture Gallery in Marin City. It was seen virtually through hopin.
Dr. William “Bill” Riley, EdD, the president of the Peralta Community College District’s Board of Trustees, was the keynote speaker. During his message “Reflections on Passing the Torch,” Riley lists the many Black people who have passed away and are passing the torch since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
King’s great-grandfather, grandfather, and father were all ministers, and they passed the torch of leadership to King. According to Kimberly Powell of Thot.com, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s father, Martin Luther King, Sr. was a pastor for the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. His maternal grandfather, Rev. Adam Daniel Williams, was famous for his fiery sermons. His great-grandfather, Willis Williams, was an “enslavement-era preacher.”
Now, 61 years later, Rev. Raphael Gamaliel Warnock, the current pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, was just recently elected as a U.S. Senator in Georgia.
In 1957, King passed the torch to the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, the National Urban League, and the Voters Education Project.
Sport figures who have passed or are passing the torch: Muhammad Ali, Wilma Rudolph, Willie Mays, Bill Russell, Stephen Curry, Tiger Woods, Venus and Serena Williams.
Civil rights activist Rosa Parks and poet Maya Angelou have passed the torch.
Black artists have passed the torch by raising funds and bringing the artistic consciousness to the cause. Entertainers, such as Harry Belafonte, Mahalia Jackson, Denise Nicholas, James Brown, Eartha Kitt, Lena Horne, and Dick Gregory, played crucial roles in raising money to further the cause.
Politicians who have and are passing the torch are: John Lewis, President Barack Obama, Mayors Willie Brown, London Breed, and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“We would need to compete with people of all races and nationalities. Therefore, we cannot just merely be good in our work and calling. We must set out to do our best, irrespective of our race, and do it so well that nobody else can do it any better,” says Riley.
“Where would you be now if King, who said in 1956, ‘I still believe that love is the most durable power in the world,’ had not been a person of radical love and didn’t pass the torch,” asks Riley. “Who in your life has passed the torch to you? Have you accepted it?”
“I leave with this” say Riley, “keep Marin City passing the torch. Many thanks to the Marin City MLK Coalition Celebration and may Godspeed.”
Activism
S.F. Black Leaders Rally to Protest, Discuss ‘Epidemic’ of Racial Slurs Against Black Students in SF Public School System
Parents at the meeting spoke of their children as no longer feeling safe in school because of bullying and discrimination. Parents also said that reported incidents such as racial slurs and intimidation are not dealt with to their satisfaction and feel ignored.
By Carla Thomas
San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church hosted a rally and meeting Sunday to discuss hatred toward African American students of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).
Rev. Amos C. Brown, president of the San Francisco NAACP and pastor of Third Baptist Church, along with leadership from local civil rights groups, the city’s faith-based community and Black community leadership convened at the church.
“There has been an epidemic of racial slurs and mistreatment of Black children in our public schools in the city,” said Brown. “This will not be tolerated.”
According to civil rights advocate Mattie Scott, students from elementary to high school have reported an extraordinary amount of racial slurs directed at them.
“There is a surge of overt racism in the schools, and our children should not be subjected to this,” said Scott. “Students are in school to learn, develop, and grow, not be hated on,” said Scott. “The parents of the children feel they have not received the support necessary to protect their children.”
Attendees were briefed last Friday in a meeting with SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne.
SFUSD states that their policies protect children and they are not at liberty to publicly discuss the issues to protect the children’s privacy.
Parents at the meeting spoke of their children as no longer feeling safe in school because of bullying and discrimination. Parents also said that reported incidents such as racial slurs and intimidation are not dealt with to their satisfaction and feel ignored.
Some parents said they have removed their students from school while other parents and community leaders called on the removal of the SFUSD superintendent, the firing of certain school principals and the need for more supportive school board members.
Community advocates discussed boycotting the schools and creating Freedom Schools led by Black leaders and educators, reassuring parents that their child’s wellbeing and education are the highest priority and youth are not to be disrupted by racism or policies that don’t support them.
Virginia Marshall, chair of the San Francisco NAACP’s education committee, offered encouragement to the parents and students in attendance while also announcing an upcoming May 14 school board meeting to demand accountability over their mistreatment.
“I’m urging anyone that cares about our students to pack the May 14 school board meeting,” said Marshall.
This resource was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library via California Black Media as part of the Stop the Hate Program. The program is supported by partnership with California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.
Activism
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Activism
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