Marie Maynard Daly, Improving Lives Through Science Page 2
7th Annual Black-Eyed Pea Festival. September 24 Page 2
Community Invited to Join in to Make History at Rolling Hills Memorial Park Page 6
Change to Penal Code Allows Hiring Firefighters With Criminal Records,,,P9
Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
postnewsgroup.com
President Joe Biden
Barbara Lee
Nikki Fortunato Bas, Pastors of Oakland, and Little Saigon Community Convene A Peace Gathering, Vigil Community Call-In
Lee Applauds Biden’s Funds to Fight AIDS Congresswoman Barbara Lee applauded President Biden for announcing that the United States will host the Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment Conference on Sept. 19, 2022 in New York City. The United States is proud to be a founding contributor of, and the largest single donor to, the Global Fund, having contributed nearly $20 billion since 2002. Founded in 2002, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) is a unique financing mechanism that relies on a dynamic partnership among governments, the private sector, and civil society to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria in ways that contribute to strengthening health systems. “Over the last two decades, the Global Fund has maintained strong bipartisan support in Congress,” said Congresswoman Lee. “Since the United States became the first country to pledge to it in 2001, the Global Fund partnership has saved over 44 million lives from the three deadliest infectious diseases before COVID-19 arose — AIDS, TB and malaria. Hosting the next Replenishment will speed the world’s progress toward ending these epidemics, while showing U.S. commitment to preventing future pandemics. “This has been a top priority of mine spanning decades. We must invest in programs like the Global Fund and PEPFAR, which have saved countless lives, contributed to reducing health inequities
59th Year, No. 11
Weekly Edition. Edition. Aug. 31-Sept. 6, 2022
Free Cultural Event at Love Center Ministries
Vocalist Faye Carol and Pianist Joe Warner in Free Concert at Love Center on Wednesday, September 7 at 10440 International Blvd. Oakland. For more information, see Ad on Page 10.
Phyllis Scott, President of Pastors of Oakland, joins with City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas to denounce violence against Asian Americans. By Post Staff
By Rev. Dr. Martha C Taylor
Highlighting a few Black men who advanced through barriers to make this world a better place; some are walking history makers; others have passed from labor to reward.
Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, who also represents District 2 where a recent shooting death of a Vietnamese dentist occurred in the “Little Saigon Community,” convened a community call-in and “Peace Gathering Vigil.” She was joined by Rev. Phyllis Scott, President of the Pastors of Oakland and 20 Chaplains from the Pastors of Oakland Chaplaincy program that has been supportive of and served families of victims cooperatively with Police Chief Continued on Page 10
“Gated” Tiny Homes Communities Part 2 By Post Staff
The Post News Group received inquiries from many groups and individuals throughout the Bay Area, including seven faith-based groups and two entrepreneurs who wanted to find out more about how to purchase, build, sponsor or invest in Rev. Ken Lackey’s Tiny Home project. Rev. Lackey’s building approach is cheap, efficient and tenant-friendly, and it is also rather old-school and responsible when it comes to living in a “gated-close-knit” envi-
The Historical Impact of Black Men Past and Present
Dr. Maritony Yamot with a Tiny Home.
ronment where there are rules and conditions that emphasize respect, physical conditioning, families with children and elderly living alongside formerly incarcerated, the previously un-housed and unemployed. But Rev. Lackey looks at
this motley mix of humanity with hope and optimism. He boldly says, “We have no option but to view the opportunity to put another 200 people in homes in the next few months as a God given program with loving kindness if we work together.” His vision starts with the Tiny Homes Community (THC) for everyone in Oakland then throughout the Bay Area and ultimately throughout the country. The Tiny Homes Community objective:
Bishop Charley Hames Jr Today, we salute, Oakland’s own, The Rev. Dr. Charley Hames Jr, Senior Pastor, of the historic Beebe Memorial Cathedral (CME) Church who was among five newly elected and consecrated Bishops during the 39th Quadrennial and 40th Session of the General Conference of the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church held from June 25-30 in Cincinnati, Ohio. His new assignment is Presiding Prelate of the Ninth Episcopal District of the CME Church. He will serve as the chief spiritual shepherd for all CME parishes in the California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Alaska. Bishop Hames Jr. had humble beginnings on Chicago’s South Side. He was baptized by Pastor Dotcy Ivertus Isom Jr who ordained him as a deacon, elder and full connection to serve in the ministry. Bishop Hames Jr is known for his community involvement, excellency in preaching and inclusive leadership style. He says, “A true visionary takes a virtual tour of your future and it is our responsibility to come back and make it your present-day reality.” Bishop Hames Jr serves God with vision and action. Bryan Stevenson is a living legend; considered one of the most influential lawyers of our time. He is the founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a human rights organization in Montgomery, Alabama. Under his leadership, the EJI has won major legal challenges, breaking through concrete walls to eliminate unfair sentencing, and exonerating innocent death row prisoners while confronting abuse of the incarcerated and mentally ill and aiding children from being prosecuted as adults. With staff, they have won reversals and release from prison for over 135 wrongly condemned prisoners on death row. His book Just Mercy, is a story of justice and redemption. Continued on Page 10
Resistance to School Closings and Don’t Let Biden Get Talked Out of Student Loan Forgiveness Privatization Drives Candidacies in 2022 School Board Elections result in debt, no degree, and borrowers long after WestOpinion Continued on Page 10
By Emil Guillermo
Don’t be confused about the student loan forgiveness plan President Biden announced recently. Sure, it wasn’t all student debt. But it did address the most egregious debt foisted on students by forprofit predator “educators.” The plan would also definitely help BIPOC borrowers more than not. And yet, days after the announcement, people are questioning the idea from the Left and the Right. The Left wants no limits, all debt relieved. The Right wants none of it, and asks “Who’s going to pay for it all?” Of course, they don’t ask that when it was
mostly the rich who benefited from Trump tax cuts or Covid PPP payouts. Bottom-line, we can’t let Joe Biden be talked out of student loan relief for individuals with loans up to $10,000, with an additional amount for those with Pell Grants. This plan is focused on regular folks, single people with incomes under $125,000, and married folks with incomes under $250,000. The plan is also ready made for BIPOC communities who have suffered specifically from private, for-profit schools. Schools which follow a pattern — preying on peoples’ dreams, getting them to take out expensive student loans, that only
busted dreams. That was how many private, for-profit schools like Corinthian College and ITT Technical Institute preyed on unwary borrowers, resulting in massive debt forgiveness plans for their students before the general forgiveness plan was announced. Just this week, the Department of Education announced another $1.5 billion debt relief package for 79,000 borrowers who attended Westwood College. Closed down in 2016, Westwood left students holding the bag until the feds came up with a debt package on Monday. “Westwood operated a culture of false promises, lies and manipulation in order to profit off student debt that burdened
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wood closed,” said Education Undersecretary James Kvaal in a statement. With evidence from state attorneys general in Colorado and Illinois, the Dept of Education described how Westwood “routinely misled prospective students by grossly misrepresenting that its credentials would benefit their career prospects and earning potential.” Specifically, the school promised students jobs in their fields within six months of graduation that would “make them employable the rest of their lives.” Everything was inflated, like a “guarantee of employment pledge” that was never made good. Sound like any of the forContinued on Page 10
Protests and community occupation of Parker Elementary School in East Oakland has continued throughout the summer since the school officially closed at the end of May. By Ken Epstein
Heading into the Fall 2022 school board election season, the political atmosphere remains highly energized in the wake of the community-wide rebellion that started last year when the school board, direct-
Commentary
ed by state officials and their representatives, pushed the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) to close schools Continued on Page 10