Activism

Open E.A.R.S. for Change Continues to Inspire Asian-Black Unity Through Annual Celebration

Destiny Arts Center youth dance group performed on stage at the Lunar New Year x Black History Month event at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center at 388 Ninth St., Suite 290. Photo by Peter Jew.

Published

3 months ago

February 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Destiny Arts Center youth dance group performed on stage at the Lunar New Year x Black History Month event at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center at 388 Ninth St., Suite 290. Photo by Peter Jew.

By Anka Lee
Post Intern

Featuring lion dance, hip-hop dance and more, the third annual Lunar New Year Black History Month drew a multiracial and multi-ethnic crowd to the Oakland Asian Cultural Center on Feb. 1.

Perhaps unique in the U.S., this deliberately bicultural celebration honored diversity in both communities.

The celebration grew out of a time of significant tension between the Asian and Black communities during the pandemic when anti-Asian hate was prominent and appeared in a lot of media coverage. In those news stories, members of the Black community were frequently and untruthfully portrayed as the primary aggressors.

In response to this rift between communities, the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC) started the Open E.A.R.S. for Change initiative (Engage, Activate and Rise up Series), which was created with the intention to build stronger relationships between the Asian and Black communities in Oakland.

According to Saly Lee, the executive director of OACC, the bicultural celebration began with holding a series of community conversations to bridge cultural gaps and get input on what could be done. It took 18 months, but the first gathering in 2023 drew 1,200 people and the second was 1,800.

Great Wall Youth Orchestra performed with traditional Chinese instruments at the Lunar New Year x Black History Month event at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center at 388 Ninth St., Suite 290. Photo by Peter Jew.

Voices of a Dream, along with Dimensions Dance Theatre and Destiny Arts Center were among the African American performers. The participating Asian groups were diverse—with Filipino rapper Amihan, the Great Wall Youth Orchestra, Korean drumming, and Filipino martial arts.

The children’s story-telling activity was also bicultural, cohosted by Marcus Books, a historic Black independent bookstore, and Eastwind Books, which now exists online.

In an interview, the organizers of Open E.A.R.S. for Change discussed the event and their future goals to encourage Asian-Black unity. Lee called the Lunar New Year x Black History Month Community Celebration “the anchor event” that brings the communities together every year. She wants to organize more such cross-cultural events, though on a smaller scale, like hosting a local author for a speaking engagement.

As younger generations tend to be more involved in activism and advocacy, OACC hopes the celebration will also encourage older generations to join in. “Historically, this program was geared towards the Chinese community,” Lee said. That had made it easier for older generations to attend, but now “the focus has shifted… [there are] more family units and multicultural audiences.”

Although more diversity means more reach and engagement from different communities in Oakland, it also means there is still much work to be done. Emily Grover, the OACC Program and Communications Coordinator, emphasized that they are “trying to improve language access in other programs,” one example being more translation options similar to the ones provided by the exhibition.

OACC works closely with refugee and immigrant communities to support them and provide resources in multiple Asian languages. Despite some accessibility concerns, they are confident more opportunities will arise as long as they persevere and continue to spread the word. “Programs are largely free,” said Director of Programs & Exhibitions Indra Mungal. She added, “and we invite the public to check out the classes and spaces available to be rented here.”

Lee wanted to stress that regardless of language barriers, these programs are created to contribute to a more diverse society: “Even if the language changes, our work will not change.”

For more information, visit www.oacc.cc

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Activism

The Best Advice for Raising Children: Discipline That Makes Sense

In his book Developing Positive Self Images and Discipline in Black Children, Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu suggests that primary aims for socializing Black children should be: establishing goals related to God and the church; familiarizing children with religious texts like the Bible or Quran; educating them of Black culture like Khemetic (Egyptian) Civilization; enlightening them about Black leaders like Malcolm X and Sojourner Truth; and teaching them to strive to be employers, not employees.

Published

1 day ago

May 13, 2025

Oakland Post

Headshot of Dr. William A. Thomas. Photo courtesy of Dr. William A. Thomas.

By William A. Thomas, Ph.D.

In many African societies, the primary aim of socialization is to raise children to be socially responsible and eventually provide economic support to their parents and extended families. Ghanaian philosopher Kwame Gyekye taught that children are raised to be respectful of the wishes of their parents and extended adult family members.

In his book Developing Positive Self Images and Discipline in Black Children, Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu suggests that primary aims for socializing Black children should be: establishing goals related to God and the church; familiarizing children with religious texts like the Bible or Quran; educating them of Black culture like Khemetic (Egyptian) Civilization; enlightening them about Black leaders like Malcolm X and Sojourner Truth; and teaching them to strive to be employers, not employees.

Effective disciplinary strategies appropriate to a child’s age and development teach them to regulate their behavior; keep them from harm; enhance their cognitive, social, and emotional executive functioning skills; and reinforce the behavioral patterns taught by their parents and caregivers.

Below are some specific guidelines for disciplining children.

Listen to what children are talking about with interest and show them you understand their feelings. Remember, children mirror and learn about their emotional selves by hearing their feelings reflected back to them. Staying on target also means avoiding labels. When children fail to do what is expected, discussing it is helpful rather than saying how stubborn, lazy, dumb, or bad they are. By the same token, more positive labels can be helpful.

Dependability is another essential component of the discipline process. When parents are dependable, their children learn what to expect and are helped to feel secure. When parents are consistent, children learn to trust, that is, predict their parents’ behaviors with certainty. A child thinks, “When I spill something, I will always be asked to wipe it up.” A child thinks, “If I use foul language, I will always be corrected.” A child thinks, “If I take something that doesn’t belong to me, I will always have to give it back.” The ability to predict with certainty leads children to rely on their parents and the village/community in which they live. Children feel safe when they know what to expect.

Conclusions

It takes a village/community to raise the divine gift that is the Black child. Parents look to therapists for guidance concerning a variety of parenting issues, including discipline. Keep in mind that evidence suggests that corporal punishment is both ineffective in the long term and associated with cognitive and mental health disorders. When parents want guidance about the use of spanking, a child therapist can explore parental feelings, help them better define the goals of discipline, and offer specific behavior management strategies. In addition to providing appropriate education to families, the Bay Area Association of Black Psychologists (Bay ABPsi) can refer them to community resources, like parenting groups and classes.

About the Author

Dr. Thomas is a licensed clinical psychologist with a private practice in the SF/Oakland Bay Area and Beaumont. He is a member of Bay ABPsi, a healing resource committed to providing the Post Newspaper readership with monthly discussions about critical issues in Black Mental Health. Readers are welcome to join us at our monthly chapter meetings every 3^rd Saturday via Zoom and contact us at bayareaabpsi@gmail.com.