Only 9 running to represent Contra Costa respond; read the questions and their answers
A coalition of transportation advocacy groups from around the Bay published the results “Transportation Questionnaire” for Bay Area Candidates for Office that are on the March 5th 2024 Ballot which the public can view in its entirety here. People can view it by region at: East Bay; North Bay; Peninsula; San Francisco; and South Bay.
The project, led by Transbay Coalition, SPUR, Seamless Bay Area, San Francisco Transit Riders, Silicon Valley Bike Coalition, and Bike East Bay will help voters across the Bay Area make more informed decisions about candidates for local, state and federal office.
“Candidate’s stances on how to make it easier for people to get around the Bay Area and what needs fixing is essential information for voters,” said Carter Lavin, the project lead at the Transbay Coalition. “Transportation policies impact everyone and every elected official, no matter the office, has the power to make it easier, greener, safer, more affordable, just and accessible for people to get around– or they can make it harder. Voters deserve to know where the candidates vying for their vote stand.”
“To my knowledge, this is the only vetting process that really seeks to demystify where candidates stand on the region’s transportation issues, which is critical given how much public funding goes into transportation and the pivotal moment we are in” said Laura Tolkoff, Transportation Policy Director for SPUR, a public policy nonprofit rooted in the Bay Area.
Candidates were asked the following questions included in the survey:
- Which forms of transit and active transportation (bicycling, walking, scooters, wheelchair) do you use on a regular basis and for what types of trips– and why?
- Would you seek additional funding for Bay Area transit and what form of funding do you think makes sense?
- Public transit in the Bay Area is highly fragmented, with 27 transit agencies, each with different fares, schedules, branding, and customer information. Do you believe it should be a priority for the region to create an well-coordinated transit system? And as an elected leader or potential member of a local transit agency board, would you support state legislation that advances a more integrated, high ridership system, even if it diminishes local control?
- Transportation is the largest single source of carbon emissions in California, and in the Bay Area, and the largest share of transportation emissions come from single occupancy vehicles. What are your top priorities to achieve substantial reduction in transportation-related GHG emissions?
- The Bay Area still has road projects under development that would increase Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution. What decisions would you make about projects that increase VMT and pollution?
- Transit priority improvements are proven to make taking the bus faster and more reliable, while also reducing operating costs. Should local governments be able to stop transit priority improvements on local roads?
- What do you think are the most important actions that can be taken to make public transit comfortable, accessible, and safe for all communities?
- Traffic violence and deaths in California are increasing annually; in 2021, 4,258 people died in vehicle crashes, a 10.7% increase from the prior year. If elected, what will you do to reverse the trend, increase street safety, save lives and reduce injuries in our community? What policies or specific projects would make the greatest impact?
- What do you think are the biggest access and mobility needs for disadvantaged populations in your district, and how would you propose to solve them?
- In what circumstances do you support removing parking or repurposing vehicle travel lanes to create safer and more efficient bus, biking, and walking options? How do you propose balancing the demands of different interest groups who may disagree on how streets should be designed?
Contra Costa County Candidates Who Responded
So far, only the following candidates have responded to the questionnaire in the following races:
Assembly District 14 – Margot Smith 2024 Transp Qnr Buffy Wicks 2024 Transp Qnr
Assembly District 15 – Karen Mitchoff 2024 Transp Qnr Monica E Wilson 2024 Transp Qnr
Assembly District 16 – Joseph Rubay 2024 Transp Qnr
State Senate District 3 – Jackie Elward 2024 Transp Qnr
State Senate District 7 – Jovanka Beckles 2024 Transp Qnr Dan Kalb 2024 Transp Qnr
Congressional District 10 – Mohamed Elsherbini 2024 Transp Qnr
No candidates have responded yet in the races for Contra Costa County Supervisor District 5, Assembly District 11, State Senate District 9 nor Congressional District 8.
“Over the next few years, the region faces important decisions about continuing on a path toward convenient, rider-friendly, accessible worldclass public transportation – or taking steps backward. Our elected officials at the local, state and federal levels will make key decisions steering our region on a path toward improvement or into a downward spiral. Voters deserve to know where candidates stand at this pivotal time,” said Adina Levin, Co-Founder and Advocacy Director, Seamless Bay Area.
“With the rise of biking and walking fatalities across the Bay Area, it is more important than ever that voters know where candidates stand in building communities that are joyful, safe, and inclusive” said Justin Hu-Nguyen, Bike East Bay’s Co-Executive Director of Mobility Justice.
