Activism

COMMENTARY: The World Needs More Voices of Peace and Love

In these times, our focused attention on life and death history in the world can only be interrupted by more history. That’s what happened when we paused last week for a major breakthrough for democracy in America. Ketanji Brown Jackson is the new 116th Associate Supreme Court Justice of the United States.

Published

2 years ago

April 19, 2022

Oakland Post

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a talk show on www.amok.com

Emil hosts “Emil Amok’s Takeout,” at 2 p.m. Pacific on Facebook; his YouTube Channel; and Twitter. Catch the recordings on www.amok.com.

By Emil Guillermo

The killing will not be paused for the holy days.

And so, the cities of Bucha and Kramatorsk and Mariupol must be top of mind as the war crimes and atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine command the focus of the free world.

It’s the kind of violence that overshadows all. Not just globally, but in our nation and cities. Six people were killed in Sacramento in a nightclub shooting two weeks ago. Didn’t hear about it? Too local compared with tens of thousands of people killed in Ukraine. Not unless it’s a subway shooting in New York. And then the media capital can’t resist.

In these times, our focused attention on life and death history in the world can only be interrupted by more history.

That’s what happened when we paused last week for a major breakthrough for democracy in America.

Ketanji Brown Jackson is the new 116th Associate Supreme Court Justice of the United States.

The Good History

By a 53-47 vote, the high-water mark of bipartisanship in our dismally divided country, Jackson has been confirmed by the Senate and will take Justice Stephen Breyer’s seat upon his retirement this June.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D.-Ill.) set the scene before the historic vote.

Of 115 who served on the court, there have been just five women, two Blacks, and no Black women, said Leahy.

It was the definition of the privilege of white supremacy in our history.

No one has looked like Ketanji Brown Jackson Not on the highest court in the land.

Durbin added more historical context. When the Supreme Court first met in the Capitol in 1801, he pointed out there were 1 million enslaved people in a nation of 5 million people. And neither Blacks nor white women had a constitutional right to vote. Black women had no place in the court, and could only come in at night to clean, he said.

Durbin briefly touched on the evolution of America, from the bloody Civil War to the decades-long efforts to break down racial barriers.

And now a new chapter.

“And that chapter begins with three letters, KBJ,” said Durbin. “Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation to the highest court in the land.”

Durbin then recalled how in that week, 54 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King was shot and killed in Memphis. He quoted from King’s speech at the Mason Temple on April 3, 1968: “I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the promise land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promise land.”

And now, in a way, we have. But we have still some work to do.

Oakland Remembers April 4

If you were at an Oakland Public Library on April 4, you know Dr. King was remembered for another speech he gave in 1967. At New York City’s Riverside Church, King delivered words that merged the peace movement with the Civil Rights Movement.

King was concerned that Blacks and whites were fighting and dying together in Vietnam “for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools.”

And then he connected violence there with the violence at home.

“I knew I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government,” said King. “I cannot be silent.”

We need that voice again today.

King called for a “genuine revolution of values,” a call for “world-wide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one’s tribe, race, class, nation.” It is “a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all men.” And King saw it not as a sign of weakness, but one that has “become an absolute necessity for the survival of man.”

Where are the voices for peace and love today?

At some point, fighting wars with sanctions has nothing to do with peace, and everything to do with a more acceptable instrument of war. Will sanctions get Putin to peace talks? Not before he shells entire towns and kills thousands of people.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is arming up Ukraine, feeding a DIY war that it insists it isn’t fighting. Is it enough to say the West is less irrational than Putin?

Maybe this Easter, we’ll hear more people talk about MLK’s anti-war speech.

Yes, Vietnam is not Ukraine. But U.S. restraint is motivated by avoiding boots on the ground. Not about avoiding needless death. Just this week tens of thousands have died in Ukraine. There are the mass graves in Bucha. The missile attack of the train station in Kramatorsk. The near destruction of the city of Mariupol with the civilian death toll estimated in the thousands.

The holy days are upon us. We must begin to hear voices for peace.

Note: Emil hosts “Emil Amok’s Takeout,” at 2 p.m. Pacific on Facebook; his YouTube Channel; and Twitter. Catch the recordings on www.amok.com.

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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

17 hours 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

1 day 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

2 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.