Activism

Longshore Workers Shut Down Port of Oakland, Rally to Save Port and Public Schools

Trent Willis, past president of Local 10, called on union members to organize and fight. “We know what we stand for: we stand for equality, we stand against privatization, we stand against gentrification,” he said. “Every generation has had their battle, and this is ours. When it’s time to throw down, we have to stand up.”

Published

2 years ago

February 22, 2022

Oakland Post

Teachers and members of school communities joined the ILWU Local 10 longshore workers who shut down the Port of Oakland and rallied Thursday at noon at Oakland City Hall to halt the takeover of public land at the Port land and the closure of schools to benefit billionaire charter school and real estate developers. Shown (L to R) are Marlo Johnson, ILWU Local 10; Parker Elementary School educators Denise Huffstutler and Hillary Chen, who were among a group from Parker that held a sick-out Thursday to oppose the closing of their school in June; Trent Willis, past president of ILWU Local 10; and Kira Allen, who spoke for hunger strikers at Westlake Middle School. Photo by Ken Epstein

By Ken Epstein

Longshore workers, members of ILWU Local 10, shut down the Port of Oakland Thursday, rallying at Oakland City Hall at noon to show their determination to halt the giveaway of public land to billionaire John Fisher’s real estate project at the Port and to show solidarity with the fight of Oakland teachers and communities to save their schools from being closed and given away to privatizers.

The name of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, when mentioned, was greeted by boos. Schaaf, who is viewed as an agent of privatizers like John Fisher, also has spoken publicly in favor of closing as many as half of Oakland’s public schools.

Melvin Mackay, ILWU Local 10 executive board member, emphasized that building of million-dollar condominiums is incompatible with the functioning of a 24/7 working port.

“If they ever put residential on maritime land, we’re done,” he said.

Said ILWU Local 10 member Linda Adams, “This is not about a ballpark. This is about prime real estate for billionaires.”

Nick Palmquest, who is a teacher at MetWest, said the struggle to save the schools and the Port are connected. “We must stop the privatization of our Port, and we must stop the privatization of our schools,” he said.

A group of teachers and others from Parker Elementary School, which is one of the schools scheduled to be closed in June, held a sick-out and joined the City Hall rally.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

7 days ago

April 26, 2024

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

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2 weeks ago

April 19, 2024

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Oakland Schools Honor Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties

Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice. His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

Fred Korematsu. Courtesy of OUSD.

By Post Staff

Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice.

His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.
One OUSD school is named in his honor: Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy (KDA) elementary in East Oakland.

Several years ago, founding KDA Principal Charles Wilson, in a video interview with anti-hate organization “Not In Our Town,” said, “We chose the name Fred Korematsu because we really felt like the attributes that he showed in his work are things that the children need to learn … that common people can stand up and make differences in a large number of people’s lives.”

Fred Korematsu was born in Oakland on Jan. 30, 1919. His parents ran a floral nursery business, and his upbringing in Oakland shaped his worldview. His belief in the importance of standing up for your rights and the rights of others, regardless of race or background, was the foundation for his activism against racial prejudice and for the rights of Japanese Americans during World War II.

At the start of the war, Korematsu was turned away from enlisting in the National Guard and the Coast Guard because of his race. He trained as a welder, working at the docks in Oakland, but was fired after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Fear and prejudice led to federal Executive Order 9066, which forced more than 120,000 Japanese Americans out of their homes and neighborhoods and into remote internment camps.

The 23-year-old Korematsu resisted the order. He underwent cosmetic surgery and assumed a false identity, choosing freedom over unjust imprisonment. His later arrest and conviction sparked a legal battle that would challenge the foundation of civil liberties in America.

Korematsu’s fight culminated in the Supreme Court’s initial ruling against him in 1944. He spent years in a Utah internment camp with his family, followed by time living in Salt Lake City where he was dogged by racism.

In 1976, President Gerald Ford overturned Executive Order 9066. Seven years later, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco vacated Korematsu’s conviction. He said in court, “I would like to see the government admit that they were wrong and do something about it so this will never happen again to any American citizen of any race, creed, or color.”

Korematsu’s dedication and determination established him as a national icon of civil rights and social justice. He advocated for justice with Rosa Parks. In 1998, President Bill Clinton gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom saying, “In the long history of our country’s constant search for justice, some names of ordinary citizens stand for millions of souls … To that distinguished list, today we add the name of Fred Korematsu.”

After Sept. 11, 2001, Korematsu spoke out against hatred and discrimination, saying what happened to Japanese Americans should not happen to people of Middle Eastern descent.
Korematsu’s roots in Oakland and his education in OUSD are a source of great pride for the city, according to the school district. His most famous quote, which is on the Korematsu elementary school mural, is as relevant now as ever, “If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to speak up.”