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ILWU Local 10 Honors Angela Davis on Juneteenth

Willis, along with other Local 10 union officials, acknowledged Davis work as a professor and activist in the 1970s and 1980s and for standing up for freedom and union rights.

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Angela Davis speaks at the ILWU Local 10 Union Hall in San Francisco. Photo by Lee Hubbard

Trent Willis, president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 10, promised that his union would honor Angela Davis, the former college professor, feminist leader and former Black Panther leader, the first chance he got.

Last week, Willis lived up to his word, as he along with the ILWU local 10 union, honored Davis in a star-studded ceremony on Juneteenth at the longshoreman’s union hall, which sits alongside Fisherman’s Wharf.

Willis, along with other Local 10 union officials, acknowledged Davis work as a professor and activist in the 1970s and 1980s and for standing up for freedom and union rights.

“In 1972, we had the first rally by organized labor to call for the freedom of Angela Davis,” said Jack Heyman, a retired former ILWU Local 10 member and a long-time Bay Area labor activist.

“We have a long legacy that has been handed down to us, and it’s our responsibility to uphold,” said Willis. “Angela Davis reminds me of Muhammad Ali. She sacrificed everything in defense of her people.”

As a result of this, and her fight for organized labor, Willis and officials with ILWU Local 10, made her an honorary member. This honor has only been given to one other non-union member: Dr. Martin Luther King, who made a member in a 1967 ceremony at the union hall.

Willis was referring to Davis and her ordeal and trial in the 1970s. During the Soledad Brothers trial in 1970, a judge and three Black defendants were shot and killed as they were leaving a Marin County courthouse. The guns used were registered in Davis’ name and hours after the incident, the FBI issued a nationwide warrant for her and she was placed on the FBI’s most-wanted list.

She was later captured in New York and brought back to Marin, where she was held in jail for 16 months before being granted bail. In 1972, she was acquitted of the murder charges by an all-white jury after they deliberated for 13 hours. After her release, Davis would become an international speaker and a college professor at San Francisco State University and UC Santa Cruz.

As she was being honored, Davis acknowledged the significance of Juneteenth and it being made a federal holiday.

“Finally, there is a holiday to celebrate the defeat of slavery,” said Davis, as the crowd cheered.  This wasn’t the first time,Davis spoke in front of ILWU members.  She had been a speaker at the 2020 Juneteenth celebration in Oakland. She also spoke at the ILWU Labor May Day Celebration last month at San Francisco City Hall.

At the Union Hall, close to 300 people showed up to acknowledge Davis’ leadership and to also swear in new registered union members.

“Local 10 has been at the forefront of radical unionism my entire academic career,” continued Davis. “I want to thank you for consistency for leading the struggle. “I want to thank this union for fighting for my freedom. I want to thank you for refusing to unload South African cargo during apartheid. I want to thank you for refusing to unload cargo that came from Israel. This union has fought all the international movements I have been a part of. And I am privileged to be an honorary member of this local along with Dr. Martin Luther King. An injury to one, is an injury to all.”

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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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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U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (left) and Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) (Right).
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (left) and Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) (Right).

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.

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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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Blair Underwood (left) and Barbara Lee (right). Courtesy photo.
Blair Underwood (left) and Barbara Lee (right). Courtesy photo.

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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