Activism
COMMENTARY: Project 2025: Trump’s Blueprint for Authoritarian Rule Threatens the Future of Black Californians
For nearly three decades, Proposition 209 has restricted public institutions from considering race, sex, or ethnicity in employment and education. Then, last year, the Supreme Court’s ban of Affirmative Action further constrained those programs. By cutting federal support, Project 2025 would undermine diversity initiatives, decreasing access to employment and contracting opportunities and making it even harder for universities to support minority students even though Black student enrollment and graduation rates remain lowest in California’s higher education institutions.
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By Joe W. Bowers Jr., California Black Media
As the 2024 Presidential election approaches, Black Californians face a critical moment that could drastically alter their future. Project 2025, a plan crafted by the conservative Heritage Foundation, is intended to guide a potential Trump administration if he returns to office.
The Heritage Foundation touts Project 2025 as a policy agenda aimed at reducing government intervention and returning to “traditional values.” It advocates eliminating federal oversight across various sectors, promising greater efficiency and personal freedom.
However, these policy changes could have devastating consequences for Black Californians.
One of the most alarming aspects of Project 2025 is its call to eliminate the Department of Education. Such a move would likely result in severe cuts to funding for California’s public schools, disproportionately affecting Black and minority communities. These budget cuts would widen educational disparities, further limiting opportunities for Black students.
For nearly three decades, Proposition 209 has restricted public institutions from considering race, sex, or ethnicity in employment and education. Then, last year, the Supreme Court’s ban of Affirmative Action further constrained those programs. By cutting federal support, Project 2025 would undermine diversity initiatives, decreasing access to employment and contracting opportunities and making it even harder for universities to support minority students even though Black student enrollment and graduation rates remain lowest in California’s higher education institutions.
The rollback of student debt relief efforts, another key element of Project 2025, would reverse gains made under the Biden administration. These relief efforts have wiped out $138 billion in student loans. Reversing them would have a particularly harsh impact on Black Californians.
Project 2025’s push for deregulation threatens to weaken employment protections. Without strong federal oversight, the enforcement of California laws like the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) which provides critical protections against workplace discrimination based on race, gender, and disability, could falter, reducing job opportunities for Black Californians making it harder for Black individuals to advance in their careers and achieve economic stability.
Project 2025 also revives “tough on crime” policies reminiscent of the War on Drugs, which disproportionately targeted Black communities. Increased policing and harsher sentencing guidelines could lead to higher incarceration rates among Black Californians, perpetuating cycles of poverty and disenfranchisement.
Additionally, Project 2025’s stance on election integrity, including stricter voter ID laws and reduced access to early voting, could suppress Black voter turnout and undermine some of the nation-leading gains California has made to enfranchise all state residents.
Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has criticized Project 2025, warning, “This plan is a step backward for our country. It threatens to undo the progress we’ve made in ensuring that every American, regardless of their race or background, has a fair shot at success. Black communities, in particular, stand to lose the most.”
For Black Californians relying on Medi-Cal, Trump’s plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act could severely limit access to healthcare and defund some of the critical expansions in Medi-Cal coverage that California has made over the last year.
For Black Californians, the stakes have never been higher. Project 2025, coupled with an authoritarian Trump presidency, threatens to reverse decades of progress in civil rights, economic inclusion, healthcare, education, and environmental justice.
About the Author
Joe W. Bowers Jr. is a contributing editor to California Black Media. He is a graduate of Stanford University.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of February 19 – 25, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of February 19 – 25, 2025
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Activism
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Lateefah Simon to Speak at Elihu Harris Lecture Series
The popular lecture series is co-produced by the Oakland-based Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center and Peralta Community College District. Jeffries’ appearance marks the 32nd lecture of the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series, which has provided thousands of individuals with accessible, free, high-quality information.
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By Scott Horton
United States House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-8) will be a speaker at the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series on Friday, Feb. 21.
The event will be held at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, 10 Tenth Street in Oakland, at 7 p.m.
The popular lecture series is co-produced by the Oakland-based Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center and Peralta Community College District. Jeffries’ appearance marks the 32nd lecture of the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series, which has provided thousands of individuals with accessible, free, high-quality information.
The overarching goal of the lecture series is to provide speakers from diverse backgrounds a platform to offer their answers to Dr. King’s urgent question, which is also the title of Jeffries’ latest book: “Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?”
