Activism

Oakland City Councilmember Sheng Thao Honors Mother as Women’s History Month Closes

My father and mother met in a refugee camp in Thailand before they immigrated to the United States. It was there that my mother changed her name to Chua, which translates to “wind.” They settled in Stockton, California, in 1979. They didn’t have much, but they raised me and my nine siblings with a strong foundation of love, a focus on family values, and a commitment to supporting the community.

Published

4 years ago

April 3, 2022

Oakland Post

Sheng Thao with her mother, Chua Thao, right. Photo courtesy of Sheng Thao.

By Sheng Thao

My mom fled her home country of Laos during the secret war in the early 1970s when genocide was being perpetrated against our people – the Hmong people.

She lost her first husband, a soldier, to the war. And when she finally escaped, she was a widowed mother of a 1-year-old, and also eight months pregnant.

During her escape, my mother was shot in the arm, and being the fighter that she is, she was going to do whatever she could to make sure her children would make it out safe.

My father and mother met in a refugee camp in Thailand before they immigrated to the United States. It was there that my mother changed her name to Chua, which translates to “wind.”

They settled in Stockton, California, in 1979. They didn’t have much, but they raised me and my nine siblings with a strong foundation of love, a focus on family values, and a commitment to supporting the community.

As a mother who is disabled, not able to drive, who didn’t understand the language of her new home, she thrived and persisted and conquered.

The strength of my mother, in fighting back against persecution and injustice inspires me to fight for others to this very day.

My mother has always been the glue that holds our family together.

A woman who still carries a bullet in her arm, a woman who was not given a fair opportunity to succeed in a new world that she did not choose, and yet, she continuously learned how to adapt and survive.

Through her persistence, she ensured that all of her children were given all the opportunities that she was never afforded.

That persistence is why I am able to be here today standing up for those without a voice.

So, this Women’s History Month and every month and every day, I honor Chua Thao as my mother, our family’s matriarch, and the strongest person I will ever meet.

Thank you, Mom, for leading the way.

Love,

Councilmember Sheng Thao

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

Published

22 hours ago

September 7, 2026

Oakland Post

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Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Published

1 week ago

August 29, 2026

Post News Group

Dawna Williams, EOBA executive director speaks to attendees at the Black August Eperience on Aug. 21. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Flynn of EOBA.

By Jana Lang Propel Youth Reporter

Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA) and Youth Alive! came together on Aug. 21 to share with their community all that Black August means to them.

Held on EOBA’s patio at 816 98th Ave. in Deep East Oakland, the two organizations hosted their second annual Black August Experience, featuring a food tasting, financial literacy and mindfulness workshops, and voter registration with the League of Women Voters Oakland (LWV).

Black August is known as a time to uphold the legacy of prisoners who protested their conditions by fasting, fighting, and educating themselves on the economic and political circumstances that contributed to their incarceration.

According to its website, “EOBA is a multi-service youth and community development hub that goes far beyond the ring. While rooted in the discipline of boxing, for nearly 40 years EOBA has also integrated robust programs in workforce development, food justice, afterschool enrichment, financial literacy, mentorship, and wellness.”.

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Through Coro California, another leadership organization serving young people across the state for 80 years, they gained a broader understanding of Black August.

EOBA Executive Director Dawna Williams spoke about how much she learned about Black August from the youth who created it. “I let them educate me,” she said. Instead of talking about prison reform and mass incarceration, Williams and youth interns found that Black August meant so much more. “We would have done a disservice if we had just focused on who the people were and what their situation was…We tried to take their message from back in the day and make it relevant to the young people today. What do they need to know?”

Youth interns created and placed posters around the patio to help participants understand how traditional Black foodways, civic engagement, financial literacy, and the power of education are relevant to Black resistance today.

An EOBA member described Black August with Youth ALIVE! as “a whole vibe. “This year we added the Fun Zone for the kids, because you really cannot go wrong with a Fun Zone. I also loved seeing everyone chillin’ in the outdoor lounge, catching some Vitamin D and just enjoying a Friday evening together.”

The food tasting, a popular event from last year, featured traditional Black foods such as black-eyed peas, johnny cakes, and fried chicken. Led by Williams, the tasting included a talk about how these traditional foods were made and why they are forms of Black resilience.

The “‘Plate of History’ was a favorite of the online writers. “Fun, educational, and did I mention delicious? Our Taste of History cook, Angela Southall, served up some good eats while connecting food to history and culture.”

The writer also commended the “League of Women Voters Oakland for their civic leadership and for getting our young people informed, ready, and registered to vote.”

Overall, it was a “good Friday event in East Oakland,” the writer said.

Upcoming Black August events: 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.

The websites for East Oakland Boxing Association, Youth Alive! and CORO are sources for this report.

Jana Lang is an Oakland resident, teacher, gardener and poet participating in the Propel News Initiative.