“Public transit is a lifeline for so many people in the Bay Area. Allowing transit agencies to go unfunded would hurt economically disadvantaged and transit-dependent people the worst, leaving thousands of transit riders — including workers, seniors, and people with disabilities — without a reliable way of getting around. It connects folks with everything from food, to healthcare, family, friends and fun. We’re excited to release this questionnaire, which lifts the issues that matter to transit riders, with our other partners in the space. In order to make the Bay Area a more pleasant, affordable, and green place to live, our elected representatives need to center public transit and transit riders in the choices they make for us,” said Dylan Fabris, Community & Policy Manager for San Francisco Transit Riders.
Candidates who have not yet responded can email their answers to info@transbaycoalition.org and the coalition could potentially update their website and include them.
The Transbay Coalition is a grassroots public transportation advocacy group championing bold near-term solutions to the Bay Area’s regional transportation challenges. Learn more at www.transbaycoalition.org.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
Read MoreZoom discussion Feb. 16 sponsored by League of Women Voters, Contra Costa County Library, Contra Costa TV
Voters passed Measure X, a new countywide 20-year, half-cent sales tax to support health and human services for our neighbors and families, in November 2020. The ballot measure language stated that the intent of Measure X is “to keep Contra Costa’s regional hospital open and staffed; fund community health centers, emergency response; support crucial safety-net services; invest in early childhood services; protect vulnerable populations; and for other essential county services.” Learn whether it’s living up to what was promised to voters in a Zoom discussion on Thursday, February 16 at 4 p.m.
How is the Board of Supervisors providing accountability to the public about the impact of the tax monies? What did we learn from this first year of sales tax allocations? What does this mean for the future? A panel of experts will discuss what was funded by Measure X and what gaps remain:
- John Gioia, Contra Costa County Supervisor
- Marianna Moore, Chair of the Measure X Community Advisory Board
- Kanwarpal Dhaliwal, Co-Director of RYSE, a non-profit for Richmond youth
- Sara Gurdian, Contra Costa County Budget Justice Coalition
Shanelle Scales-Preston will moderate the panel discussion.
Decisions about the first year’s Measure X allocations, as analyzed by the Measure X Community Advisory Board, will be presented as well as the remaining gaps they identified. Other topics will include changes to the Advisory Board’s bylaws and any barriers encountered during the first year.
Register for the Zoom webinar with your email here.
Information on how to access the Zoom webinar will be sent to your email address 24 hours before the program.
The Library will provide closed captioning for this event. The program will be recorded and posted on the following sites after the meeting:
Contra Costa County Library YouTube channel
Sponsors include the League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley, the League of Women Voters of West Contra Costa County, the Contra Costa County Library and Contra Costa TV.
Contact programs@lwvdv.org for more information.
Read MoreUsing $1.9 million state loan, plus $150K COVID-relief funds
The City of Clayton is happy to announce the launch of the construction phase of its new Comprehensive Infrastructure Renewal and General Fund Savings Program. Faced with aging infrastructure and limited staff bandwidth, the City developed this program to advance conservation efforts, combat PG&E rate increases, and provide staff support via technology enhancements.
“Our energy program is really moving the needle on our fiscal and environmental priorities,” said City Manager Bret Prebula. “Clayton’s infrastructure is in the process of becoming smarter, safer and more efficient and that impact has a ripple effect across our community.”
Funding for the initiative comes primarily from a $1.9 million California Energy Commission 1% Loan through the Energy Conservation Assistance Act, as well as less than $150,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars.
“We believe that actions speak louder than words,” said Mayor Jim Diaz. “By progressing with this infrastructure renewal program, we reaffirm our commitment to building a future for generations of Claytonians.”
The improvements target core areas of Clayton’s infrastructure needs: lighting, water, HVAC and Building Automation Systems (BAS), electric vehicle charging and solar. All modernizations drastically reduce energy consumption and maintenance and operations needs. The result: savings for years to come.
New LED lights will soon replace street, pathway and building lighting, enhancing public safety around the City after hours. The LED system plugs into a modern dashboard that allows City staff to monitor the lights remotely, making it faster than ever to identify and repair outages. The City’s new smart irrigation system will feature a similar dashboard, tracking on major leaks and reducing water waste in the event of a break.
The City’s incoming HVAC modernizations improve air quality and occupancy comfort, while complementary BAS ensures the HVAC system maintains the same temperature in facilities. Occupancy sensors automatically turn off indoor lighting when facilities aren’t being used.
