Last weekend, people started reaching out to me because they were afraid, and they didn’t want to stay that way. They didn’t want to rage or burn things down; they wanted to find a way to contribute to their community, to help others overcome fear. So with the help of a PHENOMENALLY gifted intern, theContinue reading “Could your church help your community find hope in the wake of the election?”
Category Archives: Oakland
Black lives, windows, and good governance
There is a debate over the first amendment and preservation of property in Oakland right now, and the camps are fairly clear: “I’m tired of seeing my city trashed.” “Broken windows do not matter more than broken Black bodies.” The mayor of Oakland recently enforced a sundown restriction on protests (possibly although not necessarily influencedContinue reading “Black lives, windows, and good governance”
Can we talk about “the talk?” – teaching children how to protect themselves from “Protect and Serve”
I remember an incredibly uncomfortable Thanksgiving during Occupy Oakland. Not the cliche uncomfortable of Republicans and Democrats getting into immigration policy over the mashed potatoes and gravy. A friend of mine who had been arrested during Occupy for carrying an umbrella (the citation indicated it was a temporary dwelling, which had been banned from theContinue reading “Can we talk about “the talk?” – teaching children how to protect themselves from “Protect and Serve””
Upon receiving the Christian Church of Northern CA-NV’s annual MLK Award
This award was given to me on January 11, 2015 at Lafayette Christian Church during the CCNC-N’s annual MLK service. Following are my remarks upon receiving the award. I find myself thinking a lot about the previous recipients of this award, because they have all deeply shaped me. I’m in the land of Pacific SchoolContinue reading “Upon receiving the Christian Church of Northern CA-NV’s annual MLK Award”
Thoughts on Serial, my killer ex, and Whose Lives Matter
I’m finally listening to the series Serial that everyone’s talking about (or at least all of my intellectual liberal White friends). It’s about a guy who’s been in prison for 15 years for killing his high school ex-girlfriend except he maybe didn’t do it. (As an aside, I’m on episode 8, and finally an attorney fromContinue reading “Thoughts on Serial, my killer ex, and Whose Lives Matter”
The Ballad of Harry Moore
Preached at First Congregational Church of Oakland, December 14, 2014.I’ve had the story of one of our forebears on my heart recently on this Black Lives Matter Sunday. So while I was supposed to preach “People Get Ready,” my sermon this morning is actually “The Ballad of Harry Moore,” as written by Langston Hughes andContinue reading “The Ballad of Harry Moore”
Things said and left unsaid at #MillionsMarchOAK
Thousands gathered in Oakland yesterday, joining with marchers in San Francisco, New York and Washington, DC. I marched with them, as part of the API solidarity contingent. And I found myself reflecting on what my solidarity looks like with this movement. What I did say: Black Lives Matter. Sometimes I want to clarify, “Black livesContinue reading “Things said and left unsaid at #MillionsMarchOAK”
This bridge called my back in this new civil rights movement moment
Navigating “not Black or White” and “Nonviolent but not non-violent” as an ally and activist I suspect every woman of color in America has at multiple points felt that Donna Kate Rushin wrote the Bridge poem for her. As I wonder whether the bonds of friendship with my radical anarchist friends of color will hold andContinue reading “This bridge called my back in this new civil rights movement moment”
The spiritual journey to a secular job
I’ve got one thing on my mind, baby, and that one thing is…fundraising. Sexy, right? The Oakland Peace Center is hosting our very first fundraising campaign ever, and it is all I can think about right now. I sent a couple of appeal emails to people I know through church, and it got me thinkingContinue reading “The spiritual journey to a secular job”
Oakland, you’re the hot chick now:
Stop letting your boyfriends treat you like you’re lucky to be with them! Please forgive the heteronormative nature of the following piece. If you read my blog posts regularly, you know a few things about me: I’ve been the fat chick and I’ve been the hot chick. I’ve been with guys who treat me wellContinue reading “Oakland, you’re the hot chick now:”
Sandhya Rani Jha 