Community

California Women Go to “WAR” in Support of Gov. Newsom

WAR volunteers say, in their upcoming messaging campaigns, they will explain to Californians what a recall election is, and why, in their opinion, there is a movement to recall Newsom two years after he was elected to the highest office in the state.

Published

5 years ago

August 13, 2021

Isabelle Price

Governor Gavin Newsom

A broad coalition of California women are banding together to support Gov. Gavin Newsom as he fights to fend off a recall effort that could mar his legacy and throw him out of office in a little over a month.

Members of the group, dubbing itself Women Against the Recall (WAR), say they are not going to allow Gov. Gavin Newsom to be overthrown in the special election scheduled for September 14. California U.S. Congresswomen Karen Bass (D-CA-13) and Barbara Lee (D-CA-37), who are both supporting WAR, joined a press conference August 9 to make the case for Newsom.

Aimee Allison, founder of She The People, an Oakland-based political advocacy group, hosted the briefing.

“We are all against the Republican-led recall because we know that the health of our children, neighbors, and communities depend on Gov. Newsom’s continued leadership,” Lee said at the onset of the virtual event hosted by WAR. “Congresswoman Bass and I decided that any successful, political event must have women on the front lines, especially women of color.”

The women of WAR come from diverse backgrounds and bring their support for Newsom from different regions of the state. But, organizers say, they remain united by a common goal: to mobilize a statewide grassroots movement that defeats the recall effort.

More than 1,000 women, representing themselves or different organizations across the state, signed a letter composed by WAR opposing the recall. Over the next few weeks, WAR’s leaders say, their group will focus on providing voter education and conducting get-out-the-vote campaigns.

Newsom, who participated in the WAR Event, said that he was “humbled” by the support from the 70 different groups that signed on to the letter. He told attendees that “our values and the things we hold dear” are at stake in the recall election.

“The one thing that sticks out in particular as a list of grievances who inspired this was our support (Democratic party) for diverse communities,” Newsom said. “Our support for immigrants, our support for doing more and being better. It’s about each and every one of us.”

Many Democrats are blaming Republicans for the attempt to recall Newsom, citing the state’s progressive politics and trailblazing steps it has taken to foster inclusion and address longstanding inequalities suffered by ethnic and racial minorities.

Republican candidates vying to unseat Newsom include former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, conservative talk radio host Larry Elder, Assemblymember Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin), former United States Congressman Doug Ose, and the 2018 GOP gubernatorial nominee John Cox.

“Lacking any crimes or accusations of impropriety, (the members of the Republican Party) are trying to punish the governor for following the advice of scientists to promote mask-wearing and social distancing,” WAR said in a written statement.

WAR continued, “(But) let’s be honest, though, this recall campaign is not about the governor’s handling of COVID. It’s about an anti-democratic, political attack launched by the Republican Party who is exploiting the fear and pain of the COVID pandemic to claw back power after being rejected by the American people in the 2020 election.”

The California election that will determine Newsom’s fate in less than 35 days and could potentially select a new governor on the same day from a list of 46 candidates.

“Those who think this thing is not close I’d hate to disabuse you…it is,” Newsom said during the virtual function that went on for about two hours.

During a news conference last week, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said the ballot will ask two questions: Do the voters want to recall Newsom, and if so, who do they want to replace the governor.

If 50% or more of the ballots are no votes, Weber said, Newsom stays on as governor. If 50% or more say yes, then he is recalled.

WAR fears a lot is at stake. The group’s leaders say they dread what could happen if the next governor of the state is a Republican.

“Although we began as a nationwide ‘Secure the Seat’ effort to build partners and allies to support increased representation of Black women in the U.S. Senate, we quickly realized this would not be possible without ensuring we have a Democratic governor in California,” WAR pointed out in a statement to the media. “If we lose California, we could potentially lose our majority in the Senate if anything happened to either of our Senators.”