“With the constant rise in energy costs, the City of Clayton needed to identify new strategies to save funds so that we may continue to invest in our great community,” added Councilmember Jeff Wan. “The modernizations will bring significant energy savings that will mitigate the impact of double-digit utility rate increases felt in Clayton and across California. It brings me great pride to see these growth opportunities come to fruition. Especially in a fiscally responsible manner.”
The City is also pursuing renewable energy by way of a new EV charging station at the Library for both City and public use as well as a solar-mounted parking structure placed in the Maintenance Building parking lot. After construction is complete, the complex, including City Hall and the Clayton Community Library and maintenance yard, is projected to achieve Net Zero Energy status, meaning it will generate more renewable energy on-site than it consumes annually.
“This project also brings the attention needed to staff and residents on the importance of sustainability and the benefits we can reap from making these modernizations,” said Councilmember Peter Cloven. “This project elevates Clayton to become a leader in the green space, especially with a Net Zero Energy complex for City Service areas… while staying true to the core values and soul of our small town.” Council Member Holly Tillman adds, “We are very excited for what the program will do for Clayton and its residents. The City is committed to creating the best and most sustainable version of Clayton we can. This project is a big step in that direction.”
“As a member of the Energy Services and Infrastructure Renewal Ad Hoc Committee, it was a privilege to help move forward this important community program while the City underwent a transition in city managers,” said Vice-Mayor Kim Trupiano. “The collaborative effort of Ad Hoc Committee Member Wan, City Council, residents, Climatec, and other stakeholders brought this project to a new level, putting Clayton on the path other local cities can mimic. Thanks to the work of everyone involved, the City of Clayton will benefit for decades to come.”
About the City of Clayton
The City of Clayton lies on the outskirts of the San Francisco Bay Area, at the base of Mt. Diablo. The City of over 11,000 residents highly values civic partnership with business leaders, community leaders and neighbors. This safe, scenic community has been listed three times running in CNN’s Money Magazine’s “Top 100 Places to Live in the Nation” for small cities.
Read MoreSupervisors Andersen, Burgis face no opposition, no Republican running for State Senate District 9
According to the schedule of Key Dates on the Contra Costa Elections Office website, the deadline to file a Write-In Declaration of Candidacy runs through February 20th. So, if you want to run in the March 5th primary it’s still a possibility and there are three races in the county that offer opportunities.
Supervisor Districts 2 and 3
First, in the County Supervisor District 2 race, incumbent Candace Andersen is running unopposed for a fourth term and in the District 3 race, incumbent Diane Burgis is also facing no opponent as she seeks a third term.
If either receives more than 50% of the vote they will be re-elected to another four-year term. But if one or more write-in candidates enter either race and the incumbent doesn’t receive more than 50% of the vote in the primary election the top two candidates in that race face off in the November election.
District 2 includes Lamorinda and the San Ramon Valley, including the cities of Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda, Danville and San Ramon and the communities of Rheem, Canyon, Alamo, Diablo, Blackhawk, Tassajara Valley, the Rossmoor area of Walnut Creek and the unincorporated area of Saranap between Walnut Creek and Lafayette.
District 3 includes the cities of Brentwood and Oakley, the communities of Discovery Bay, Bethel Island, Knightsen and Byron and most of the City of Antioch. (See map)
State Senate District 9
Third, in the State Senate District 9 race to replace incumbent Steve Glazer, who would not be able to complete a full, four-year term if re-elected due to term limits, there is no Republican or any other party candidate running. Only two Democrats, Assemblyman Tim Grayson and San Ramon Councilwoman Marisol Rubio.
The Senate district includes all of East and Central County, Crockett in West County, Lamorinda and the San Ramon Valley in Contra Costa County, plus the cities of Castro Valley and San Leandro and the community of San Lorenzo in Alameda County. (See map)
The top two candidates face off in the November election.
There is no filing fee to run as a write-in candidate. To learn more call (925) 335-7800 and to obtain the Write-In Declaration of Candidacy form visit the Elections Office at 555 Escobar Street in Martinez.
Read More“At least 70% of voters say they have never heard of any of the Democratic candidates” – pollster FM3
Fake Republican leads before bios read to participants
“It’s two months old. The poll means nothing.” – Opponent Karen Mitchoff
By Allen D. Payton
In a January 3, 2024 press release announcing the results of a poll of 442 likely voters in the 15th Assembly District race, Antioch District 4 Councilwoman Monica Wilson’s campaign claims she “a recent poll conducted…demonstrates her viability as the frontrunner in the race.”
