By Floy Andrews

Margaret Hamilton as the Witch in the 1939 film version, threatening Dorothy (Judy Garland), 1939.

When the former Richmond City Attorney departed during the tumultuous conclusion to 2021, the mayor referred to her as the “wicked witch” and quoted lyrics from the Wizard of Oz song, “Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead.” The mayor said equally disparaging things about our city manager as she, too, left office earlier last year. On top of that, Mayor Butt suggested that the entire city council had a “drama queen” reputation. I was offended, though not particularly surprised, to read those lines in Mayor Butt’s December e-forums. Such anti-woman attitudes permeate a culture that furthers the white male power structure.

By Tamisha Walker

Alexis Parsons, a dedicated fellow of the Safe Return community, passed away on February 1, 2022 at her home in the Sycamore neighborhood of Antioch. She was 30 years old.

Words cannot begin to describe this tragic loss. We miss her so dearly and will always treasure the two and a half years she spent with us in the Safe Return family.

By Shiva Mishek

Rosie Lee Tompkins, 1985. Photo courtesy of BAMPFA.

In the mid-1980s, psychologist Eli Leon stumbled across the work of Rosie Lee Tompkins at a Marin flea market. He devoted the rest of his life to collecting her quilts. At the time of his death, Leon had amassed over 500 works by the artist, who chose to live in complete anonymity.

Rosie Lee Tompkins is the pseudonym of Effie Mae Martin Howard. The now-renowned artist was born in rural Arkansas in 1936, where she was one of fifteen children in a sharecropping family. Tompkins moved to Richmond in early adulthood, during the Great Migration of African Americans away from the Jim Crow South and into western states. She lived and worked as a nurse in Richmond until her death in 2006.

Come one, come all!

RPA Membership Spring meeting will be Saturday, March 26, 2-4 pm. We know we’re all tired of Zoom meetings but, for now, it’s still our go-to gathering spot. And yes, the Office Committee is looking for an office but we’re not there yet. Still, we have news to share, people to meet, and actions to plan.

Here are upcoming RPA meetings and events. Note, most meetings are only open to RPA members, although allies and guests are often welcome. If you are interested in becoming a member, you may do so here. Dues may be waived if they are a barrier to you joining the RPA. If you have questions about joining the RPA, or are interested in attending a meeting as a non-member, please contact [email protected]

Thank you for your continued support for the Listening Project! We hope you are LOVING the podcast so far and enjoyed last week’s episode, Buying Us Out. In this week’s episode, Union Proud, we are bringing you a conversation between our Organizer, Marisol Cantu, City Council Member Eduardo Martinez, and BK White, Vice President of the United Steel Workers Local 5 Oil Workers Union. Marisol, Eduardo, and BK sat down for a conversation about the relationship between Chevron workers and the Richmond community at-large, and how we can come together to stand up to Big Oil for our health and wellbeing. They talk about the workers’ fight for a fair contract, and how the fight can impact the Richmond community.

Thank you for listening to the Listening Project Podcast.  

We have listened to the Richmond community and want to hear from you! Take our Climate Crisis Survey for your chance to win a $100 gift card!

Thank you for listening to the Listening Project Podcast.  We appreciate you, our community, and our allies for listening along.  Please see the links below for resources mentioned in the episode. 

Buying Power of Shipyard Workers, MacDonald Ave., 1943

The Activist dedicates this issue to Black History Month, in tribute to the profound and myriad ways Black people have shaped American successes, culture, and economic life. In this recognition, which can hardly capture the sheer breadth of Black history in the United States, we also want to note the urgent and ongoing need for Black liberation and amends in a country that exists, as it is, on the labor and lives of Black Americans.

By Aleta Toure' and Chris Lodgson

The California Reparations Task Force members and Reparations supporters on Tuesday, March 1st, from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm will be having a community meeting.  The organizations: CJEC, Parable of the Sower Intentional Community Cooperative, Richmond Progressive Alliance, Bay Area BAP (Black Alliance for Peace), The National Black Liberation Movement Network (NBLMN), AfroSocialist, and a host of other organizations are together hosting this hybrid event (both in-person and online) community meeting at the Rich City Gallery, 1500C Macdonald Avenue, Richmond, CA. which will be held next door to the Rich City Rides Cooperative Bike Shop.  This Richmond Reparations Listening Session is to make sure Richmond residents are a part of this historic effort called AB 3121. A free registration link will be available soon, but please find updates at https://linktr.ee/RichmondReparations, and the Facebook page: https://fb.me/e/WYLL3weU.

As described by California's Attorney General's office, "The institution of slavery is inextricably woven into the establishment, history, and prosperity of the United States. Constitutionally and statutorily sanctioned from 1619 to 1865, slavery deprived more than four million Africans and their descendants of life, liberty, citizenship, cultural heritage, and economic opportunity. Following the abolition of slavery, government entities at the federal, state, and local levels continued to perpetuate, condone, and often profit from practices that brutalized African Americans and excluded them from meaningful participation in society. This legacy of slavery and racial discrimination has resulted in debilitating economic, educational, and health hardships that are uniquely experienced by African Americans."