Activism

Book Review — In Open Contempt: Confronting White Supremacy in Art and Public Space

Readers who drive or walk past a monument to a historical figure every day will surely be spurred to regard it with fresh new eyes, after reading this book. You may never view artwork quite the same, either, because what you’ll learn inside “In Open Contempt” is monumental.

Published

1 year ago

January 3, 2025

Oakland Post

Book Cover of In Open Contempt: Confronting White Supremacy in Art and Public Space. Photo Courtesy of Viking.

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

Author: Irvin Weathersby Jr., c.2025, Viking, $30.00

The issue appears to be permanent.

It’s been happening for a long time. It doesn’t look like it’ll stop any time soon either. And although you’ve been able to work around it, you shouldn’t have to. Some say it might be better someday but you’re not holding your breath. As in the new book, “In Open Contempt” by Irvin Weathersby Jr., some things are too set in stone.

Cemeteries are filled with them.

So are parks, campuses, galleries, museums, and courtyards where, for centuries, humans have left their carved and constructed monuments and artwork celebrating and commemorating our heroes. Those works may be so familiar, in fact, that you might barely notice them, although many of the monuments have lauded White supremacists.

Says Weathersby, while some works have been removed in the recent past, many still stand, quietly, unobtrusively.

In his hometown of New Orleans, for instance, there was great controversy over the removal of statues honoring Civil War figures. The Ninth Ward street that Weathersby lived on as a child honored a slaveholder. Schools he attended nearby were named after men who established racist laws and ways of life.

He didn’t know to question those things when he was a child, or even as a young man. When he enrolled at Morehouse, an HBCU, though, he “began … unlearning …White supremacist culture.” Stories from his great-grandmother helped him see White supremacy clearer.

He found it in South Dakota, at Mt. Rushmore and at Wounded Knee, and he saw its effects at an Indigenous Writer’s Festival where he learned of the Dakota 38.

He sees it in art everywhere. He saw it once, when he was jailed overnight for a bike ticket he’d already dealt with. White supremacy is there when he thinks about the innocent people killed by police, and he thinks about how close he came to being a policeman himself.

“Look,” he says, “White supremacy everywhere.”

And, he says, if we have the courage to actually see it, to look hard and clear at it, “there exists a chance to heal and become empowered.”

You know how you can stare and stare at something, only to suddenly realize that there’s something about it that’s surprising, even shocking, right in front of you? That’s the sense you’ll get as you read “In Open Contempt,” that smack-your-forehead, duh feeling you get when your eyes are opened wide.

And yet, like many of the things he discovered and points out, Weathersby keeps a quiet presence in his book. His words are soft, but urgent. Gentle, but insistent. Firm, but prodding, leading, like having a presence sitting on your shoulder, whispering in your ear and urging you to see, to notice, demanding that you tell others, too.

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Activism

OP-ED: AB 1349 Puts Corporate Power Over Community

Since Ticketmaster and Live Nation merged in 2010, ticket prices have jumped more than 150 percent. Activities that once fit a family’s budget now take significant disposable income that most working families simply don’t have. The problem is compounded by a system that has tilted access toward the wealthy and white-collar workers. If you have a fancy credit card, you get “presale access,” and if you work in an office instead of a warehouse, you might be able to wait in an online queue to buy a ticket. Access now means privilege.

Published

2 weeks ago

January 9, 2026

Oakland Post

Bishop Joseph Simmons, Senior Pastor, Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, Oakland

By Bishop Joseph Simmons, Senior Pastor, Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, Oakland

As a pastor, I believe in the power that a sense of community can have on improving people’s lives. Live events are one of the few places where people from different backgrounds and ages can share the same space and experience – where construction workers sit next to lawyers at a concert, and teenagers enjoy a basketball game with their grandparents. Yet, over the past decade, I’ve witnessed these experiences – the concerts, games, and cultural events where we gather – become increasingly unaffordable, and it is a shame.

These moments of connection matter as they form part of the fabric that holds communities together. But that fabric is fraying because of Ticketmaster/Live Nation’s unchecked control over access to live events. Unfortunately, AB 1349 would only further entrench their corporate power over our spaces.

Power over live events is concentrated in a single corporate entity, and this regime operates without transparency or accountability – much like a dictator. Ticketmaster controls 80 percent of first-sale tickets and nearly a third of resale tickets, but they still want more. More power, more control for Ticketmaster means higher prices and less access for consumers. It’s the agenda they are pushing nationally, with the help of former Trump political operatives, who are quietly trying to undo the antitrust lawsuit launched against Ticketmaster/Live Nation under President Biden’s DOJ.

That’s why I’m deeply concerned about AB 1349 in its current form. Rather than reining in Ticketmaster’s power, the bill risks strengthening it, aligning with Trump. AB 1349 gives Ticketmaster the ability to control a consumer’s ticket forever by granting Ticketmaster’s regime new powers in state law to prevent consumers from reselling or giving away their tickets. It also creates new pathways for Ticketmaster to discriminate and retaliate against consumers who choose to shop around for the best service and fees on resale platforms that aren’t yet controlled by Ticketmaster. These provisions are anti-consumer and anti-democratic.

California has an opportunity to stand with consumers, to demand transparency, and to restore genuine competition in this industry. But that requires legislation developed with input from the community and faith leaders, not proposals backed by the very company causing the harm.

Will our laws reflect fairness, inclusion, and accountability? Or will we let corporate interests tighten their grip on spaces that should belong to everyone? I, for one, support the former and encourage the California Legislature to reject AB 1349 outright or amend it to remove any provisions that expand Ticketmaster’s control. I also urge community members to contact their representatives and advocate for accessible, inclusive live events for all Californians. Let’s work together to ensure these gathering spaces remain open and welcoming to everyone, regardless of income or background.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

Published

3 weeks ago

January 2, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Big God Ministry Gives Away Toys in Marin City

Pastor Hall also gave a message of encouragement to the crowd, thanking Jesus for the “best year of their lives.” He asked each of the children what they wanted to be when they grow up.

Published

3 weeks ago

December 29, 2025

Oakland Post

From top left: Pastor David Hall asking the children what they want to be when they grow up. Worship team Jake Monaghan, Ruby Friedman, and Keri Carpenter. Children lining up to receive their presents. Photos by Godfrey Lee.

By Godfrey Lee

Big God Ministries, pastored by David Hall, gave toys to the children in Marin City on Monday, Dec. 15, on the lawn near the corner of Drake Avenue and Donahue Street.

Pastor Hall also gave a message of encouragement to the crowd, thanking Jesus for the “best year of their lives.” He asked each of the children what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Around 75 parents and children were there to receive the presents, which consisted mainly of Gideon Bibles, Cat in the Hat pillows, Barbie dolls, Tonka trucks, and Lego building sets.

A half dozen volunteers from the Big God Ministry, including Donnie Roary, helped to set up the tables for the toy giveaway. The worship music was sung by Ruby Friedman, Keri Carpenter, and Jake Monaghan, who also played the accordion.

Big God Ministries meets on Sundays at 10 a.m. at the Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CA Their phone number is (415) 797-2567.