Education: the Cornerstone of Our Democracy

By Ruth Love, Ph.D.

Education is the major social justice issue of this decade. It remains a gigantic challenge for educators and non-educators, alike.. Without question, every child has the right to be well education., whether rich or poor, black, white or brown, bilingual or mono-lingual, we mis-educate these children at our peril.

As an industry, education is one of least expensive investment that can be made. Indeed, it is an investment in our collective future. To realize a return on our investment, education must be equitable and excellent. It is the great equalizer, the balance wheel of justice, as Horace Mann predicted. There is no place in this highly technological society for an uneducated man or woman. Those without an education and skills will likely find their way into anti social, non-productive avenues. Many will become victims of the prison system, the largest growth industry. Others may join the unemployment lines. Still others will detour to drugs and alcohol. All of these detours are costly, both in terms of human capital and in expenditures passed on to citizens. Hence, by comparison, education becomes much less costly. Someone has said, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” [Read more]

Shorter Reappointed to Commission on Status of Women

By Wade Wood

Andrea shorter who received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Whittier College and attended the University of Copenhagen, Demark last week was reappointment to the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women.
Shorter is presently an Independent Consultant, working primarily on matters of juvenile justice policy and effective alternatives to incarceration program models and evaluation.

Shorter is also currently the Vice President of FPA and Associates, inc., which is an Executive Recruitment firm that specializes in LGBT hiring needs and diversity training.

Shorter’s past professional experiences include Deputy Director, Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, Director Director, Names Project Foundation/AIDS Memorial Quilt and Acting Director for the Income Rights Project, Inc. [Read more]

Black Publisher Inspired Jack London

By Mary Rudge

What newspaper publisher would print Poetry and Adventure Stories as front page news?
John Wilds, founder and editor of the Oakland Sunshine did. He convinced many young people to be brave in all they endeavored, and he used many forms of writing to this purpose. Though Jack London, as a child, seems to have been self-motivated to pursue writing as a vocation, he took courage to stand up for his choice, mightily impressed by John Wilds, friend of his foster parents, Jennie and Alonzo Prentiss.
Jack wanted to write poetry and see it on the front page of a newspaper, too. [Read more]

Willa Dellums, 89

Mayor Ron Dellums’ mother, Willa Dellums, passed away Sunday morning at 3am in Oakland. She was 89 years old.
“Naturally, I am very saddened by the passing of my mother who meant so much to me and to my family,” said Mayor Dellums. “She instilled in me the values and integrity that allow me to be the person that I am today. She was an incredible person who only wanted the best for me, as I developed both personally and politically. As I was growing up in Oakland, she prayed that I wouldn’t go down the wrong road and that support allowed me to pursue an education and taught me that listening to others is not only important, but an essential tool in order to make a difference. Even though she did not attend college, she possessed a tremendous thirst for knowledge and a visionary spirit. My mother imparted on my sister and me a strong belief in the value of education and, along with my father, pushed us to achieve at every step. I believe she lived out her dreams of education through her children and I am very proud of that.

[Read more]

When dying was an art

“This Republic of Suffering” by Drew Gilpin Faust
c.2008, Knopf $27.95 368 pages

Review by Terri Schlichenmeyer

Watch the news, open a newspaper, turn on the radio, visit a newsstand, eavesdrop on conversation at a local restaurant - wherever you go, it’s hard to ignore the fact that American men and women are losing their lives on foreign soil.

If you’ve got a loved one in Iraq, read on - but with caution.

No matter where a soldier dies, he or she leaves someone at home, someone who dreads getting a visit from a uniformed chaplain or grim-faced officer. But almost a hundred fifty years ago, if you lost a loved one to battle, you may’ve never gotten closure on your loss. No body, no personal effects, no confirmation, and no grave to visit. In “This Republic of Suffering” by Drew Gilpin Faust, you’ll read about death on the battlefields of the Civil War.

In early Victorian times, Americans believed in “Good Death”; that is, a death where one gave up the soul “gladlye and wilfully” and resisted worldly attachment. Death was, in today’s context, almost romantic in its sentimentality.

“Dying,” says Faust, “was an art.” [Read more]

The Post Remembers Chauncey Bailey

On the morning of August 2, 2007, Oakland Post Editor Chauncey W. Bailey was gunned down on his way to work in downtown Oakland. Bailey, 57, was killed at the pinnacle of his long and distinguished journalistic career and since his death he has received numerous posthumous recognitions for his courageous investigations into political and community issues.

In the last year, journalists from around the world have written extensively about the case and the issues Bailey was investigating.

In the Bay Area, several organizations created The Chauncey Bailey Project, a collaboration between journalists, editors and media dedicated to completing Bailey’s unfinished body of work. The Post News Group would like to thank the numerous journalists, media organizations and community groups that have taken up the call to continue Bailey’s work and his fight for justice. Below is a collection of articles from the Oakland Post as well as coverage from around the world. [Read more]