Activism

‘All Black Lives Matter’ Mural Dedication Held in Oakland

Published

4 years ago

July 22, 2020

Kiki

Nearly 100 people gathered to dedicate the ‘All Black Lives Matter’ mural, Oakland’s largest, near the Lake Merritt Boating Center at 568 Bellevue Ave. on June 28.

The ‘All Black Lives Matter’ mural, focusing on the LGBTQ community, was conceived by Kin Folkz of Spectrum Queer Media and co-designed by Kin Folkz also of QueerArtsCenter.com with Guerrilla Davis, WeAreTheOnes, and Janetta Johnson, TGIJP (Transgender Gender-Variant Intersex Justice Project).

Work on the mural, which is painted on the street itself, started in June and was painted by 14 muralists, a graphic designer and more than 250 volunteers.

The multicolored mural reads: “ALL BLACK TRANS + QUEER + NONBINARY +WOMAN + DISABLED + IMPRISONED LIVES MATTER.”

At the dedication, organizers used soil, seeds and crystals to “ . . . bring equity to us in our struggle for an end of oppression based upon our marginalized Black identities,” Kin Folkz said.

In May, Tony McDade was killed by police in Tallahassee, Fla., and Nina Pop who was stabbed to death in Sikestown, Missouri, were two of the many Black transgender people who lost their lives to law enforcement and/or racist and trans-phobic people.

There is an online All Black Lives Matter Solidarity Statement (https://bit.ly/ALLBLMMuralSolidarityStatement), which people can sign:

“We, Black Trans, Queer, Gender Nonconforming, Disabled, +Previously Incarcerated+Currently Imprisoned+Undocumented beings have been targeted for deep oppression. WE are calling for an end to the silencing of our experiences and the deep devaluing of our lives in ALL communities.

Hate speech, discrimination, and violence caused by government institutions (like the Department of Justice) enforce dominant systems of oppression that are used with deadly force against Black beings. Too often the lives of deeply marginalized Black people are ignored – particularly Black Trans Women; Black Femmes of all genders; Black Gender Nonconforming folks; Black Queer folks; Black Disabled folks; Black Undocumented beings; Black imprisoned folks and all Black folks living within these intersections.

“We are unapologetically Black in our positioning. In affirming that Black Lives Matter, we need not qualify our position. To love and desire freedom and justice for ourselves is a prerequisite for wanting the same for others… We affirm the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, undocumented folks, folks with records, women, and all Black lives along the gender spectrum. Our network centers those who have been marginalized within Black liberation movements.” BLM (https://blacklivesmatter.com/)

“We ask that the undersigned agree to elevate and value the lives ALL BLACK PEOPLE Black Trans Women; Black Femmes of all genders; Black Gender Nonconforming folks; Black Queer folks; Black Disabled folks; and Black Previously Incarcerated + Currently Imprisoned beings. We ask that they shift their actions and encourage others to use their privilege as opportunities to promote legislation and practices that:

1 – PRIORITIZE OUR LEADERSHIP + COMPENSATE US
2 – RECOGNIZE OUR NAMES AND GENDERS
3 – TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY + PRESS FOR JUSTICE for OUR LIVES
4 – HONOR OUR LEGACIES
5 – SHELTER US
6 – REDISTRIBUTE POLICE FUNDS TO FUND OUR GRASSROOTS ORGS + COMMUNITIES
7 – END SOLITARY CONFINEMENT
8 – ABOLISH THE PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
9 – END THE CRIMINALIZATION OF BLACK SELF DEFENSE
10 – EDUCATE + MAINTAIN THE PRACTICE of UPENDING MISOGYNY, TRANSPHOBIA + CLASSISM targeting Black beings.

– Adapted from TGIJP (http://www.tgijp.org/) + Transgender Law Center (TLC) https://transgenderlawcenter.org/

This is a time to affirm that #ALLBlackLivesMatter. Inaction and silence is not the solution. This is a time to join in the struggle to dismantle systemic oppression that targets Black people of all genders – particularly Black Trans Women; Black Femmes of all genders; Black Gender Nonconforming folks; Black Queer folks; Black Disabled folks; and Black imprisoned folks. This is a time to elevate and amplify ALL Black voices in our unified demand for justice. This is a time for action. The time for justice is now.”

Kiki

Posts by Kiki

Related Topics:‘All Black Lives Matter’ mural #ALLBlackLivesMatter featured

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

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

Published

13 hours 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

Published

1 week ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

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Activism

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.”