Activism

State’s Only Black Female D.A. Announces Decades-Old Cold Case Solved

During an emotional news conference, a representative of the three agencies said Jerry Lee Henderson murdered the Contra Costa Community College student inside her Richmond home. Chief Tirona said Henderson had died 11 days after the killing. He was identified through DNA left at the scene.

Published

2 years ago

May 2, 2022

Oakland Post

Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton, California’s only Black D.A.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton, California’s only Black D.A., recently joined the state Attorney General Rob Bonta and Acting Richmond Police Chief Louie Tirona to announce that they have identified the man who killed 28-year-old Meekiah Wadley in 1999.

During an emotional news conference, a representative of the three agencies said Jerry Lee Henderson murdered the Contra Costa Community College student inside her Richmond home.

Chief Tirona said Henderson had died 11 days after the killing. He was identified through DNA left at the scene.

“I know it’s been a long 22 years since this heinous crime was committed, and justice doesn’t always come swiftly,” said Becton, speaking at a news conference last week. “Today’s announcement is a major testament to the determination of our law enforcement partners, forensic scientists, and investigators who continued to work on this case for over 20 years and who never gave up the search for the truth.”

Investigators solved the murder using California’s familial DNA search program.

Becton, who is on the ballot for the June 7 primary election, joins former Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley and Sacramento County District Attorney Ann Marie Schubert as California D.A.s who have used this technique.

Becton, 70, was in the fourth year of a 22-year run as a Contra Costa Superior Court judge at the time of Wadley’s death.

In September 2017, the county’s Board of Supervisors appointed her Contra Costa’s 25th district attorney, the first African American female to hold the position. In June 2018, the graduate of San Francisco State University and Golden Gate University School of Law was elected to a full term.

Becton said her priority is keeping the streets of Contra Costa County safe from dangerous and violent criminals. She says she is committed to safeguarding communities from crimes that threaten health, well-being, and livelihood, and protecting seniors from financial abuse. She is also committed to providing positive outcomes for youth.

Becton wants to serve Contra Costa’s 1.1 million residents for four more years. To “effect change” and ensure a “fair” judicial system, she said in an interview with California Black Media (CBM).

“What I’ve come to realize, though what seems like a short time some days, we’ve gotten a lot done. But the truth is that there’s so much more work to do,” she said.

‘This truly is, in terms of building sustainable change that is going to last, is a blueprint. It’s just not something that is going to happen in a short haul. I am running for reelection to continue the important work that we have started.”

Becton removed juvenile justice fees that severely affected low-income families of color, created the Reimagine Youth Justice Task Force to discover alternative solutions to juvenile justice, and established “Clean Slate Day” to allow former offenders opportunities to clear their criminal records.

In addition, Becton set up the first Human Trafficking Unit to fight the sex trade, addressed racial disparities, advanced youth justice by establishing the county’s first diversion program, and held law enforcement and public officials accountable.

In April 2021, Becton announced felony voluntary manslaughter and felony assault with a semi-automatic firearm, and unreasonable force charges against Danville police officer and deputy Andrew Hall in the shooting of Laudemer Arboleda in 2018.

Becton said the cop killed Arboleda, who was reportedly driving six miles per hour, “without lawful excuse of justification.” Becton achieved a conviction in that case.

In October 2021, Hall, who is White, was convicted by a jury of assault with a firearm and sentenced to six years in prison on March 4.

Six weeks before Hall was charged for killing Arboleda, shooting him 10 times, he fatally shot a Black unhoused and mentally ill man. The killing of Tyrell Wilson by Hall is still under investigation.

“Deputy Hall’s actions were not only a crime, but they tarnished the badge, and they harmed the reputation of all the good, hard-working police officers that work for our community,” Becton said in a statement.

Months after a jury convicted a former Minnesota police officer of killing George Floyd. It was the first time a Contra Costa cop was charged and convicted in a police-involved shooting.

Becton gets flak for easing the court’s burden by not prosecuting every low-level, non-violent crime, including offenders arrested with small amounts of drugs that come across her desk in an effort to reduce the “footprint” of mass incarceration.

