Commentary

Award-winning actress Regina King opens up about sleeper hit “If Beale Street Could Talk”

NNPA NEWSWIRE — At 7 p.m. Central time last Wednesday, I was in full-listen mode as King – fresh from her Golden-Globe winning evening – talked about her role in “If Beale Street Could Talk” with more than a thousand faith leaders, community activists, sororities and fraternities and African-American news outlets on the line.

Published

8 years ago

January 14, 2019

Oakland Post

By Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell, The New Tri-State Defender

Regina King makes it easy to say “yes” to an assignment editor’s request for a reporter to join in on a national conference call and listen to an actress talk about her role in a movie.

I had already sounded the “y” in my “yes” before the sentence conveying the opportunity was complete.

At 7 p.m. Central time last Wednesday, I was in full-listen mode as King – fresh from her Golden-Globe winning evening – talked about her role in “If Beale Street Could Talk” with more than a thousand faith leaders, community activists, sororities and fraternities and African-American news outlets on the line.

She was candid from the jump.

“James Baldwin’s book with the same title is a powerful meditation on love,” King said. “It talks about what love really is. Baldwin gives literary voice to the blues. This movie is important because we actually see ourselves on the screen. It is important to tell our stories, to keep telling our stories.”

One key story King is telling is this: Go the see the movie; help get the word out! Let people know that there is a powerful film out about a “black family in the early ‘70s” and how they manage to get through the challenges of life in a world of institutions that are systemically and historically racist. It resonates with themes of family, love and justice.

“Beale Street” made its American debut on December 14 in – get this – just four theatres. That’s right, four. All four, however, were overrun with sold-out audiences, lines wrapped around the block, people seeing it for the first time, fans coming to watch for the fifth time.

It’s the little movie that could.

“No one in Hollywood can say that there is no audience for movies like this that tells our stories,” said King. “We want to see ourselves. We want to see our stories. Our children want to see their stories. My son told me it was the first time he had seen himself on the screen.”

Hundreds of Facebook posts, tweets on Twitter and other social media messages lit up cyberspace during the call as people live-streamed King’s interview and reported that they had already seen “Beale Street” multiple times.

King portrays Sharon Rivers, Ernestine and Tish’s mother and Joseph’s wife. The facts of her own journey suggests that King has been preparing for the role all of her life.

“I am a mother, and I have an amazing mother and grandmother who pushed my sister and I to dream big,” she said. “They understood the spirit that was in us at an early age.”

Director Barry Jenkins adapted a screenplay from Baldwin’s book and then set course for a movie on the big screen. Produced by Plan B Entertainment, the film made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2018.

King racked up a Golden Globe award as “The Best Supporting Actress.” In her acceptance, she thanked Jenkins for telling the poignant story. She vowed as a producer and director, herself, to make sure all her future projects involve at least 50 percent women.

The tone for the movie was set at the top, King said on the call.

“Barry from the very beginning created a loving and trusting environment. From that day when the cast first met, we fell into our roles. It was like our roles chose us.

“And shooting that scene around Beale Street, when we took breaks, we didn’t go back to our rooms. We went upstairs in the brownstone and just talked and shared our stories. You will see real relationship in our performances.”

Sharon and Joseph Rivers create a loving, nurturing household, King said.

“You see the love on screen between a black father and his daughter. We see a young man who so gently and tenderly loves this young woman. The take-away is that throughout the years, we are reminded that it has been our love for one another that has gotten us through.”

April Reign, the activist who started “#OscarsSoWhite,” also praised the film on the 45-minute conference call.

“This movie is fierce, tender and unapologetically black,” said Reign. “It is a portrait of every strong mother we have known. Let’s encourage everyone to go and see ‘Beale Street.’

“But once you see it, you’ll come running back for more. Get lost in the magic that is James Baldwin brought to life by Barry Jenkins.”

For those on the conference call, the resolve was this: “Let’s build a movement around ‘Beale Street.’”

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Black History

Oakland Observes Black August with Block Parties, Film Showings, Workshops

POST NEWS GROUP — Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

Published

4 days ago

August 15, 2026

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George Jackson wrote two books: “Soledad Brother,” and “Blood in My Eye” before her was killed in an attempt to escape prison on Aug. 21, 1971.

By Jana Lang, Propel Youth Reporter

Study. Train. Fast. Fight.

These are the four tenets of Black August, a month dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of political prisoners and Black revolutionaries in the struggle for Black liberation.

Observers are urged to study the history of the Black struggle for freedom, train their bodies for health and self-defense, fast to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, and fight ongoing oppression alongside their communities and local political organizations.

Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

While in prison, George befriended fellow prisoner W.L. Nolen, who introduced him to the works of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Frantz Fanon. This radicalization coupled with his experiences of violence while imprisoned led to him writing and publishing two books, “Soledad Brother” (1970), and “Blood in my Eye” (1972). In January of 1970, George and two other prisoners were charged with murdering a corrections officer at Soledad State Prison in Monterey County.

