Events

Kamala Harris Rally in Oakland Draws 20,000

Published

5 years ago

February 1, 2019

Kamala Harris returned to her birth place to kick off her campaign for the US presidency with some hometown flair. The Clouds cleared for a rally that drew an estimated 20,000 people to Oakland’s City Hall on Sunday, Jan. 27, the crowd overflowing out to Broadway and E. 14th street.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff introduced Harris after a musical interlude with Oakland’s own Samba Funk band and the Skyline High School Band. The National Anthem was sung by Bay Area Inter-Faith Choir.

Schaaf said she met Harris in her youth—their parents were friends. Schaaf spoke about Harris’s leadership at SF MOMA in establishing an art program in West Oakland. “Before anyone was watching, Kamala was fighting for the people, and that is why she is the leader this country needs,” Schaff enthusiastically told the assembly.

Kamala Harris’ campaign kickoff rally in Oakland on Jan. 27, 2019, drew over 20,000 people—about 5,000 more than President Obama’s campaign launch attracted. Photo by Amir Saadiq

Kamala Harris, currently the junior senator from California told her hometown supporters: “I am so proud to be a daughter of Oakland.” Her parents—a father from Jamaica and a mother from India—met at UC Berkeley and were part of the Civil Rights movement. She added, “We were raised in a community where we were taught to…be conscious and compassionate about the struggles of all people.”

Her campaign slogan, “Kamala Harris for the people” came from her first days in court as a DA. Her experience in that position taught her about flaws in the criminal justice system, she said. Now, she added, “‘For the people’ meant fighting for middle class families who had been defrauded by banks and were losing their homes by the millions in the Great Recession.”

Harris listed several issues facing the working class today that her campaign will address: the income gap across both gender and race lines, over-incarceration of Black men, affordable housing, the opioid crisis, and “age-old forms of hate”—racism, sexism, and homophobia.

An enthusiastic crowd greets Kamala Harris as she kicks off her campaign for the US presidency on Jan. 27, 2019. Photo by Amir Saadiq

Harris acknowledged that Climate change is real and a serious problem, bringing floods and drought to the heartland. “We will act on science facts, not science fiction,” she said.

Harris called out current government leadership for hurting the American people. “We have leaders who attack public schools and vilify public school teachers—that’s not our America. When bankers who crashed our economy get bonuses but workers who brought our country back can’t even get a raise—that’s not our America. And when American families are barely living paycheck to paycheck, what is this administration’s response? Their response is to try to take away health care from millions of families,” she said. She also promised Medicare for all and a big middle class tax cut, paying for it by reversing the Trump tax giveaway.

Yet she insisted that we not allow the current state of affairs divide us as a country. “Our United States of America is not about us versus them. It’s about ‘We the People’!” she said, garnering energetic applause, and continued, “And in this moment, we must all speak truth about what’s happening. “

Then she said “I stand you before to announce my candidacy,” and the crowd again erupted into cheers and applause.

“I am running to fight for an America where economy works for people and you only have to work one job to pay the bills. I’m running to fight for an America where no mother or father has to teach their son that people may stop him, arrest him, chase him, or kill him, because of his race.

“Its up to us, each and every one of us…we have the power of the people,” Harris concluded. “We can achieve the dreams of our parents and grandparents. We can reclaim the American dream for every person in this country. So lets do this! And let’s do it together!”

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of November 22 – 28, 2023

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 22 – 28, 2023

Published

4 days ago

November 24, 2023

Oakland Post

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 22 - 28, 2023

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of November 15 – 21, 2023

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 15 – 21, 2023

Published

2 weeks ago

November 17, 2023

Oakland Post

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 15 - 21, 2023

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.

Activism

School Board President Shuts Down Meeting Trying to Silence Gaza Ceasefire Protesters

Since the executive board of the Oakland Education Association originally took a stand to oppose genocide and call for a ceasefire, the union has been under intense criticism both from mainstream media and an Oakland parents’ group, which has been encouraging teachers to quit the union.

Published

2 weeks ago

November 12, 2023

Oakland Post

By Ken Epstein

Several hundred people, including teachers, school staff, students, parents, and community activists, showed up at the Oakland Unified School District board meeting Wednesday night, most of them calling on the board to pass a resolution to support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and end the killing of civilians, when school board President Mike Hutchinson refused to let them speak and abruptly shut down the meeting as they demanded to be heard.

At the start of the meeting, Hutchinson announced that a resolution proposed by Board member Valarie Bachelor, “Calling for a Ceasefire and Release of Hostages in Israel and Palestine,” would not be discussed that evening and that there was no place anywhere on the agenda where attendees would be allowed to speak on the issue.

However, there was a moment of confusion when the parliamentarian, speaking over Hutchinson’s objections, explained that there was one 30-minute period for people to discuss nonagenda items.

A chorus of boos filled the auditorium as Hutchinson attempted to move on. He quickly suspended the meeting, and he and several other board members left the room, though some board members remained.

One young woman shouted at Hutchinson. “You’re having a tantrum, and we’re talking about genocide.”

People crowded around a bullhorn at the front of the room, and attendees held their own meeting.

“You are on the right side of history – we’ll be back,” said a youth soccer coach, Maria Martinez.

A young woman named Lulwa said, ‘I believe we all deserve our land, we all deserve our freedom, and we all deserve not to have our children bombed. The media is lying to us, and social media is bringing us together.”

Lulwa explained that she has been living in the U.S. and Oakland since the age of 9. “I was taken in by the community in Oakland, and I was loved.”

Board member Bachelor was cheered as she spoke on the bullhorn, supporting the people of Palestine and the people of Israel.

“We have to stop killing children, we have to stop bombing hospitals, we have to stop killing UN workers; we have to stop the killing,” she said. “We are a global community. The fight continues.”

A woman who identified herself as a Jewish Oakland teacher said, “The school board does not speak for the teachers, Monday night, we (teachers) passed a very strong resolution demanding an end to the genocide in Gaza and an end to U.S. funding (for the war).

An Oakland man named Izzy said, “What did the school board do today? They walked out on our kids…. There’s nobody to blame but Mike Hutchinson.”

Jabari Shaw said that African Americans stand in solidarity with Palestine. “We know how it is to not be recognized as human beings,” he said.

However, on Monday evening, union delegates from the Oakland schools upheld a strong position, voting 66 to 31 in favor of a ceasefire.

Hutchinson and board member Sam Davis, joined by school board candidate Jorge Lerma, have been working with the parent group in opposition to the teachers’ union.

But another group of parents and community members supporting the teachers’ union’s stance just started a petition in the last couple of days and has already received over 300 signatures.

“As Oakland parents, caregivers, and community members, we are committed to the safety and well-being of all of our children,” the petition said. “We are writing to express our solidarity with the families of Palestine and to express support for district leaders and the OEA for standing in solidarity with the people of Palestine.”