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Opinion: Case of Missing Man Underscores Need for Ebony Alert in California

There is no greater pain than that of a mother who loses her child — or whose child goes missing. Bettersten Wade has experienced both. Her 37-year-old son, Dexter Wade, disappeared on March 5 after visiting with her. She reported him to the police as missing the next week and began putting up fliers with his picture and going door to door to speak with neighbors. For months, the police in Mississippi told her they had no information on his whereabouts.

Published

4 months ago

December 26, 2023

Oakland Post

Sen. Steven Bradford is vice chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus.

By Sen. Steven Bradford
Special to California Black Media Partners

There is no greater pain than that of a mother who loses her child — or whose child goes missing.

Bettersten Wade has experienced both. Her 37-year-old son, Dexter Wade, disappeared on March 5 after visiting with her. She reported him to the police as missing the next week and began putting up fliers with his picture and going door to door to speak with neighbors.

For months, the police in Mississippi told her they had no information on his whereabouts.

But in August, the police brought her devastating news. Her son, a Black man and father of two, had been killed the very night he went missing. Police say he was struck while crossing a highway by an off-duty Jackson Police officer.

The coroner identified Wade using a prescription medicine he was carrying as he had no identification. The coroner’s office claims to have shared his identity with the police, provided them with Wade’s mother’s contact information and asked them to notify her.

The Mayor of Jackson called the almost six-month delay a “communications failure” between the coroner and the police. The elder Wade and her attorney say the way authorities handled the death of her son is a civil rights violation and they want the federal Department of Justice to investigate.

Without the family’s knowledge or consent, the county buried him in a pauper’s grave with only a small metal sign displaying the number 672.

Although Dexter Wade was a grown man, you can draw a direct line to why California needs and will benefit from the newly signed Ebony Alert notification law which will help locate missing Black children and young women ages 12-25.

Black people make up a disproportionate percentage of all missing persons in the United States. However, instead of receiving a greater share of the police resources to find them, Black lives get less.

When a Black person goes missing, in a sense, they vanish twice. First, they disappear from their friends and loved ones. Second, they disappear from the police detective’s workload and from the news media’s attention.

This case speaks to the insulting reality of how Black lives are not a priority when they are missing. In the Dexter Wade case, authorities were clearly not looking even as they physically held his body.

Critics of the Ebony Alert say California should not have a special alert system just for African Americans. I would argue California should not need the Ebony Alert just for African Americans.

All people should be given equal value and equal resources should be utilized to find them. But that’s not happening. So, not only does California need the Ebony Alert, but the rest of the nation does as well.

About the Author

Sen. Steven Bradford is vice chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus. He authored SB 673, the Ebony Alert. He represents parts of southern Los Angeles County.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

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21 hours ago

April 26, 2024

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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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1 week ago

April 19, 2024

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Oakland Schools Honor Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties

Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice. His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.

Published

1 week ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

Fred Korematsu. Courtesy of OUSD.

By Post Staff

Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice.

His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.
One OUSD school is named in his honor: Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy (KDA) elementary in East Oakland.

Several years ago, founding KDA Principal Charles Wilson, in a video interview with anti-hate organization “Not In Our Town,” said, “We chose the name Fred Korematsu because we really felt like the attributes that he showed in his work are things that the children need to learn … that common people can stand up and make differences in a large number of people’s lives.”

Fred Korematsu was born in Oakland on Jan. 30, 1919. His parents ran a floral nursery business, and his upbringing in Oakland shaped his worldview. His belief in the importance of standing up for your rights and the rights of others, regardless of race or background, was the foundation for his activism against racial prejudice and for the rights of Japanese Americans during World War II.

At the start of the war, Korematsu was turned away from enlisting in the National Guard and the Coast Guard because of his race. He trained as a welder, working at the docks in Oakland, but was fired after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Fear and prejudice led to federal Executive Order 9066, which forced more than 120,000 Japanese Americans out of their homes and neighborhoods and into remote internment camps.

The 23-year-old Korematsu resisted the order. He underwent cosmetic surgery and assumed a false identity, choosing freedom over unjust imprisonment. His later arrest and conviction sparked a legal battle that would challenge the foundation of civil liberties in America.

Korematsu’s fight culminated in the Supreme Court’s initial ruling against him in 1944. He spent years in a Utah internment camp with his family, followed by time living in Salt Lake City where he was dogged by racism.

In 1976, President Gerald Ford overturned Executive Order 9066. Seven years later, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco vacated Korematsu’s conviction. He said in court, “I would like to see the government admit that they were wrong and do something about it so this will never happen again to any American citizen of any race, creed, or color.”

Korematsu’s dedication and determination established him as a national icon of civil rights and social justice. He advocated for justice with Rosa Parks. In 1998, President Bill Clinton gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom saying, “In the long history of our country’s constant search for justice, some names of ordinary citizens stand for millions of souls … To that distinguished list, today we add the name of Fred Korematsu.”

After Sept. 11, 2001, Korematsu spoke out against hatred and discrimination, saying what happened to Japanese Americans should not happen to people of Middle Eastern descent.
Korematsu’s roots in Oakland and his education in OUSD are a source of great pride for the city, according to the school district. His most famous quote, which is on the Korematsu elementary school mural, is as relevant now as ever, “If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to speak up.”