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Oakland City Council Members Call on Gov. Newsom to Select Barbara Lee to Replace  Kamala Harris in U.S. Senate

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Rep. Barbara Lee and Rebecca Kaplan

Oakland City Councilmembers Rebecca Kaplan, Noel Gallo, and Sheng Thao wrote an open letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday encouraging him to appoint Congresswoman Barbara Lee to the United States Senate as California’s representative.

At the same time, Latinx leaders are urging the governor to break the glass ceiling and place a Latinx person in Harris’ seat, asserting among other things, that Latinx make up 40% of California’s population.

The letter from Kaplan, Gallo and Thao tells Newsom that Lee has shown, both with her words and with her actions, a deep commitment to justice and a willingness to uplift truth and justice. “Lee is an experienced member of the Congress and can easily transition into the U.S. Senate at a difficult time in history. We are living in a time that has shown that we must recognize and honor the leadership of Black women,” the letter read.

“We need  someone  who  is  unafraid  to  confront  wrongdoing and  injustice,  who  can  effectively  build  coalitions,  and  can  help  ensure  that  everyone  in  our  communities has  a  voice  and  is  respected  in  our  nation’s  decision-making  process,” the councilmembers wrote.

Kaplan is pleased to join together with others who are also similarly urging that Barbara Lee be selected as California’s next senator, including Cori Bush, the newly elected congresswoman from Missouri  and Aimee Allison, Newsweek columnist and Founder of She the People.

Bush, a nurse and former activist in the Black Lives Matter movement after Michael Brown was killed  six years ago in Ferguson, Mo., has been calling for Lee to achieve higher office since July, actually wishing she could be president.

In a column on November 18, Allison said: “Over the course of her career, she has built a strong and consistent record and brought together people from different ideologies, socioeconomic and racial backgrounds,” Allison wrote.

Local Latinx leaders in Southern California held a press conference on November 19 saying there are many qualified Latinx for Newsom to choose from, including State Attorney General Becerra who replaced Harris when she was elected to the U.S. Senate.

Chula Vista Mayor Mary Salas is one of the local leaders who spoke on Thursday in hopes of swaying Newsom in favor of a Latino senator.

“It’s only through having representation that represents the demographics of this state that we will get equity,” Salas said.

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez voiced similar sentiments. “We are a larger group than any other demographic in California. But even with those numbers we have never held the title of U.S. Senator in California, despite the fact that California itself used to be Mexico,” Gonzalez said. “You think of a place where a Latino or Latina should represent the state in Washington D.C., it’s definitely California.”

Similar calls to action were held in Fresno and Sacramento, and more are planned in Los Angeles and San Jose.

Kimberly Jones is chief of staff to Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan. Newsweek magazine, Twitter and KPBS News contributed to this report.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

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Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Deaths of Humanitarian Aid Volunteers in Gaza 

On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

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Congresswoman Barbara Lee
Congresswoman Barbara Lee

By California Black Media

On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12).

“This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

The same day, it was confirmed by the organization that the humanitarian aid volunteers were killed in a strike carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prior to the incident, members of the team had been travelling in two armored vehicles marked with the WCF logo and they had been coordinating their movements with the IDF. The group had successfully delivered 10 tons of humanitarian food in a deconflicted zone when its convoy was struck.

“This is not only an attack against WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the direst situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said Erin Gore, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen.

The seven victims included a U.S. citizen as well as others from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Palestine.

Lee has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and has supported actions by President Joe Biden to airdrop humanitarian aid in the area.

“Far too many civilians have lost their lives as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s reprehensible military offensive. The U.S. must join with our allies and demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire – it’s long overdue,” Lee said.

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Commentary

Commentary: Republican Votes Are Threatening American Democracy

In many ways, it was great that the Iowa Caucuses were on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We needed to know the blunt truth. The takeaway message after the Iowa Caucuses where Donald Trump finished more than 30 points in front of Florida Gov. De Santis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley boils down to this: Our democracy is threatened, for real.

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It was strange for Iowans to caucus on MLK day. It had a self-cancelling effect. The day that honored America’s civil rights and anti-discrimination hero was negated by evening. That’s when one of the least diverse states in the nation let the world know that white Americans absolutely love Donald Trump. No ifs, ands or buts.
It was strange for Iowans to caucus on MLK day. It had a self-cancelling effect. The day that honored America’s civil rights and anti-discrimination hero was negated by evening. That’s when one of the least diverse states in the nation let the world know that white Americans absolutely love Donald Trump. No ifs, ands or buts.

By Emil Guillermo

In many ways, it was great that the Iowa Caucuses were on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

We needed to know the blunt truth.

The takeaway message after the Iowa Caucuses where Donald Trump finished more than 30 points in front of Florida Gov. De Santis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley boils down to this: Our democracy is threatened, for real.

And to save it will require all hands on deck.

It was strange for Iowans to caucus on MLK day. It had a self-cancelling effect. The day that honored America’s civil rights and anti-discrimination hero was negated by evening.

That’s when one of the least diverse states in the nation let the world know that white Americans absolutely love Donald Trump. No ifs, ands or buts.

No man is above the law? To the majority of his supporters, it seems Trump is.

It’s an anti-democracy loyalty that has spread like a political virus.

No matter what he does, Trump’s their guy. Trump received 51% of caucus-goers votes to beat Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who garnered 21.2%, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who got 19.1%.

The Asian flash in the pan Vivek Ramaswamy finished way behind and dropped out. Perhaps to get in the VP line. Don’t count on it.

According to CNN’s entrance polls, when caucus-goers were asked if they were a part of the “MAGA movement,” nearly half — 46% — said yes. More revealing: “Do you think Biden legitimately won in 2020?”

Only 29% said “yes.”

That means an overwhelming 66% said “no,” thus showing the deep roots in Iowa of the “Big Lie,” the belief in a falsehood that Trump was a victim of election theft.

Even more revealing and posing a direct threat to our democracy was the question of whether Trump was fit for the presidency, even if convicted of a crime.

Sixty-five percent said “yes.”

Who says that about anyone of color indicted on 91 criminal felony counts?

Would a BIPOC executive found liable for business fraud in civil court be given a pass?

How about a BIPOC person found liable for sexual assault?

Iowans have debased the phrase, “no man is above the law.” It’s a mindset that would vote in an American dictatorship.

Compare Iowa with voters in Asia last weekend. Taiwan rejected threats from authoritarian Beijing and elected pro-democracy Taiwanese vice president Lai Ching-te as its new president.

Meanwhile, in our country, which supposedly knows a thing or two about democracy, the Iowa caucuses show how Americans feel about authoritarianism.

Some Americans actually like it even more than the Constitution allows.

 

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a mini-talk show on YouTube.com/@emilamok1.

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