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George Washington Williams: Turning Experience into History

It was during a trip to Europe that Williams met Leopold, a German prince who became the first king of the Belgians. Leopold spoke highly of the Congo, sparking Williams to visit several times. While there, he wrote two explosive articles about the treatment of Africans under Belgian rule: “An Open Letter to His Serene Majesty Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Sovereign of the Independent State of Congo” and “A Report Upon the Congo-State and Country to the President of the Republic of the United States.”

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George Washington Williams was a preacher and historian.
George Washington Williams was a preacher and historian.

By Tamara Shiloh

Best known as the man who exposed King Leopold’s “benevolent enterprise” in the Congo as brutal imperialism, George Washington Williams (1849–1891) was also an American historian, clergyman, politician, lawyer, lecturer, and soldier.

He was the first person to write an objective, researched history of Blacks in America. His first book, “History of the Negro Race in America” (1882), is one of the most important contributions any American has made to the field of history.

Williams had little academic education as a youth. He was, however, in the church “learning about Jesus,” he later wrote. His father, a laborer and troubled alcoholic, was often absent. His mother then worked outside of the home. These circumstances pushed young Williams into rebellion. His parents placed him in a refuge house for undisciplined and unruly children, where he could learn a trade.

It is said that Williams became a barber, but no evidence of that has been found. What is known is that he was desperate to leave the home, to seek freedom and independence.

When Williams learned that the door for African Americans to enlist in the Union Army had opened in 1862, he joined and fought in the Civil War. At the time, he was 14 years old and knew he didn’t meet the age requirements. Determined to leave the home, however, he used false names, likely William, or Charles Steward, according to historians.

When the Civil War ended in 1865, Williams enlisted in the Mexican army to help fight the French colonists.

He later enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1867 but only served one year. His military experiences would later prove to be influential in creating such works as “The Ethics of War, A History of the Negro Troops in the War of the Rebellion,” and “The Constitutional Results of the War of the Rebellion.”

Upon separation from the military, Williams returned to what he knew: “learning about Jesus.” He enrolled in the Newton Theological Institution where he prepared for the ministry and was ordained in 1874. He served as pastor of different churches while editing and publishing several journals. He also served in the Ohio House of Representatives (1879–1881) and would soon become a world traveler.

It was during a trip to Europe that Williams met Leopold, a German prince who became the first king of the Belgians. Leopold spoke highly of the Congo, sparking Williams to visit several times. While there, he wrote two explosive articles about the treatment of Africans under Belgian rule: “An Open Letter to His Serene Majesty Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Sovereign of the Independent State of Congo” and “A Report Upon the Congo-State and Country to the President of the Republic of the United States.”

Leopold was devastated by the exposure of his harsh policies, mutilations, and brutal reign and tried to discredit Williams who continued to speak appeal to an international audience. Eventually, the Belgian government took over the Congo Free State. Williams traveled to other African colonies controlled by Great Britain, Portugal, and Egypt.

When the trip ended, Williams fell ill and died in England. He was 42.

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After Two Decades, Oakland Unified Will Finally Regain Local Control

The decades of direct intervention by state officials, Alameda County education officials and a powerful, state-funded regulatory agency, the Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistance Team (FCMAT), will finally come to an end in July, according to the office of State Superintendent of Schools Tony Thurmond.

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Oakland Unified School District’s Central Administrative Center and Board Room at the site of Cole School in West Oakland. Courtesy photo.
Oakland Unified School District’s Central Administrative Center and Board Room at the site of Cole School in West Oakland. Courtesy photo.

By Ken Epstein

After 20 years under state control, the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) will regain local authority over its budget and day-to-day decision-making, emerging from an era of austerity when the district was forced by state-appointed overseers to close more than 40 mostly flatland schools, eliminate educational programs, and cut millions of dollars in services for students and classrooms.

After making its final payment on a $100 million state loan at the end of June, the district in July will again be under the authority of the local school board, like other districts statewide.

The decades of direct intervention by state officials, Alameda County education officials and a powerful, state-funded regulatory agency, the Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistance Team (FCMAT), will finally come to an end in July, according to the office of State Superintendent of Schools Tony Thurmond.

The official narrative of the state takeover is a simple one: the district overspent its budget, and the state altruistically stepped in to rescue it.

But the truth behind the takeover is far different. It’s a story of raw power, greed, and racism.

When the state declared the district insolvent in 2003, OUSD had a $39 million deficit, and funds in a reserve account sufficient to loan itself funds to cover the deficit, a practice that was common in other districts. However, the state would not allow Oakland to use its own money to cover the shortfall.

The state stepped in, fired Supt. Dennis Chaconas, eliminated the authority of the Board of Education, forced the district to take a $100 million loan that it neither needed nor requested, and appointed a receiver, Randolph Ward, who reported to the state schools’ superintendent, making all the decisions related to the operation of OUSD, including how to spend the $100 million loan.

Not only did the district have to repay the loan, it had to pay the salaries of the various overseers it was required to hire.

