Black History
Book Review: Kids Books on Voting by Various Authors
So, who will you vote for? That’s easy: nobody yet, because you’re still a kid — but you have your opinions. Even so, how much do you know about this important grown-up job? Learn more by reading these three great books on voting…
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
So, who will you vote for?
That’s easy: nobody yet, because you’re still a kid — but you have your opinions. Even so, how much do you know about this important grown-up job? Learn more by reading these three great books on voting…
It was a cold and rainy early November day when Mama said they had to go out. They had a job to do “that, by definition, no one can do for us…” In “Show Up and Vote” by Ani Di Franco, illustrations by Rachelle Baker (Penguin Workshop), the job is done in a big, official building that’s staffed by friendly people. Mama knew a lot of folks there because a lot of people come to vote, and “no matter the weather we do this together…”
Step by step, this book takes little readers from beginning to end of the voting process, showing them how important the “job” is and the many people involved. Adults will love the pride that oozes from these words; kids ages three to five will love the artwork.
Once was a time when the right to vote was shaky, at best. If your child needs to know that history, then “The Day Madear Voted” by Wade Hudson, illustrated by Don Tate (Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin) is the book to find.
It’s 1969, and Charlie and Ralph’s Madear has been looking forward to this day for most of her life. Up until then, Black people had been turned away from the voting booth, but on this day, the boys’ mom dresses up and heads out, taking them along. This is important!
It was “just like being at church” because people were dressed nicely, and they were very excited! Most of them never thought they’d see the day they’d be allowed to vote. When it was over, Madear came out of the booth with the biggest smile on her face! Ralph and Charlie asked her what it felt like, and her words peek into the future.
This look at a chapter in American history is perfect for kids who are trying to grasp the realities and processes of voting, and the act’s importance. Your five-to-seven-year-old will love it.
Here’s another story of a big milestone: “Leo’s First Vote!” by Christina Soontornvat, illustrated by Isabel Roxas (Knopf).
Leo’s dad just became an American citizen and this fall, he’ll be able to cast a vote for the President! Leo knows how great this is, and he’s very excited – but there are a lot of things he doesn’t understand. His teacher holds a mock election, which helps. Leo’s father helps, too, as he tries to learn all about the issues that are important. Leo listens as the adults debate politics and oops! his dad almost didn’t get registered, which is essential.
For parents of kids ages 5-to-7 who want to understand the process, so is this book.
If these aren’t enough to satisfy your young reader, check with your librarian or bookseller for more. In this election year, these books should get your vote!
Arts and Culture
Soaring Birds and Towering Waves Greet Attendees at 29th Annual Maafa Commemoration at Ocean Beach
The 29th Annual MAAFA Commemoration San Francisco Bay Area was held at Ocean Beach, Sunday, Oct. 13. Warm and cloudy with waves as high as tall buildings, we gathered to honor African ancestors who died by the millions over the centuries of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
By Wanda Sabir
Special to The Post
The 29th Annual MAAFA Commemoration San Francisco Bay Area was held at Ocean Beach, Sunday, Oct. 13. Warm and cloudy with waves as high as tall buildings, we gathered to honor African ancestors who died by the millions over the centuries of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
The 50 or so children and adults attending Maafa, Kiswahili word meaning ‘great disaster,’ came from as far as Monterey and Sacramento to just up the block. We all felt the ancestors’ ethereal embrace as Min. Imhotep and Min. Alicia of Wo’Se Community Church poured libations and invited us to call their names with our mouths, feet, and hands.
Birds on the beach lifted their wings in flight moving towards us and flying overhead the way legends say African ancestors flew away from plantation fields. Their collective Aṣé!
The theme for the 29th Maafa event was accountability and as Zochi led us through Mu-i (pronounced moo-ee, a movement meditation) we embraced our power from our roots through our crown chakras. Dr. Uzo Nwankpa, a healer in residence at Freedom Community Clinic, taught us the Igbo war chant —“Eyinmba” which was also an embodied movement.
Our ancestral poet this year was Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911), born in Baltimore to free parents. She was a poet, abolitionist, suffragist, educator, and freedom fighter who lived in Philadelphia.
“It’s time to be a grown person,” Wanda Sabir, Maafa CEO stated. “Own up, fess up, get righteous. Accountability means we don’t blame others for our poor choices and their consequences. We don’t blame the system, genetic weakness, structural racism, poverty of the soul, families of origin, peer pressure, ignorance….
“We are more than the worse thing we have suffered. We are more than what our ancestors survived.
“Our ancestors do not want us to be functional. Our ancestors want us to be free.”
