Commentary

Opinion: The Politics We Are Stuck With

A Black, South Asian Indian woman from Oakland — the first ever to be elected to the United States presidency. That was the headline of hope. Kamala Harris represented joy and positivity. Her election would have been a historic win for America and our country’s great diversity. But on Election Day, the electorate did not turn the page on Donald Trump.

Published

6 months ago

November 6, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of Donald J. Trump Facebook Page.

By Emil Guillermo

A Black, South Asian Indian woman from Oakland — the first ever to be elected to the United States presidency.

That was the headline of hope.

Kamala Harris represented joy and positivity. Her election would have been a historic win for America and our country’s great diversity.

But on Election Day, the electorate did not turn the page on Donald Trump.

Was it a gut punch or a reality check?

When major networks called Pennsylvania for Donald Trump, it was essentially game over. There was no way that Harris could get to 270 Electoral College votes without Pennsylvania.

Trump, with substantial leads in Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona, seemed likely to get the votes needed to become the 47^th president of the United States.

Now we don’t have to worry about the peaceful transfer of power as CFDT34, (Convicted Felon Donald Trump, 34 counts), the twice-impeached former president gets to call the White House home again. It enables him to avoid practically all his legal problems and possible prison time, a prime motivator for his seeking re-election.

That makes invoking his favorite parts of Project 2025 — deportations of undocumented immigrants and the vengeful roundup of his political dissidents, the “enemy from within” — the sour cherries on top of his electoral victory.

And who will stop him? The checks and balances are all gone. The Senate and possibly the House will be in Republican control. The Supreme Court and the Judiciary already are.

Where does that leave good, non-elite regular people who tried to do the right thing this election?

Among them: The women angered over reproduction rights.

Activists who fought against further erosion of civil and voting rights.

The undocumented concerned about impending ICE roundups.

The parents of trans-children, used to polarize voters and will now face real discrimination.

The voters repulsed by the hateful, misogynistic, sexist, racist, bigoted sentiments that came out of the Trump campaign.

They will all either find a way to stay enthused enough to keep fighting for our rights in our democracy or they will drop out and join the ranks of the so-called “low propensity/low information” voter, go back to their lives, and tune out until some politician or issue comes around to turn them back on.

Maybe they go with the flow and learn to hang with Trump. And keep quiet.

You may be one of those who voted, but did it secretly, not publicly. You stayed private maybe because you felt the fear of being trolled. Or you feared the threat of violence.

Trump talked about rifles training on Liz Cheney’s face. That could be yours.

Across the U.S, 36% of voters said they would feel scared if Trump is elected president, according to an early CNN exit poll on Tuesday.

Another 71% said they were concerned about violence as a result of the election.

On Election Day, American voters were afraid.

Now, the presumed president-elect Trump’s brand of bullying politics leads the way.

There is good reason to be afraid in the New America we did not expect.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. See his micro-talk show on www.patreon.com/emilamok. He performs an excerpt from his Emil Amok Monologues, “Transdad,” Nov.18 at the Marsh, 1062 Valencia St., San Francisco. Tickets here: https://themarsh.org/monday-night-marsh-stream/

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of May 14 – 20, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 14 – 20, 2025

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2025

Oakland Post

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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

5 days 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.