On Aug. 7, 1970, Jonathan Jackson burst into a Marin County courtroom armed with a shotgun to demand the freedom of the Soledad Brothers. He, along with the inmates he freed, was shot and killed while driving away. This involved one of the Black Panther Party’s most notable associates, Angela Davis, because the shotgun was registered in her name. She was later acquitted of charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder in 1972.

On Aug. 21, 1971, George Jackson was assassinated by a corrections officer after attempting to escape and free other inmates. As a result, there were uprisings and protests within prisons all over the country that year, calling forth resistance against racial oppression and mass incarceration.

Since its outset, Black August has evolved across the country, taking many forms to honor this history and embody the four tenets.

In Oakland, the upcoming Black August Experience, hosted by Youth Alive! and the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), is a free, family-friendly event celebrating the legacy of Black August. Activities include free food and drinks, a kids’ activity zone, interactive workshops, live cooking and boxing demonstrations, and more.

Happening on Aug. 21 from 4-8 p.m. at the EOBA Patio, Carolyn Flynn, director of administration at EOBA, said the event, in its second year, will be an opportunity to engage with people in person through food, shared space, and education.

“We do regular classes in education, and those are ongoing programs that we offer, but we wanted to have [an opportunity] for our neighbors to utilize this space.” Combined with Youth Alive’s work in community violence prevention and youth leadership, this event surely aims to bring the Oakland community together to capture what Black August means today.

Here are additional Black August events happening in Oakland:

Forum and Community Discussion hosted by the Oakland Liberation Center, 1499 Fruitvale Ave., Aug. 14, 7 p.m.

“George Jackson/San Quentin” Screening hosted by Nostalgic for Nothing Cinema at Moments Co-Op, 410 13th St., Aug. 16, doors at 6 p.m., show at 6:30 p.m. (Masks required and scent-free)

Commemorating the Struggle, Building the Altar for Liberation: Black August at Bandung Books, 2269 International Blvd., Aug. 23rd, 1-5 p.m.

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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Oakland Post: Week of August 12 – 18, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of August 12 – 18, 2026

Published

4 days ago

August 15, 2026

Oakland Post

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Commentary

COMMENTARY: Why Local School Tax Measure G1 Will Not Be on the November Ballot

POST NEWS GROUP — Measure G1 is the local tax measure that supports middle school teacher retention and the expansion of arts, music, and world language programs at both OUSD middle schools and charter middle schools. The current measure expires in 2029.

Published

4 days ago

August 15, 2026

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By Jennifer Brouhard, Oakland School Board President

There has been considerable speculation recently about why Measure G1 will not appear on the November ballot and what that means for the Oakland Unified School District’s current budget.

I want to provide some clarity about what happened and, importantly, what did not happen.

Measure G1 is the local tax measure that supports middle school teacher retention and the expansion of arts, music, and world language programs at both OUSD middle schools and charter middle schools. The current measure expires in 2029.

Because these funds are important to our schools and to the continuity of these programs, the district initially intended to place a renewal initiative on the November ballot to provide greater early certainty about funding beyond the expiration of the current measure.

As part of that process, the Board scheduled a special meeting for the required public hearing on the ballot initiative. There has been some suggestion that this meeting was noticed only one day in advance. That is not accurate.

Public hearings of this nature are subject to specific notice requirements, and the meeting must be noticed at least two weeks before the hearing. In practice, the notice may appear even earlier depending on publication schedules. The notice for the Measure G1 public hearing was published in the Tribune on 7/24/2026 and 7/31/2026.

So, why wasn’t the Measure G1 paperwork ultimately filed?

After the Board approved placing the measure on the ballot, the next step required the Alameda County Superintendent of Schools to sign the necessary paperwork before it could be submitted to the Oakland City Clerk.

During that process, Alameda County Superintendent Alysse Castro raised concerns about potential litigation stemming from another court case unrelated to OUSD and about whether proceeding with the measure could expose the district or County to legal challenges. Superintendent Castro’s action is unprecedented and concerning.

It is important to distinguish between the Board’s decision to pursue Measure G1 and the subsequent procedural and legal issues that arose. The Board did approve moving forward with the measure. The measure did not fail because the Board chose not to support it, nor was the public hearing improperly noticed.

The decision not to proceed with the November ballot was made in light of the County’s concerns about potential litigation and the County’s required approval process.

We also need to be clear about what this does, and does not, mean for OUSD’s current budget. The existing Measure G1 funds remain available through the expiration of the current measure in 2029. The immediate issue is the longer-term continuity of funding beyond that date, not the elimination of these resources from the current year’s budget.

Our responsibility as a Board is to protect the educational programs and services our students depend on while ensuring that our decisions comply with the law and protect the district from unnecessary legal and financial risk.

We will continue working to understand the County’s concerns, explore our options, and advocate for the resources our students deserve. Our middle school students, teachers, and school communities deserve stability, and continued investment in arts, music, world languages, and teacher retention—and that work remains a priority for Oakland Unified.

Jennifer Brouhard is a retired OUSD educator and is the current OUSD School Board President representing District 2.