News

300 Publishers Strong at Publisher’s Convention in Las Vegas

Published

7 years ago

February 5, 2018

Just days before President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Monday night, 300 publishers and representatives of the Black media convened at the (National Newspaper Publishers Association) NNPA’s Mid Winter Training in Las Vegas. Entitled “Training, Innovation and the Reaffirmation of the Trusted Value of the Black Press,” the forum hosted its very own state of the union, more specifically on the State of Black America.

“In 2018 we are recognizing and celebrating the 191th anniversary of the Black Press in America and the 50th anniversary of the death of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.” said NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. “While we honor the past we are planning for the future. This session will include valuable information to guide us in the right direction.”

Dr. Lezli Baskerville, President and CEO, National Association of Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) discussed the “State of Higher Education for HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). Baskerville designed a $1B sustainable endowment to fund HBCUs and students attending HBCUs.

“Our HBCUs are too dependent on government money and are underfunded,” she explained. “It’s time for us to generate the wealth required to fund higher education for our students.”

Dr. Amos C. Brown, Senior Pastor of San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church gave a stirring speech on the “State of Civil Rights.” He shared how at the tender age of 14 seeing the photo of the maimed Emmett Till, murdered by a white mob. Similar in age, Brown said he was compelled to join a protest that nearly got him kicked out of school, were it not for a school advocate.

The events were the catalyst for his unrelenting commitment to the Civil Rights Movement “and my first lesson in the importance of standing up and fighting for what you believe,” said Brown. “Now more than ever we have to stand up for what is right and just.”

Brown, Chair of Religious Affairs for the NAACP and President of the San Francisco NAACP, has fought for Civil Rights for over 5 decades. He says he’s tried to live up to his first name (Amos), which means “the prophet who bears the burdens of the people.”

“We have to pay for our own freedom and not be held in captivity by Trump,” he added.

Brown also discussed local politics and described the unseating of San Francisco interim mayor, Supervisor London Breed, as “an attack on Black womanhood and a blatant bold act of racist politics.”

“Breed was thrown under the bus by the whites and Chinese,” he said. “They changed the rules mid-stream and put in her place a white male venture capitalist (Supervisor Mark Ferrell), representing the wealthy and tech industries. He also voted for taser guns and blocked affordable housing in his Marina district.”

“We’ve got to get back to, “Unbuntu,” (the South African word for human kindness) and the embodiment of, ‘Because I am, we are.”

Following Brown’s rousing speech, Revered Tony Lee, founder of the Community of Hope A.M.E. Church in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland, spoke profoundly on the “State of the Black Church” in America.

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Activism

NAACP California-Hawaii State Convention Highlights Black Voter Engagement, and More

A Friday panel featuring NAACP Chairman Leon W. Russell and Regina Wilson, Executive Director of California Black Media, examined Project 2025, an initiative perceived as a potential threat to civil rights, healthcare access, and environmental protection. This session emphasized Project 2025’s projected impact on Black communities, noting that policies within the initiative could diminish gains in civil and environmental rights over decades. Russell and Wilson highlighted the need for vigilant monitoring and community mobilization to address these challenges.

Published

22 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Oakland Post

NAACP State Conference President Rick Callender (right) engages in a discussion on voter engagement and community advocacy with NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson during the 37th NAACP California-Hawaii State Convention in Los Angeles. Photo by Rich Woods.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

The 37th NAACP California-Hawaii State Convention concluded on Sunday, Oct 27, following four days of discussions and workshops at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott. Bringing together civil rights leaders, policymakers, and advocates from California and Hawaii, the convention operated under the theme “All In.” The participants discussed critical issues impacting Black communities, including criminal justice reform, health equity, economic empowerment, education, environmental justice, and voting rights.

On Saturday, the President’s Fireside Chat brought together NAACP President Derrick Johnson and CA/HI State Conference President Rick Callender, who discussed the urgency of voter engagement and community advocacy.

Guest speakers included Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA-43), who spoke at the Women in NAACP (WIN) Labor Luncheon about the intersection of labor rights and civil rights. California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond delivered remarks at the Leadership Dinner on education equity, focusing on policies to ensure all students have access to high-quality education.

Honors were given to longtime social justice advocate and former Assemblymember Mike Davis for his work in community activism. At the same time, actor and activist Danny Glover and the Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown received the 2024 Legacy Hall of Fame Awards, recognizing their lifelong commitments to advancing civil rights.

