Berkeley

Reflections on #BlackLivesMatter, from Ferguson to UC Berkeley

Published

10 years ago

February 17, 2015

By Cathy Cockrell, UC Berkeley News

As #BlackLivesMatter protests erupted and spread across the country late last year — everywhere from Ferguson, Missouri, to Sproul Plaza — African American scholars at Berkeley asked themselves how they might contribute to the national conversation and support campus activists. Their answer, in part, is Insurgency: The Black Matter(s) Issue, a collection of short-form works recently published online, with a print version to follow soon.

In the publication, a special edition of the Department of African American Studies periodical The Diaspora, campus scholars share their reflections — personal, poetic, analytical and historical by turns — “to help people think in different ways and more deeply about recent events,” says department chair Na’ilah Suad Nasir, who co-edited the issue with Ph.D. candidate Ianna Owen.

“The ‘ask’ was really open and porous,” Owen says of the call for short-form pieces on #BlackLivesMatter, which went out to graduate students and faculty on Dec. 13, in the midst of finals. By the deadline, a week later, many submissions had poured in; on Dec. 23 the issue launched online. “It’s exciting to see what people are capable of in the 11th hour,” says Owen.

“We were harnessing enthusiasm people had to be part of this,” adds Suad Nasir.

In style and focus, responses ran the gamut. In “Ferguson Will Not Let Me Rest,” grad student Ameer Loggins reports on how the Twitterverse — which did not exist, for example, in 1992 when Rodney King’s beating by LA. police was caught on videotape — responded to events in Ferguson in 2014. Suad Nasir, a scholar of education, connects police killings of African Americans with “the way our educational system dampens the spirits and potential of Black kids…”

Owen critiques the often-heard retort that “all lives matter” — a “deceptive little revision” she writes, “…that beams with the false polish of inclusion.” Historian Ula Taylor traces the roots of #BlackLivesMatter to civil rights leader Ella Baker, who advocated for collective leadership and empowerment of the poor.

Several think out loud about protest actions on the Berkeley campus: black students’ Dec. 4 rally and occupation of The Golden Bear Café (in essays by graduate students Jarvis Givens and Charisse Burden), and a controversial art installation at Sather Gate that referenced the history of lynching (in associate professor Leigh Raiford’s “On Effigies and Elegies“).

“While talking about very specific local events,” says Owen, these “help us think about this broader #BlackLivesMatter movement.”

A number of the issue’s 20 essays offer historical context – harkening back to “400 years of insurgency in the kitchens, the prisons, the battlefields, the illegal spelling lessons” for black slaves, as the co-editors write in their introduction.

Professor emeritus Robert Allen shares memories of the murder, in Mississippi, of black teen Emmett Till in August 1955. Seeing grisly photos of Till’s unrecognizable body “marked the end of my innocence,” and served as “a wake-up call for black America,” he writes.

Doctoral student Essence Harden and collaborator Jihaari Terry contribute a large art piece, which superimposes, on words from James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time, the names of 50 individuals murdered by white vigilantes or police officers in recent years. Details from “In Memoriam” structure the layout of the online issue.

An expanded print edition of Insurgency: The Black Matter(s) Issue — to include pieces by undergraduates and additional faculty, along with the content of the online version — is due out later this month.

To request a free copy, email Ianna Owen (io@berkeley.edu).

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Progressive Missionary Baptist Church of Berkeley Celebrates 90th Anniversary

Dr. Earl C. Stuckey, Sr., who has served as Progressive Missionary’s pastor since September 1977, said the church also delights in the fact that it has hosted only five pastors in its 90-year history, including Pastors James E. Moore, H. A. Green, F. Douglas Farrell, and Edward Stovall, who served for 37 years.

Published

6 days ago

May 16, 2025

Oakland Post

Progressive Missionary Baptist Poster. Dr. Earl C. Stuckey, Sr., Pastor of Progressive Missionary Baptist Church in Berkeley with his wife, Kay Frances Stuckey.

