Activism

COMMENTARY: State of the Union: Democracy Needs Defenders

The president called on Congress to defend democracy at home by passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, two voting rights bills blocked by Senate Republicans’ filibuster. The president added a call for more transparency and accountability in our elections, saying, “And while you’re at it, pass the Disclose Act so Americans can know who is funding our elections.”

Published

2 years ago

March 11, 2022

Oakland Post

Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of the Practice in the Africana Studies Department at the University of Pennsylvania where he teaches leadership.

By Ben Jealous, as President of People For the American Way

President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address reminded Americans that democracy needs defenders — here at home as well as in Ukraine.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine was understandably a major focus of Biden’s speech. Putin’s eagerness to expand his power by unleashing brute force against his neighbors is a threat to peace in Europe and the world. Putin’s track record of killing journalists and political opponents has made it clear that he is an enemy of democracy and democratic values.

We have our own threats to democracy to confront, including the Capitol insurrectionists, the political and media figures who portray them as heroes, and politicians who undermine our democracy.

And we have important domestic priorities that cannot be put on hold or set aside. President Biden reminded Americans that the right to vote is under assault. “In state after state, new laws have been passed, not only to suppress the vote, but to subvert entire elections,” he said.

But, as we know, we won’t see solutions like that on the federal level until we have a pro-democracy majority in the Senate. And that means we have much work to do between now and the November elections.

Biden also addressed policing, another issue on which Americans are demanding more transparency and accountability. Police unions and politicians who resist change and accountability for law enforcement officers frequently tell Americans that they must choose between fair policing and safe communities. President Biden rejected the false narrative that we cannot have public safety and equal justice, saying “Let’s not abandon our streets — or choose between safety and equal justice.”

Unfortunately, the president muddled this message with a call for greater police funding without making it clear that we must invest in innovative approaches to public safety rather than shoveling more money into a system that fails to keep many Americans safe.

The president did point to one important aspect of reform by calling for better training for police officers. But we must think much bigger. Young political leaders and community activists across the country are taking bold steps to reimagine public safety. We should all get behind those efforts.

One important model for making communities safer for everyone is moving forward in Ithaca, New York. When it is fully implemented, the Ithaca model will replace the current police department with a department of public safety. The new department will be civilian-led and will include both uniformed police and unarmed community safety workers. That will reduce the potential for situations that do not require an armed response, which we know can escalate into deadly violence. And it will free armed officers to focus their time on the kinds of crimes that do require their attention.

That’s how we can keep everyone safe, including people who are most likely to be targets of unjustified and deadly police violence. By helping more Americans view public safety from a broader perspective and breaking out of the idea that our only choices are more or less money for cops, we can overcome political resistance and move toward better models of public safety.

And that brings me to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Just a few days before the State of the Union address, President Biden nominated Jackson to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. She is a brilliant lawyer who is now serving as a federal judge.

She will bring to the Supreme Court perspectives that have never been represented among the justices. She will be the first Black woman ever to serve on our highest court. She will be the first justice to have been a public defender and the first since Thurgood Marshall to have done criminal defense work. She has a personal understanding of how our justice system can treat people without wealth and political influence.

Having Judge Jackson’s brilliant mind and her life experience on the Supreme Court will strengthen the court and our democracy. Her confirmation will be one more step in our country’s long and continuing journey of becoming “a more perfect union.”

Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of the Practice in the Africana Studies Department at the University of Pennsylvania where he teaches leadership.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

5 days ago

April 19, 2024

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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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.

Published

5 days ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

Fred Korematsu. Courtesy of OUSD.

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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WOMEN IMPACTING THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

Published

6 days ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Juanita Matthews

Sister Juanita Matthews

55 Years with Oakland Public School District

The Teacher, Mother, Community Outreach Champion, And Child of God

Juanita Matthews, better known as “Sister Teacher,” is a walking Bible scholar. She moved to California from the great state of Arkansas in 1971. Sister Teacher has a passion for teaching. She has been a member of Bible Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church since 1971. She followed her passion for teaching, and in 1977 became the lead teacher for Adult Class #6. Her motto still today is “Once My Student, Always My Student”.

Beyond her remarkable love for the Lord, Sister Teacher has showcased her love for teaching by working for the Oakland Unified School District for 55 years, all but four of those years spent at Emerson Elementary and Child Development School. She truly cares about her students, making sure they have the tools/supplies needed to learn either at OUSD or Bible Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church.

She’s also had a “Clothes Closet Ministry” for 51 years, making sure her students have sufficient clothing for school. The Clothes Closet Ministry extends past her students, she has been clothing the community for over 50 years as well. She loves the Lord and is a servant on a mission. She is a loving mother to two beautiful children, Sandra and Andre. This is the impact this woman of God has on her church and the community.