The poll conducted by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates, known as FM3 Research, from November 28th to December 3rd included interviews by phone (cell and landline) and online with randomly selected likely primary voters in California’s 15th Assembly District. The margin of sampling error for the study is +/-4.9% at the 95% confidence level; margins of error for subsamples will be higher. Due to rounding, not all totals will sum to 100%.
It shows an open playing field for candidates when first introduced to the race with 46% of voters being undecided and a fake Republic businessman leading the pack.
According to the memo by Dave Metz, Miranda Everitt, and Denny Han of FM3, “In an initial match-up, the Democratic candidates have equal shares of support — with a plurality of voters undecided. At least 70% of voters say they have never heard of any of the Democratic candidates for Assembly, or do not know enough about them to offer an opinion. No candidate starts with a meaningful advantage in name recognition or favorability.
The poll did not include the name of businesswoman and Realtor Sonia Ledo, the only Republican in the race. Instead, it included a fake Republican businessman, Dylan Silva-Briard, whose name is not on the ballot. Before Wilson’s background was shared with participants the poll shows him in the lead and Wilson in third place.
The memo further reads, “As shown in Figure 1…about one in ten voters support each Democratic candidate when presented with their names and ballot designations. Dylan Silvia-Briard, the sole Republican candidate, has 21% of the vote, while 46% of voters are undecided.”
According to the press release, “After introducing the candidates through their biographies, voters clearly support Councilmember Monica Wilson with two-thirds finding her favorable and over a quarter of voters saying they found her very favorable.”
Wilson’s campaign claims the poll shows her “with a clear lead in the race after biographies of the candidates are shared, she leads the candidates with 25% support from voters, a 14-point gain from the initial vote, a 7-point lead over her opponents and shrinks the undecideds to 19%.”
The following statement about her background was given to voters who participated in the poll:
“Monica Wilson is currently serving on the Antioch City Council, where she was the first African American woman elected. She has championed police reform and safe neighborhoods; solutions to homelessness; expansion of mental health response teams; and a ban on new liquor stores. She is a regional and statewide leader in the flight against human trafficking, servicing as a program manager for a Bay Area nonprofit battling exploitation. In the Assembly, she will focus on improving public safety, addressing climate change, and reducing the skyrocketing cost of living. Monica is the only candidate endorsed by the California Democratic Party, statewide labor organizations, the California Federation of Teachers, State Controller Malia Cohen, and Christine Pelosi. Monica lives in Antioch.”
The memo on the poll claims, “Wilson’s biography is appealing to voters. As shown in Figure 3, two-thirds of voters view Wilson favorably after being presented with a brief biography. Notably, more than one-quarter (27%) say they have a ‘very favorable’ view of her with this information.”
“We have serious issues to address for our working families right now including the affordable housing and homelessness crises,” Wilson is quoted in the press release, “As a local leader, I have championed housing, addressing homelessness and job creation for our local workforce. At the state level I will continue to collaborate with our communities to create solutions for our most pressing problems.”
Asked if her campaign paid for the poll and if not, who did, neither Wilson nor her campaign responded. Metz of FM3 was also asked the same questions.
Wilson Campaign Paid $29,250 for Poll
Her campaign finance report, known as a 460, for the period of July 1 through Dec. 31, 2023, shows a payment to FM3 of $29,250. Asked if that was for the specific poll or included other polling, Metz said, “For this poll. That’s about the going rate.”
Not a Push Poll
Although it was paid for by Wilson’s campaign, Metz said it’s not considered a push poll. According to PoliticalDictionary.com, “A ‘push poll’ is a form of interactive marketing in which political operatives try to sway voters to believe in certain policies or candidates under the guise of an opinion poll. More akin to propaganda than an actual unbiased opinion survey, a push poll is most often used during a political campaign as part of a candidate’s election strategy or by a political party to gain advantage over a rival or rivals.”
Metz explained, “No. It’s a poll that tested people’s positions in the race. Giving people positive information about the candidates in the race. Standard practices.”
Poll Conducted Before Candidate Filing Closed
Asked why the fake Republican businessman’s name was included instead of Ledo’s he said, “The poll was done before the field (of candidates) was finalized. So, we used that name for a possible Republican candidate.”
