Activism

Recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month: California’s Latinos Reflect on Experiences, Accomplishments

“We are still living in a time and place where we need to make sure we elevate the experiences of Latinos,” said Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland), who is a Black Latina (or Afro Latina) said to CBM. “Having a month dedicated to telling their stories, focusing on their legacies and the everyday heroes who make a difference is very important.”

Published

7 months ago

October 16, 2022

Oakland Post

Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) (2nd from left) says Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to acknowledge and uplift the voices and experiences of Latinos in America.

McKenzie Jackson | California Black Media

As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, California Black Media writer McKenzie Jackson takes a look at the lives and accomplishments of some people of Hispanic heritage in California.

Dayane Mendoza Solis considered throwing her hat in the ring for a trustee seat on the Sonoma Valley Unified School District’s board in the upcoming November election.

The 28-year-old accountant, a graduate of the Wine Country’s public school system, says more Latino representation is needed on school boards and in government, more broadly.

In the end, Solis decided not to run. Instead, she chose to focus on her budding career as an accountant. Still, Solis said, she would like to see more Latinos in prominent positions across the Golden State.

“People were so happy to know that I, a Latina, was ready to step into a leadership role,” said Solis, an admirer of New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “More Latino leaders are needed to step up and guide younger generations because there are so many people of Mexican and other Latin American descent in California.”

Solis hopes Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, shines a light on that.

“The Latino community is made up of hard workers, who are willing to thrive and help others in need,” Solis told California Black Media (CBM). “We have a strong presence in the state.”

Hispanic Heritage Month places that work ethic front and center. The monthlong national recognition is held annually to celebrate the diverse cultures, contributions, and extensive histories of the U.S. Latino community, the second largest racial or ethnic group in the country.

Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) says the occasion is an opportunity to acknowledge and uplift the voices and experiences of Latinos in America.

“We are still living in a time and place where we need to make sure we elevate the experiences of Latinos,” Bonta, who is a Black Latina (or Afro Latina) said to CBM. “Having a month dedicated to telling their stories, focusing on their legacies and the everyday heroes who make a difference is very important.”

According to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), Latinos are the largest ethnic group in the state. They are about 39.4% of the state’s population or about 15.7 million people. Non-Hispanic whites are 34.7% and African Americans are 5.4% of the population.

The largest concentration of people of Hispanic Heritage in California lives in Imperial County (79.6%), which is adjacent to San Diego County along the southern border of California. Latinos make up 48% of Los Angeles County’s population and over 50% of the population in San Bernardino and Fresno counties. One in every four Hispanic Americans call California home.

Among Latinos in California, Mexican Americans account for the largest number of people of Hispanic origin in the state (30.7%) followed by Hispanics originating from the Caribbean (0.8%) and people of Central American descent (3.0%).

Throughout California’s 170-year history Latinos have contributed to every aspect of life including agriculture, construction, entertainment, health care, hospitality, sports, and politics. In fact, people of Hispanic Heritage have been living in California since the 1600s, according to some reports.

California has been home to a number of national heroes of Hispanic heritage including labor leaders Cesar Chavez and Delores Huerta, co-founders of the organization that became the United Farmworkers Union; former and current United States Poet Laureates (2015-2017) Juan Felipe Herrera and Ada Limón; and American civil rights activist Sylvia Mendez.

The economic impact Latinos have on the state and nation was celebrated at the L’ATTITUDE conference from Sept. 22-25 in San Diego. The event allowed Latino professionals to network and share ideas. It attracted business and political leaders and celebrities like former President Barack Obama and Cuban American singer Gloria Estefan.

Obama said, “Success of the country economically is going to depend on how well the Latino community does and other quote unquote minority groups because they’re growing in importance and in strength.”

Alex Padilla, who became California’s first Latino U.S. Senator when Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed him to replace Vice President Kamala Harris, appeared at L’ATTITUDE for a conversation titled “Public Policy Imperatives for 21st Century America.” Padilla, the son of Mexican immigrants, introduced the Senate bill, “The Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929” to expand a pathway to permanency for millions of long-term U.S. residents three days after the event.

According to PPIC, one-fourth of the undocumented immigrants in the United States (between 2.35 and 2.6 million people) live in California.

The Senate bill Sen. Padilla introduced would allow an immigrant to qualify for lawful permanent resident status if they have lived in the U.S. continuously for at least seven years before filing an application for lawful permanent resident status and are of good moral character. It provides a pathway to a green card for up to eight million people.

The undocumented individuals covered in Padilla’s bill after they become citizens, potentially would contribute about $83 billion to the U.S. economy annually and about $27 billion in taxes according to FWD.us, a bipartisan political organization advocating for immigration reform.

According to Padilla, America’s outdated immigration system is holding back the economy and hurting an innumerable number of individuals.

“This could have a profound impact on millions of immigrants, some who have been living, working, and contributing to the United States for decades, by allowing them to live freely without the fear of an uncertain future,” he said.

