Connect with us

Opinion

OP-ED: Enough Already

Published

on

 

“ A Democratic ticket is the clear ticket that we should be voting on, regardless of who said what or did this – that shouldn’t even come into the equation.” ~ First Lady Michelle Obama, TV One interview with Roland Martin

Exit polls showed that the proportion of black voters of the overall electorate for the 2014 election increased over the 2010 midterm elections. NBC News reported that black voters made up 12 percent of the 2014 electorate, compared with 11 percent in 2010 and 13 percent in 2012.

“Our community organizations and churches mobilized to encourage early voting opportunities with programs like Souls to the Polls. Black elected officials crisscrossed the country to discuss the urgency and the importance of this election. We phone banked, knocked on doors and held Get out the Vote rallies” said Congressional Black Caucus Chair Marcia Fudge.

Andthereward for this gargantuan voter drive effort is again NOTHING!

 

Why was President Obama’s press conference the day after the election silent on remedies for the black community? Again there was silence on education; crime; unemployment and the overall diminished opportunities for blacks in America.

Jennifer Oliver O’Connell stated, “the president has made sweeping executive orders to benefit gays, Hispanics and women, but beyond speechifying has done little for blacks.”

President Obama’s threat of unilateral executive action involves illegal immigration. Where are the solutions and problem solving ideas for black America?

Where is the Dream Act for black children, the highest demographic of the unemployed? The affects of illegal immigration has been cataclysmic to the black community.

Carol Swain, professor of law at Vanderbilt University and author of Debating Immigration states, “Illegal immigration hurts low-skilled, low-wage workers of all races, but blacks are harmed the most because they’re disproportionately low-skilled.”

Labor economists have concluded that undocumented workers have lowered the wages of U.S. adults without a high school diploma – 25 million of them — anywhere between .04 to 7.4 percent. A National Bureau of Economic Research paper found that immigration accounted for about a third of the decline in the employment rate of the least educated black men over the past decade.

 

The evidence of the damages of illegal immigration on the black community is beyond debate as I searched for a singular report to support the contrary and found none. At a time when the most fragile and hurting demographic in America is the black community, how can this president remain silent and refuse to help or offer remedy but would instead offer further injury to the black community. Shameful!

 

I strongly disagree with Michelle Obama, the things said and done should always enter into the equation when we consider how we are to cast our vote. The black community must refuse to continue to be the cheap date for the Democratic Party.

Let this be the last election that black Americans have given their vote away, let us join with the rest of Americans and make all politicians and all Parties EARN the black vote – what a concept.

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of December 11 – 17, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 11 – 17, 2024

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of December 4 – 10, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 4 – 10, 2024, 2024

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Activism

COMMENTARY: PEN Oakland Entices: When the News is Bad, Try Poetry

Strongman politics is not for the weak. Here in the U.S., Donald Trump is testing how strongman politics could work in the world’s model democracy.

Published

on

iStockphoto.
iStockphoto.

By Emil Guillermo

As the world falls apart, you need more poetry in your life.

I was convinced on Tuesday when a weak and unpopular president of South Korea — a free nation U.S. ally — tried to save himself by declaring martial law.

Was it a stunt? Maybe. But indicative of the South Korean president’s weakness, almost immediately, the parliament there voted down his declaration.

The takeaway: in politics, nothing quite works like it used to.

Strongman politics is not for the weak. Here in the U.S., Donald Trump is testing how strongman politics could work in the world’s model democracy.

Right now, we need more than a prayer.

NEWS ANTIDOTE? LITERATURE

As we prepare for another Trump administration, my advice: Take a deep breath, and read more poetry, essays and novels.

From “Poetry, Essays and Novels,” the acronym PEN is derived.

Which ones to read?

Register (tickets are limited) to join Tennessee Reed and myself as we host PEN OAKLAND’s award ceremony this Saturday on Zoom, in association with the Oakland Public Library.

Find out about what’s worth a read from local artists and writers like Cheryl Fabio, Jack Foley, Maw Shein Win, and Lucille Lang Day.

Hear from award winning writers like Henry Threadgill, Brent Hayes Edwards and Airea D. Matthews.

PEN Oakland is the local branch of the national PEN. Co-founded by the renowned Oakland writer, playwright, poet and novelist Ishmael Reed, Oakland PEN is special because it is a leader in fighting to include multicultural voices.

Reed is still writing. So is his wife Carla Blank, whose title essay in the new book, “A  Jew in  Ramallah, And Other Essays, (Baraka Books), provides an artist’s perspective on the conflict in Gaza.

