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OPINION: We Must Go to the Polls and Vote

Thanks to Gay and Paul Cobb, the owners of the Post News Group (who once marched with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to reinstate our constitutional voting rights that led to the 1965 Voting Rights Bill signed by President Lyndon Johnson), I am able to use this media to remind us that we are living in such terrible times and that our choices are crucial to our very existence in every manner conceivable.

Published

2 years ago

October 22, 2022

Oakland Post

We must be accountable, if not for the present, then for the future that our families will inherit.

By Richard Johnson

The need to exercise the right to vote was and still is a long battle that has cost precious lives at every turn throughout the struggles. Personally, I get it with those who don’t see the need to go and vote, however I came to the realization that when I and other formerly incarcerated persons refuse to utilize the power of the ballot, we basically surrender our rights, which then allows the powers that be to dictate the terms of our existence without hearing our voices.

If we don’t voice our wishes through exercising our right to vote, then how can we complain? Granted, too often our choices aren’t the winners. Nonetheless, by voting, it is made clear that we’re paying attention and our votes will count at some point.

Between the time of the publishing of this column and Election Day on Nov. 8, The Formerly Incarcerated Giving Back organization will be out in full force registering people to vote, because we do recognize the need for everyone to have a say in matters that concern our very lives.

It can become quite discouraging to watch all the national moves that are being made and the games that are being played to suppress the votes of minorities and to scare the re-entry populations from going to the polls.

This can be quite discouraging, especially when we have very little hope, faith and trust in the process from the start. But we can’t be deterred and surrender to the forces that be; instead, we must marshal the tools that are at our disposal in hopes of making changes toward our interests.

I ask all of you to take a look at the violence that happens routinely, look at the homelessness, look at those who appear to be mentally challenged who are forced to get by without the help needed, look at the children being bounced around due to unregulated school policies — not to mention those of us living from paycheck to paycheck.

When you count up the costs of cleaning up and addressing the miseries you see around us, you will agree that a stand must be taken, and it starts at the polls. Voting allows us to put in office those who we deem as truly qualified to address the most pressing issues confronting Oakland and the surrounding communities.

The process of change isn’t always as automatic and swift as an ATM transaction. Rather, change can only happen by doing everything that is necessary to make it happen, and voting is a necessity for change.

By doing nothing, stagnation remains. FIGB will work diligently for everyone regardless of district, race, culture, religion, and any beliefs.

It will take a concerted effort by all to get people to register, then to the polls, particularly in the more depressed sectors of city. I pray that we get off the sidelines and get into the fray to make a difference.

We must be accountable, if not for the present, then for the future that our families will inherit.

Not long ago in Florida about 20 formerly incarcerated individuals were arrested and locked up for allegedly voting illegally prior to the passage of a law allowing them to vote. Authorities waited more than five years to charge them with a crime.

This clearly proves the power of permitting the formerly incarcerated vote. There’s real power in the voting process especially if and when the formerly incarcerated and their families exercise their right to vote.

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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

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2 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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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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1 week ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

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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

1 week 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.”