Activism
Grassroots Groups Distribute About 11,000 Masks to Unhoused Residents Over Weekend
Last weekend, as smoke continued to blow into Oakland from wildfires throughout California and Oregon, Mask Oakland, a queer- and trans-led community relief project that has responded to smoke crises in the Bay Area since 2017, collaborated with seven grassroots groups to distribute more than 11,000 K95 and N95 masks, mostly to people experiencing homelessness in Oakland.
The United Front Against Displacement (UFAD), a housing justice organization, and SMC Tenants Council, a tenants union, distributed around 1,200 of those masks.
“I definitely feel a sense of urgency when I see folks and know that they’re out there for an unlimited amount of time,” said Jazmine Lopez, who works with UFAD. “It’s heartbreaking because I want to do more.”
UFAD started their work on Sept. 11 when a small group of volunteers distributed masks at 37MLK, a small unhoused community at 37th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard where mostly elders live. Then the group distributed masks to people living under several highway underpasses along MLK Boulevard and Telegraph Avenue. They ended the day’s work by distributing masks along and just west of Wood Street and between 18th and 26th streets in West Oakland.
On Saturday, about 20 people working with UFAD distributed masks again in the Wood Street area. The Saturday distribution was part of the organization’s weekly workdays, which alternate between Saturdays and Sundays each week.
In the past, they’ve built hand-washing stations, freshwater storage facilities, a shower, and done basic cleanup work on their workdays. In total, the group handed out about 800 masks.
While face masks are widely available throughout Oakland, most are useless to protect against smoke. K95 and N95 masks, which specifically protect against smoke have been entirely sold out in Oakland stores. So, UFAD has received help from Mask Oakland.
“We support groups led by and in direct solidarity with unhoused people,” said Quinn Jasmine Redwoods of Mask Oakland. “The UFAD is great at that, and we’ve given them hundreds of masks several times this year.”
Mask Oakland also gave masks to SMC Tenants Council, who handed them out on Sunday. The tenants union gave out most of their 400 masks along the Wood street area and worked with a crew of about 20 people.
“The reason that we were out there is the same reason why we’re organizing as tenants,” said Emily Stone of SMC Tenants Council. “Our leaders aren’t doing nearly enough to solve our problems and meet our very basic needs.”
Stone said SMC Tenants Council is fighting for more protections for tenants that are not yet available, like rent cancelation during the COVID-19 pandemic and added that “our unhoused neighbors are dealing with lack of action from [our local leaders] more severely.”
Stone pointed out that resources are available to shelter people in hotel rooms through emergency powers available to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Alameda Councty Board of Supervisors and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf due to the declared state of emergency under COVID-19, but that hotel rooms still sit empty while people live on the street and are forced to inhale wildfire smoke.
While the state and Alameda County have set aside about 1,000 hotel rooms for unhoused people through Project Roomkey, their own current data shows about 25% of those rooms currently sit empty.
The City and the County have handed out masks to unhoused people, but far fewer than grassroots groups with no government funding.
Public Information Officer L. Autumn King said that the city has worked with the county and “provided over 6,500 masks within the last month.” Redwoods said Mask Oakland has handed our over 30,000 in the last month and is set to hand out about 54,000 after this upcoming weekend.
A Wood Street resident on Sunday who asked not to be named claimed all the masks he has received were from grassroots groups.
“Grassroots groups actually show up, whereas the city has not shown up,” he said.
Activism
Living His Legacy: The Late Oscar Wright’s “Village” Vows to Inherit Activist’s Commitment to Education
Kingmakers of Oakland (KOO), a nonprofit organization that works to improve educational and life outcomes for Black boys and men, stated that “Oscar Wright is one of the most prolific, consistent, and committed advocates of equity for Black students and Black Families here in Oakland for the past six decades.”
By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media
Activists mourning Oscar Carl Wright’s death, have pledged to continue his lifelong mission of advocating for Black students and families in Northern California.
Wright, 101, who passed away on Nov. 18, was involved in Oakland’s educational affairs until his death.
Now, friends and admirers acknowledge that carrying on his legacy means doubling down on the unfinished work that Wright dedicated his life, time, and resources to, according to Y’Anad Burrell, a family friend and founder of San Francisco-based Glass House Communications (GHC).
“Mr. Wright did a lot of work around equity, specifically, for Black students based on their needs — whether it was tutoring, passing classes, or graduating,” Burrell said.
Wright became a champion for his children’s education, recognizing the disparities between their school experiences and his own upbringing in the Mississippi Delta.
Burrell told California Black Media (CBM) that the crisis of unequal access to resources and a quality education continues to affect the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD).
According to Oakland Reach, in the city of Oakland, only 3 in 10 Black and Brown students are reading at or above grade level. In addition, only 1 in 10 are doing math at or above grade level.
Oakland REACH is a parent-run, parent-led organization. It aims to empowers families from the most underserved communities to demand high-quality schools for their children.
Wright’s work as an activist had impact across the state but he was primarily known in the Bay Area. Alongside the Black United Front for Educational Reform (BUFER), he filed a complaint against OUSD for violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In 2000, the OUSD school board proposed an action plan to address educational inequity, but it was never implemented.
Wright later founded the African American Honor Roll Celebration at Acts Full Gospel Church, an award that recognizes Black students with a grade point average of 3.0 or better. Each year, more than 1,000 students are honored at this ceremony.
Kingmakers of Oakland (KOO), a nonprofit organization that works to improve educational and life outcomes for Black boys and men, stated that “Oscar Wright is one of the most prolific, consistent, and committed advocates of equity for Black students and Black Families here in Oakland for the past six decades.”