In addition to Jeffries, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) will also speak.
“Certainly, now is a time for humanity, in general, and Americans in particular to honestly and genuinely answer Dr. King’s question,” said Dr. Roy D. Wilson, Executive Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center and Executive Producer of the lecture series.
“Dr. King teaches that time is neutral but not static. Like the water in a river, it arrives and then quickly moves on,” continued Wilson. “We must urgently create conditions for listening to many different answers to this vital question, and generate the development of unity of action among all those who struggle for a stronger democracy.”
In his book, Jeffries shares his experience of being unanimously elected by his colleagues as the first African American in history to ever hold the position of House Minority Leader.
In January 2023 in Washington, Jeffries made his first official speech as House Minority Leader. He affirmed Democratic values one letter of the alphabet at a time. His words and how he framed them as the alphabet caught the attention of Americans, and the speech was later turned into a book, The ABCs of Democracy, bringing Congressman Jeffries rousing speech to vivid, colorful life, including illustrations by Shaniya Carrington. The speech and book are inspiring and urgent as a timeless reminder of what it means to be a country with equal opportunities for all. Jeffries paints a road map for a brighter American future and warns of the perils of taking a different path.
Before his colleagues unanimously elected him Minority Leader in 2022, Jeffries previously served as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and as an Impeachment Manager during the first Senate trial of the 45th President of the United States.
Jeffries was born in Brooklyn Hospital, raised in Crown Heights, grew up in the Cornerstone Baptist Church and he is a product of New York City’s public school system, graduating from Midwood High School. Jefferies went on to Binghamton University (BA), Georgetown University (master’s in public policy) and New York University (JD).
He served in the New York State Assembly from 2007 to 2012.
Admission is free for the Feb. 21 Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series featuring Congressman Jeffries. Please reserve seats by calling the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center at (510) 434-3988.
Signed copies of his book will be available for purchase at the event.
Activism
Actor, Philanthropist Blair Underwood Visits Bay Area, Kicks Off Literacy Program in ‘New Oakland’ Initiative
These community activations were coordinated with the San Francisco-based non-profit program “Room to Read.” Ray said he is also donating his time to read and take pictures with students to encourage their engagement and to inspire them to read more. The inspirational book “Clifford Ray Saves the Day” highlights Clifford Ray’s true story of saving a dolphin.
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By Paul Cobb
New Oakland Series
Opinion Part 3
The Post mentioned three weeks ago that a number of our local luminaries were coming together to support the “New Oakland” movement. As this current national administration continues to eliminate our “legacy” institutional policies and programs left and right, most communities find themselves beyond “frozen” in fear.
Well, esteemed actor, long-time Bay Area supporter, and philanthropist Blair Underwood returned to Oakland this week to speak with city leaders, community trust agents, students, the Oakland Post, and local celebrities alike to continue his “New Oakland” initiative.
This week, he kicked off his “Guess Who’s Coming to Read” literacy program in some of Oakland’s middle schools. Clifford Ray, who played the center position of the 1975 World Champion Golden State Warriors, donated close to 1,000 books. Ray’s fellow teammate Charles “The Hopper” Dudley also gave Converse sneakers to students.
These community activations were coordinated with the San Francisco-based non-profit program “Room to Read.” Ray said he is also donating his time to read and take pictures with students to encourage their engagement and to inspire them to read more. The inspirational book “Clifford Ray Saves the Day” highlights Clifford Ray’s true story of saving a dolphin.
Underwood also spent quality time with the Oakland Ballers ownership group and visited the amazing Raimondi Park West Oakland community revitalization site. In the 1996 TV film Soul of the Game, Underwood played the role of the legendary first Black Major League Baseball player Jackie Robinson and commended the Ballers owners.
“This group of sports enthusiasts/ philanthropists needs to be applauded for their human capital investment and their financial capital investment,” Underwood said. “Truly putting their money and passion to work,” Underwood said.
Underwood was also inspired by mayoral candidate Barbara Lee’s open-minded invitation to bring public-private partnership opportunities to Oakland.
Underwood said he wants to “reinforce the importance of ‘collaborative activism’ among those most marginalized by non-empathic leadership. We must ‘act out’ our discomfort with passionate intentions to create healthy change.”
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