Because incumbent Assemblyman Tim Grayson is running for State Senate instead of re-election, filing for his seat was extended until December 13, 10 days after the poll was concluded. According to the Contra Costa Elections office, Ledo didn’t pull nomination papers until Dec. 6 and filed them on the final day.
Wilson’s press release also reads, “Monica has strong support locally and statewide including a long list of endorsements including State Controller Malia Cohen, State Senators Lola Smallwood-Cuevas and Steven Bradford, Assemblymembers Mike Gipson, Chris Holden, Corey Jackson, Ash Kalra, Tina McKinnor and Lori Wilson and several dozen labor unions including the California Labor Federation, Contra Costa County Building Trades Council, National Union of Healthcare Workers, SEIU One Voice and several others.”
“Working families are getting priced out of our region and costs of living have skyrocketed,” said California Nurses Association Executive Director Bonnie Castillo, “Monica has experienced these issues herself and as Assemblymember she will fight to address pocketbook issues for the well-being of every Californian.”
“Monica is a groundbreaking leader who is recognized as a champion and trusted voice on issues like homelessness and mental health,” said State Building and Construction Trades Council of California President Chris Hannan. “She understands the importance of creating and protecting jobs for Californians. Monica Wilson is the type of leader working families in Contra Costa County need in Sacramento as we struggle with inflation and a housing crisis.”
Conclusion – Wilson Well Positioned to Win Primary
The poll memo offers the following about the race from the poll results: “In conclusion, the race for the 15th Assembly District is currently wide open, with most voters initially undecided and unfamiliar with the candidates. However, after a balanced set of positive messages (a brief paragraph of information about each), Wilson takes a clear lead. Given a strong, well-funded campaign to introduce her to voters, Wilson is well-positioned to win the primary.”
Poll “Two Months Old”, “Means Nothing” Mitchoff States
When reached for comment and asked if she knew if Wilson’s campaign paid for the poll one of her opponents, former county supervisor Karen Mitchoff said, “That’s my understanding. It was done in early December. It’s two months old. The poll results showed that she was at 25%. There are four people in the race. At the time the poll was taken we were all equal at 25%. I’m sure if my bio was read that my numbers would go up or if Anamarie’s experience was read hers would, too”.
“The poll means nothing as people begin voting after they’ve been receiving their ballots in the mail,” she added.
Asked about the background on the other candidates provided to the voters polled, Metz of FM3 said they were, “short summaries taken from each candidate’s website and background. Truly positive.”
The election is Tuesday, March 5, 2023 and the two candidates with the most votes will face off in the November general election.
Read MoreBy Monica Velez, EdSource – Republished with permission
Three complaints have been filed last week with the West Contra Costa Unified School District alleging some schools failed to provide students with qualified teachers, according to Public Advocates, a nonprofit civil rights law firm.
Attorneys have discovered numerous teacher vacancies at Stege Elementary School, Helms Middle School and John F. Kennedy High School, according to the complaints. There’s also been a pattern of filling vacancies with long-term substitutes, which attorneys say is illegal.
Although teacher shortages are a national problem, West Contra Costa is facing more vacancies than surrounding districts, said Karissa Provenza, a law fellow at Public Advocates. If the district can’t fill vacancies, officials need to “take advantage of the numerous lawful options for filling vacancies with emergency yearlong teachers instead of subs,” she said.
“Beyond the emergency fixes, the district and the state need to boldly invest in sustainable solutions to attract and retain teachers from within the community who reflect the diverse backgrounds of their students,” Provenza added.
Teacher vacancies are not only undermining quality instruction for students, attorneys said, but they’re placing burdens on educators in the district by relying on them to fill vacant classes and passing students along.
“Some (students) have gone several years in a row being assigned to a class without a permanent, qualified teacher,” said Jeremiah Romm, a complainant and educator who has taught at Helms Middle School for 16 years, in a statement. “It becomes difficult to convince students that this district cares about their success, and I don’t know if I believe that myself.”
Educator vacancies have kept Sam Cleare, a complainant and educator at Stege Elementary School for seven years, from collaborating with other teachers and focusing on instruction. Cleare said there have been times when 10 or more students are placed in classrooms for multiple days because of the lack of substitutes.
“Working over the contractual limit of students is unacceptable,” Cleare said. “It is impossible for students to learn or for me to teach with these conditions. I have had to speak with many parents and explain that their child hasn’t had a teacher for multiple years. These conversations leave me heartbroken. The inequitable learning opportunities are unacceptable.”
