Activism

School Board Election Could End Deadlock on Sharply Divided Board

With the board unable to reach a decision on appointing a new member, the Alameda County Office of Education recently stepped in, ordering an election in November to fill the remaining one year-term for the District 5 seat, which represents the Fruitvale District. The D5 seat was left vacant when its representative, Boardmember Mike Hutchinson, ran and ultimately won in D4 after his residence address was moved during the citywide redistricting process.

Published

10 months ago

June 18, 2023

Oakland Post

Sasha Ritzie-Hernandez. Courtesy photo.

So far, one candidate has stepped forward: Sasha Ritzie-Hernandez

By Ken Epstein

The Oakland Board of Education, operating at present with one vacancy, is sharply divided, 3-3, on many major issues that impact Oakland families, including the future of special education programs, budget cuts at school sites, school closings, and whether to support “common good” demands for community needs raised by Oakland teachers during their recent strike.

The D5 seat was left vacant when its representative, Boardmember Mike Hutchinson, ran and ultimately won in D4 after his residence address was moved during the citywide redistricting process.

On one side of the polarized school board are members who have been outspokenly opposed to school closings and spoke during the recent Oakland teachers’ strike in favor of the union’s “common good” demands: VanCedric Williams, Jennifer Brouhard, and Valarie Bachelor.

On the other side are Board President Hutchinson, Sam Davis, and Cliff Thompson, who have tended to align with positions taken by the district administration, including voting to potentially merge or consolidate schools and voting to cut special education special day classes and programs in the face of major parent opposition.

So far, one candidate for the D5 seat has stepped forward: Sasha Ritzie-Hernandez, who strongly supports Oakland educators. A graduate of Oakland High and Holy Names University, she already has a campaign website: www.sasharitziehernandez.com.

Born in Mexico, she migrated to Oakland at the age of 12 in 2002 and has lived in the Fruitvale District for more than 20 years. Her mother was a teacher in Mexico for 24 years, and Ritzie-Hernandez describe herself as someone who was on the “frontlines” backing the last two Oakland teachers’ strikes.

Openly queer and married to a woman, she is coalition coordinator of the Bay Area Coalition for Education Justice (BACEJ), where she works for “quality public education for students,” she said on her website.

She has been an activist much of her life. While in high school she organized against police brutality in the wake of the killing of Oscar Grant and worked for the DREAM Act.

She formerly worked for Alameda County’s Registrar of Voters Office as a bilingual instructor and organized support for the campaign for the passage of Reparations for Black Students resolution. She currently serves on the Alameda County Spanish Language Advisory Committee.

“My goal (on the board) is to create a culture of accountability through authentic shared decision-making. With your support we can have a school board that centers and is accountable to students, families, and educators,” she wrote.

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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

Published

16 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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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

1 week 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

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.”