The drummers were phenomenal, and the section of the program open to reflections was filled with song, poetry, dance and prayers. A special treat was “Amkara Music” by Karamo Susso and Amina Janta, who will perform at Bissap Baobab in San Francisco on Oct. 20.
Join us for a Zoom dialogue on adrienne maree brown’s article, “Murmations: Love Looks Like Accountability” (Yes! Magazine, 7/25/22): Sunday, Nov. 10, 2-4 pm PT. Register in advance: MaafaSFBayArea.com, 510-397-9705. Here is the MAAFA 2024 program (https://qr1.be/CPFI).
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of October 16 – 22, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of October 16 – 22, 2024
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.
Activism
COMMENTARY: DA Price Has Done Nothing Wrong; Oppose Her Recall
The job of the District Attorney’s Office is to do justice, not revenge. Since I was an NAACP leader and then a Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) Field Secretary in my home of Durham, N.C., in the 1960s, I have fought for prosecutorial justice of the kind Price tries to model. She is wrongly accused of not arresting criminals, (not her job), wrongly accused of letting criminal out of jail once arrested (not true) and failing to charge enhancements (part of a state reform movement).
By Walter Riley
Attorney at Law
It has long been known that the criminal justice system needs to be reformed. Pamela Price campaigned on a promise to reform Alameda County’s criminal justice system. She ran a grassroots campaign, largely funded by small donations.
Despite being outspent nearly 4 to 1, she won decisively with 53% of the vote. She took no money from police unions, freeing her to hold law enforcement accountable, something voters consistently identify as a major issue.
Recall organizing began before she even took office, showing that the recall is not about her performance.
The job of the District Attorney’s Office is to do justice, not revenge. Since I was an NAACP leader and then a Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) Field Secretary in my home of Durham, N.C., in the 1960s, I have fought for prosecutorial justice of the kind Price tries to model.
She is wrongly accused of not arresting criminals, (not her job), wrongly accused of letting criminals out of jail once arrested (not true) and failing to charge enhancements (part of a state reform movement).
Oaklandside reported. “In April 2020, a growing number of COVID-19 cases pushed the state court system to lower bail to $0 for most misdemeanor and lower-level felony offenses. The emergency bail schedule, the list setting bail at nothing for most types of crimes, was intended to help reduce the number of people being booked into county jail” during COVID.
It was the Judicial Council Order that released arrestees, not Price!
Sentencing reform makes all our communities safer. Price referred all her attorneys to guidance from the California Commission on Revision of the Penal Code, where charging and enhancements were addressed for reform at the state level.
California state law limits prosecution of youth as adults. Diversion typically yields better outcomes than arrest and prosecution in juvenile courts, including far lower likelihood of subsequent arrests.
Price’s directive to limit sentencing enhancements is a step toward creating a more just and fair system. Enhancements have disproportionately targeted marginalized communities, leading to excessive sentences without addressing the root causes of crime.
By limiting enhancements, Price is creating more balanced sentencing, focusing on rehabilitation over harsh punishment.
Her broader actions in office have shown a commitment to making Alameda County safer. According to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, crime in Oakland has dropped by 33% since DA Price took office, underscoring the effectiveness of her approach.
Her administration also expanded mental health courts, ensuring individuals with mental health challenges receive appropriate treatment, reducing recidivism.
In addition, she increased victim advocacy by 38%, providing support to over 22,500 victims.
The recall effort is premature and unjustified. DA Price has been in office for just over a year and a half, and despite significant opposition from the start, she has made transformative changes.
Some key achievements include:
- Holding corporations accountable has been a central pillar of her work, bringing in over $20 million in settlements and judgments, five times as much as previous administrations.
- Securing a $4 million settlement holding Safeway, Vons, and Albertsons accountable for overcharging customers,
- Filing 12 felony charges against a man accused of multiple armed robberies.
- Investigating and prosecuting police misconduct.
Her approach is focused on long-term reform, and residents deserve the chance to see these policies take full effect before casting judgment.
Media coverage has largely focused on sensational stories about crime, often overlooking the broader reforms and successes achieved by Price. Fear-driven narratives about crime spikes—many of which are linked to the pandemic—have often obscured her efforts to make the justice system fairer and more effective.
DA Price’s 40 years of experience as a civil rights attorney, including a win before the U.S. Supreme Court, has been foundational to her efforts to reform the criminal justice system.
Her deep understanding of justice, fairness, and accountability is precisely why she’s the right person to lead Alameda County’s justice system into the future. We can’t go back.
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