National

School Board’s Superintendent Interviews Insensitive to Emanuel Massacre

Published

11 years ago

July 7, 2015

Oakland Post

Rev. Nelson B. Rivers, III (Courtesy Photo)

By Barney Blakeney
Special to the NNPA from The Charleston Chronicle

The search for a new Charleston County schools superintendent has been an ongoing controversy. Last week that controversy persisted with the backdrop of the massacre at Emanuel AME Church.

Rev. Nelson Rivers of Charity Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston criticized school board chair Cindy Coats and county school board members for going forward last week with the interviews of the three finalists for the job as Charleston mourned the murders of nine worshippers at Emanuel. The murders are among the worst atrocities in American history.

“Your decision to conduct the interviews of the candidates last week in the aftermath of the racist act of terrorism was unconscionable. Your level of insensitivity and disregard is amazing. How could you expect the necessary participation from the Black community, the clergy and others so soon after the brutal murders of our families and friends?”

“Among all the calls for healing and understanding, your actions stand alone as the glaring contradiction,” Rivers said. “Many elected leaders of our community spoke in unison about what must be done to not go back to business as usual … but apparently to you, it was business as usual.”

The school board interviewed the finalists June 22, 23 and 24 after the June 17 murders at Emanuel. Rivers asked if the board’s decision to move forward with the interviews was born of arrogance. He asked that the process of naming a superintendent, slated to happen this week, be delayed to allow community input. The board is expected to name its choice for superintendent by the end of the week.

Board member Rev. Chris Collins participated in the interviews, but feels critics have a valid point. His colleague Michael Miller also participated in one of the interviews. Miller said despite the atrocity at Emanuel, the school board still had business to conduct.

Charleston NAACP Vice President Rev. Joseph Darby supported Rivers’ contention over conducting the interviews even as mourners encircled Emanuel just one block away from school district headquarters on Calhoun Street.

“I keep looking for signs that the majority of the school board has an interest in all schools, children and families. I’m still waiting, but based on what I’ve seen thus far, I’m not holding my breath and will be very glad when the next election comes,” Darby said.”

Former school board chair Ruth Jordan said she thinks it was in poor taste to conduct the interviews as mourners grieved almost in front of the district’s offices. Moreover, conducting the interviews during that time didn’t allow many who wanted to participate in the process that opportunity, she said.

Jordan noted that high profile national figures such as presidential candidate Jeb Bush cancelled visits to the city during last week out of respect in the wake of the tragedy.

Conducting the interviews shows insensitivity and a lack of compassion and did not accomplish its goal of giving the public a chance to meet the finalists, Jordan said.

“They (board members) can’t say they held a public forum. The public was in mourning and was unavailable,” she said.

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Community

Four Candidates, Including Incumbent Barbara Lee, Qualify for Oakland Mayor’s Race

POST NEWS GROUP — Four candidates, including incumbent Mayor Barbara Lee, filed their papers to run for office by last Friday’s deadline, and the City Clerk issued a list this week of those who are qualified to run.

Published

2 days ago

August 15, 2026

bpusa-syndication

View of downtown Oakland, California and City Hall. iStock photo.

By Post Staff

The four mayoral candidates who will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot are:

Brenda Grisham. A business owner in East Oakland and public safety advocate, Grisham led the successful recall campaign against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. As part of her platform, she pledges to work with local, state, and federal partners to secure stricter gun control measures and investments in community violence intervention programs.

Barbara Lee. A former congressional representative and state Assembly member, Lee was elected by voters in a special election last year for a two-year term. Now running for a four-year term, she points out that her administration achieved major successes in addressing some of the city’s major challenges, including balancing the city budget, dramatically reducing crime, and making significant inroads into homelessness and illegal dumping.

Mindy Pechenuk. An educator and activist, Pechenuk is a registered Republican and supporter of Lyndon LaRouche, who has been described by observers as a conspiracy theorist and cult leader. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in last year’s special election and for the at-large council seat in 2024. She seeks to end Oakland’s police commission and MACRO and invest in more police while launching a new local war on drugs.

Julius Robinson. While little information is available so far about Robinson, he was quoted in a KTVU story about Thao’s recall, stating that people in Oakland want to come together as a community but lack infrastructure and leadership.

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Black History

Oakland Observes Black August with Block Parties, Film Showings, Workshops

POST NEWS GROUP — Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

Published

2 days ago

August 15, 2026

bpusa-syndication

George Jackson wrote two books: “Soledad Brother,” and “Blood in My Eye” before her was killed in an attempt to escape prison on Aug. 21, 1971.

By Jana Lang, Propel Youth Reporter

Study. Train. Fast. Fight.

These are the four tenets of Black August, a month dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of political prisoners and Black revolutionaries in the struggle for Black liberation.

Observers are urged to study the history of the Black struggle for freedom, train their bodies for health and self-defense, fast to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, and fight ongoing oppression alongside their communities and local political organizations.

Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

While in prison, George befriended fellow prisoner W.L. Nolen, who introduced him to the works of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Frantz Fanon. This radicalization coupled with his experiences of violence while imprisoned led to him writing and publishing two books, “Soledad Brother” (1970), and “Blood in my Eye” (1972). In January of 1970, George and two other prisoners were charged with murdering a corrections officer at Soledad State Prison in Monterey County.

On Aug. 7, 1970, Jonathan Jackson burst into a Marin County courtroom armed with a shotgun to demand the freedom of the Soledad Brothers. He, along with the inmates he freed, was shot and killed while driving away. This involved one of the Black Panther Party’s most notable associates, Angela Davis, because the shotgun was registered in her name. She was later acquitted of charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder in 1972.

On Aug. 21, 1971, George Jackson was assassinated by a corrections officer after attempting to escape and free other inmates. As a result, there were uprisings and protests within prisons all over the country that year, calling forth resistance against racial oppression and mass incarceration.

Since its outset, Black August has evolved across the country, taking many forms to honor this history and embody the four tenets.

In Oakland, the upcoming Black August Experience, hosted by Youth Alive! and the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), is a free, family-friendly event celebrating the legacy of Black August. Activities include free food and drinks, a kids’ activity zone, interactive workshops, live cooking and boxing demonstrations, and more.

Happening on Aug. 21 from 4-8 p.m. at the EOBA Patio, Carolyn Flynn, director of administration at EOBA, said the event, in its second year, will be an opportunity to engage with people in person through food, shared space, and education.

“We do regular classes in education, and those are ongoing programs that we offer, but we wanted to have [an opportunity] for our neighbors to utilize this space.” Combined with Youth Alive’s work in community violence prevention and youth leadership, this event surely aims to bring the Oakland community together to capture what Black August means today.

Here are additional Black August events happening in Oakland:

Forum and Community Discussion hosted by the Oakland Liberation Center, 1499 Fruitvale Ave., Aug. 14, 7 p.m.

“George Jackson/San Quentin” Screening hosted by Nostalgic for Nothing Cinema at Moments Co-Op, 410 13th St., Aug. 16, doors at 6 p.m., show at 6:30 p.m. (Masks required and scent-free)

Commemorating the Struggle, Building the Altar for Liberation: Black August at Bandung Books, 2269 International Blvd., Aug. 23rd, 1-5 p.m.

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.