By Oakland Post Staff

The Progressive Missionary Baptist Church of Berkeley is celebrating its 90th church anniversary on Sunday, May 18 at 10 a.m. at 3301 King Street in Berkeley.

The celebration will feature Pastor Darnell Manuel of the Union Baptist Church in Vallejo as guest speaker, along with many other special presentations.

Those who wish to share in Progressive’s history can purchase a 100-page full-colored souvenir book for $25.

The church boasts a number of notable people who either regularly attended or became members of the church since its inception, including former Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor, and one of the organizers of the Gospel Music Workshop of America, Helen J. H. Stephens.

Pastor Stuckey often remarks how longevity flourishes at the church — it boasts 13 centenarians (people who have reached 100 years or more). Currently, it has one centenarian who is still surviving, Mrs. Dorothy Chambers, and 14 members who have reached 90 years or more.

Recently, on Feb.17, the pastor and his wife Kay Frances, celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary.

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Activism

Faces Around the Bay: Author Karen Lewis Took the ‘Detour to Straight Street’

“My life has been a roller-coaster with an unlimited ride wristband! I was raised in Berkeley during the time of Ron Dellums, the Black Panthers, and People’s Park. I was a Hippie kid, my Auntie cut off all our hair so we could wear the natural styles like her and Angela Davis.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Karen Lewis. Courtesy photo.

By Barbara Fluhrer

I met Karen Lewis on a park bench in Berkeley. She wrote her story on the spot.

I got married young, then ended up getting divorced, raising two boys into men. After my divorce, I had a stroke that left me blind and paralyzed. I was homeless, lost in a fog with blurred vision.

Jesus healed me! I now have two beautiful grandkids. At 61, this age and this stage, I am finally free indeed. Our Lord Jesus Christ saved my soul. I now know how to be still. I lay at his feet. I surrender and just rest. My life and every step on my path have already been ordered. So, I have learned in this life…it’s nice to be nice. No stressing, just blessings. Pray for the best and deal with the rest.

Nobody is perfect, so forgive quickly and love easily!”

Lewis’ book “Detour to Straight Street” is available on Amazon.

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Golden State Warriors Program Is Inspiring Next Generation of Female Engineers

Breaking down barriers and biases that deter young girls from pursuing STEAM subjects is essential for creating a level playing field and ensuring equal opportunities for all. By challenging stereotypes and promoting a culture of inclusivity and diversity in STEAM fields, experts believe young girls can be empowered to pursue their interests and aspirations without limitations confidently. Encouraging mentorship, providing access to resources, and celebrating girls’ achievements in STEAM are all crucial steps in creating a supportive environment that fosters success.

Published

2 months ago

March 23, 2025

Oakland Post

Front Row: UC Berkeley Steel Bridge Team Back Row: Girls, Inc. Participants. Photo courtesy of the Golden State Warriors.

By Y’Anad Burrell

The Golden State Warriors and e-commerce giant Rakuten are joining forces to inspire the next generation of female engineers through Building STEAM Futures, part of The City Calls campaign.

Organizers say the initiative is founded on the idea that science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) are crucial fields for innovation and progress, and empowering young girls to pursue careers in these areas is more important than ever. Studies consistently show that girls are underrepresented in STEAM fields, resulting in a gender disparity that limits potential and hinders diversity.

On Saturday, March 8, International Women’s Day, the Warriors and Rakuten hosted 20 middle school girls from Girls Inc. of Alameda County at Chase Center’s Above the Rim for a hands-on bridge-building experience. The young girls from Girls, Inc. of Alameda County had an opportunity to design, build and test their own bridge prototypes and learn the fundamentals of bridge construction from the Engineering Alliance and the UC Berkeley Steel Bridge Team.

This STEAM experience for the girls followed the first session in January, where they took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Golden Gate Bridge, learning about its design and construction from industry experts. The City Calls campaign, tipped off with the unveiling the Warriors’ new bridge-themed City Edition jerseys and court design earlier this year.