Involved in the drive to take control of the district and sell school properties was Oakland’s then powerful State Senator Don Perata, who had been pushing for several years to take control of the district, unsuccessfully attempting to sell the district’s Second Avenue headquarters to real estate developers.

Other local business and political leaders, including State Supt. of Schools Bill Honig, were determined to eliminate the power of the Black majority school board, which was seen as an impediment to the agenda for business as usual.

Among recent interventions by Oakland’s outside overseers was in 2021, when the district, with broad community support, was about to adopt a resolution for “Reparations for Black Students.” The outside trustee spoke at a school board meeting to block the passage of the measure until the board removed wording that would have protected predominantly Black schools from being closed.

In 2024, during district negotiations with administrators, the trustee did not allow the board to approve more money unless it agreed to guidelines to close and merge schools.

In a letter to the district, Alameda County Superintendent of Schools Alysse Castro agreed that the district has done what is necessary to regain local control but that challenges remain.

“These improvements co-exist with ongoing concerns that OUSD must still confront its structural deficit and address the long-standing overinvestment in small schools,” she wrote.

“However, these are challenges of local policy and the domain of a locally elected board of education, not of mismanagement or financial misconduct,” Castro wrote.

“Continuing to require a trustee to backstop them risks continued delay in local ownership and accountability and reinforces a counterproductive narrative that feeds resistance and undermines the board’s willingness to engage their community in making necessary tradeoffs.”

Going forward, the district still faces financial difficulties. According to reports, the board must make $73 million in cuts to the 2025-2026 budget and an additional $17 million from the 2026-2027 budget.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 14 – 20, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 14 – 20, 2025

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The Best Advice for Raising Children: Discipline That Makes Sense

In his book Developing Positive Self Images and Discipline in Black Children, Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu suggests that primary aims for socializing Black children should be: establishing goals related to God and the church; familiarizing children with religious texts like the Bible or Quran; educating them of Black culture like Khemetic (Egyptian) Civilization; enlightening them about Black leaders like Malcolm X and Sojourner Truth; and teaching them to strive to be employers, not employees.

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Headshot of Dr. William A. Thomas. Photo courtesy of Dr. William A. Thomas.
Headshot of Dr. William A. Thomas. Photo courtesy of Dr. William A. Thomas.

By William A. Thomas, Ph.D.

In many African societies, the primary aim of socialization is to raise children to be socially responsible and eventually provide economic support to their parents and extended families. Ghanaian philosopher Kwame Gyekye taught that children are raised to be respectful of the wishes of their parents and extended adult family members.

In his book Developing Positive Self Images and Discipline in Black Children, Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu suggests that primary aims for socializing Black children should be: establishing goals related to God and the church; familiarizing children with religious texts like the Bible or Quran; educating them of Black culture like Khemetic (Egyptian) Civilization; enlightening them about Black leaders like Malcolm X and Sojourner Truth; and teaching them to strive to be employers, not employees.

Effective disciplinary strategies appropriate to a child’s age and development teach them to regulate their behavior; keep them from harm; enhance their cognitive, social, and emotional executive functioning skills; and reinforce the behavioral patterns taught by their parents and caregivers.

Below are some specific guidelines for disciplining children.

Listen to what children are talking about with interest and show them you understand their feelings. Remember, children mirror and learn about their emotional selves by hearing their feelings reflected back to them. Staying on target also means avoiding labels. When children fail to do what is expected, discussing it is helpful rather than saying how stubborn, lazy, dumb, or bad they are. By the same token, more positive labels can be helpful.

Dependability is another essential component of the discipline process. When parents are dependable, their children learn what to expect and are helped to feel secure. When parents are consistent, children learn to trust, that is, predict their parents’ behaviors with certainty. A child thinks, “When I spill something, I will always be asked to wipe it up.” A child thinks, “If I use foul language, I will always be corrected.” A child thinks, “If I take something that doesn’t belong to me, I will always have to give it back.” The ability to predict with certainty leads children to rely on their parents and the village/community in which they live. Children feel safe when they know what to expect.

Conclusions

It takes a village/community to raise the divine gift that is the Black child. Parents look to therapists for guidance concerning a variety of parenting issues, including discipline. Keep in mind that evidence suggests that corporal punishment is both ineffective in the long term and associated with cognitive and mental health disorders. When parents want guidance about the use of spanking, a child therapist can explore parental feelings, help them better define the goals of discipline, and offer specific behavior management strategies. In addition to providing appropriate education to families, the Bay Area Association of Black Psychologists (Bay ABPsi) can refer them to community resources, like parenting groups and classes.

 About the Author

Dr. Thomas is a licensed clinical psychologist with a private practice in the SF/Oakland Bay Area and Beaumont. He is a member of Bay ABPsi, a healing resource committed to providing the Post Newspaper readership with monthly discussions about critical issues in Black Mental Health. Readers are welcome to join us at our monthly chapter meetings every 3rd Saturday via Zoom and contact us at bayareaabpsi@gmail.com.

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