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OPINION: The Attack on America is Broad; To Rebuff, Unity is Required

This time, the plaintiffs were smart. They recruited disgruntled recently immigrated Asian Americans who had been rejected from Harvard and organized them as white proxies. With these new “victims,” professional anti-affirmative action advocates sued Harvard for its admissions process that takes race into consideration. The white proxy Asians (WPA) claimed they were discriminated against even though Harvard has in recent years admitted more Asians than any other time in its history, reaching as high as 26% in recent years.

Published

2 years ago

December 24, 2021

Oakland Post

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. His talk show, “Emil Amok’s Takeout” is on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter @emilamok

By Emil Guillermo

The extension of child tax credits, universal pre-K, aid for seniors, immigrants, DACA recipients — all that would have been a nice Christmas gift to America.

Instead, Sen. Joe Manchin has become the Omicron of Congress, wiping out Biden’s Build Back Better plan.

As if that were the only thing we have to worry about.

Just as with abortion rights and voting rights, the future of affirmative action could be in the hands of a new 6-3 conservative Supreme Court.

And along the way, that issue is being used to divide Blacks, Latinos, and Asians.

We must not let that happen.

In California, affirmative action has already been made illegal in public employment, contracting and education when voters were fooled in 1996 by Prop. 209. When conservatives twisted the MLK quote about not being “judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” it became the driving force behind an ideal of “colorblindness.” That rhetorical trick ended affirmative action as a useful tool to eliminate discrimination and create equity in our state.

It’s still the law nationally, however. But conservatives are pressuring a court that now tilts their way to end affirmative action as discriminatory.

This time, the plaintiffs were smart. They recruited disgruntled recently immigrated Asian Americans who had been rejected from Harvard and organized them as white proxies.

With these new “victims,” professional anti-affirmative action advocates sued Harvard for its admissions process that takes race into consideration. The white proxy Asians (WPA) claimed they were discriminated against even though Harvard has in recent years admitted more Asians than any other time in its history, reaching as high as 26% in recent years.

The white proxies lost in the district court, lost again in the federal court of appeals, and now they’re asking the Supreme Court to take up the case.

Before hearing it, the court asked the Biden administration to submit a brief, apparently to buy time. When you have a 6-3 conservative majority, the court is giddy with rollback fever. Abortion rights, voting rights, civil rights. The dance card is filled. Affirmative action — take a number.

The Biden administration has responded with a brief that affirms the lower courts’ view of Harvard’s admissions.

Yet, the new claim of the white proxies is that Asian Americans are now scapegoated because of the failures of the educational system.

The thinking is if a 4.0 Asian American doesn’t get in, then is it fair if another “less qualified” Black or Latino person gets in?

The proxies really believe that admissions should be totally numerical. Ranked by grades, top people get in. If that’s 100% Asian American, so be it. Fair is fair? Or is merit too exclusive?

Didn’t the fight for equity begin when schools like Harvard were 100% white?

100% anything isn’t right in America.

Harvard’s admissions actually follow the guidelines set by previous court precedents that allow race to be used in conjunction with other factors. Race is not the sole factor, and neither are just grades or just test scores. Or your violin solo.

And quotas are always illegal.

Admissions at Harvard complies with the law, which has long been considered settled. Like Roe v. Wade in abortion.

But the disgruntled stay persistent. And now the court could go 6-3 wrong in their favor, in what could be another beat in the great undoing of America.

You should know that the majority of Asian Americans actually support affirmative action and are in solidarity with Blacks and Latinos. We’re appalled that the AAPI community has been split, with one part used to attack other communities of color.

All this is coming to roost during the holiday “slowdown.” Let’s take the time to find and understand our common ground. Even with Omicron as a backdrop, we must stay positive, hopeful. And Merry. The fight for our future demands unity.

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. His talk show, “Emil Amok’s Takeout” is on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter @emilamok

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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

Published

10 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

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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

21 hours 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.”

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WOMEN IMPACTING THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

Published

2 days ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Juanita Matthews

Sister Juanita Matthews

55 Years with Oakland Public School District

The Teacher, Mother, Community Outreach Champion, And Child of God

Juanita Matthews, better known as “Sister Teacher,” is a walking Bible scholar. She moved to California from the great state of Arkansas in 1971. Sister Teacher has a passion for teaching. She has been a member of Bible Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church since 1971. She followed her passion for teaching, and in 1977 became the lead teacher for Adult Class #6. Her motto still today is “Once My Student, Always My Student”.

Beyond her remarkable love for the Lord, Sister Teacher has showcased her love for teaching by working for the Oakland Unified School District for 55 years, all but four of those years spent at Emerson Elementary and Child Development School. She truly cares about her students, making sure they have the tools/supplies needed to learn either at OUSD or Bible Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church.

She’s also had a “Clothes Closet Ministry” for 51 years, making sure her students have sufficient clothing for school. The Clothes Closet Ministry extends past her students, she has been clothing the community for over 50 years as well. She loves the Lord and is a servant on a mission. She is a loving mother to two beautiful children, Sandra and Andre. This is the impact this woman of God has on her church and the community.