One immigrant the Padilla bill could help in the future is Yenny Soto, a 31-year-old immigrant from Venezuela. Soto crossed the Arizona border last December. She spoke with CBM about her odyssey from Panama to the U.S.

Soto’s journey included multiple plane and bus rides before she and nine other Latin Americans entered the U.S. The band walked through crop fields and barren lands until they met with a group of around 50 other migrants fleeing unstable countries like Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Seeking asylum, they called law enforcement and were all arrested.

Soto was held in custody for over a week and after being assigned a court date for her asylum plea, she landed in New York City where she has been working as a waitress and bartender in clubs and restaurants.

“I knew I had to come and work a lot since I had been told the American Dream was to work and work,” said Soto, who jokes about becoming U.S. president one day.

Ninety-nine percent of Hispanic immigrants in California come from Latin America, with 77% coming from Mexico.

Solis, whose family immigrated legally from Mexico, said immigrants need help getting acclimated to America.

“Families are moving to find a better life,” she said. “Mexico, in particular, has a lot of violence.”

However, Bonta said it is a misconception that immigration concerns are exclusively about Latinos. She said California’s Latino community is not monolithic.

“There is a very diverse Latino community — from Central and South America, the Caribbean and people that have been in California for generations,” said Bonta. “Latinos have an incredible history of contributing to the economy of the state.”

Solis hopes all Californians can enjoy Latino culture.

“I think it’s beautiful that it is being celebrated — our diversity, our cultures,” she said. “I find it innovative, but at the same time I would like everyone to question what they are celebrating. Are they going to take the time to learn about Latino cultures? Are they going to make an effort?”

“This publication/project was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.”

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Oakland Post: Week of May 24 – 30, 2023

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 24 – 30, 2023

Published

2 days ago

May 26, 2023

Oakland Post

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 24 - 30, 2023

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Activism

Rise in Abductions of Black Girls in Oakland Alarms Sex-Trafficking Survivors

Nola Brantley of Nola Brantley Speaks states, “America’s wider culture and society has consistently failed to address the abduction and kidnapping of Black girls in Oakland and across the country, and this lack of concern empowers and emboldens predators.”

Published

1 week ago

May 20, 2023

Oakland Post

Nola Brantley and Sarai Smith-Mazariegos

By Tanya Dennis

Within the last 30 days there have been seven attempted kidnappings or successful abductions of Black girls in Oakland.

Survivors of human trafficking who are now advocates are not surprised.

Nor were they surprised that the police didn’t respond, and parents of victims turned to African American community-based organizations like Adamika Village and Love Never Fails for help.

Advocates say Black and Brown girls disappear daily, usually without a blip on the screen for society and government officials.

Perhaps that will change with a proposed law by state Senator Steven Bradford’s Senate Bill 673 Ebony Alert, that, if passed, will alert people when Black people under the age of 26 go missing.

According to the bill, Black children are disproportionately classified as “runaways” in comparison to their white counterparts which means fewer resources are dedicated to finding them.

Brantley, a survivor of human trafficking has been doing the work to support child sex trafficking victims for over 20 years, first as the director for the Scotlan Youth and Family Center’s Parenting and Youth Enrichment Department at Oakland’s DeFremery Park, and as one of the co-founders and executive director of Motivating, Inspiring, Supporting and Serving Sexually Exploited Youth (MISSSEY, Inc.)

“It really hit home in 2010,” said Brantley, “before California’s Welfare Institution Code 300 was amended to include children victimized by sex trafficking.”

Before that law was amended, she had to vehemently advocate for Black and Brown girls under the age of 18 to be treated as victims rather than criminalized.

Brantley served hundreds of Black and Brown girls citing these girls were victims so they would be treated as such and offered restorative services. “To get the police to take their disappearances seriously and file a report almost never happened,” she said.

Then Brantley received a call from the Board of Supervisors regarding a “special case.” A councilman was at the meeting, as well as a member of former Alameda County Board Supervisor Scott Haggerty’s Office who had called Brantley to attend.

“The child’s parents and the child were there also. They requested that I give my full attention to this case. The girl was white and there was no question of her victimization,” Brantley said.

Brantley felt conflicted that of all the hundreds of Black and Brown girls she’d served, none had ever received this type of treatment.

Her eyes were opened that day on how “they” move, therefore with the recent escalation of kidnapping attempts of Black girls, Brantley fears that because it’s happening to Black girls the response will not be taken seriously.

Councilwoman Treva Reid

“I thank Councilwoman Treva Reid and Senator Steven Bradford (D) for pushing for the passing of the Ebony Alert Bill across the state so that the disappearance of Black girls will be elevated the same as white girls. We’ve never had a time when Black girls weren’t missing. Before, it didn’t matter if we reported it or if the parents reported the police failed to care.”

Senator Steven Bradford

Sarai S-Mazariegos, co-founder of M.I.S.S.S.E.Y, and founder and executive director of Survivors Healing, Advising and Dedicated to Empowerment (S.H.A.D.E.) agrees with Brantley.

