Cat Brooks Explained

Cat Brooks
Election Date:November 6, 2018
Birth Place:Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Residence:Oakland, California, U.S.
Alma Mater:University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Cat Brooks is an American activist, playwright, poet and theater artist. She was a mayoral candidate in Oakland's 2018 election.

Early life and education

Brooks received her bachelor's degree from University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she studied theater.[1]

Career

After graduating, she began her acting studying at the National Royal Theater Studio in London, before moving to Los Angeles and working at Creative Artists Agency. In 2002, Brooks joined the nonprofit organization Community Coalition, where she focused on issues of education and racial justice.[2]

After the shooting of Oscar Grant by a BART police officer, Brooks became active in organizing against police violence. She co-founded the Anti Police-Terror Project and served as the executive director for the Bay Area National Lawyers Guild.[3] She also became an organizer for the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2015, Brooks was arrested protesting Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf's ban on night-time marches on public roadways.[4]

In 2018, Brooks was a candidate for mayor of Oakland, running against the incumbent, Libby Schaaf.[5] Her campaign involved collaborative assembly meetings intended to gather public feedback on local policies. She endorsed repealing the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act. After taking a break for the duration of her unsuccessful mayoral campaign, Brooks resumed her job as co-host of the weekday morning program UpFront on Pacifica Radio station KPFA-FM in Berkeley.

Her one-woman show Tasha is loosely based on Natasha McKenna, who was tasered to death in police custody.[6]

Personal life

Brooks was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, to a black father and a white mother. Brooks's mother was an anti-nuclear activist who took her to protests as a child.

She lives in West Oakland.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Meet Cat . August 21, 2018 . Cat Brooks for Oakland . August 22, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180822145804/https://www.catbrooksforoakland.com/meet-cat/ . live .
  2. Web site: Artz . Matthew . July 7, 2015 . Black Lives Matter leader Cat Brooks playing the role of her life . August 21, 2018 . . June 18, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180618080237/https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2015/07/07/black-lives-matter-leader-cat-brooks-playing-the-role-of-her-life/ . live .
  3. Web site: Emslie . Alex . November 22, 2016 . Lawyers Group Blasts Oakland Cops for Response to Trump Protest . August 21, 2018 . . August 22, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180822145728/https://www.kqed.org/news/11184605/lawyers-group-blasts-oakland-cops-for-response-to-trump-protest . live .
  4. Web site: Schuffman . Stuart . Stuart Schuffman . June 18, 2018 . Oakland Mayor's Race: The Evolution of Cat Brooks . August 21, 2018 . August 22, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180822145509/https://brokeassstuart.com/2018/06/18/oakland-mayors-race-the-evolution-of-cat-brooks/ . live .
  5. Web site: BondGraham . Darwin . May 1, 2018 . Oakland Elections: Cat Brooks Jumps in Mayor's Race . August 21, 2018 . . August 22, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180822145834/https://www.eastbayexpress.com/SevenDays/archives/2018/05/01/oakland-elections-cat-brooks-jumps-in-mayors-race-and-contests-for-two-council-seats-become-crowded . live .
  6. News: Janiak . Lily . July 28, 2018 . Oakland mayoral hopeful Cat Brooks brings activism to stage with SF's 3Girls . August 21, 2018 . . August 22, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180822145658/https://www.sfchronicle.com/performance/article/Oakland-mayoral-hopeful-Cat-Brooks-brings-13113222.php . live .