Burrell said that one of the main reasons Wright’s work was so essential for families and children in Oakland that is the direct relationship between acquiring a quality education and affording quality housing, maintaining food security, achieving mental wellness, and securing stable employment.
Wright was the child of sharecroppers from Coahoma County, Mississippi. He attended Alcorn State University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU).
In the late 1950s, Wright and his family relocated to the Bay Area where he worked as a contractor and civil engineer. He later became an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Burrell said the people who will carry on Wright’s work are part of a “village” that includes KOO’s CEO Chris Chatmon. Wright was a mentor to Chatmon.
“It will not be one entity, one person, or one organization that picks up the baton because it was a village effort that worked alongside Mr. Wright for all these years,” Burrell said.
Burell says that legacy will live on.
Activism
Protesters Gather in Oakland, Other City Halls, to Halt Encampment Sweeps
The coordinated protests on Tuesday in San Francisco, Oakland, Vallejo, Fresno, Los Angeles and Seattle, were hosted by Poor Magazine and Wood Street Commons, calling on cities to halt the sweeps and focus instead on building more housing.
By Post Staff
Houseless rights advocates gathered in Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other city halls across California and Washington state this week protesting increased sweeps that followed a U.S. Supreme Court decision over the summer.
The coordinated protests on Tuesday in San Francisco, Oakland, Vallejo, Fresno, Los Angeles and Seattle, were hosted by Poor Magazine and Wood Street Commons, calling on cities to halt the sweeps and focus instead on building more housing.
“What we’re dealing with right now is a way to criminalize people who are dealing with poverty, who are not able to afford rent,” said rights advocate Junebug Kealoh, outside San Francisco City Hall.
“When someone is constantly swept, they are just shuffled and things get taken — it’s hard to stay on top of anything,” said Kealoh.
Local houseless advocates include Victoria King, who is a member of the coordinating committee of the California Poor People’s Campaign. She and Dr. Monica Cross co-chair the Laney Poor People’s Campaign.
The demonstrations came after a June Supreme Court ruling expanded local governments’ authority to fine and jail people for sleeping outside, even if no shelter is available. Gov. Gavin Newsom in California followed up with an order directing state agencies to crack down on encampments and urging local governments to do the same.
Fresno, Berkeley and a host of other cities implemented new rules, making it easier for local governments to clear sidewalk camps. In other cities, such as San Francisco, officials more aggressively enforced anti-camping laws already on the books.
Activism
Celebrating East Bay Leaders Keith Carson and Federal Glover at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle
Several leaders were in attendance including fellow Alameda Supervisors Elisa Marquez and Lena Tam, Superior Court judge-elect Terry Wiley, and African American Sports and Entertainment Group’s founder Ray Bobbitt, along with many other guests.
By Magaly Muñoz
After decades of public service in the East Bay, community members and leaders came together to celebrate Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson and Contra Costa Supervisor Federal Glover at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle Thursday afternoon.
Several leaders were in attendance including fellow Alameda Supervisors Elisa Marquez and Lena Tam, Superior Court judge-elect Terry Wiley, and African American Sports and Entertainment Group’s founder Ray Bobbitt, along with many other guests.
First elected in 1992, Carson has served District 5 for 24 years and announced his decision to step away from his seat earlier this year, just before the deadline to submit new candidate applications.
He dedicated his long career to bringing access to health care, addressing homelessness, lowering crime, improving business retention, and growing job opportunities in Alameda County.
Glover began his tenure as Contra Costa Supervisor in 2000 and previously served as mayor of Pittsburg in 1998. During his time as Supervisor, he supported initiatives on public transportation, created committees for public safety, and supported task forces on health.
“These two distinguished leaders have dedicated their lives to improving the lives of so many people across Alameda and Contra Costa (counties). Their work has touched every corner of the East Bay,” Alameda County Supervisor and President Nate Miley said.
Leaders from both counties spoke on the supervisors’ legacies and their dedicated years of service.
Contra Costa Supervisor John Gioia said that Glover was the type of person that grew with each challenge that crossed him, especially after he had major surgery in 2020. But Gioia said that the treatment did not deter Glover.
“He’s had tougher races for reelection than any member of our board that I can recall, and he’s always come back stronger than before,” Gioia said.
Sharing a county border, Gioia complimented Carson on his ability to sway leaders from both sides of the political aisle to listen on the issues affecting locals and residents across the nation.
Shannell Scales Preston, who is taking over Glover’s D5 seat in 2025, told event attendees that Glover was a mentor to her for many years. He often would call Preston after Pittsburg City Council meetings with remarks about her performance and how well she spoke up on certain issues.
With Glover spending years as the only Black elected official in local government, Preston would ask him how he managed to not feel lonely about the job. She then congratulated him on being the only supervisor in Contra Costa to have all Black mayors under his district in 2023.
Preston said he’s been a leader to many diverse groups and his tenure has seen leaders of all backgrounds, but particularly paving the way for Black leaders in predominantly white areas.
Miley, who has shared his entire 24-year tenure on the Alameda Board with Carson, tearfully wished the exiting supervisor luck and said he would miss him dearly.
Carson said that as we embark on a “dark time” for everyone across the nation and worldwide in 2025, it’s important to continue communicating and working with groups from all backgrounds because that is the only way things will get done.
“There have been many lonely nights, but then the sun comes out in the morning when you continue to think, ‘I can make a difference,’” Carson said.
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