Opinion

Opinion: We Have a Moral Imperative to Fight for Children Who Have Been Taken From Their Parents

Published

8 years ago

June 30, 2018

By Cat Brooks

At the U.S.-Mexico Border, thousands of children have been stolen from parents fleeing horrific conditions in their home countries – conditions that have been greatly influenced by US policy and practice.

They risk life and limb and endure horrific conditions in the hope of capturing a sliver of the American “dream”. What greets them instead is an American nightmare.

Though mounting public outrage forced Donald Trump to sign an Executive Order to end family separations, thousands of young people remain warehoused in cages with up to 20 children in one cell, too young to comprehend what is happening, where their parents are, or what is coming next.

What’s more, ending family separations just means holding families in prisons together. That is not an acceptable answer either. Incarceration is not Immigration reform.
Losing a parent as a child is devastating. I know. When I was eight years old, my father’s struggle with substance abuse landed him in prison.

I knew something significant in my life was shifting, but I wasn’t really clear about what it meant until my aunt said to my granny, “we need to figure out when we’re going visit Leonard … but not you Cat … he doesn’t want you to see him in there.” My body went numb, tears welled and devastation took over. I had no say. No power. He was just gone.

Of course there were phone calls and letters, but my daddy’s arms could not be felt through the telephone. To this day, when I replay that moment with my aunt, tears come and my throat constricts. It’s difficult to breathe.
At least I had my mother’s comfort and the safety of sleeping in my own bed.

The children is US detention facilities, however, sleep on mats in cages filled with other youths who have been torn from their families. Some of these children, particularly those who speak languages indigenous to areas south of our border, are unable to communicate with those caged beside them.

And it is policy that the detained children cannot be consoled when they cry. Phone calls are being planned to connect children to parents, but officials don’t know which facilities to call.

What is happening in this country is inhumane. Unacceptable. Disgusting.
As a descendant of slaves, deep within my DNA lies the emotional memory of our children being ripped from our breasts and sold on auction blocks. The trauma lives on and manifests itself in generation after generation of Black families.

This country is creating an entirely new generation of traumatized human beings who will be scarred for the rest of their lives.

We have a moral imperative to not sit idly by as this President enacts programs that resemble chattel slavery. We do not have the luxury to think that this does not impact our communities. We are obligated to scream loudly about human rights violations and to create a groundswell of resistance.

The word “Resist” trended across social media when Trump was elected. Now is the time to put words into action. Trump and political pundits say this is the law. Unjust laws are made to be broken, ignored, violated and rebuked. This is the history of resistance in America.

What can you do? Donate to an organization doing the work. Head to the border and stand in solidarity. Talk to every neighbor on your block. Use social media platforms to amplify your voice. Get busy. Stand for the people. Do it right now. Lives are on the line. Justice is on the line. Humanity is on the line.

See you in the streets.

Cat Brooks is a candidate for mayor of Oakland.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of February 11 = 17, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 11 – 17, 2026

Published

2 days ago

February 16, 2026

Oakland Post

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#NNPA BlackPress

COMMENTARY: The National Protest Must Be Accompanied with Our Votes

Just as Trump is gathering election data like having the FBI take all the election data in Georgia from the 2020 election, so must we organize in preparation for the coming primary season to have the right people on ballots in each Republican district, so that we can regain control of the House of Representatives and by doing so, restore the separation of powers and balance that our democracy is being deprived of.

Published

1 week ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper. File photo..

By Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper

As thousands of Americans march every week in cities across this great nation, it must be remembered that the protest without the vote is of no concern to Donald Trump and his administration.

In every city, there is a personal connection to the U.S. Congress. In too many cases, the member of Congress representing the people of that city and the congressional district in which it sits, is a Republican. It is the Republicans who are giving silent support to the destructive actions of those persons like the U.S. Attorney General, the Director of Homeland Security, and the National Intelligence Director, who are carrying out the revenge campaign of the President rather than upholding the oath of office each of them took “to Defend The Constitution of the United States.”

In California, the primary comes in June 2026. The congressional races must be a priority just as much as the local election of people has been so important in keeping ICE from acquiring facilities to build more prisons around the country.

“We the People” are winning this battle, even though it might not look like it. Each of us must get involved now, right where we are.

In this Black History month, it is important to remember that all we have accomplished in this nation has been “in spite of” and not “because of.” Frederick Douglas said, “Power concedes nothing without a struggle.”

Today, the struggle is to maintain our very institutions and history. Our strength in this struggle rests in our “collectiveness.” Our newspapers and journalists are at the greatest risk. We must not personally add to the attack by ignoring those who have been our very foundation, our Black press.

Are you spending your dollars this Black History Month with those who salute and honor contributions by supporting those who tell our stories? Remember that silence is the same as consent and support for the opposition. Where do you stand and where will your dollars go?

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Activism

Post Newspaper Invites NNPA to Join Nationwide Probate Reform Initiative

The Post’s Probate Reform Group meets the first Thursday of every month via Zoom and invites the public to attend. The Post is making the initiative national and will submit information from its monthly meeting to the NNPA to educate, advocate, and inform its readers.

Published

1 week ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Tanya Dennis

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) represents the Black press with over 200 newspapers nationwide.

Last night the Post announced that it is actively recruiting the Black press to inform the public that there is a probate “five-alarm fire” occurring in Black communities and invited every Black newspaper starting from the Birmingham Times in Alabama to the Milwaukee Times Weekly in Wisconsin, to join the Post in our “Year of Action” for probate reform.

Reporter Tanya Dennis says, “The adage that ‘When America catches a cold, Black folks catch the flu” is too true in practice; that’s why we’re engaging the Black Press to not only warn, but educate the Black community regarding the criminal actions we see in probate court: Thousands are losing generational wealth to strangers. It’s a travesty that happens daily.”

Venus Gist, a co-host of the reform group, states, “ Unfortunately, people are their own worst enemy when it comes to speaking with loved ones regarding their demise. It’s an uncomfortable subject that most avoid, but they do so at their peril. The courts rely on dissention between family members, so I encourage not only a will and trust [be created] but also videotape the reading of your documents so you can show you’re of sound mind.”

In better times, drafting a will was enough; then a trust was an added requirement to ‘iron-clad’ documents and to assure easy transference of wealth.

No longer.

As the courts became underfunded in the last 20 years, predatory behavior emerged to the extent that criminality is now occurring at alarming rates with no oversight, with courts isolating the conserved, and, I’ve heard, many times killing conservatees for profit. Plundering the assets of estates until beneficiaries are penniless is also common.”

Post Newspaper Publisher Paul Cobb says, “The simple solution is to avoid probate at all costs. If beneficiaries can’t agree, hire a private mediator and attorney to work things out. The moment you walk into court, you are vulnerable to the whims of the court. Your will and trust mean nothing.”

Zakiya Jendayi, a co-host of the Probate Reform Group and a victim herself, says, “In my case, the will and trust were clear that I am the beneficiary of the estate, but the opposing attorney said I used undue influence to make myself beneficiary. He said that without proof, and the judge upheld the attorney’s baseless assertion. In court, the will and trust is easily discounted.”

The Black press reaches out to 47 million Black Americans with one voice. The power of the press has never been so important as it is now in this national movement to save Black generational wealth from predatory attorneys, guardians and judges.

The next probate reform meeting is on March 5, from 7 – 9 p.m. PST. Zoom Details:
Meeting ID: 825 0367 1750
Passcode: 475480

All are welcome.