“It’s quite interesting now that I have a historic conviction of an officer in Contra Costa County. But I would say, all and all, that we have mutual respect. I have 25 law enforcement agencies in 19 cities that I work with,” Becton told CBM. “It’s a loud opposition from the Sheriff who may not like the fact that one of his got convicted. But I am not deterred by that. It won’t stop me from being collaborative with these agencies when it is important to bring their voices to the table.”

As District Attorney Becton leads a prosecutorial office of approximately 200 lawyers, investigators, and staff.

Becton was raised in East Oakland by her self-employed beautician mother and her airplane mechanic father. Her journey to be an attorney, judge, and elected official was inspired by a civil rights movement she was able to personally witness in the late 1950s and 1960s.

“My commitment is to keep our community safe but also make this a fair system for everyone. That’s my priority,” Becton said. “I’ve made it a point that not only our traditional justice partners are at the table but people in the community are at the table as well. They (all) help us in problem-solving.”

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Activism

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

6 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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Activism

WOMEN IMPACTING THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

Published

1 day 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.

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Activism

Oakland’s ‘Green the Church,’ Others, Host a Climate Revival

On April 20, Oakland’s Green The Church California (GTC) and the Center For Food, Faith and Justice will celebrate Earth Day and present a Climate Revival event titled “Growing Healthy Communities From Soil To The Soul” at McGee Avenue Baptist Church at 1640 Stuart St, Berkeley, CA. The day will include inspiring talks, interactive workshops, networking opportunities, and a special panel on Food Sovereignty and Global Food Resilience.

Published

1 day ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

The revival will take place at McGee Avenue Baptist Church in Berkeley on April 20. Courtesy image.

Growing Healthy Communities from Soil to the Soul in Berkeley

By Y’Anad Burrell

The day will include inspiring talks, interactive workshops, networking opportunities, and a special panel on Food Sovereignty and Global Food Resilience.

The keynote speaker is Rev. Danté R. Quick, PhD, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, N.J. Quick is well known in the Bay Area, having served for more than 10 years as pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Vallejo, CA.

Green The Church, founded in 2010 by Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, Sr., and headquartered in Oakland, helps galvanize Black churches and their local communities and leaders to address issues critical to populations historically disengaged from conversations around pollution and health, climate change, and sustainability and energy efficiency.

The organization collaborates with major environmental, sustainability, food security, faith, and community-based non-profit organizations, and is committed to “creation justice”—care and justice for God’s people and the planet—and building the Beloved Community.

Environmental justice has long been a pressing concern for communities of color who bear the brunt of pollution and ecological degradation. Climate change exacerbates these issues, disproportionately impacting vulnerable communities. Recognizing this urgency, Black churches across the country are taking action.

With deep roots in the African American community and its commitment to social justice, the Black Church has become an essential advocate for sustainable practices and policies.

Over the past 14 years, in a powerful collaboration with significant environmental, sustainability, food security, faith, and community-based non-profit organizations, GTC has created a cadre of Black churches engaging in the environmental justice, climate, and sustainability movement.

GTC presently works with more than 1,000 pastors and congregations across the U.S., and groups in the Bahamas, Ghana, Nigeria, and the UK, showing that we can make a difference together.

The partnership between environmental justice advocates and the Black Church extends beyond individual congregations. Green The Church provides resources and support for faith communities seeking to address climate change and promote environmental justice.

Through collaboration, initiatives such as energy efficiency programs, solar installations, and environmental education have been implemented in Black churches nationwide. These efforts reduce the carbon footprint and save money on energy bills, benefiting the congregations and their communities.

The involvement of the Black Church in the fight against climate change is not just a participation, it’s a powerful message that galvanizes action across communities.

By integrating environmental justice into their ministry, Black churches are demonstrating that addressing climate change is not only a matter of science but also of social and moral responsibility, inspiring change at a grassroots level.

For more information, go to: www.greenthechurch.org.