Featured

Oakland Brotherhood of Elders Network Supports DACA, Immigrants

Published

9 years ago

September 15, 2017

Oakland Post

By Brotherhood of Elders Network

In many ways our country is at a historical crossroads—will we land on the right side of history?

The current Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the immigration controversy and debate in general are reminders of some of the core values that have served as a glue for our nation and for civilized societies in general —life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and justice for all.

Are we becoming an uncivilized nation, reserving our core values for some and not for all? Are we forgetting that this nation’s formation was made up of immigrants from all corners of the world? (With the exception of American Indians and African Americans, who were kidnapped and brought here as slaves.)

Must we be reminded of our dark past when in 1850 the Fugitive Slave Act allowed bounty hunters –now named Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE), to be deputized to return slaves –now named DACA, Dreamers and all Immigrants, to be jailed or to be deported?
We must remember that the Underground Railroad “didn’t just go north.” African slaves sought refuge with Indian nations, marooned in the swamp and fled not only to Canada, but to Mexico as well.

For non- Dreamers and Immigrants—not just Latinos, but including immigrants from Africa, Asia and Europe, put yourself in their shoes: living in the shadows, worried at every turn in your day that your home, privacy and person could be invaded or violated; parents sending their kids off to school and both parents and kids not knowing at the end of the day if they will see each other any time soon; and denied housing or job opportunities because of their immigrant status.

And it goes on and on.

In Oakland, like many other communities in the Bay Area and throughout this Nation, immigrants are a key and important ingredient of what we call and think community is all about.
Immigrants are our neighbors and do what neighbors do, look out for each other; our kids play and go to school together; they are our co-workers, our church members, and more and more our significant others.

It is time for all hands on deck –that means for all of our elected officials to be visibly supportive to pass the Dream Act without amendments. In the two houses of Congress there are two bills to do just that: Senate Bill 1605 and House of Representatives Bill 3440.

According to the Courage Campaign, 12 Republicans Senators have voted for or co-sponsored DACA-type legislation in the past which, added to the 48 Democrats, gives us the 60 Senator majority we need. In the House, there are 28 Republicans who have also voted for or co-sponsored DACA-type legislation. Add that to the 194 Democrats and we have 222 likely votes for a bill that only needs 218 to pass. We all are what we have been waiting for; let’s make this happen now!

By allowing the rights of any one group of people to be eroded, we begin to allow the dismantling of all the progress that we all have collectively made.

We must use our every resource—legal, financial, political, institutional, as well as personal to insure our brothers and sisters are not robbed of their rights and humanity and herded up and deported.

We refuse to let this happen and urge everyone in the African American, Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino, Middle Eastern, LGBTQ, and the White communities to stand together against this latest effort to separate, distance, and segregate the peoples of our society. Will we land on the right side of history?

Tpos environments where Black boys and young men can do more than survive, but to THRIVE.

In pursuing our mission we recognize that in the communities we live some of the same conditions and circumstances that affect Black boys and young men are the same for Latino boys and young men as such, on Caesar Chavez’s birthday in March 2016 the BOEN came together with Oakland Latino Leaders and formed the African American Latino Action Alliance (AALAA).

The BOEN sees itself in partnership with the Latino community where our interests and neighborhoods are linked, and we are all DREAMERS.

For information contact: Joe Brooks, BOEN Politics committee co-chair and co-chair AALAA at Brooksjoe91@gmail.com or BrotherhoodofElders.net

caption

Joe Brooks (center) of the Oakland-based Brotherhood of Elders speaking last year at a town hall meeting on creating more opportunities in high tech.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Related Topics:Brotherhood of Elders DACA immigrants Oakland

Up Next

Center Point Inc. Holds Annual Achievement Ceremony

Don't Miss

Raiders Fans May Have to Walk Miles at the New Las Vegas Stadium

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Community

Four Candidates, Including Incumbent Barbara Lee, Qualify for Oakland Mayor’s Race

POST NEWS GROUP — Four candidates, including incumbent Mayor Barbara Lee, filed their papers to run for office by last Friday’s deadline, and the City Clerk issued a list this week of those who are qualified to run.

Published

2 days ago

August 15, 2026

bpusa-syndication

View of downtown Oakland, California and City Hall. iStock photo.