“What we are experiencing is the effects of COVID-19, poverty and a regressive law that has sentence the most vulnerable to the sex trade,” S-Mazariegos said. “We are seeing the lack of equity in the community, the cause and consequence of gender inequality and a violation of our basic human rights. What we are seeing is sexual exploitation at its finest.”

Both advocates are encouraged by Bradford’s Ebony Alert.

The racism and inequity cited has resulted in the development of an underground support system by Brantley, S-Mazariegos and other community-based organizations who have united to demand change.

Thus far they are receiving support from Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, and Oakland City Councilmembers Nikki Fortunato Bas and Reid of the second and seventh districts respectively.

For more information, go to http://www.blackandmissinginc.com

Activism

The Case Against SB357: Black, Vulnerable and Trafficked

on April 25, the committee approved Senate Bill 14 which would make human trafficking of minors a felony and strikable offense forcing exploiters to serve 80% of their sentence.

Published

1 week ago

May 20, 2023

Oakland Post

Nola Brantley is the co-founder of MISSSEY. Photo courtesy of Nola Brantley.

PART 8 – Come Back to Humanity

Although California Senate Bill 357 was intended to alleviate arrests of willing sex workers under anti-loitering laws, The Black, Vulnerable and Exploited series has established that passing SB 357 and other similar legislation harms Black communities, one of the most vulnerable and traumatized groups in America.

Over the past several weeks, overwhelming evidence against SB 357 has been presented showing why sex trafficking disproportionately impacts the Black community and how decriminalizing sex buying and exploitation will further harm vulnerable Black communities.

By Tanya Dennis and Vanessa Russell

One year and one day after Blair Williams had killed herself by walking into traffic on a busy freeway, her sister, Brianna Williams, testified before the California Senate Public Safety Committee on the horrors of sex-trafficking.

Soon after, on April 25, the committee approved Senate Bill 14 which would make human trafficking of minors a felony and strikable offense forcing exploiters to serve 80% of their sentence.

Passed with bi-partisan support in the committee, the bill means a lot to people who have been trafficked as it shows that the punishment for trafficking will be equal to the crime.

Currently, exploiters who receive 10 years for trafficking a minor may be able to get out in as little as two years. This practice of letting someone out after selling a child has created apathy among survivors who wonder if anyone understands the pain and torture they endure. The unanimous acceptance of this bill in committee is helping survivors to feel protected and valuable.

Led by Senator Aisha Wahab, the committee, which included senators Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, Steven Bradford, Senator Scott D. Wiener and Oakland’s Nancy Skinner, unanimously passed the bill written by Senator Shannon Grove.

At the hearing, Brianna Williams, a Black 28-year-old woman who was sex-trafficked in Oakland at the age of 13, shared the story of her sister Blair, who was terrorized, raped, and tortured by her exploiter.

Suffering a mental break, Blair walked onto a freeway where she was instantly killed on April 24, 2022.

Williams described Blair as a beautiful young lady, who was an avid reader and creative who loved to play with her niece and nephews and aspired to be an attorney. Blair died at the age of 23. Many senators teared up as they contemplated the torture Blair endured.

At the age of 17, Williams was able to exit with the help of nonprofits and churches who invested in her life, providing workforce development, education, mentoring, and legal help.

To address the harm that is being done to vulnerable people such as Black girls, anti-trafficking organizations are asking leaders and legislators and even proponents of full decriminalization for sex work to ‘come back to humanity’ and reconsider an ‘equity model’ that decriminalizes the exploited but maintains accountability for the buyers and exploiters.

The equity model would also provide funded exit services including mental health, housing, workforce development, and legal services for the exploited. These services would provide an opportunity for the trafficked to start again, an opportunity that 76% of women, men and transgendered people are asking for.

However, making buyers and exploiters accountable does not mean applying blanket life sentences.

Human trafficking cannot be ‘criminalized’ away, supporters of the new bill say, and instead they call for thoughtfulness and empathy regarding the intentions of those involved and ask tough questions.

Many exploiters have been abused and groomed into becoming exploiters in the same way the exploited are.

There are early intervention diversion programs that can help first-time sex buyers and exploiters take ownership for the harm they have caused, process the root of their behavior, and begin to heal and change.

Giving buyers and exploiters a platform to be accountable and make amends improves their lives, the lives of the families they are also harming, and hopefully bring some healing to the harmed.

Nola Brantley, a survivor, co-founder of Motivating, Inspiring Supporting and Serving Sexually Exploited Youth (MISSSEY), and CEO of Nola Brantley Speaks says, “As service providers, we must unite and support one another because this is very important and hard. We can’t do it alone. We need each other and the community needs us to be in solidarity!”

For more information, go to ResearchGate and Layout 1 (depaul.edu)

To get involved, join Violence Prevention Coalition for a City Wide Peace Summit on June 24^th from 10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. at Laney College in Oakland. To register, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/city-wide-peace-summit-tickets-622795647547

Tanya Dennis serves on the Board of Oakland Frontline Healers (OFH) and series co-author Vanessa Russell of “Love Never Fails Us” and member of OFH.