Of all Reed’s work, it’s his poetry that I’ve found the most musical and inspiring.

It’s made me start writing and enjoying poetry more intentionally. This year, I was named poet laureate of my small San Joaquin rural town.

Now as a member of Oakland PEN, I can say, yes, I have written poetry and essays, but not a novel. One man shows I’ve written, so I have my own sub-group. My acronym: Oakland PEOMS.

Reed’s most recent book of poetry, “Why the Black Hole Sings the Blues, Poems 2007-2020” is one of my favorites. One poem especially captures the emerging xenophobia of the day. I offer you the first stanza of “The Banishment.”

We don’t want you here
Your crops grow better than ours
We don’t want you here
You’re not one of our kind
We’ll drive you out
As thou you were never here
Your names, family, and history
We’ll make them all disappear.

There’s more. But that stanza captures the anxiety many of us feel from the threat of mass deportations. The poem was written more than four years ago during the first Trump administration.

We’ve lived through all this before. And survived.

The news sometimes lulls us into acquiescence, but poetry strikes at the heart and forces us to see and feel more clearly.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. Join him at www.patreon.com/emilamok

Continue Reading

Subscribe to receive news and updates from the Oakland Post

* indicates required

CHECK OUT THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE OAKLAND POST

ADVERTISEMENT

WORK FROM HOME

Home-based business with potential monthly income of $10K+ per month. A proven training system and website provided to maximize business effectiveness. Perfect job to earn side and primary income. Contact Lynne for more details: Lynne4npusa@gmail.com 800-334-0540

Facebook

Congressman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. Courtesy photo.
Activism10 hours ago

‘Donald Trump Is Not a God:’ Rep. Bennie Thompson Blasts Trump’s Call to Jail Him

Left to Right- Jamie Turbak, Director of Library Services, LaTonda Simmons, Assistant City Administrator, Nikki Bas, President Oakland City Council, Shen Thao, Mayor of Oakland, Carroll Fife, Oakland City Councilmember District 3, Harold Duffey, Assistant City Administrator, Sean Maher, Projects Coordinator. Photo by Kevin Hicks.
Activism10 hours ago

City of Oakland Celebrates Reopening of Main Library

iStockphoto.
Activism10 hours ago

Biden’s Legacy Secured with Record-Setting Black Judicial Appointments

UC Berkeley Law Students help a clinic visitor with legal advice at their Tuesday night services. The Clinic offers a variety of resources, including medical, to those in the community who have little access to these services. Photo by Magaly Muñoz
Activism11 hours ago

A Student-Run Group Provides Critical Support Services to Underserved Residents

Photo Courtesy Of Promise Marks.
Arts and Culture12 hours ago

Promise Marks Performs Songs of Etta James in One-Woman Show, “A Sunday Kind of Love” at the Black Repertory Theater in Berkeley

L-R: BWOPA State Executive Director LaNiece Jones; State Asm. Mia Bonta; BWOPA 2024 Man of The Year/Urban League SFBA CEO Ken Maxey; BWOPA State President Hon. Dezie Woods-Jones; State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas; Rowena Brown, Oakland Councilmember At-Large, Elect; BWOPA State Regional Director Vashone Huff. Courtesy photo.
Activism12 hours ago

BWOPA Honors Black Leadership and Legacy at 2024 Ella Hill Hutch Awards Dinner

Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., California Secretary of State. Courtesy of California Secretary of State Office.
Commentary12 hours ago

California Respects the Power of Your Vote

#NNPA BlackPress1 day ago

California, Districts Try to Recruit and Retain Black Teachers; Advocates Say More Should Be Done

#NNPA BlackPress2 days ago

Christmas Travel: When is the Best Time to Take Your Trip

#NNPA BlackPress2 days ago

PRESS ROOM: Trace and ARDN Join Forces to Promote the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

#NNPA BlackPress2 days ago

Recognizing and Valuing Home-Based Child Care

#NNPA BlackPress2 days ago

OP-ED: The Case for a Presidential Pardon for Marilyn Mosby

Activism5 days ago

Oakland Post: Week of December 11 – 17, 2024

#NNPA BlackPress5 days ago

PRESS ROOM: Clyburn Statement on President Biden Providing Clemency and Pardons for Individuals Convicted of Non-Violent Crimes

#NNPA BlackPress5 days ago

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley Pledges Inclusive Leadership If He’s Elected DNC Chair

Trending

Copyright ©2021 Post News Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.