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Oakland Rallies for Sonya Massey, Police Slaying Victim

When Sonya Massey was killed by police in Illinois last month, her death prompted outrage, grief, and terror across the nation. Oakland responded with not one, but three rallies held during the last week of July. Massey met an unfair and unjust death on July 6 near Springfield, Illinois. Fearing a possible intruder in her home, Massey had called 911 for help. In the ensuing exchange, Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson shot and killed her.

Published

2 years ago

August 19, 2024

Oakland Post

People place flowers and other items on the altar for Sonya Massey in front of the mural of police victim Breonna Taylor at 15thand Broadway at the Anti Police Terror Project’s response to a national call for action on July 28. Photo by Daisha Williams.

COMMENTARY

By Daisha Williams

Massey met an unfair and unjust death on July 6 near Springfield, Illinois. Fearing a possible intruder in her home, Massey had called 911 for help. In the ensuing exchange, Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson shot and killed her.

Massey was a 36-year-old Black woman, a mother, and a person suffering from a mental health crisis. She was exactly the type of person that communities should support, not destroy.

The In Our Names Network issued a national call to action for Sunday July 28. On this day, cities across the country rallied in Massey’s name. Oakland has never been quiet when it comes to police brutality, and this was no different.

In Oakland, the Anti Police Terror Project (APTP) held a vigil in response to this call. People gathered in Downtown Oakland in front of the mural of police victim Breonna Taylor on 15th Street and Broadway. People were quiet, somber as they gathered. APTP provided supplies for people to write notes to place on the altar. Cat Brooks, co-founder of APTP, shared powerful testimony.

She detailed the horrendous situation while driving home the fact that Massey had done nothing at all. At no point had Massey been threatening, Brooks said, she was only asking for help. Brooks revealed that even after 15 years of organizing for people lost under similar circumstances, this situation hit her a little harder.

After speaking, Brooks performed libations, a ritual intended to invite ancestral spirits into a space. People called out the names of dozens of activists, children, and family that our communities have lost.

From the Breonna Taylor mural the group walked to Oscar Grant Plaza while chanting ‘Say Her Name.’ At the plaza, Brooks called up a number of speakers to the mic, including Oscar Grant’s mother, father, and uncle. After the speakers were done, they transitioned into an open mic segment, inviting anyone who felt moved to speak.

The APTP vigil was an incredible demonstration of community support. There was an ASL interpreter present to ensure that the space was accessible for everyone. There were healing justice coordinators there to support as well.

People from every race and background were present, including many people wearing keffiyehs, a Palestinian scarf symbolizing resistance. There were people of all ages, children there with their grandparents. This felt like a group made up of every part of the community.

The next day, Monday July 29, the second rally for Massey occurred at Lake Merritt Amphitheater from 6-8 pm.

After a short statement from one of the unnamed organizers, and a ceremony performed by Awon Ohun Omnira (Voices of Freedom), the remainder of the event prioritized the voices of the community. Most of those people were not polished speakers, they were regular community members sharing how Massey’s killing had affected them.

This grassroots event felt more raw, shining a light on the ways that brutality ripples through our community. When one Black person is murdered, that pain is shared with the community. It showed the unique ways that we are all affected, but also the similarities, the common fear, grief, and anger.

Jumia, one of the organizers said that “It healed something in me but opened something up at the same time.” I think that describes how many people at this vigil were feeling.

Black women take on a lot of this pain, especially because they often carry the burden of consoling the community as well as themselves while trying to keep themselves safe in a world that is unsafe.

Later last week on Friday, Aug. 2, the third vigil held to honor Massey was held at Fruitvale Village in Oakland at 1 p.m. The event began with this writer, as the organizer of the event, sharing some words and performing libations.

I then called up some speakers including Nairobi Barnes, the 2023 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate and representatives from CURYJ. The event closed after holding space for an open mic section.

Three events in one week shows how much the murder of Sonya Massey affected the Black community. In the two weeks following her death a dozen more lives were lost to the hands of police brutality nationwide.

As long as this keeps happening, Oakland will keep chanting, filling the streets, screaming, and crying for lost brothers and sisters.

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IN MEMORIAM: Rest in Power — Minnesota Loses a True Warrior in Yusef Mgeni

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — Yusef Mgeni, a brilliant historian, community organizer, former St. Paul educator and fierce advocate for Black people, died on April 7, 2026, leaving behind a legacy that will echo through generations of Black Minnesota history and community building.

Published

1 day ago

April 15, 2026

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By MSR News Online

Minnesota and the world lost a powerful voice and a true warrior on April 7, 2026. Yusef Mgeni is gone, but his legacy will echo for generations.

Yusef was a brilliant historian, a community organizer, a former St. Paul educator, and a fierce advocate for Black people. He carried with him an extraordinary archive of speeches, books, articles, and photographs documenting the work of countless Black scholars and leaders. His knowledge was not just deep. It was generational. Talk to him about any subject concerning Black history, and he would give you a dissertation.

His roots in this community ran deeper than most people knew. Yusef was the grandnephew of Fredrick McGhee, the pioneering 20th-century civil rights activist and attorney who made his mark in St. Paul at the turn of the century. That lineage was not lost on Yusef. He carried it forward with pride and purpose, spending decades making sure the stories of Black Minnesotans were told, preserved, and passed on.

As a journalist, Yusef called NAACP leaders and community figures to identify the issues that mattered most to Black people and wrote about them in local newspapers. He was a contributor to the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, a platform he understood and respected deeply. As a former St. Paul NAACP vice president, he remained active and engaged well into his retirement, answering emails and voicemails for residents who were at their wits’ end, helping them navigate evictions, legal challenges, and systemic barriers.

“Generally, they contact us when they are at their wits’ end,” he once said. “They are going to get evicted; their car is getting repossessed. We assist in navigating the system.”

