Activism
COMMENTARY: African American Culture Under Attack
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is joining Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign of hate. Eliminating college credit for African American studies is a blatant attempt to rewrite history and roll back the civil rights gains of the past 60 years. This censorship of American history is happening, in part, because these governors feel the truth, quote, “will make some people uncomfortable.”
Defending The Historic Truth
By Honorable Sandré R. Swanson
In the state of Arkansas, high school students will no longer be offered college credit for courses in African American studies.
This appalling decision is supported by legislation signed by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the actions of the Arkansas Department of Education.
Sanders is joining Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign of hate. Eliminating college credit for African American studies is a blatant attempt to rewrite history and roll back the civil rights gains of the past 60 years. This censorship of American history is happening, in part, because these governors feel the truth, quote, “will make some people uncomfortable.”
Their embrace of a white supremacy doctrine is manifesting itself by book banning, and prohibitions on the teaching of African American history in classrooms. The recent denial by the Supreme Court of the need for diversity in our educational institutions supports and spawns these seeds of hate.
The purging of many Black writers, poets, and scholars should help us understand how far this hate movement will go to challenge African American culture.
Removing topics of the historic gains in civil rights and the Black Lives Matter movement from high school and college curriculum is part of this attack and campaign of hate.
This attempt at “Cultural Cleansing,” and campaign to rewrite American history, must be challenged now.
Each generation of like-minded people of all backgrounds has a moral obligation to fight for social justice and challenge this cultural war of hatred. We have a proud legacy of social justice and cultural pride and will defend it.
Note: Former Assemblymember Sandré Swanson served as chief of staff for Congresswoman Barbara Lee, district director for Congressman Ron Dellums, and is a current candidate for the California State Senate. www.sandreswanson.net
If elected Sandré Swanson would be the only African American in the California State Senate from Northern California.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024
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Activism
Oakland Schools Honor Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties
Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice. His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.
By Post Staff
Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice.
His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.
One OUSD school is named in his honor: Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy (KDA) elementary in East Oakland.
Several years ago, founding KDA Principal Charles Wilson, in a video interview with anti-hate organization “Not In Our Town,” said, “We chose the name Fred Korematsu because we really felt like the attributes that he showed in his work are things that the children need to learn … that common people can stand up and make differences in a large number of people’s lives.”
Fred Korematsu was born in Oakland on Jan. 30, 1919. His parents ran a floral nursery business, and his upbringing in Oakland shaped his worldview. His belief in the importance of standing up for your rights and the rights of others, regardless of race or background, was the foundation for his activism against racial prejudice and for the rights of Japanese Americans during World War II.
At the start of the war, Korematsu was turned away from enlisting in the National Guard and the Coast Guard because of his race. He trained as a welder, working at the docks in Oakland, but was fired after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Fear and prejudice led to federal Executive Order 9066, which forced more than 120,000 Japanese Americans out of their homes and neighborhoods and into remote internment camps.
The 23-year-old Korematsu resisted the order. He underwent cosmetic surgery and assumed a false identity, choosing freedom over unjust imprisonment. His later arrest and conviction sparked a legal battle that would challenge the foundation of civil liberties in America.
Korematsu’s fight culminated in the Supreme Court’s initial ruling against him in 1944. He spent years in a Utah internment camp with his family, followed by time living in Salt Lake City where he was dogged by racism.
In 1976, President Gerald Ford overturned Executive Order 9066. Seven years later, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco vacated Korematsu’s conviction. He said in court, “I would like to see the government admit that they were wrong and do something about it so this will never happen again to any American citizen of any race, creed, or color.”
Korematsu’s dedication and determination established him as a national icon of civil rights and social justice. He advocated for justice with Rosa Parks. In 1998, President Bill Clinton gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom saying, “In the long history of our country’s constant search for justice, some names of ordinary citizens stand for millions of souls … To that distinguished list, today we add the name of Fred Korematsu.”
After Sept. 11, 2001, Korematsu spoke out against hatred and discrimination, saying what happened to Japanese Americans should not happen to people of Middle Eastern descent.
Korematsu’s roots in Oakland and his education in OUSD are a source of great pride for the city, according to the school district. His most famous quote, which is on the Korematsu elementary school mural, is as relevant now as ever, “If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to speak up.”
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