By Post Staff

The four mayoral candidates who will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot are:

Brenda Grisham. A business owner in East Oakland and public safety advocate, Grisham led the successful recall campaign against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. As part of her platform, she pledges to work with local, state, and federal partners to secure stricter gun control measures and investments in community violence intervention programs.

Barbara Lee. A former congressional representative and state Assembly member, Lee was elected by voters in a special election last year for a two-year term. Now running for a four-year term, she points out that her administration achieved major successes in addressing some of the city’s major challenges, including balancing the city budget, dramatically reducing crime, and making significant inroads into homelessness and illegal dumping.

Mindy Pechenuk. An educator and activist, Pechenuk is a registered Republican and supporter of Lyndon LaRouche, who has been described by observers as a conspiracy theorist and cult leader. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in last year’s special election and for the at-large council seat in 2024. She seeks to end Oakland’s police commission and MACRO and invest in more police while launching a new local war on drugs.

Julius Robinson. While little information is available so far about Robinson, he was quoted in a KTVU story about Thao’s recall, stating that people in Oakland want to come together as a community but lack infrastructure and leadership.

bpusa-syndication

Posts by bpusa-syndication

Black History

Oakland Observes Black August with Block Parties, Film Showings, Workshops

POST NEWS GROUP — Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

Published

2 days ago

August 15, 2026

bpusa-syndication

George Jackson wrote two books: “Soledad Brother,” and “Blood in My Eye” before her was killed in an attempt to escape prison on Aug. 21, 1971.

By Jana Lang, Propel Youth Reporter

Study. Train. Fast. Fight.

These are the four tenets of Black August, a month dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of political prisoners and Black revolutionaries in the struggle for Black liberation.

Observers are urged to study the history of the Black struggle for freedom, train their bodies for health and self-defense, fast to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, and fight ongoing oppression alongside their communities and local political organizations.

Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

While in prison, George befriended fellow prisoner W.L. Nolen, who introduced him to the works of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Frantz Fanon. This radicalization coupled with his experiences of violence while imprisoned led to him writing and publishing two books, “Soledad Brother” (1970), and “Blood in my Eye” (1972). In January of 1970, George and two other prisoners were charged with murdering a corrections officer at Soledad State Prison in Monterey County.

On Aug. 7, 1970, Jonathan Jackson burst into a Marin County courtroom armed with a shotgun to demand the freedom of the Soledad Brothers. He, along with the inmates he freed, was shot and killed while driving away. This involved one of the Black Panther Party’s most notable associates, Angela Davis, because the shotgun was registered in her name. She was later acquitted of charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder in 1972.

On Aug. 21, 1971, George Jackson was assassinated by a corrections officer after attempting to escape and free other inmates. As a result, there were uprisings and protests within prisons all over the country that year, calling forth resistance against racial oppression and mass incarceration.

Since its outset, Black August has evolved across the country, taking many forms to honor this history and embody the four tenets.

In Oakland, the upcoming Black August Experience, hosted by Youth Alive! and the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), is a free, family-friendly event celebrating the legacy of Black August. Activities include free food and drinks, a kids’ activity zone, interactive workshops, live cooking and boxing demonstrations, and more.

Happening on Aug. 21 from 4-8 p.m. at the EOBA Patio, Carolyn Flynn, director of administration at EOBA, said the event, in its second year, will be an opportunity to engage with people in person through food, shared space, and education.

“We do regular classes in education, and those are ongoing programs that we offer, but we wanted to have [an opportunity] for our neighbors to utilize this space.” Combined with Youth Alive’s work in community violence prevention and youth leadership, this event surely aims to bring the Oakland community together to capture what Black August means today.

Here are additional Black August events happening in Oakland:

Forum and Community Discussion hosted by the Oakland Liberation Center, 1499 Fruitvale Ave., Aug. 14, 7 p.m.

“George Jackson/San Quentin” Screening hosted by Nostalgic for Nothing Cinema at Moments Co-Op, 410 13th St., Aug. 16, doors at 6 p.m., show at 6:30 p.m. (Masks required and scent-free)

Commemorating the Struggle, Building the Altar for Liberation: Black August at Bandung Books, 2269 International Blvd., Aug. 23rd, 1-5 p.m.

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.