By Kitty Kelly Epstein

On Wednesday at D. Monaghans on the Hill in Oakland, guests celebrated the historic appointment of International Longshore Workers Union (ILWU) member, Derrick Muhammad, to the Oakland Port Commission.

Mayor Barbara Lee explained the significance of her making this appointment, “This is the first time a representative of the people who actually work at the Port has been on the Port Commission.”

Muhammad is a resident of West Oakland, a maritime lawyer, and a former leader of the ILWU. He is a lifelong Oakland resident and a third-generation ILWU member. He is also known as an environmental advocate opposed to allowing a coal terminal in Oakland.

The Port of Oakland is the economic engine of the region, and the Port Commission also manages the Oakland Metropolitan Airport and related real estate. ILWU Local 10 is a unique organization with a long history of international solidarity and racial justice actions. They have rallied against the privatization of Port property and refused to handle cargo that was headed to South Africa when it had an apartheid government, among many other actions.

Muhammad thanked the mayor, Oakland City Council members, the National Coalition of 100 Black Men, and supporters who worked on his appointment.

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