Black History

An Interview with Isabel Wilkerson, Author of “The Warmth of Other Suns”

SAN DIEGO VOICE — Isabel Wilkerson, author of “The Warmth of Other Suns,” recently discussed her novel, the Great Migration, and San Diego’s role in her the epic tale of the Great Migration of African Americans from the American South to northern cities across the U.S.

Published

6 years ago

March 22, 2019

Oakland Post

By Latanya West, San Diego Voice & Viewpoint

Isabel Wilkerson, author of “The Warmth of Other Suns,” recently discussed her novel, the Great Migration, and San Diego’s role in her the epic tale of the Great Migration of African Americans from the American South to northern cities across the U.S.

Q: How is San Diego such a significant part of the Great Migration and your journey in writing “The Warmth of Other Suns”?

A. One of the main protagonists, Dr. Robert Joseph Pershing Foster, migrated from Monroe, Louisiana to California and it was a heartbreaking journey. When he got to Arizona, he [unsuccessfully] tried [to get a room], and was crushed to discover that after all of this long drive, he still was, in that moment, no better off than if he had been in Louisiana. He had to drive through the mountains and the desert, at night, and that was even more exhausting. He almost fell asleep at the wheel, he was dog-tired and he had to push through.

San Diego was, ultimately, his first actual arrival in the “New World” known as California. And that’s why San Diego is central. He actually stopped the car here for the first time. He was too afraid at that point to stop [anywhere else], he had lost faith at that moment. So I replicated that journey to the letter – I drove the entire journey – and I had my parents with me in the car. If he wasn’t able to stop I wasn’t stopping. I needed to feel exactly as he felt, so I could tell his story. He described to me – and I experienced – arriving in San Diego. We came into the older part of town, as he had, and so it was very central and the idea of arriving in the early morning hours.

Q What is your mandate now that you’ve written the book?

A. My mission is about reminding us of how much we all have in common and that the experiences and history of people of african descent in this country is not ‘African American History,’ it’s American History. The experiences African Americans have had, for example in the Great Migration is similar to those that other people have had. It’s a way to bridge the gulf in how people see themselves compared to others – which is the source of all divisions – you don’t see yourself in someone else, you have no empathy for someone else whose experience is different from yours. Well, no, the record and the scholarship shows that there’s a migration age, African Americans were no different in that. They followed predictable paths, as in any other migration. These are portals to understanding. That’s really how I look at it

Q. What is your advice to San Diegans seeking their roots?

A. Go to the oldest person in your family and open your heart to their experiences and make it safe for them to talk. The generation that were survivors of Jim Crow often do not talk – because they experienced post-traumatic stress. It’s like PTSD out of a war experience and they didn’t want to burden their own children with what they had endured. One of the reasons I wanted to do this book is because not enough people recognized the magnitude of the experience. They didn’t even know the phenomena had a name, they didn’t connect themselves with it. A lot of descendants of those who survived Jim Crow feel embarrassment that their ancestors had been sharecroppers or domestics. This is a reclaiming of the history, a reclaiming of the tools of survival that they had to harness in order to make it possible for us to even exist. I think they deserve our attention, our gratitude, our recognition of the heroic, quiet sacrifices they made.

This article originally appeared in San Diego Voice.

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Oakland Post: Week of January 8 – 14, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 8 – 14, 2025

Published

4 days ago

January 11, 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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Barbara Lee Launches Campaign for Mayor of Oakland

“At this critical moment, we must not be a city divided, but a community united,” she Lee. “If elected I will bring my hands-on leadership, new ideas and decades of experience in identifying billions in resources for our great city, so all residents and businesses are stronger and safer and our community has optimism and confidence in Oakland’s future.”

Published

7 days ago

January 8, 2025

Oakland Post

By Post Staff

Barbara Lee on Wednesday morning formally announced her candidacy for Mayor in Oakland’s April 15 special election.

“Time and time again, Oaklanders have faced our toughest obstacles by uniting to meet our challenges,” said Lee.

“At this critical moment, we must not be a city divided but a community united,” she said. “If elected, I will bring my hands-on leadership, new ideas, and decades of experience in identifying billions in resources for our great city so all residents and businesses are stronger and safer and our community has optimism and confidence in Oakland’s future.”

“As Mayor, I’ll address our homelessness crisis, prioritize comprehensive public safety and mental health services, and lead with fiscal responsibility to deliver the core City services residents and business owners deserve. Let’s do this – together.”

“I’ve never shied away from a challenge,” said Lee. “I’m always ready to fight for Oakland.”

Watch her campaign video here, which is online at BarbaraLee4Oakland.com

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Oakland NAACP President Stands on the Frontlines for Equity

With education as a cornerstone, Adams emphasized the importance of youth having access to quality kindergarten through 12th-grade education along with college or vocational programming beyond high school. “I feel that it’s so important for our children to get a good education in K-12th grade, along with the colleges of their choice, especially with the HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities).”

Published

1 week ago

January 7, 2025

Oakland Post

NAACP Oakland President Cynthia Adams. Photo Courtesy of Cynthia Adams.

By Carla Thomas

For Cynthia Adams, president of the Oakland chapter of the NAACP, fighting for the rights of Black people comes naturally. With southern roots in Arkansas, Adams experienced firsthand the injustice and unfairness of racism.

“Growing up in the Jim Crow South, I experienced the unfair treatment of people of color and how faith can inspire communities to bring about positive and long-lasting change,” said Adams. Adams says a combination of her family and faith has kept her strong in the face of adversity and inspired her life’s work of advocacy.

Adams chose education as a career path — and a means to achieve equity and overcome racism. She earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and later received an advanced degree from California State East Bay.

Adams’ experience as an Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) recorder, a counselor, a researcher, and a college recruiter has allowed her to be laser-focused on youth. She also served as the chairperson for the Oakland NAACP youth.

“The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination. We want to ensure our citizens have equal rights and opportunities without discrimination based on race.”

As a partner with the State of California’s Stop the Hate campaign, Adams says the initiative is a step in the right direction. “It’s great that our governor and state created the Stop the Hate campaign and provides resources for victims of racism and other hate crimes,” said Adams. “The racism toward Black people has increased and our children are being targeted,” she continued.

“We, at the Oakland branch, created a declaration on racism that will amplify the needs of our community to combat racism,” continued Adams. “That declaration was adopted nationally.”

Bridging communities and collaborating is also a strategy for moving society toward justice, according to Adams.

“Through the NAACP, we build connections between communities and advocate for the rights of historically marginalized and oppressed individuals,” said Adams. “Collective action is the only way to advance civil rights and promote social equity.”

By taking stands on supporting former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong to supporting the recall of a mayor faced with a scandal that brought negative national press to the city of Oakland, Adams has always demanded more for her people, and better for Oakland, the city she calls home.

She expressed pride in the national organization’s announcement of a $200 million fund designed to empower Black funders nationwide. “We all know the health of a community begins with economics,” said Adams.

Adams says that strengthening Black businesses automatically sustains a community. “We’ve also got to educate our community on opportunities and teach our children critical thinking so that they can provide the next generation of solutions for society,” said Adams.