Black History

Building democracy 60 years after the March on Washington

Sixty years ago, more than 200,000 people descended upon the National Mall for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, making a stand for freedom and equality. Black people, women, and poor people had been treated like second class citizens for too long, and it was time to demand justice.

Published

2 years ago

August 31, 2023

Oakland Post

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

By Tamieka Atkins

Sixty years ago, more than 200,000 people descended upon the National Mall for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, making a stand for freedom and equality. Black people, women, and poor people had been treated like second-class citizens for too long, and it was time to demand justice.

The March led to unprecedented federal legislation addressing the systemic racism and economic injustices that had plagued Black people through slavery and the Jim Crow era. Within a year, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed, followed by the National Voting Rights Act of 1965 a year later. Sit-ins, protests, and other demonstrations set the stage for change, but the March on Washington set a new standard for civic engagement and exemplified the impact that could be accomplished when we organize broad coalitions toward a common goal. Those lessons will stand the test of time. The march remains a call to action for social justice advocates to continue the fight against discrimination, voter suppression, police brutality, and wage disparity. It is also a platform to elevate the greater narrative on racial injustice.

Now, as we commemorate August 28, 1963, we understand that while progress has been made, we have so much more work to do. Our democracy is fragile, and we face new threats each day.

In Georgia, threats against democracy linger around every corner. Over the past five years alone, potential voters have faced a new wave of voter purges, the elimination of polling places, reductions in early voting options, limitations on the use of mail-in/absentee ballots, efforts to undermine poll workers and legislation that would subject citizens to a criminal investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for claimed suspicion of voting irregularity. We’ve always been a hotbed for civil rights and social justice, but recent years have shown just how far some people will go to suppress the will of the people. The needs of real people too often take a backseat to partisan jockeying, rampant mis- and disinformation, and wholesale agendas reversing decades of legal precedent promoting equity. At this moment, we cannot afford to view the March as a thing of the past. The fight for our most basic civil rights never ended. We need urgent action and consistent civic engagement.

That’s why for more than a decade, ProGeorgia has worked to help uphold the legacy of community organizing, civic engagement, and viable policy change set forth by the trailblazers behind the March on Washington. Alongside our 61 partner organizations, we continue to employ smart, robust, and innovative strategies to rebuild democracy and magnify civic engagement. While we organize for equity in our state, we also try to provide a framework for creating people-centered, positive change nationwide.

What we’ve found most effective is centering our work around three major premises: relational, rather than transactional engagement; elevating the values, views, voices and leadership of women of color; and embracing, amplifying, and mobilizing young people.

“Change happens at the speed of trust,” said Stephen M.R. Covey, and the Rev. Jennifer Bailey added that “relationships are built at the speed of trust, and social change happens at the speed of relationships.” Thus, longstanding, systemic, and generational change is built over time by creating meaningful relationships. It’s not enough to rally folks for a single election or campaign. You must give people a real reason to believe that their voice and vote matters. Even more, you must show them how to engage in the democratic process regularly, beyond election cycles, and remind them that our systems are only as strong as the people who run them. We must hold those elected and appointed officials accountable to the will of the people.

Beyond non-transactional relationships, it’s important to center and elevate the voices, values, and leadership of people guiding this work every day, many of whom are Black women and women of color. The face of civic engagement must reflect the communities being served. We need more brown, black, queer, and differently-abled people as activists, organizers, candidates, policymakers, judges, district attorneys, and lawmakers.

Even as we strive toward greater inclusivity, we must also embrace and elevate the ideals and actions of young people. At the time of the March on Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr. was 34 years old, and Georgia’s own senior statesman, John Lewis, was just 23 and a fierce advocate for justice. Young people have always been at the heart of movements for civil rights and social justice, and real progress requires that we continue to amplify their efforts. Engaging them today means speaking their language and empowering them to engage on their own terms.

So, the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington represents a commemoration and a continuation of the work that’s already been done to make America live up to her promise. As Anna Hedgeman wrote in her memoir The Trumpet Sounds: A Memoir of Negro Leadership, “We will not rest until there is justice in our beloved country, and we know that as justice comes to all Americans, it will come in increasing measure to the rest of the world.”

Tamieka Atkins is the executive director of ProGeorgia, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening democracy in the state. To learn more about our effort to protect Georgians’ voter rights, visit www.govotega.org.

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Building democracy 60 years after the March on Washington

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#NNPA BlackPress

COMMENTARY: The National Protest Must Be Accompanied with Our Votes

Just as Trump is gathering election data like having the FBI take all the election data in Georgia from the 2020 election, so must we organize in preparation for the coming primary season to have the right people on ballots in each Republican district, so that we can regain control of the House of Representatives and by doing so, restore the separation of powers and balance that our democracy is being deprived of.

Published

3 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper. File photo..

By Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper

As thousands of Americans march every week in cities across this great nation, it must be remembered that the protest without the vote is of no concern to Donald Trump and his administration.

In every city, there is a personal connection to the U.S. Congress. In too many cases, the member of Congress representing the people of that city and the congressional district in which it sits, is a Republican. It is the Republicans who are giving silent support to the destructive actions of those persons like the U.S. Attorney General, the Director of Homeland Security, and the National Intelligence Director, who are carrying out the revenge campaign of the President rather than upholding the oath of office each of them took “to Defend The Constitution of the United States.”

