City Government

OP-ED: Proposed Dept. of Race and Equity and the Prophetic Work of Changing the Status Quo

Published

10 years ago

April 17, 2015

By Rev. Debra Avery, First Presbyterian Church of Oakland

When I considered whether to offer my thoughts on Councilmember Desley Brooks’ proposal for a city Department of Race and Equity, I thought: What can a white, middle class pastor like me say that would be of any use at all? What can I possibly contribute to an already rich conversation full of the pain of first-hand experience, and supported by well-researched statistics and administrative detail?

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My first thought was: precious little. Then I remembered a sermon preached by Martin Luther King Jr. to his own Abyssinian Baptist Church on June 5, 1966 – a sermon in which he called his people to the prophetic task of rethinking the purpose of the church.

He said: “The church is not a social club, although some people think it is. The church is not an entertainment center, although some people think it is. The church has a purpose. Heal the broken hearted, bring good news to the poor, free the captives, bring sight to the blind, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Though King was holding up a vision for his congregation when their energy was flagging, his words called through the decades and challenged me to step out of my privileged place and rethink my purpose as the leader of a local congregation. If this is to be the year of living into those prophetic words, then we have to get busy making sure the good news gets to those who need it most.

Nothing changes if nothing changes and Oakland is due for a change.

If we are to believe our newly elected city officials campaign rhetoric was more than stump-speech pandering, then it should be clear that we cannot continue with the status quo. We elected people who sought to join their cries with those who have long struggled and now it is time to call on them to live into the campaign promises they made.

The department seems like a timely tool to help us reevaluate our standards and refocus our expectations. It may not be perfect, but it provides a way to work toward freedom from entrenched attitudes and behaviors that have held our city hostage for years. It has the potential to provide new standards by which we can hold leaders accountable so that everyone in Oakland can have the same opportunity to thrive.

Approving this proposal means that the ayor must live into her promises for a different Oakland for “All Oaklanders” and provide for the Department of Race and Equity in her budget. Councilmembers must move out of entrenched norms of in-house squabbling and work together to support the work of transformation. Everyone will have to sacrifice personal privilege and power for the greater good.

It seems to me that now is the time for Oakland to answer the call to heal the brokenhearted, bring hope to the poor and free those held captive by the chains of oppression.

I believe that the Department of Race and Equity can guide that prophetic work and create a new way of being for our city government – one that truly represents the fullness of the diversity of our beautiful, beloved community.

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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

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4 days ago

June 7, 2025

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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.