Commentary

COMMENTARY: Our Planet is Melting. Who Cares?

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Our world is melting. Glaciers are disappearing. Oceans are rising. Lowlands (mostly populated by low income and Black people) are disappearing. And, before Democrats took power in this term, few other than Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the New Green Deal have been able to address matters of climate change and, in the words of the New Poor People’s Campaign, “ecological devastation.”

Published

6 years ago

February 9, 2019

Oakland Post

By Julianne Malveaux, NNPA Newswire Contributor

The Right Reverend William Barber has revived Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign. He has reminded us that the triple evils of an age were racism, militarism, and poverty. But he has advanced the struggle for social and economic justice by including ecological devastation and the intersection between religion and morality.

Dr. King indicated that one of the evils could not exist without another. Racism, militarism, and poverty were intertwined. Moving it forward, capitalism, militarism, and racism have been responsible for much of the ecological devastation we have experienced.

Rev. William Barber has made it plain. His namesake son (William Barber III) has been involved in the environmental movement and took his dad to Alaska, where the melting of the glaciers was obvious. “We could see where they were five years ago, and where they are today. We are losing our glaciers”. The young Dr. Barber told his dad that we might see seismic changes in as few as twenty years.

Melting glaciers in Alaska. Melting glaciers in Antarctica. Government reports that were delayed because of the government shutdown, but a final report from the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (noaa.gov) says that 2018 was one of the four hottest years on record for the globe. The heat makes a difference. It accelerates storms and hurricanes. It places low-lying areas at risk. And trivially (but some of us live this) the fluctuations between cold and heat affect the quality of roads.

Many Republicans are oblivious to the challenges of climate change. That man who occupies the People’s House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue spent 82 minutes bloviating without mentioning climate change or global warming (or the 400th year since enslaved people crossed these wretched borders), but even as he ignored a pressing issue, there were official acknowledgments of the ways that global warming has shifted our climate realities. In the name of party loyalty, some Republicans are willing to imperil our planet.

Democrats aren’t much better. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been focused on climate change and has assembled a congressional panel to deal with the matter. The New Green Deal says that the Speaker’s focus is insufficient, and first-year legislator Alexandria Ocasia-Cortez (D-NY) has promoted a “Green New Deal” that addresses comprehensive ways to deal with social, economic, and environmental justice.

Leader Pelosi and Congresswoman AOC both care about the ways our planet is melting, although they approach legislative fixes in different ways. Pelosi would take a deep dive in environmental issues. AOC would connect environmental devastation to wages, education, and quality of life. The two dynamos are on the same page, but their approach is different. Pelosi is the more skilled leader and negotiator and will find her position enhanced if she can use the AOC agenda to advance her own.

The bottom line, though, is that our planet is melting. We hear a “State of Disunion” address that bloviated on for 82 minutes and mentioned climate change not once. In the days after the pathetic campaign speech masquerading as a State of the Union address, we saw Democrats lift the challenges of climate change, and Republicans to ignore those challenges. And our world melts on.

Our world is melting. Glaciers are disappearing. Oceans are rising. Lowlands (mostly populated by low income and Black people) are disappearing. And, before Democrats took power in this term, few other than Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the New Green Deal have been able to address matters of climate change and, in the words of the New Poor People’s Campaign, “ecological devastation.”

How does ecological devastation shape issues of social and economic justice? When folks choose to disrespect the environment, they mainly want to disrespect those who are most vulnerable – people who are at the periphery of the economy, those who have garbage dumps and toxic waste placed near their homes. There was a focus on environmental justice with the Environmental Protection Agency before this administration decided that there was no need to protect the environment. And there has been a stunning silence among civil rights organizations who don’t’ think that the melting of our plant is essential.

Our planet is melting. A few legislators care. What about the rest of us? Do we understand that, in the words of Rev. William Barber, that without a healthy planet, we have no platform to fight for social and economic justice, for our civil rights?

Julianne Malveaux is an author and economist. Her latest book “Are We Better Off? Race, Obama and Public Policy” is available via www.amazon.com for booking, wholesale inquiries or for more info visitwww.juliannemalveaux.com

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Oakland Post: Week of January 1 – 7, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 1 – 7, 2025

Published

16 hours ago

January 2, 2025

Oakland Post

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.

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Racially Motivated Violence Against Black Teen Prompts $10 Million Claim Against LAUSD 

In December, a second altercation, on a video shared with news media, showed 4 to 6 boys attacking a Black student and using racial slurs. The video also shows a person in a safety vest trying to stop the fight and telling them to “handle it after school.” Then, the video ends. 

Published

4 days ago

December 30, 2024

Oakland Post

(Left to right) Civil Rights Attorney Caree Harper comforts the victim’s mother as she becomes emotional when describing the attacks on her son while her attorney Bradley C. Gage listens. Verdugo Hills High School on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2024, in Tujunga, CA. (Solomon O. Smith /for California Black Media)

By Solomon O. Smith, California Black Media

A distraught mother and her legal team announced a $10 million lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) on Dec. 16, alleging that her son was the target of bullying because of his race.