The school district was contacted for a response to this article. Please check back later for any updates.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
Read More
ASALH – The Founders of Black History Month
From Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)
The story of Black History Month begins in Chicago during the summer of 1915. An alumnus of the University of Chicago with many friends in the city, Carter G. Woodson traveled from Washington, D.C. to participate in a national celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of emancipation sponsored by the state of Illinois. Thousands of African Americans travelled from across the country to see exhibits highlighting the progress their people had made since the destruction of slavery. Awarded a doctorate in Harvard three years earlier, Woodson joined the other exhibitors with a black history display.
Despite being held at the Coliseum, the site of the 1912 Republican convention, an overflow crowd of six to twelve thousand waited outside for their turn to view the exhibits. Inspired by the three-week celebration, Woodson decided to form an organization to promote the scientific study of black life and history before leaving town. On September 9th, Woodson met at the Wabash YMCA with A. L. Jackson and three others and formed the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH).
When Woodson established Negro History week in 1926, he realized the importance of providing a theme to focus the attention of the public. The intention has never been to dictate or limit the exploration of the Black experience, but to bring to the public’s attention important developments that merit emphasis.
He hoped that others would popularize the findings that he and other black intellectuals would publish in The Journal of Negro History, which he established in 1916. As early as 1920, Woodson urged black civic organizations to promote the achievements that researchers were uncovering. A graduate member of Omega Psi Phi, he urged his fraternity brothers to take up the work. In 1924, they responded with the creation of Negro History and Literature Week, which they renamed Negro Achievement Week. Their outreach was significant, but Woodson desired greater impact. As he told an audience of Hampton Institute students, “We are going back to that beautiful history, and it is going to inspire us to greater achievements.” In 1925, he decided that the Association had to shoulder the responsibility. Going forward it would both create and popularize knowledge about the black past. He sent out a press release announcing Negro History Week in February 1926.
Woodson chose February for reasons of tradition and reform. It is commonly said that Woodson selected February to encompass the birthdays of two great Americans who played a prominent role in shaping black history, namely Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, whose birthdays are the 12th and the 14th, respectively. More importantly, he chose them for reasons of tradition. Since Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, the black community, along with other Republicans, had been celebrating the fallen President’s birthday. And since the late 1890s, black communities across the country had been celebrating Douglass’. Well aware of the pre-existing celebrations, Woodson built Negro History Week around traditional days of commemorating the black past. He was asking the public to extend their study of black history, not to create a new tradition. In doing so, he increased his chances for success.
Yet Woodson was up to something more than building on tradition. Without saying so, he aimed to reform it from the study of two great men to a great race. Though he admired both men, Woodson had never been fond of the celebrations held in their honor. He railed against the “ignorant spellbinders” who addressed large, convivial gatherings and displayed their lack of knowledge about the men and their contributions to history. More importantly, Woodson believed that history was made by the people, not simply or primarily by great men. He envisioned the study and celebration of the Negro as a race, not simply as the producers of a great man. And Lincoln, however great, had not freed the slaves—the Union Army, including hundreds of thousands of black soldiers and sailors, had done that. Rather than focusing on two men, the black community, he believed, should focus on the countless black men and women who had contributed to the advance of human civilization.
From the beginning, Woodson was overwhelmed by the response to his call. Negro History Week appeared across the country in schools and before the public. The 1920s was the decade of the New Negro, a name given to the Post-War I generation because of its rising racial pride and consciousness. Urbanization and industrialization had brought over a million African Americans from the rural South into big cities of the nation. The expanding black middle class became participants in and consumers of black literature and culture. Black history clubs sprang up, teachers demanded materials to instruct their pupils, and progressive whites stepped and endorsed the efforts.
Woodson and the Association scrambled to meet the demand. They set a theme for the annual celebration, and provided study materials—pictures, lessons for teachers, plays for historical performances, and posters of important dates and people. Provisioned with a steady flow of knowledge, high schools in progressive communities formed Negro History Clubs. To serve the desire of history buffs to participate in the re-education of black folks and the nation, ASNLH formed branches that stretched from coast to coast. In 1937, at the urging of Mary McLeod Bethune, Woodson established the Negro History Bulletin, which focused on the annual theme. As black populations grew, mayors issued Negro History Week proclamations, and in cities like Syracuse progressive whites joined Negro History Week with National Brotherhood Week.
