Activism

COMMENTARY: Elections Are Not Popularity Contests: I Stand 2 Vote for the Best Candidate

The Formerly Incarcerated Giving Back (FIGB) refuses to be denied restorative justice: we want our voices heard. We want solutions. We want affordable housing. We want an end to violence. We have long been ignored, overlooked, and denied the benefits of democracy, but we can and must make a demand through voting.

Published

2 years ago

October 31, 2022

Oakland Post

Caption: Richard Johnson, right, with Mr. Fab at the recent election Town Hall at Dezi’s.

By Richard Johnson | Post News Group

In choosing the right person to represent an official position, you must be mindful that your choice truly mirrors your concerns, values and, of course, your wishes for the community.

Way too often we select and vote for reasons other than what is truly needed for that office. Be it palm-greasing, backdoor promises, or solely for ethnicity, we cannot afford to squander our votes. The choice should always be based on the best-qualified person to handle that position, whoever they may be. Sure, favors are expected in a lot of instances, for this is certainly the nature of politics.

However, no one should ever allow their selection to be motivated by emotions over capabilities. In your choice, it should be a prerequisite that candidates are able to deal with the job description over who they know and/or how much money they can raise.

Voting is not a popularity contest.

Choices have to be about the candidate having the correct skill set and strategic principle, thinking that can match the demands of the position. Being proficient in one area does not qualify anyone for a job. The need for qualified results is of high priority. Thus, your mindset in your choices has to match the needs at hand.

Politics are so polluted that the ones who suffer and end up down the rabbit hole lost in oblivion the most are the elderly, young, and misinformed. Ask yourself — not with your heart nor with personal gain in mind — who we need most to pull us up out of decay, hopelessness and the seemingly imminent destruction of the society that we exist in at this juncture in life.

More emphasis has to be placed on understanding what has to be done and who can best address it.

Further, we cannot rely on book knowledge alone because it takes both intellect, theoretical ideas and community input to govern. What’s learned in the classroom at times is not applicable to real-life challenges. Put it this way, if something has not worked in the past what makes you think it will work to address the future?

Our thinking must evolve with the times. Old ideas and methods must equally be updated in order to successfully correct things that have changed for the worst. We must rely on solution-based thinking that uses a logical approach to successfully deal with contradictions. This also applies to voting for measures, bills, reforms, and all things that affect our daily lives.

I am not telling you who to vote for or what policy measures to choose.

What I am recommending, however, is to always pick the best person qualified and the measure and laws that support what is needed for community progress.

Election Day is upon us now.

Go to the polls with confidence.

If not, we all suffer, and uncertainty continues to rule. Let hope and faith guide you, not indecision and misguided loyalty to a scheme based on uncertainty.

Formerly Incarcerated Giving Back (FIGB) is highly encouraging fellow members with similar backgrounds to register and vote as well as have family members do the same.

Take a selfie and contact the Oakland Post to verify that you and your extended family members have voted. This election is about better living wages, sheltering the unsheltered and stamping out injustices.

Your vote is your voice. Go to your County offices, polling places or your post office to turn in your ballot. Voteless is essentially a vote for hopelessness!

FIGB refuses to be denied restorative justice: we want our voices heard. We want solutions. We want affordable housing. We want an end to violence. We have long been ignored, overlooked, and denied the benefits of democracy, but we can and must make a demand through voting.

An example of the true power of the vote is in Ferguson, Missouri. After the killing of Michael Brown in 2014, the town got together and voted the sheriff, mayor, and police chief out of office.

So, spread the word via Facebook, Instagram, and all social media outlets.

I attended the Mr. Fab/SoulBeat Election Town Hall at Dezi’s to stand in firm solidarity to vote for freedom, justice, and equality.

FIGB has joined with our churches, community leaders, and nonprofit organizations to knock on doors, make calls and use social media to vote like our lives depended on it. Because it does.

And in this time of racism, violence, miseducation and homelessness, voting is needed more than ever.

Oakland Post

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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

13 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.