Activism

Black Solidarity Week 2020 in Oakland

Published

6 years ago

February 20, 2020

Black Solidarity Week (BSW) is here and unlike inspirational quotes and memes found thru social media and on the internet, the concept is a living and breathing entity. So are the people behind it, as well as the issues that BSW seeks to tackle.

Launched in 2018 with a march through East Oakland, 1,000 people filled International Blvd, formerly known as East 14th Street, in the inaugural march through the streets. A series of week-long events also accompany the march each year. This year’s events include forums on Disaster Preparedness, Reparations and Art as a Tool for Solidarity.

“The overarching purpose objective is to be a launch pad for more organizing in the Bay Area,” says Tur-Ha Ak, co-founder of Community Ready CORPS (CRC), anchor organization for Black Solidarity Week. “This would create a space for us to talk about how we engage the conditions that are impacting us,” he said.

CRC’s purpose is to “build and/or contribute to self-determination in disenfranchised communities,” particularly in the Bay Area, according to its website.

The quest for unity brings to mind another internet/social media meme: the West Afrikan Adinkra symbol of the crocodile with two heads. The reasoning of the symbol states that they “share one stomach, yet they fight over food … a reminder that infighting and tribalism is harmful to all who engage in it.”

Ak’s reasoning for the need for a Black Solidarity Week is along these same lines. “What we are saying is Black folks here in the Bay area need to come together because its hard out here,” he said.

Statistics bear out his concern. Back in 2018, the East Bay Express wrote that if current trends continue Oakland’s Black population could fall to 70,000 people or fewer within the next 10 years, hovering at around 16 percent. That would be down from about 35 percent from the year 2000.

The Urban Displacement Project, an effort out of UC Berkeley, with the help of San Francisco’s Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, stated back in 2015 that the “most vulnerable” in Oakland were under threat of being displaced. This displacement was due to stagnant low wages not keeping up with the price of housing in the area.

For Nehanda Imara, the Collaborative Coordinator for East Oakland Building Healthy Communities (EOBHC), support for Black Solidarity Week is practical as well as philosophical.

“When we look at East Oakland, the communities with the worst outcomes are Black people, Imara said.

EOBHC is a nonprofit dedicated to increasing the health and wellness outcomes in the East Oakland area.

“I am about uplifting African people, that’s why I support Black Solidarity Week. My lens has always been pan Africanist. Pan Africanism teaches me that wherever you are you should be working for your people. I’m in East Oakland. I’m working for my people,” said Imara.

The issue of housing in Oakland proper received international attention beginning last fall when four single mothers and their children in need of shelter took over an abandoned home.

The house, which had sat vacant for two years, had recently been purchased at auction by Southern California-based Wedgewood Properties, real estate firm that specialized in “flipping”: buying property for cheap; making repairs, sometimes cosmetic only; then, either selling the property at an enormous profit; or sitting on the property, allow it to remain empty until a buyer comes along.

The single mothers, known as Moms4Housing, staged this “intervention” to call attention to the fact that in Oakland, there are more abandoned dwellings than there are homeless people. According to the “Moms,” there are four empty homes for every one homeless person in the city.

SFCurbed, an online news publication, initially expressed doubt about the Moms’ claim. Using census estimates for the year 2018 (the most recent year available), the publication reported in December of 2019 that “Oakland’s homeless count came out to 4,071 in 2019, while home vacancies total 15,571 (plus or minus 2,415) … a ratio of about 3.8 to one.”

The publication reported that most of the 10 areas that make up the Bay have a similar ratio of more vacant dwellings than homeless persons – hence, the reason for the Moms’ intervention during a time that is considered to be a housing “crisis.”

Initially rebuffing the Moms’ offer to purchase the home, Wedgewood initiated eviction proceedings against them, culminating in a pre-dawn spectacle of militarized police complete with automatic rifles and a tank. Despite this display of force, the Moms able to eventually reach an agreement with Wedgewood to purchase the home.

For that and other reasons, Dominque Walker, one of the Moms4Housing who was evicted by Wedgewood says she absolutely supports Black Solidarity Week.

“It’s going to take all of us to fight against the oppression we are facing,” said Walker. “This is my first time participating. I will absolutely be involved in future events because it is absolutely important for us to come together; history has shown that … we have to put our differences to the side and come together.”

Joyce Gordon, owner of a downtown Oakland fine art gallery, echoed Walker’s sentiments.

“It’s the only way we’re going to survive; we must unite,” said Gordon.

Says Gordon, whose gallery has been an Oakland institution for the past 17 years, “I’m a conscious Black woman living in this America for these 73 years … it’s important for Black folks to come together and support and respect each other and listen to each other and work together and love on each other.”

Black Solidarity Week, which began on Monday and runs through this weekend, takes place between the birthdates of Huey Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, and the assassination date of Malcolm X, internationally known human rights fighter.

Tur-Ha Ak gave the following explanation for holding Black Solidarity Week during such important historical dates:

“The significance of Oakland being the birth of the Black Panther Party and Huey’s birthday of February 17, and what he meant to the movement of our people. And Malcolm X and what he meant to our movement. If these two individuals had not been victims of the state, they would have matured to a place of creating true solidarity amongst our people.”

For remaining events or more information on Black Solidarity Week, check www.blacksolidarity.org.

“If you want to go fast, go alone.

If you want to go far, go together.”

~ Afrikan Proverb

Thandisizwe Chimurenga

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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 hours 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?

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

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

4 hours 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

Posts by Oakland Post

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

4 hours 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.