Like most ideas that resonate with the spirit of the times, Negro History Week proved to be more dynamic than Woodson or the Association could control. By the 1930s, Woodson complained about the intellectual charlatans, black and white, popping up everywhere seeking to take advantage of the public interest in black history. He warned teachers not to invite speakers who had less knowledge than the students themselves. Increasingly publishing houses that had previously ignored black topics and authors rushed to put books on the market and in the schools. Instant experts appeared everywhere, and non-scholarly works appeared from “mushroom presses.” In America, nothing popular escapes either commercialization or eventual trivialization, and so Woodson, the constant reformer, had his hands full in promoting celebrations worthy of the people who had made the history.
Well before his death in 1950, Woodson believed that the weekly celebrations—not the study or celebration of black history–would eventually come to an end. In fact, Woodson never viewed black history as a one-week affair. He pressed for schools to use Negro History Week to demonstrate what students learned all year. In the same vein, he established a black studies extension program to reach adults throughout the year. It was in this sense that blacks would learn of their past on a daily basis that he looked forward to the time when an annual celebration would no longer be necessary. Generations before Morgan Freeman and other advocates of all-year commemorations, Woodson believed that black history was too important to America and the world to be crammed into a limited time frame. He spoke of a shift from Negro History Week to Negro History Year.
In the 1940s, efforts began slowly within the black community to expand the study of black history in the schools and black history celebrations before the public. In the South, black teachers often taught Negro History as a supplement to United States history. One early beneficiary of the movement reported that his teacher would hide Woodson’s textbook beneath his desk to avoid drawing the wrath of the principal. During the Civil Rights Movement in the South, the Freedom Schools incorporated black history into the curriculum to advance social change. The Negro History movement was an intellectual insurgency that was part of every larger effort to transform race relations.
The 1960s had a dramatic effect on the study and celebration of black history. Before the decade was over, Negro History Week would be well on its way to becoming Black History Month. The shift to a month-long celebration began even before Dr. Woodson death. As early as 1940s, blacks in West Virginia, a state where Woodson often spoke, began to celebrate February as Negro History Month. In Chicago, a now forgotten cultural activist, Fredrick H. Hammaurabi, started celebrating Negro History Month in the mid-1960s. Having taken an African name in the 1930s, Hammaurabi used his cultural center, the House of Knowledge, to fuse African consciousness with the study of the black past. By the late 1960s, as young blacks on college campuses became increasingly conscious of links with Africa, Black History Month replaced Negro History Week at a quickening pace. Within the Association, younger intellectuals, part of the awakening, prodded Woodson’s organization to change with the times. They succeeded. In 1976, fifty years after the first celebration, the Association used its influence to institutionalize the shifts from a week to a month and from Negro history to black history. Since the mid-1970s, every American president, Democrat and Republican, has issued proclamations endorsing the Association’s annual theme.
What Carter G. Woodson would say about the continued celebrations is unknown, but he would smile on all honest efforts to make black history a field of serious study and provide the public with thoughtful celebrations.
Daryl Michael Scott, ASALH Former National President
Read more about the origins of Black History Month.
Learn about and watch the 2024 Black History Month Virtual Festival – ASALH.
Annual Themes
For those interested in the study of identity and ideology, an exploration of ASALH’s Black History themes is itself instructive. Over the years, the themes reflect changes in how people of African descent in the United States have viewed themselves, the influence of social movements on racial ideologies, and the aspirations of the Black community.
The changes notwithstanding, the list reveals an overarching continuity in ASALH – our dedication to exploring historical issues of importance to people of African descent and race relations in America.
2024 Theme
African American art is infused with African, Caribbean, and the Black American lived experiences. In the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression, the African American influence has been paramount. African American artists have used art to preserve history and community memory as well as for empowerment. Artistic and cultural movements such as the New Negro, Black Arts, Black Renaissance, hip-hop and Afrofuturism, have been led by people of African descent and set the standard for popular trends around the world. In 2024, we examine the varied history and life of African American arts and artisans.
For centuries Western intellectuals denied or minimized the contributions of people of African descent to the arts as well as history, even as their artistry in many genres was mimicked and/or stolen. However, we can still see the unbroken chain of Black art production from antiquity to the present, from Egypt across Africa, from Europe to the New World. Prior to the American Revolution, enslaved Africans of the Lowcountry began their more than a 300-year tradition of making sweetgrass baskets, revealing their visual artistry via craft.
