Black History

Annual Black Caucus MLK Jr. Breakfast Uplifts King’s Legacy; Need to Generate Wealth

On Jan. 11, the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at a breakfast celebration held at the Town and Country Event Center in Sacramento. The annual event was attended by about 200 people, including members of the Legislature, community leaders, Capitol staffers, among other attendees.

Published

1 year ago

January 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Kwame Anku, right, the founding managing partner and chief investment officer of Black Star Fund, participates in a fireside chat with California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) chair Asm. Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun City), left, at the CLBC's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast in Sacramento on Jan. 11, 2024. CBM Photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

On Jan. 11, the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at a breakfast celebration held at the Town and Country Event Center in Sacramento.

The annual event was attended by about 200 people, including members of the Legislature, community leaders, Capitol staffers, among other attendees.

“It was an honor to host this year’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast. The California Legislative Black Caucus put on another lively event with great discussion on ways we can honor Dr. King’s legacy and uplift all Californians,” CLBC Chair, Assemblymember Lori A. Wilson (D-Suisun City), posted Jan. 11 on the social media platform X.

At the breakfast, Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), a member of the CLBC, served as the master of ceremonies.

CLBC members Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) provided the invocation and Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) led the Pledge of Allegiance. Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood), Vice Chair of the CLBC, shared a message from members of the Black Caucus.

Bradford revealed a little unknown fact about Dr. King’s name. He was born Michael King Jr., on Jan. 15, 1929. In 1934, his father, a pastor, traveled to Germany where he was inspired by Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther, Bradford said.

“As a result, King Sr. changed his own name as well as that of his 5-year-old son,” Bradford shared.

To the delight of the audience at the event, sponsored by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, vocalist Nia Moore-Weathers performed a powerful rendition of the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Wilson held a 30-minute fireside chat with guest speaker Kwame Anku about Dr. King’s life, achievements, and vision, and the importance of building wealth in Black families and communities.

Anku is the founding managing partner and chief investment officer of Black Star Fund, an early-stage venture capital fund. He got the idea to start the fund on the urging of Roger “Prince” Nelson, the singer, songwriter, multi-music instrumentalist who passed away in 2016.

Anku said King’s famous 1963 address at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the “I Have a Dream speech,” could have been more aptly titled “America, It’s Time to Look in the Mirror” reflecting its core messages of accountability and denied justice.

“We’re telling ourselves how great we are but we’re not living up to the promise that we’ve made to ourselves because that’s the bedrock of what we do,” Anku told Wilson. “So, we’ve come to cash the check because this check guarantees us the riches of freedom and the security of justice. So now we’re not just cashing that check. Now, we are writing those checks.”

This year marks the 57th Anniversary of the CLBC. For nearly six decades, the CLBC has been a key advocate for issues such as fair housing and the prevention of homelessness.

The CLBC plans to continue the legacy of Dr. King by developing legislation around its current priorities, which include pursuing reparations for eligible Black Californians, criminal justice reform, environmental justice, and helping to ensure greater access to education and enterprise for African Americans.

There are 12 members of the CLBC serving in the California Assembly and Senate.

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Activism

The Best Advice for Raising Children: Discipline That Makes Sense

In his book Developing Positive Self Images and Discipline in Black Children, Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu suggests that primary aims for socializing Black children should be: establishing goals related to God and the church; familiarizing children with religious texts like the Bible or Quran; educating them of Black culture like Khemetic (Egyptian) Civilization; enlightening them about Black leaders like Malcolm X and Sojourner Truth; and teaching them to strive to be employers, not employees.

Published

10 hours ago

May 13, 2025

Oakland Post

Headshot of Dr. William A. Thomas. Photo courtesy of Dr. William A. Thomas.

By William A. Thomas, Ph.D.

In many African societies, the primary aim of socialization is to raise children to be socially responsible and eventually provide economic support to their parents and extended families. Ghanaian philosopher Kwame Gyekye taught that children are raised to be respectful of the wishes of their parents and extended adult family members.

In his book Developing Positive Self Images and Discipline in Black Children, Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu suggests that primary aims for socializing Black children should be: establishing goals related to God and the church; familiarizing children with religious texts like the Bible or Quran; educating them of Black culture like Khemetic (Egyptian) Civilization; enlightening them about Black leaders like Malcolm X and Sojourner Truth; and teaching them to strive to be employers, not employees.

Effective disciplinary strategies appropriate to a child’s age and development teach them to regulate their behavior; keep them from harm; enhance their cognitive, social, and emotional executive functioning skills; and reinforce the behavioral patterns taught by their parents and caregivers.

Below are some specific guidelines for disciplining children.

Listen to what children are talking about with interest and show them you understand their feelings. Remember, children mirror and learn about their emotional selves by hearing their feelings reflected back to them. Staying on target also means avoiding labels. When children fail to do what is expected, discussing it is helpful rather than saying how stubborn, lazy, dumb, or bad they are. By the same token, more positive labels can be helpful.

Dependability is another essential component of the discipline process. When parents are dependable, their children learn what to expect and are helped to feel secure. When parents are consistent, children learn to trust, that is, predict their parents’ behaviors with certainty. A child thinks, “When I spill something, I will always be asked to wipe it up.” A child thinks, “If I use foul language, I will always be corrected.” A child thinks, “If I take something that doesn’t belong to me, I will always have to give it back.” The ability to predict with certainty leads children to rely on their parents and the village/community in which they live. Children feel safe when they know what to expect.

Conclusions

It takes a village/community to raise the divine gift that is the Black child. Parents look to therapists for guidance concerning a variety of parenting issues, including discipline. Keep in mind that evidence suggests that corporal punishment is both ineffective in the long term and associated with cognitive and mental health disorders. When parents want guidance about the use of spanking, a child therapist can explore parental feelings, help them better define the goals of discipline, and offer specific behavior management strategies. In addition to providing appropriate education to families, the Bay Area Association of Black Psychologists (Bay ABPsi) can refer them to community resources, like parenting groups and classes.

About the Author

Dr. Thomas is a licensed clinical psychologist with a private practice in the SF/Oakland Bay Area and Beaumont. He is a member of Bay ABPsi, a healing resource committed to providing the Post Newspaper readership with monthly discussions about critical issues in Black Mental Health. Readers are welcome to join us at our monthly chapter meetings every 3^rd Saturday via Zoom and contact us at bayareaabpsi@gmail.com.