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In Dr. King’s Honor, California Black Health Leaders Call for Urgent Action During COVID-19 Crisis

Right now, an estimated 1.1 million Californians don’t have health insurance and are eligible for more financial health than ever before through Covered California, or they qualify for low-cost or no-cost coverage through Medi-Cal. Most Californians can now qualify to get brand-name health plans with companies like Anthem, Blue Shield, Kaiser, and Health Net for less than $10 monthly and many for $0 per month.

Published

2 years ago

January 26, 2022

Oakland Post

Working tirelessly on the ground to enroll Black Californians and other people of color in affordable and quality health care is the mission of the California Black Health Network (CBHN).

“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhumane.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

African American health leaders joined Covered California to reflect on the life and legacy of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and with the final deadline in the current open enrollment period coming up, to urge Black Californians to sign up for comprehensive coverage through Covered California or Medi-Cal.

Doctors David Carlisle and Kim Rhoads, along with Rhonda Smith of the California Black Health Network, say Dr. King’s words on the injustice in healthcare are still profound today. Health inequities abound for Black Californians.

A recent report from the California Health Care Foundation highlighted that Black Californians have the shortest life expectancy – as well as the highest death rates among all racial and ethnic groups from breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer. According to the report, Black Californians also experienced the highest rates of infant mortality, maternal mortality, first-birth cesareans, preterm births, and low-birthweight births.

Carlisle, Rhoads, and Smith joined Covered California to encourage Black Californians to get COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters and to sign up for affordable, quality health insurance coverage before open enrollment closes at the end of the month. The health leaders stressed that having access to quality health care is a means to help ensure health equity for Blacks Californians.

“Achieving health equity for African Americans is an important goal now more than ever,” said Carlisle, CEO and president of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles. “It is essential that all populations have access to healthcare and the tools needed to face down this historic public health crisis. The only way to get through this is together. Widely available and affordable health coverage coupled with quality health care can help level the field for everyone, putting California in the best position to get on top of COVID-19 and be prepared for future challenges.”

The latest state data shows that COVID-19 vaccination rates among African Americans currently at 52 percent. Increasing COVID-19 vaccination and booster rates and gaining access to quality health care is key to battling health care inequities, says Rhoads, associate professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics and the director of the Office of Community Engagement at UC San Francisco.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has pulled the curtain back on the longstanding inequities in the health and health care for Black and African American people nationwide,” said Rhoads. “These disparities whether in high blood pressure, cancer, or COVID-19, are often related to challenges in finding and receiving high quality care. Getting and having insurance coverage is a powerful intervention that will help us address the negative effects of unequal access to prevention and treatment for Black and African American people in California.”

Working tirelessly on the ground to enroll Black Californians and other people of color in affordable and quality health care is the mission of the California Black Health Network (CBHN), says Executive Director Rhonda Smith. As a statewide Navigator for Covered California, CBHN has enrolled thousands of Black Californians into health plans through the years.

“We are proud to partner with Covered California to ensure that healthcare coverage is available, affordable, and accessible to all,” Smith said. “We believe that healthcare is a right and not a privilege, and thanks to Covered California, we can provide a pathway to get more people insured and enroll them in the right plan that works for them.”

Covered California’s current open-enrollment period runs through January 31. Enrollment in Medi-Cal is open year-round. Consumers interested in learning more about their health coverage options can:

Visit www.CoveredCA.com.
Get free and confidential assistance, in a variety of languages, from a certified enroller.
Have a certified enroller call them and help them for free.
Call Covered California at 800-300-1506.

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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

6 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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WOMEN IMPACTING THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

Published

1 week 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.