Activism

Homegoing Service for Education Advocate Oscar Wright, 101

Wright co-founded the first Black Boy Scout Troop and Credit Union in Mississippi, served as a union leader, and was a pivotal figure after he moved to Oakland, California, where he advocated for civil rights, education reform, and community improvement.

Published

6 months ago

December 6, 2024

Oakland Post

Oscar Wright. Courtesy photo.

Special to The Post

Oscar Carl Wright was born on July 25, 1923, on the Smith Plantation near Clarksdale, Mississippi. One of 11 children, he excelled academically and athletically, graduating as a class speaker from Coahoma Agricultural High School in 1942. He passed away at age 101, on Nov. 18.

A U.S. Army sergeant during World War II, he later earned a degree in Building Construction from Alcorn A&M College, igniting his lifelong mission to uplift the African American/Black community and improve education for our children.

He was a founding member of several initiatives, including the African American Education Task Force and the Police Review Board and was president of the Emeryville NAACP. One of his greatest joys was launching the African American Honor Roll.

A devoted husband, father, and leader, Oscar’s legacy lives on through his family, the communities he inspired, and his unwavering commitment to justice and equity.

“It’s not about you, it’s not about me, it’s about the children.” – Oscar C. Wright.

A memorial service for Mr. Wright will be held on Thursday, Dec. 12, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Acts Full Gospel at 1034 66^th Ave. in Oakland, CA. Visit www.OscarCWright.org for more information and streaming of the funeral service.

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Oakland Post: Week of June 4 – 10, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 4-10, 2025

Published

3 days ago

June 7, 2025

Oakland Post

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Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

1 week ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.