Activism

HED: My Sister’s Keeper Helps to Build Up Bay Area Black Women

The African American Cultural Center on Fulton Street was the site of the fourth annual My Sisters Keepers, By All Means Necessary conference this past weekend, which brought together local and national figures to talk to young women about being assets to the local and national Black communities.

Published

2 years ago

June 8, 2022

Oakland Post

Activist Tamika Mallory, Tina Brown of My Sister’s Keeper and Kyra Kyles with YR Media. Photo by Lee Hubbard

By Lee Hubbard

Tina Brown was born and raised in San Francisco’s Western Addition. She had a troubled childhood, which led to her being a runaway, incarceration in Juvenile Hall and becoming a teenage mother.

Bad choices in life led to bad relationships and an unstable life situation. But things would change—with a brush with the law as an adult—that would change her life around.

Brown got a mentor, got a job and it helped her turn her life around. She became a productive citizen and an activist for young Black women.

“I began interacting with young girls and we started doing weekly meetings with young ladies aged 12 to 17,” said Brown. “We were able to talk about what’s going on in the community and their lives.”

This was the start of My Sister’s Keeper, a non-profit organization that Brown started, based in San Francisco. The organization deals with improving the lives of young Black girls through mentoring, training and exposure.

“It started out as a way to speak out to heal the trauma inside of me,” continued Brown. “I would go to these Black women conferences in Atlanta, Los Angeles and Miami and I noticed that nothing was really happening in the Bay or San Francisco.”

More than one hundred people were at the all-day conference. People on hand included national grassroots activists such as Tamika Mallory, Angela Davis and Dr. Syleecia Thompson, an educator and host of a Fox Soul television show.

Mallory calls herself a street politician and she came to fame during the George Floyd protest, where she gave an impassioned plea against racism and the fight for Black liberation from white supremacy in front of millions of television viewers.

“I came to this conference to share my work on how we are working politically and how we can find ways to be connected and empowered,” said Mallory.

She hosts a national podcast called Street Politicians on the iHeart network, with her co-host Mysonne.

“Black women are left out of positions of power, often because we are women,” continued Mallory. “But we need to speak up.”

“Every generation has its way of expressing itself,” said Mallory. “We as leaders need to create inclusive spaces,” so people will communicate the issues. There is still work that needs to be done, and it will take a united front to make things happen, she says.

“We need to help to liberate our Black men and help them to lead, so we can fight together,” continued Mallory.

A men’s panel also came to address the ladies. This included San Francisco hip-hop producer and activist Herm Lewis, Bishop Keith Clark from World Assembly Church in Oakland and Hakeem Brown, a city council member from Vallejo, California.

Bridgette Leblanc, a local businesswoman and vice chair of the San Francisco Black Chamber of Commerce was also present. She said women need to look more into business and then join organizations like the chamber which help to incubate and develop them.

She said that as an organization, the chamber helps to bring Black business to San Francisco and to make sure Black businesses get a share of the money coming into San Francisco.

“It’s not easy being a leader, but [we] have to move into [these positions] to make things happen,” said Leblanc.

Other women who spoke at the conference included Gina Fromer, head of the San Francisco Children’s Council, Dr. Ramona Bishop, the founder of Elite Public Schools in Vallejo and Cloey Hewlett, the California Commissioner of Department of Financial Protection and Innovation.

“People got a lot of value out of the conference,” said Brown. “It brought mentorship, sisterhood and a lot of activity that people can build upon to initiate action and change.”

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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

6 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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Activism

WOMEN IMPACTING THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

Published

7 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.