Oakland
OP-ED: Immigration, Racism and the Future of Oakland
I heard a moving radio commentary by Mumia Abu Jamal on efforts by right wing militias and politicians to prevent children fleeing poverty and violence in Central America from entering the United States.
Mumia compared the callous indifference and racism towards these children with the refusal of the U.S. government to admit Jewish children fleeing from Hitler in the 1940s.He quoted blatantly anti-Semitic comments by members of Congress at that time and compared them to the racist statements made by today’s right-wingers about the Central American children.
< p>The right-wing attacks against Hispanic children trying to flee violence in Central America demonstrates, despite the successes of Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey, how race continues to be the most important issue shaping politics and consciousness in the United States. Even in enlightened Oakland many people accept the squalid conditions faced by the majority of our African American and Latino children, while similar treatment of children from white, more affluent backgrounds would not be tolerated.
The Oakland School District reflects this double standard. OUSD is a district populated primarily by poor, African American and Latino students. Three-quarters of the students qualify for free or reduced priced lunches; 42 percent are Hispanic, 29 percent are African American. Only 50 percent of African American and Latino students graduate from Oakland high schools within four years of starting. The state average is 80 percent.
Oakland’s teachers earn an average of $54,669; the California average is $68,030. Until we address these issues, Oakland will continue to be a divided city.
Middle class and affluent families will insure that their children enjoy a comfortable life and receive a good education, and most will attend college. In our poor communities, far fewer children enjoy the benefits of a comfortable life, many go hungry, and relatively few succeed in school or attend college. Those who never graduate from high school are doomed to lives of low wage jobs, unemployment, and, in many cases, prison.
The viable existence of a society depends upon a social contract, the unwritten agreement between individuals and the government under which people accept the government’s authority over many aspects of their lives in exchange for the security and other benefits the government provides. But when tens of millions of people are excluded from the benefits provided to the majority, social decay and disorder are inevitable.
In the U.S. today, the richest one percent control more wealth than the bottom 90 percent. This situation is not only morally wrong; it is a recipe for disaster. The future health of American society will depend upon its ability to close the income and privilege gaps that divide the rich and the poor, particularly low income people of color.
Our campaign for Mayor of Oakland advocates the development of the City based upon principles of social and economic justice. Our success will help create a model for the future of America.
Dan Siegel is a local civil rights attorney and a candidate for mayor.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Oakland Hosts Town Hall Addressing Lead Hazards in City Housing
According to the city, there are 22,000 households in need of services for lead issues, most in predominantly low-income or Black and Latino neighborhoods, but only 550 to 600 homes are addressed every year. The city is hoping to use part of the multimillion-dollar settlement to increase the number of households served each year.

By Magaly Muñoz
The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department hosted a town hall in the Fruitvale to discuss the efforts being undertaken to remove lead primarily found in housing in East and West Oakland.
In 2021, the city was awarded $14 million out of a $24 million legal settlement from a lawsuit against paint distributors for selling lead-based paint that has affected hundreds of families in Oakland and Alameda County. The funding is intended to be used for lead poisoning reduction and prevention services in paint only, not water or other sources as has been found recently in schools across the city.
The settlement can be used for developing or enhancing programs that abate lead-based paint, providing services to individuals, particularly exposed children, educating the public about hazards caused by lead paint, and covering attorney’s fees incurred in pursuing litigation.
According to the city, there are 22,000 households in need of services for lead issues, most in predominantly low-income or Black and Latino neighborhoods, but only 550 to 600 homes are addressed every year. The city is hoping to use part of the multimillion-dollar settlement to increase the number of households served each year.
Most of the homes affected were built prior to 1978, and 12,000 of these homes are considered to be at high risk for lead poisoning.
City councilmember Noel Gallo, who represents a few of the lead-affected Census tracts, said the majority of the poisoned kids and families are coming directly from neighborhoods like the Fruitvale.
“When you look at the [kids being admitted] at the children’s hospital, they’re coming from this community,” Gallo said at the town hall.
In order to eventually rid the highest impacted homes of lead poisoning, the city intends to create programs and activities such as lead-based paint inspections and assessments, full abatement designed to permanently eliminate lead-based paint, or partial abatement for repairs, painting, and specialized cleaning meant for temporary reduction of hazards.
In feedback for what the city could implement in their programming, residents in attendance of the event said they want more accessibility to resources, like blood testing, and information from officials about lead poisoning symptoms, hotlines for assistance, and updates on the reduction of lead in their communities.
Attendees also asked how they’d know where they are on the prioritization list and what would be done to address lead in the water found at several school sites in Oakland last year.
City staff said there will be a follow-up event to gather more community input for programming in August, with finalizations happening in the fall and a pilot launch in early 2026.
-
#NNPA BlackPress4 weeks ago
MLK Bust Quietly Removed from Oval Office Under Trump
-
Activism4 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of April 30 – May 6, 2025
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of May 7 – 13, 2025
-
Activism2 weeks ago
After Two Decades, Oakland Unified Will Finally Regain Local Control
-
Activism2 weeks ago
New Oakland Moving Forward
-
Activism2 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of May 14 – 20, 2025
-
Alameda County2 weeks ago
Oakland Begins Month-Long Closure on Largest Homeless Encampment
-
#NNPA BlackPress3 weeks ago
Trump Abruptly Fires First Carla Hayden: The First Black Woman to Serve as Librarian of Congress