My name is Angel Mason. I am a Street Sheet vendor and a volunteer with the Coalition on Homelessness for the past 7 years. I’ve been working to pass out information in the East Bay, in Oakland, and Berkeley. I’ve been passing out papers who are fans of the Street Sheet. I made a couple of nice articles about flowers, which was my first article. I’ve always pushed for feminism and for women’s rights since very early back.
I grew up in the West Coast and the Mid-West. I grew up in Oakland a little bit as well. I do like the Bay Area. It’s nice weather here. I like writing a lot; I do like to write. I am on YouTube—I’m on there featuring “Haitians Do it Better,” which is a video and I am also an advocate of videos doing away with prostitution. I’ve given ode to Dr. Huey P. Newton and the Black Panthers online. I’ve been threatened for some of the revolutionary video work that I’ve done against prostitution.
To be a revolutionary is pushing the limits and going against the odds. As far as revolutionary thinking goes, Oakland is the vanguard, which is where I’m from. I’m very proud to be there, coming from the Mid-West. As a revolutionary, I’ve seen a lot of angry faces from different societies and communities. I can say with great appreciation that I am very appreciative to come from a revolutionary city such as Oakland, CA. I’ve made great pains to live there in spite of the fact of gentrification and things of that nature. Gentrification that plagues Oakland. It’s really a horrible scene now. It’s not the place that it was in the sixties. I’m a big advocate of human rights. To me, feminism and human rights goes hand in hand. I push for gay rights.
We need to keep fighting. The less you fight, the more rights are taken away from individuals. I remember when tents were more obsolete in Oakland. Now, I see tents everywhere. In public streets, in residential areas. Revolutionary work happens 24 hours a day. As long as we can do that, we can do anything. We don’t need money, but we do need to be focused on having respect for our own communities. That’s where it is: in the people.
Dr. Huey P. Newton was an advocate for human rights—people’s rights. As long as we are with the people, they cannot take us out.
I’m saying this for the younger generations to come, who will—and are—filling my shoes. They’re doing good. I proclaim this: It’s power to the people. All people.
I’m homeless now. I struggle day to day. It’s amazing that I’m getting by on shelters and papers. I’m very happy to still have a roof over my head. It’s a blessing to know that I have a place to go as opposed to just being out on the street.
I accept any type of donation: money, housing, or otherwise. I am willing to work with anybody in the arts, crafts, or motivational speaking.