“CS DOE is a 14-year-old African American student at Verdugo High School. He is a Ninth Grader,” reads a statement the plaintiff’s attorneys shared with California Black Media (CBM).

“Almost from the first day of class (in August 2024), CS DOE was targeted by Latino students who called him racial slurs, physically attacked him and threatened to stab him.”

The family’s identity has not yet been released to the public due to safety concerns, according to their attorneys Bradley C. Gage and Caree Harper. The student’s mother is identified only as A.O. in the complaint.

The first video, filmed in August, showed several non-Black students punching and kicking a Black student in a bathroom on campus while yelling racial slurs. The mother claims that the students who attacked her son were not punished, and the administration asked her to move her son to another school for his safety.

“They wanted him to leave the school without giving any disciplinary action towards those students,” said the student’s mother. “He’s not going anywhere. He’s going to finish. I wanted him to at least stay until the December winter break, and then I was going to transfer schools for him.”

Before she could enroll her son in a different school the attacks escalated.

CS DOE, a 14-year-old freshman, left the school but was followed by a car, according to Gage. Several individuals exited the vehicle, one with a “large butcher knife.” A fight ensued and two people were stabbed. The Black student was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon but was later released into his mother’s custody.

The high school freshmen is scheduled to appear in juvenile court on Feb. 1, but Harper says she will reach out to the District Attorney and make the case against charging the young man.

“His mama had to go find him because he was hiding and fleeing for his very life,” said Harper.

According to the boy’s mother, the young student is still traumatized and has not been able to return to the area because it remains unsafe. Racial slurs have also been spray painted on their home.

“I’m sad. I’m devastated, you know,” said the mother. “I still feel like they’re after him. I still feel like they can kill him, possibly.”

The LAUSD and principal of Verdugo High School did not respond to CBM’s requests for comment.

If you are – or someone you know is – has experienced a hate crime or hate incident, please visit CAvsHate.org for more information and to find out what you can do about it.

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2024 In Review: 7 Questions for the California Association of Black School Educators 

CABSE members represent governmental agencies, charter schools and charter school organizations, public school districts, traditional public schools, and community colleges. The organization’s primary goal is to expand PK-14 educational opportunities for all students in California, with an emphasis on under-represented and under-served Black students.

Published

4 days ago

December 30, 2024

Oakland Post

CABSE members represent governmental agencies, charter schools and charter school organizations, public school districts, traditional public schools, and community colleges. The organization’s primary goal is to expand PK-14 educational opportunities for all students in California, with an emphasis on under-represented and under-served Black students.

CABSE President Satra Zurita and Conference Chair Micah Ali.

By Edward Henderson, California Black Media

The California Association of Black School Educators (CABSE) is an organization consisting of elected and appointed school officials, administrators and instructors from across California who are committed to advancing equity for Black students.

CABSE members represent governmental agencies, charter schools and charter school organizations, public school districts, traditional public schools, and community colleges.

The organization’s primary goal is to expand PK-14 educational opportunities for all students in California, with an emphasis on under-represented and under-served Black students.

California Black Media (CBM) spoke with CABSE President Satra Zurita and Conference Chair Micah Ali about this year’s successes, disappointments, and plans for the organization coming into the new year.

Looking back at 2024, what stands out to you as your most important achievement and why?

Ali: I would have to say that two highlights have been the ongoing support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Engie, and other sponsors that have enabled us to bring together like-minded education leaders twice a year to collectively advance innovative and meaningful strategies to achieve change on behalf of Black students across our state.

How did your leadership and investments contribute to improving the lives of Black Californians? 

Zurita: CABSE’s leadership and investment in improving the education system for Black students in our great state has resulted in a long-standing focus on transforming public education and its response to Black students. By pulling from the very wisdom of those educators and leaders who care deeply about Black students and who are showing great promise through their efforts.

What frustrated you the most over the last year? 

Zurita: Continuing to see the deep impact of COVID-19 Pandemic school site closures on students academically and emotionally — especially Black students. This makes our work and our advocacy more vital than ever.

CBM: What inspired you the most over the last year?

Zurita: Seeing our CABSE convenings grow in depth and breadth — our strategies, powerful content and reach.

What is one lesson you learned in 2024 that will inform your decision-making next year?

Ali: Our Blueprint for Education Equity is a crowd-sourced framework of strategies that have shown great promise for improving the education experiences and opportunities for Black students. In 2024, we developed an equity self-assessment tool for districts to use in evaluating their own efforts on behalf of Black students. Strategies are helping Black students.

In one word, what is the biggest challenge Black Californians face?

Zurita: Many Black students across our state are dealing with a host of challenges: homelessness, food insecurity, exposure to violence, not to mention bias remains a pervasive problem. To add to the challenge, educators are worn out, tired, and frustrated. We now need to think about how we can simultaneously inspire and empower students and educators alike. The system needs an overhaul.

What is the goal you want to achieve most in 2025?

Zurita: In 2025, we hope to stand CABSE up as a fully functioning non-profit organization engaged in research and policy design.

Ali: We also aim to deepen the content of our convenings, including adding a Math Track and what we are calling Social Determinants of Education Track to our annual conference and institute, which will address those social contexts that prevent Black students from realizing their potential as students.