Isabelle Price

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Activism

Diabetes in Black California: Turning the Tide from Crisis to Control

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, nearly 17.9% of Black adults in California have been diagnosed with diabetes — above the national Black adult average of 16.8%, and nearly five points higher than California’s overall adult rate of 12.6% across all races. California ranks 24th out of 39 states with available data for Black adult diabetes rates.

Published

15 hours ago

July 5, 2026

Oakland Post

Dr. Khadijah Lang is a family physician with a clinic in Los Angeles who specializes in several family medical practices, including prenatal care. Lang believes in family medicine. She says it is important to treat all members of a family. Thursday, June 5, 2026. Photo by Solomon O. Smith/California Black Media.

By Charlene Muhammad, California Black Media

Crystal Lambert knew something was terribly wrong with her three-year-old granddaughter as she sped down the street trying to get her to the hospital.

“I thought she got a hold of some poison,” Lambert recalled.

Doctors found Lambert’s granddaughter had a blood sugar level over 800, diagnosing her with Diabetic Ketoacidosis(DKA), a state in which the body, starved of insulin, begins to shut down.

Lambert said she was born with a pancreas that was not fully functioning — it lacked the specialized cells required to produce insulin.

Her granddaughter survived and is five years old today. Now, she gives herself insulin shots, asks endless questions about her condition, and runs like the spirited child she is. But the terror of that night transformed Lambert — and ultimately inspired her to launch the We Fight Back Organization, a mobile health and food access initiative serving underserved communities across California. Lambert is the executive director.

The Crisis by the Numbers

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, nearly 17.9% of Black adults in California have been diagnosed with diabetes — above the national Black adult average of 16.8%, and nearly five points higher than California’s overall adult rate of 12.6% across all races. California ranks 24th out of 39 states with available data for Black adult diabetes rates.

Nationally, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Black Americans were 24% more likely than the overall U.S. population to have diabetes in 2024. They also died from diabetes 78% more often than the general population in 2022. Black Americans are also more than twice as likely as the overall population to develop kidney failure caused by diabetes.

According to the California Health Care Foundation’s 2024 Health Disparities Almanac, Black Californians have the shortest life expectancy in the state at just 74.6 years — due in part to chronic conditions like diabetes and its devastating complications.

Leon Rock, co-founder of the African American Diabetes Association, believes statistics, though revealing, only tell part of the story.

“There are a whole bunch of Black folks that don’t tell you that they have diabetes — or don’t know,” he said.

And the disease itself, Rock is careful to note, is not what kills. “They die from the complications. That’s heart attack, that’s stroke, that’s amputations of legs, of feet. Going blind. All those complications are inherent in a system that has impacted Black folks with diabetes in California and across America.”

Crystal Lambert, creator and executive director of We Fight Back. She started the organization out of a need to learn more about diabetes on behalf of her granddaughter. Now she is looking to spread the impact of her organization to the valley. Friday, June 6, 2026. Photo by Solomon O. Smith/California Black Media.

Crystal Lambert, creator and executive director of the We Fight Back Organization, started out of a need to learn more about diabetes on behalf of her granddaughter. Now she is looking to spread her organization to the valley, on Friday, June 6, 2026 Photo by Solomon O. Smith/ California Black Media

An Information Gap Fuels the Crisis

For Rock, part of the solution is diagnosis. He says the medical and public health systems are failing Black Californians by the absence of information designed for them.

“That is the bottom line. We need good information. Information that is culturally specific,” said Rock.

Telling people to eat healthy or exercise, he added, falls short when culturally specific alternatives are not provided, and when many residents of urban communities do not feel safe exercising in some neighborhoods – or outside at night.

Dr. Khadijah Lang, a family medicine physician and president of the Golden State Medical Association, agrees that the roots of the crisis run deeper than individual behavior — and blaming patients misses the point.

“We are not genetically predisposed to diabetes,” Lang said. “But the system under which we live increases the likelihood that we will develop it.”

