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Articles by Gracelynne West
Black feminist organizers reflect on Trump’s second term and the future of their movements Original
Real journalists wrote and edited this (not AI)—independent, community-driven journalism survives because you back it. Donate to sustain Prism’s mission and the humans behind it. Tamika Middleton enrolled at the historically Black college and university (HBCU) Xavier University in New Orleans in 2001 as a pre-med student. Driven by a loved one’s experience facing incarceration, Middleton joined movement spaces determined to organize against mass incarceration.
L.A.'s Black immigrants reframe cultural narratives and reclaim their stories
“There are no monolithic Black experiences,” Black feminist author bell hooks once wrote. But, in discussions around U.S. immigration, Black immigrants are often left out of the narrative. Los Angeles is one of the fastest-growing hubs for Black immigrants on the West Coast, most especially immigrants from the Caribbean. However, the reality of anti-Black racism creates very real consequences for both Black Americans and Black immigrants with disparities in health, housing and immigration.
Activists Say Police Killing of Ryan Gainer Shows Need for Community Safety
This story was originally published by Prism. The fatal police shooting of a Black, autistic teen in San Bernardino, California, has sparked renewed calls for alternative crisis intervention approaches for those with mental illness and disability. On March 9, 15-year-old Ryan Gainer returned home from a run and became increasingly frustrated with his parents after they demanded he complete his household chores before playing video games.
Police killing of Ryan Gainer emphasizes need safety alternatives
The fatal police shooting of a Black, autistic teen in San Bernardino, California, has sparked renewed calls for alternative crisis intervention approaches for those with mental illness and disability. On March 9, 15-year-old Ryan Gainer returned home from a run and became increasingly frustrated with his parents after they demanded he complete his household chores before playing video games.
Opponents of Bay Area Police Training Center Mobilize for Palestine
This story was originally published at Prism. As momentum to stop the construction of the $43.6 million police training facility in San Pablo, California, grows among local organizers, so has the urgency to mobilize in support of Palestine. In January, the Stop Cop City Bay Area coalition organized a march and rally in the city’s plaza to unite the movement for a free Palestine with the need to divest from policing and surveillance both locally and abroad.
Stop Cop City Bay Area unites for Palestine
As momentum to stop the construction of the $43.6 million police training facility in San Pablo, California, grows among local organizers, so has the urgency to mobilize in support of Palestine. In January, the Stop Cop City Bay Area coalition organized a march and rally in the city’s plaza to unite the movement for a free Palestine with the need to divest from policing and surveillance both locally and abroad.
The U.S. State Department Has Failed to Protect U.S. Citizens Escaping From Gaza
This story was orginally published at Prism. Sireen Beseiso traveled to Gaza in June 2022 with her 11-year-old son Aden for summer break. The single Palestinian-American mother from Salt Lake City, Utah, was planning to stay for just two months to visit family but ultimately decided to extend their stay and enroll Aden in the American International School in Gaza City because he enjoyed living there. While in Gaza, both of their passports expired.
The State Department failed to protect U.S. citizens escaping Gaza
Sireen Beseiso traveled to Gaza in June 2022 with her 11-year-old son Aden for summer break. The single Palestinian-American mother from Salt Lake City, Utah, was planning to stay for just two months to visit family but ultimately decided to extend their stay and enroll Aden in the American International School in Gaza City because he enjoyed living there. While in Gaza, both of their passports expired.
Parents, students, teachers make final push to keep their schools from closing
The Oakland Unified School District board is expected to vote Tuesday night on a controversial proposal to close or merge up to 15 schools in the next two years to help shrink its budget deficit. Over the weekend, parents, students, educators and community leaders rallied at campuses at risk of closure in a last-ditch effort to persuade school board members to reconsider the plan. Oakland Unified has experienced enrollment declines and budget shortfalls in recent years.
In caravan, protesters rally outside OUSD directors' homes against plan to close schools
A caravan of vehicles that stretched for blocks paraded through the streets of Oakland Thursday evening, honking in solidarity against the Oakland Unified School District’s plan to close eight schools and merge others.
Mushroom foraging becomes 'a spiritual journey with nature'
Tony Alvarez pulled his SUV into the deserted parking lot before sunrise on a chilly January morning and unloaded two grocery bags, a jar and a backpack from his trunk as he waited for others to arrive. It was 6:30 a.m. and he was expecting 15 people to join him for mushroom foraging in Tilden Park, an excursion people pay $100 to experience with Shroomy Walkabouts, a business he started four years ago in the Bay Area.
OUSD students on verge of strike over COVID-19 measures
With more than 800 student cases of COVID-19 in Oakland schools, students have threatened to go on strike this week unless the district does more to keep them and their teachers safe. Students petitioned the district last week for KN95/N95 masks for every student, twice-weekly coronavirus testing and more outdoor spaces where they can eat when it rains.
Loss of Dewey bus passes spurs Oakland school district to revamp system
Many students at Dewey Academy can now afford to ride the bus again. However, the future of the bus pass program depends on the Oakland Unified School District’s ability to make sure students who need help paying for transportation are able to get it. During an impassioned school board meeting on May 26, parents and teachers successfully fought to restore funding to cover bus fares for many Dewey Academy students.
Guerilla knitters "yarn bomb" sculpture on Oakland-Berkeley border
In southernmost Berkeley, the Richmond BART emerges from its subterranean track with a ghostly howl and trundles into Oakland, elevated above Martin Luther King Jr. Way. On an abbreviated bit of greenery at the intersection of Adeline and MLK, in the shade of youthful evergreens, powder-coated steel-plate capital letters spelling out the words “HERE” and “THERE” stand eight feet high.
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