Heads up, Arcata voters. There is an error in the Voter Information Guide instructions for the single Arcata City Council seat up for grabs on the June ballot. Instead of saying, “Vote for One,” the guide mistakenly has, “Vote for no more than THREE candidates.” “The instruction is correct on the Vote by Mail ballots […]
race
Posted inNews
NoHum Superintendents: ‘Condemn’ Trump Supporters’ Attack on U.S. Capitol
A group of 11 Northern Humboldt school superintendents has penned an open letter to the community in the wake of the riot Wednesday in the U.S. Capitol building, saying they “condemn the attacks … and any further efforts to use violence to impede our democracy.” The letter notes the hours-long violent occupation of the Capitol building […]
Posted inNews
Could Racially Motivated 911 Calls Become Hate Crimes?
Barbecuing at Lake Merritt in Oakland. Selling water without a permit. Both instances in which a Black person was doing something deemed criminal by a white person. Both instances in which a white person called the police. Now, as racial tensions continue to flare as the nation protests the death of George Floyd and others, […]
Posted inNews
Find Yourself in the California Legislature — Or Not
There are (still) more white men named James or Jim in the California Legislature than African-American and Asian-American women combined. Throw in some white Robs, Bobs and Roberts, and you have a pretty sizable “JimBob” caucus with a membership larger than the number of Republican women, openly gay or lesbian legislators, or women from any […]
Posted inNews
Few Answers and Much Frustration as Pending Lawsuits, Lawson Questions Stymie Dialogue on Race
With several attendees expressing frustration over a lack of concrete steps coming out of previous events, the May 24 Community Dialogue on Race at the D Street Neighborhood Center was marked by a barrage of questions directed at the two city officials present: City Manager Karen Diemer and City Councilmember Paul Pitino. The questions largely […]
Posted inNews
NAACP Calls on HSU to Stop Recruiting Students of Color Unless it Can Support Them
The Eureka branch of the NAACP is asking that Humboldt State University cease all efforts to recruit students of color until certain conditions are met, including ensuring that sufficient support systems are in place so “students of color thrive in this community.” The NAACP’s one-page press release notes that students of color at HSU have […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
We Are Humboldt — All of Us
We see it overtly in online comments sections, the sentiment that “if they don’t like it here, they should leave.” And we see it subtly in things like the recently minted Facebook page pushing for a public vote on the fate of President McKinley’s statue in the Arcata Plaza, which the city council voted to […]
Posted inNews
Arcata Chief Abruptly Resigns Amid Growing Frustrations and the Looming Anniversary of an HSU Student’s Slaying
Arcata Police Chief Tom Chapman abruptly resigned his post April 10, sending a departmentwide email saying he felt the timing was right “not only for [him] but for the department.” He offered no reason for his sudden departure, which was effective immediately. However, the Journal has learned that Chapman’s resignation followed that of a consultant […]
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A Student Project Seeks to Bridge Humboldt’s Campus-Community Divide
At first blush, Erin Youngblood-Smith and Amy Mathieson couldn’t be more different. And that could have been a problem. A white woman born and raised in rural Montana, Mathieson moved with her family to McKinleyville at 16 when her father, a pastor in the Baptist church, got a job there. She never really experienced diversity […]
Posted inNews
Students Stage Die-In to Bring Awareness to Lawson Case
Humboldt State University students held a die-in on campus yesterday during the annual Spring Preview event for prospective students and their families, warning that people of color aren’t safe in the local community. The die-in came as a part of 12 days of organized protests and activities aimed at raising awareness about the April 15, […]
Posted inNews
What Now?
David Josiah Lawson’s mother’s grief is audible as she speaks with her Jamaican accent. But so is her pride. She’s in KHSU’s studio talking to a radio DJ just a few days after her 19-year-old son was fatally stabbed at a house party. She explains her son’s childhood love of green-apple Jolly Rancher candies and […]
Posted inNews
Starting the Conversation: HSU forum focuses on race, police
Against the national backdrop of a recent spate of high profile shootings of unarmed black people by law enforcement, students, police and community members gathered on the Humboldt State University campus Thursday evening for a far-reaching conversation on race and policing. Local law enforcement and members of the HSU black community sat side by side […]