Black History

Wadie Jean Johnson Amar, 87

We will remember her forever, as she is lifted in God’s gentle embrace into the silent land, and we, her children, family, and friends will never cease to feel her holding our hands throughout the rest of our lives.

Published

4 years ago

May 17, 2021

Mia Lane

Wadie Jean Johnson

Wadie Jean Johnson Amar, the daughter of the late Wade and Maggie Johnson, was born on Jan. 1, 1934, in Wichita, Kansas. After Wadie’s parents relocated to Oakland, she attended Cole Grammar School and later graduated from Oakland High School.

She was blessed with four lovely children: Wade, Rene, Jalna and Gary. Wadie Amar professed her faith in Jesus Christ and joined Cooper Zion AME Church, where she was recognized by many for her musical talents. From that day forward, she was a song leader and soloist in the choir.

Wadie never had a problem finding employment. She was a clothing salesperson for Hirsch and Company, a skip tracer (bill collector) for Mel Benning and Associates, a public relations specialist with Chicago Title Company, and later she became the office manager for a law firm.

Wadie provided for all of her children in grand style, as she loved them all. She was preceded in death by her parents Maggie Nola Johnson and Wade Hamilton Johnson; sister, Vera Leola Pitts and grandson Pascal Sarouté Amar.

She leaves to mourn her passing sons, Wade Gregory Amar and Gary Randall Amar; daughters, René Elisse Amar and Jalna Arlene Amar; grandchildren, Drake Anthony Dawson, Nicole Amar Rutland, and Jaderienne Rachelle Minger; and great-grandchildren, Cheyenne True Amar and Dash Cutler Dawson.

Mia Lane

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Oakland Post: Week of May 7 – 13, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 7 – 13, 2025

Published

4 days ago

May 9, 2025

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post: Week of April 30 – May 6, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 30 – May 6, 2025

Published

1 week ago

May 4, 2025

Oakland Post

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Four Bills Focus on Financial Compensation for Descendants of Enslaved People

This week, CBM examines four more bills in the package — each offering ways for Black Californians to receive restitution for past injustices — from housing assistance and reclamation of loss property to fairer pay and the establishment of a state agency charged with determining eligibility for reparations.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

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Edward Henderson
California Black Media

Last week, California Black Media (CBM) provided an update on four bills in the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) 2025 Road to Repair package.

The 16 bills in the Black Caucus’s 2025 “Road to Repair” package focus on “repairing the generational harms caused by the cruel treatment of African American slaves in the United States and decades of systemic deprivation and injustice inflicted upon Black Californians,” said the CLBC in a release.

This week, CBM examines four more bills in the package — each offering ways for Black Californians to receive restitution for past injustices — from housing assistance and reclamation of lost property to fairer pay and the establishment of a state agency charged with determining eligibility for reparations.

Here are summaries of these bills, information about their authors, and updates on how far each one has advanced in the legislative process.

Assembly Bill (AB) 57

AB 57, introduced by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), would require that at least 10% of the monies in the state’s home purchase assistance fund be made available to applicants who meet the requirements for a loan under the home purchase assistance program and are descendants of formerly enslaved people.

The Assembly Judiciary Committee is currently reviewing the legislation.

Assembly Bill (AB) 62

AB 62, also introduced by McKinnor, would require the Office of Legal Affairs to review, investigate, and make specific determinations regarding applications from people who claim they are the dispossessed owners of property seized from them because of racially motivated eminent domain. The bill would define “racially motivated eminent domain” to mean when the state acquires private property for public use and does not provide just compensation to the owner, due in whole or in part, to the owner’s race.

AB 62 is currently under review in the Judiciary Committee.

Senate Bill (SB) 464

SB 464, introduced by Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles), aims to strengthen the existing civil rights laws in California concerning employer pay data reporting. The bill mandates that private employers with 100 or more employees submit annual pay data reports to the Civil Rights Department. These reports must include detailed demographic information — including race, ethnicity, sex, and sexual orientation — pertaining to their workforce distribution and compensation across different job categories. Furthermore, beginning in 2027, public employers will also be required to comply with these reporting requirements.

The Senate Committee on Labor, Public Employment, and Rules is currently reviewing SB 464. A hearing is expected to be held on April 23.

Senate Bill (SB) 518

SB 518, introduced by Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego), establishes the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery to address and remedy the lasting harms of slavery and the Jim Crow laws suffered by Black Californians.

SB 518 is under review in the Senate Judiciary Committee. A hearing is expected to be held on April 22.