The suffering of those in bondage gave birth to the spirituals, the nation’s first contribution to music. Blues musicians such as Robert Johnson, McKinley ‘Muddy Waters’ Morganfield and Riley “BB” B. King created and nurtured a style of music that became the bedrock for gospel, soul, and other still popular (and evolving) forms of music. Black contributions to literature include works by poets like Phillis Wheatley, essays, autobiographies, and novels by writers such as David Walker and Maria Stewart. Black aesthetics have also been manifested through sculptors like Edmonia Lewis and painters like Henry O. Tanner.
In the 1920s and 30s, the rise of the Black Renaissance and New Negro Movement brought the Black Arts to an international stage. Members of the armed forces, such as James Reese Europe, and artists such as Langston Hughes, Josephine Baker and Lois Mailou Jones brought Black culture and Black American aesthetics internationally, and Black culture began its ascent to becoming a dominant cultural movement to the world. In addition to the Harlem Renaissance, today we recognize that cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and New Orleans also were home to many Black artists.
The 1960s continued this thread through the cultural evolution known as the Black Arts Movement, where artists covered issues such as pride in one’s heritage and established art galleries and museum exhibitions to show their own work, as well as publications such as Black Art. This period brought us artists such as Alvin Ailey, Judith Jamison, Amiri Baraka, Nikki Giovanni and Sonia Sanchez. The movement would not have been as impactful without the influences from the broader Black world, especially the Negritude movement and the writings of Frantz Fanon.
In 1973, in the Bronx, New York Black musicians (i.e. DJ Kool Herc and Coke La Rock) started a new genre of music called hip-hop, which comprises five foundational elements (DJing, MCing, Graffiti, Break Dancing and Beat Boxing). Hip-hop performers also used technological equipment such as turntables, synthesizers, drum machines, and samplers to make their songs. Since then, hip-hop has continued to be a pivotal force in political, social, and cultural spaces and was a medium where issues such as racial violence in the inner city, sexism, economic disinvestment and others took the forefront.
The term Afrofuturism was used approximately 30 years ago in an effort to define cultural and artistic productions (music, literature, visual arts, etc.) that imagine a future for Black people without oppressive systems and examines how Black history and knowledge intersects with technology and science. Afrofuturist elements can be found in the music of Sun Ra, Rashan Roland Kirk, Janelle Monáe and Jimi Hendrix. Other examples include sci-fi writer Octavia Butler’s novels, Marvel film Black Panther, and artists such as British-Liberian painter Lina Iris Viktor, Kenyan-born sculptor Wangechi Mutu, and Caribbean writers and artists such as Nalo Hopkinson, and Grace Jones.
In celebrating the entire history of African Americans and the arts, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) puts into the national spotlight the richness of the past and present with an eye towards what the rest of the twenty-first century will bring. ASALH dedicates its 98th Annual Black History Theme to African Americans and the arts.
Read MoreMerced County man being held on $250,000 bail
By Jimmy Lee, PIO, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
In the past few months, several homes in Central Contra Costa County were burglarized resulting in losses in excess of $300,000 of property that included jewelry, purses, and weapons.
Detectives from the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff investigating the burglaries identified a suspect. They obtained an arrest warrant for him, and search warrants for his residence and vehicles associated with the burglaries. Other law enforcement agencies in the Bay Area are also determining if the same suspect is connected to burglaries in their jurisdictions.
On January 25, 2024, as part of the continuing investigation, detectives found the suspect driving north on I-5 near Corning, California. They requested the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office to attempt a traffic stop on the vehicle, which did not yield and led them on a pursuit. The California Highway Patrol assisted during the pursuit. The vehicle eventually crashed, and the suspect fled on foot. He was subsequently located and arrested.
The suspect is identified as 26-year-old Gilberto Ramirez of Merced, CA. He is currently being held in Merced County jail on charges that include burglary, felony evasion and weapons violations. A juvenile who was in the vehicle was also taken into custody. She is not being identified.
According to the Merced County Sheriff’s Office, the 5-foot, 7-inch, 130 lb. Ramirez, who also uses the last name Cruz, is being held on $250,000 bail and was also charged with hit-and-run. The weapons violations include two counts of felon or addict in possession of a firearm and prohibited person owning or possessing ammunition.
Search warrants were served at various locations where property believed to be taken from the Contra Costa County burglaries was found. Detectives are identifying the property and working to return it to their rightful owners. The Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff would like to thank the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office and CHP for their assistance in apprehending the suspect.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
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