In California, the primary comes in June 2026. The congressional races must be a priority just as much as the local election of people has been so important in keeping ICE from acquiring facilities to build more prisons around the country.

“We the People” are winning this battle, even though it might not look like it. Each of us must get involved now, right where we are.

In this Black History month, it is important to remember that all we have accomplished in this nation has been “in spite of” and not “because of.” Frederick Douglas said, “Power concedes nothing without a struggle.”

Today, the struggle is to maintain our very institutions and history. Our strength in this struggle rests in our “collectiveness.” Our newspapers and journalists are at the greatest risk. We must not personally add to the attack by ignoring those who have been our very foundation, our Black press.

Are you spending your dollars this Black History Month with those who salute and honor contributions by supporting those who tell our stories? Remember that silence is the same as consent and support for the opposition. Where do you stand and where will your dollars go?

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Activism

Congresswoman Simon Votes Against Department of Homeland Security, ICE Funding

“They need accountability. Republicans already gave these agencies an unprecedented $170 billion for immigration enforcement, funding they have used to conduct raids at schools, separate families, and deploy a masked paramilitary who refuse to identify themselves on American streets. This bill gives them more funding without a single reform to stop unconstitutional, immoral abuses,” she said.

Published

3 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12). File photo.

By Post Staff

Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) released a statement after voting against legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which supports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB).

“Today, I voted NO on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 13, 2026.

“ICE and CBP do not need more funding to terrorize communities or kill more people,” she said in the media release.

“They need accountability. Republicans already gave these agencies an unprecedented $170 billion for immigration enforcement, funding they have used to conduct raids at schools, separate families, and deploy a masked paramilitary who refuse to identify themselves on American streets. This bill gives them more funding without a single reform to stop unconstitutional, immoral abuses,” she said.

“The American people are demanding change. Poll after poll of Americans’ opinions show overwhelming support for requiring ICE agents to wear body cameras and prohibiting them from hiding their faces during enforcement actions. This is the bare minimum transparency standard, and this funding legislation does not even meet this low bar,” Simon said.

“Republicans in Congress are not serious about reining in these lawless agencies. Their refusal to make meaningful changes to the DHS funding bill has consequences that go beyond immigration enforcement. TSA agents who keep our airports safe and FEMA workers who help our communities recover from disasters are stuck in limbo due to Republican inaction.

“The Constitution does not have an exception for immigrants. Every person on American soil has rights, and federal agencies must respect them. The East Bay has made clear at the Alameda County and city level that we will hold the line against a violent ICE force and support our immigrant communities – I will continue to hold the line and our values with my votes in Congress.”

Oakland Post

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Activism

Post Newspaper Invites NNPA to Join Nationwide Probate Reform Initiative

The Post’s Probate Reform Group meets the first Thursday of every month via Zoom and invites the public to attend. The Post is making the initiative national and will submit information from its monthly meeting to the NNPA to educate, advocate, and inform its readers.

Published

3 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Tanya Dennis

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) represents the Black press with over 200 newspapers nationwide.

Last night the Post announced that it is actively recruiting the Black press to inform the public that there is a probate “five-alarm fire” occurring in Black communities and invited every Black newspaper starting from the Birmingham Times in Alabama to the Milwaukee Times Weekly in Wisconsin, to join the Post in our “Year of Action” for probate reform.

Reporter Tanya Dennis says, “The adage that ‘When America catches a cold, Black folks catch the flu” is too true in practice; that’s why we’re engaging the Black Press to not only warn, but educate the Black community regarding the criminal actions we see in probate court: Thousands are losing generational wealth to strangers. It’s a travesty that happens daily.”

Venus Gist, a co-host of the reform group, states, “ Unfortunately, people are their own worst enemy when it comes to speaking with loved ones regarding their demise. It’s an uncomfortable subject that most avoid, but they do so at their peril. The courts rely on dissention between family members, so I encourage not only a will and trust [be created] but also videotape the reading of your documents so you can show you’re of sound mind.”

In better times, drafting a will was enough; then a trust was an added requirement to ‘iron-clad’ documents and to assure easy transference of wealth.

No longer.

As the courts became underfunded in the last 20 years, predatory behavior emerged to the extent that criminality is now occurring at alarming rates with no oversight, with courts isolating the conserved, and, I’ve heard, many times killing conservatees for profit. Plundering the assets of estates until beneficiaries are penniless is also common.”

Post Newspaper Publisher Paul Cobb says, “The simple solution is to avoid probate at all costs. If beneficiaries can’t agree, hire a private mediator and attorney to work things out. The moment you walk into court, you are vulnerable to the whims of the court. Your will and trust mean nothing.”

Zakiya Jendayi, a co-host of the Probate Reform Group and a victim herself, says, “In my case, the will and trust were clear that I am the beneficiary of the estate, but the opposing attorney said I used undue influence to make myself beneficiary. He said that without proof, and the judge upheld the attorney’s baseless assertion. In court, the will and trust is easily discounted.”

The Black press reaches out to 47 million Black Americans with one voice. The power of the press has never been so important as it is now in this national movement to save Black generational wealth from predatory attorneys, guardians and judges.

The next probate reform meeting is on March 5, from 7 – 9 p.m. PST. Zoom Details:
Meeting ID: 825 0367 1750
Passcode: 475480

All are welcome.