What the Body Needs — What Communities Are Denied

Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90 to 95% of all diabetes cases, according to the CDC, develops when the body can no longer use insulin effectively to regulate blood sugar. Left unmanaged, it damages nerves, kidneys, eyes, and the cardiovascular system. The hemoglobin A1C test is a blood draw that reveals how the body has processed sugar over the previous three months — not just at the moment of the test. It is the standard tool for both diagnosis and ongoing monitoring.

That distinction matters, Lang emphasized, because patients cannot manipulate three months of blood sugar history the way they might fast for a day before a single blood draw.

“The pill is not meant to undo or control a sugar level that’s being constantly stressed,” Lang said. “It’s meant to work in conjunction with a low-carbohydrate diet and exercise.” She recommended at minimum 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week — breakable into 10-minute sessions for those who need it.

Lang stressed that education must be delivered in language people recognize and can relate to. The goal is to inform them of the choices that serve their health best, she said.

But for many Black Californians, even those informed choices remain out of reach, Lambert said.

“They need access to healthy foods and medication, too” she said.

California has made some critical policy advances. The state has expanded access to the Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM), which has transformed diabetes care for state residents. Assembly Bill 365, introduced in 2024, proposed requiring Medi-Cal to cover the costs of CGM and other related medical equipment but it failed in the State Senate. Since then, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) reports that the core Medi-Cal CGM benefit now available to eligible patients was solidified through previous budget actions and pharmacy policy updates.

These measures, while meaningful, have not closed the gap for the communities most at risk, according to advocates.

Control Through Community

Health care advocates conclude that the solution must be communal, culturally grounded, and sustained — not a fad, not a celebrity moment, not a single clinic visit. For example, observed Lang, lifestyle shaped by shared values and collective accountability can move the needle where individual prescriptions have not.

Rock is building infrastructure to match the urgency, establishing local chapters of the African American Diabetes Association across the country, with California next.

“We have to do for self, period,” he said. “Health is wealth. We have to eat to live.”

And Lambert, whose granddaughter unknowingly started all of this for her, keeps showing up.

“Diabetes advocacy is about dignity, education, prevention, and hope,” she said.

Video: Diabetes Disparity Exposed in California

This article is supported by the California Health Care Foundation

(CHCF). Visit www.chcf.org

Oakland Post

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

Published

18 hours ago

July 5, 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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Arts and Culture

Prescott Circus Theatre Presents Free Summer Performance Series

Now in its 41st year, the Prescott Circus Theatre is a nationally recognized performing arts education program for Oakland youth. The circus offers safe environments that challenge Oakland youth, through circus arts training, to develop the skills and confidence to thrive on stage, in school, and in life.

Published

1 week ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Prescott Circus showcase pathways pyramid. Photo courtesy of Prescott Circus.

By Post Staff

The Prescott Circus, Oakland’s longest-running youth circus, is returning this summer with its free shows. Join the Prescott Circus’s young stars as they share their joys and talents through stilt-dancing, tumbling, juggling, and more.

At the heart of this one-hour show, which demonstrates teamwork, pride, and joy, are Oakland Unified School District students ages 8 – 17 from more than 10 different schools

This is accomplished through no-cost school and community programs for more than 300 Oakland youth each year. Performing company members from Prescott, where the program began, perform and make appearances at as many as 40 Bay Area events each year.

The summer program is funded in part by Oakland Fund for Children and Youth, California Arts Council, Port of Oakland, and the West Davis & Bergard Foundation.

Performances will be held Tuesday, July 14, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. (ASL interpreted) and Wednesday, July 15, 11 a.m., at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland. For free reservations go to

https://PrescottCircusSummerShows.eventbrite.com

For group reservations for camps, childcare centers, senior centers, go to www.prescottcircus.org

A community show will be held Saturday, July 18, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., at DeFremery Park,1651 Adeline St., Oakland.