Oakland Activist Kenzie Smith Was the Man on the Moon
What We Can Learn from a Community Activist Who Died Young Suffering from PTSD and Mental Health When...
The Familiar Grief of Death, Love Addiction, and Withdrawal
We know death is as inevitable as life, yet we barely talk about it. When death does occur, we look for blame. We become victims. If it was a violent death, then hate is born, and vengeance must be sought no matter the societal cost.
Five Years After BBQ Becky – What Media Has Consistently Gotten Wrong
Five years after “BBQ Becky” was dubbed into meme infamy, the story has become a hero myth, losing...
Breaking Chains for Change – One Family’s Fellowship to Empower Communities
Frank Smith was once a man of the streets of Oakland. He had a reputation as "Frank the Bank," but he turned into "Frank the Blessed" when he dedicated his life to his faith, his wife, and his children.
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.
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.
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.
How I Got So Good at Documenting People Like BBQ Becky
There is more backstory to the BBQ Becky video going viral than is ever told in mainstream media. Here's why.
How I Deconstructed Racism and Colonization Decades Ago
In the aftermath of the viral video dubbed “BBQ Becky,” many comments on the video combined with social...