The convention also offered practical workshops, including “What’s On Your Ballot?,” where coalition leaders provided analyses of California propositions, explaining their potential impacts on community rights and resources. The Voter Turnout Workshop provided background and encouraged participants to promote voter turnout through community-centered outreach strategies.

Sunday’s events closed with a Prayer and Memorial Breakfast honoring the contributions of past and current civil rights leaders.

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Bay Area

Alameda County Judge Blasts Defendants Over Delay in West Oakland Fire Trial

Judge Kimberly Lowell excoriated the RadiusRecycling/SchnitzerSteel defendants in court for causing delays in prosecuting this case. Since the defendants first appeared in court on July 23, they have obtained three extensions of the arraignment date.

Published

23 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Criminal charges announced this week are related to the August 2023 scrap metal fire at Radius Recycling Inc., formerly Schnitzer Steel. Photo courtesy of Oaklandside.

Special to The Post

District Attorney Pamela Price announced that a hearing was held on October 30 in the criminal prosecution of the Radius Recycling/Schnitzer Steel involving a fire at the West Oakland facility on Aug. 9-10, 2023.

The Alameda County criminal Grand Jury indicted radius Recycling and two of its corporate managers in June 2024.

The court clarified that the defendants will not receive more extensions on their arraignment and plea.

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price agreed with the court that defendants should not get preferential treatment. Price and her team appreciated the court for clarifying that future delays by Radius will not be tolerated.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s (BAAQMD) public data shows that during and after the fire, the smoke plume traveled across Alameda County with high levels of PM 2.5 (Particulate Matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter) detected around Laney College in Oakland, Livermore, Pleasanton, and West Oakland.

PM2.5 is particularly harmful to infants and children, the elderly, and people with asthma or heart disease.

“This fire posed a great health hazard to the people of Alameda County,” said Price. “High, short-term exposures to a toxic smoke plume have been shown to cause significant danger to human health.

“Additionally, in this case, Oakland firefighters battled the blaze under extremely dangerous conditions for 15 hours with assistance from a San Francisco Fire Department fireboat and a fireboat from the City of Alameda Fire Department,” Price observed.

The team prosecuting the case from the DA’s Consumer Justice Bureau looks forward to resolving any future motions and having the defendants arraigned in court on Dec. 9.

The media relations office of the Alameda County District Attorney’s office is the source of this report.

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Alameda County

D.A. Price Charges Coliseum Flea Market Vendors in Organized Retail Theft Case

The charges against Octavio Ambriz Valle, 52, Devora Ambriz Valle, 49, and Felipe Del Toro Trejo, 54, include multiple felony counts of possessing stolen property and organized retail theft in concert. It is alleged that the trio of vendors possessed stolen property valued at $348,466 from nine different retailers, including Kohl’s, Macy’s, PetSmart, Sephora, Sunglass Hut, TJX, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart.

Published

23 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Alameda County courthouse. Courtesy photo.

Alameda County Courthouse File photo.

Special to The Post

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announced today that her office charged three people in connection with multiple organized retail theft crimes stemming from a sophisticated criminal enterprise operating at the Oakland Coliseum Flea Market from March 26, 2023, through April 17, 2024.

It is alleged that the trio of vendors possessed stolen property valued at $348,466 from nine different retailers, including Kohl’s, Macy’s, PetSmart, Sephora, Sunglass Hut, TJX, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart.

Last year, the District Attorney’s Office successfully competed and received a $2 million grant from the California Department of Justice to combat organized retail theft. Price added another $2 million to bolster the Organized Retail Crime Alameda (ORCA) unit which is fully operational and collaborating with numerous law enforcement agencies.

“For over a year, this enterprise supported criminal networks by requesting and buying specific products from brazen boosters who repeatedly terrorized retailers,” said Price. “I want to acknowledge our Organized Retail Crime Alameda (ORCA) Vertical Prosecution Unit for its great work and the role they played in this multi-jurisdiction investigation, which included the California Highway Patrol Golden Gate Division Organized Retail Crime Task Force, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, and San Ramon Police Department.”

If convicted and sentenced on all charges, Octavio Ambriz Valle faces a maximum sentence of nine years in County jail; Devora Ambriz Valle faces a maximum sentence of five years in County jail; and Felipe Del Toro Trejo faces a maximum sentence of three years and eight months in County jail.