Soap, smoothies, and information on healthy living made a radical splash on Laney College’s campus quad on Nov. 11, as part of the Black Student Union’s Health Fair. 
In one corner, free massages were available to interested students. To the right, a juice stand — featuring fresh fruits and vegetables — quenched the thirsts of anyone who stopped by. 
Brandon White, a business and economics major at Laney College, spent the tail end of the event manning an informational table, filled with flyers and handouts about the Black Student Union, upcoming events, and programs for people of color in the Bay Area.
“I think all of it, equally, was pretty successful, getting the information out and also showing some of the benefits of putting it in motion,” said White. 
“You had people out here who were dancing and doing yoga, and you could tell they were all fit and healthy,” he said. “You could see the people who were doing the shakes and smoothies that they were in shape.”
For the Black Student Union, it was just as important to spread information as it was to show it: this was the power of Black students at Laney College making their healthy lifestyles visible to everyone who walked by. 
Hannibul Abdul-Shakur exemplified this idea, as he ran a table covered in yellow and gray bricks: handmade soap, manufactured by his co-op, Liberated Lather. 
His presence at the fair served to both spread awareness of and raise money for Jayne Waller, a young Oakland resident who was arrested during Black Lives Matter protests in Berkeley last year. 
Abdul-Shakur believes Waller was targeted for his association with militant Black organizations, noting that Waller already beat a previous “felony frame-up.” 
Abdul-Shakur knows what it’s like to be in Waller’s position; he was one of the “Trayvon Two,” arrested in downtown Oakland during protests following George Zimmerman’s acquittal for the murder of Trayvon Martin. 
White described Abdul-Shakur as “a perfect role model,” and as someone who put his ideas about better living in motion for the community to see and take part in.
Yoga, massages, and artisanal soap might not usually be thought of as revolutionary tactics, but the Black Student Union showed that keeping the community healthy and well serves as a powerful tool for social change.