George Floyd Protest in Oakland Reflects Conflicting Intensions
Friday night's Oakland protest of the killing of George Floyd by Minnesota police had a different—pent energy—than any other protest I've ever been to.
Moms4Housing Claims for One Home Taught Housing Organizers Valuable Lessons
The right to housing is a human right. Yet, in Oakland, there are nearly four vacant properties for every homeless person. A group of homeless moms, Moms 4 Housing, organized to take over a vacant home in West Oakland and used this statistic to wedge their way into a vacant home in West Oakland.
ACCE and Moms 4 Housing Join Forces in March for Affordable Housing with Oakland Advocate Groups
A unified mix of Oakland advocate groups descended on a luxury high-rise to spotlight a building boom they say is not intended to house locals—creating more homelessness and forcing many to leave the city.
From Burning Man to Wood Street
At the Wood Street homeless encampment in West Oakland, CA, 54-year-old Carter-Griffin said she has been homeless a total of 10 years. Six of those years have been in West Oakland. A 5th generation San Franciscan, Carter-Griffin lived in the Bay Area all of her life, minus two years.
A Night of Healing with Barbara Lee Links Gun Violence and White Supremacy as National Problem
Outlining a need to stop gun violence across the country, Lee emphasized the problems with domestic terrorism to worshipers, immigrants, and people of color as well as violence in homes and on the streets. She stressed the importance of letting the NRA know, “we are more powerful than they are.” The NRA has lobbied against gun reform for decades. Background checks and supporting a ban on assault rifles meant for war are a few gun reform legislations Lee wants to pass in congress.
How Far Does Free Speech Go? Using identity politics as a weapon of confusion.
As previously published in print on May 16, 2019, for my school newspaper the Laney Tower. Portraits of...
Choosing Between Housing and Education
When resources are not available to young college students, prioritizing education over housing can be a difficult choice. For Laney College football player Armani Turner-Jenkins, his choice was between basic comforts and achieving his long-term goals.
Reclaiming Martin Luther King Day Ended With Live Gun Melting Ceremony
In the past, the group re-cast the melted guns into shovels. The guns symbolize death, but the shovels symbolize planting and life.
One 40-Year-Olds Decision To Start Journalism Fighting For Democracy
This column was originally published in the Laney Tower Print edition under the title "Tales from the Editor" issue December 6, 2018. This was the second to last print semester before Laney College renovated the program, completely updating the room, computers, and website to digital—our professor, Burt Dragin, who had been teaching journalism since the 70s, retired in 2019. Unfortunately, our other teacher, Scott Strain, passed away in 2020 during the pandemic. I want to dedicate this recently updated post to both Burt and Scott, who taught me the importance of staying true to researching all the facts of a story and ensuring I check every inch of the copy before publishing. This is why I have thought to review my posts again to ensure they are done correctly, in their memory so that I may do them and myself proud. I'd also like to thank all of the journalism students who I worked with at the Laney Tower, who stay in touch with me, and some who I see have moved on, graduated, and become great journalists. They are the ones who pushed me to tell my story, but it is I who is proud of them, always.
Featured On New York Times LiveStream Chat About Race
As most people know, I filmed the video now dubbed #BBQBecky. Several journalists have noted to me recently that this viral video has started a new trend of people video recording white people who are doing what appears to be racially motivated acts like calling the police on black people who seem “out of place” to a White person who has a racial bias they may not even be aware of.