His work was always about access. Under his leadership and alongside other NAACP leaders, the St. Paul chapter helped establish a landmark covenant between the police and the St. Paul community in 2001, a model that contributed to dramatically lower excessive-force costs than in Minneapolis in the decade that followed.

Yusef was also a passionate champion of ethnic studies in Minnesota’s schools, understanding that education rooted in Black and Brown history was not a supplement to American history but central to it.

“Ethnic studies is also American history,” he said. “The fact that the legislature and the MDE have both endorsed ethnic studies requirements in schools is a real plus for giving people the opportunity to explore and learn more about American history, and more importantly, to see themselves reflected in that learning.”

In the 1970s and ’80s, Yusef worked alongside Mrs. Clarissa Walker at the Sabathani Community Center, where they poured their energy into uplifting and empowering the community. Their work helped shape the cultural and political landscape of South Minneapolis during a critical era. They were part of a generation that built institutions, nurtured young people, and fought for justice with unwavering commitment.

Yusef also played a key role in the early development of KMOJ Radio, helping to establish a platform that amplified Black voices long before it was common or convenient. His activism extended through education, the St. Paul NAACP, the Million Man March, and the Urban Coalition, always rooted in a deep and abiding love for his people.

He was also an interviewee in the Rondo neighborhood oral history project preserved by the Minnesota Historical Society, ensuring that the voices and stories of that community would never be lost.

Not long ago, a colleague was blessed to sit with Yusef at his home, where he reflected on his life and his legacy. He talked about his work in education, his activism, and his years of service to the community. But what stood out just as much was how he spoke about his family and his people, with warmth, with pride, and with purpose.

Today, we honor him not only for what he accomplished but for the spirit with which he did it.

A scholar. A builder. A warrior. A keeper of our stories.

Thank you, Yusef, for everything you gave and everything you sacrificed on behalf of Black people. Your legacy stands tall, and our community is better because of you.

Rest in Power, Yusef Mgeni.

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Revolve Fund to Provide $20,000 to Support Food Access Efforts in Alabama Black Belt

THE AFRO — “Revolve Fund complements its core mission of improving capital access for entrepreneurs by partnering with leading organizations that are addressing critical community needs,” said James Wahls, founder and managing director of Revolve Fund. “Like BBCF, Revolve understands at the most fundamental level, everyone should have access to healthy food.”

Published

1 day ago

April 15, 2026

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By Revolve Fund | The AFRO

SELMA – As over 40 million Americans grappled with the reality of not being able to feed themselves or their families due to SNAP delays, Revolve Fund is seeking to help. Revolve Fund has announced a $20,000 community grant to the Black Belt Community Foundation as part of the duo’s continued partnership. The grant will increase the foundation’s capacity to execute programs and fundraise to support food access efforts in the Alabama Black Belt region.

“Revolve Fund complements its core mission of improving capital access for entrepreneurs by partnering with leading organizations that are addressing critical community needs,” said James Wahls, founder and managing director of Revolve Fund. “Like BBCF, Revolve understands at the most fundamental level, everyone should have access to healthy food.”

“BBCF is deeply grateful for the Revolve Fund’s grant to underwrite direct food support in the Black Belt during the current disruption of SNAP benefits, continuing high food costs and unprecedented strain on our local food banks,” said Christopher Spencer, president and CEO, Black Belt Community Foundation. “As BBCF mobilizes resources and community partners during this time, Revolve is one of the first philanthropic organizations to step forward to support our Food for Families in the Black Belt Campaign. We look ahead to our productive, continued partnership with them to positively impact and transform the Black Belt region of Alabama.”

“While our communities need and deserve so much more, we hope our contribution will support the foundation’s ability to work with other philanthropic partners, individual donors, charities, and public partners,” Wahls added.

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Mamdani Plans City Grocery Store in East Harlem

NEW YORK CARIB NEWS — The store will be located at La Marqueta, a historic marketplace beneath the elevated Park Avenue tracks. The project is expected to cost approximately $30 million and is slated to open next year, utilizing currently vacant space within the city-owned facility. Operating rent-free, officials say the model is intended to lower overhead and pass savings on to consumers.

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1 day ago

April 15, 2026

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New York Carib News

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced plans to establish the city’s first municipally owned grocery store in East Harlem, a flagship initiative aimed at addressing rising food costs and improving access to affordable essentials.

The store will be located at La Marqueta, a historic marketplace beneath the elevated Park Avenue tracks. The project is expected to cost approximately $30 million and is slated to open next year, utilizing currently vacant space within the city-owned facility. Operating rent-free, officials say the model is intended to lower overhead and pass savings on to consumers.

Mamdani unveiled the plan during an event marking his first 100 days in office, reaffirming a campaign pledge to build a network of five city-owned grocery stores, one in each borough, by the end of his first term in 2029.

“During our campaign, we promised New Yorkers that we would create a network of five city-owned grocery stores,” Mamdani said. “Today, we make good on that promise.”

The mayor positioned the initiative as a direct response to surging grocery prices, noting that food costs in New York City rose by nearly 66% between 2013 and 2023, significantly outpacing the national average. He argued that the city-run stores would provide fair pricing, improve worker conditions, and ease the financial burden on low-income households.

“We’re going to make it easier for New Yorkers to put food on the table,” Mamdani said, adding that staples such as eggs and bread would be more affordable.

However, the proposal is already drawing scrutiny. The estimated cost of the East Harlem store would consume nearly half of the $70 million budget initially outlined for the entire five-store program. Despite this, Mamdani remains confident that the initiative will deliver long-term benefits and help reshape access to affordable groceries across the city.

The announcement also drew political attention, with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders making a surprise appearance at the event in support of the mayor’s broader economic agenda.