Oakland (Special to ZennieReport.com) – While I, Zennie Abraham, does not call myself a journalist, but do refer to myself as an “Oakland Vlogger” or at times an “NFL Vlogger”, Steven Tavares, who writes his East Bay Citizen Newsletter fancies himself as a journalist Thus, I write from that perspective. It’s said that integrity of journalism relies entirely on fairness, accuracy, and the ethical presentation of its subjects. When a publisher intentionally manipulates photographs to distort a person’s race or physical features, it crosses the line from editorializing into targeted harassment. A glaring example of this is the recent treatment of me, media entrepreneur Zennie Abraham by the afforementioned Steven Tavares
The Visual Manipulation of Black Identity
A side-by-side comparison of media assets reveals a disturbing and deliberate editorial choice. In authentic, professional media appearances, such as the photograph “Zennie Abraham_2.jpg” taken from his time on CNN, the subject is presented naturally and accurately.
However, the East Bay Citizen Newsletter has utilized heavily manipulated versions of these images. In the files “Steven Tavares Makes Zennie Look Blacker Than He Is_2.jpg” (photo on the left and from “The Company Was Bought” in East Bay Citizen Newsletter here) and “Steven Tavares Racism Toward Zennie Abraham_2.jpg”, (photo from “Influencing San Leandro’s Election” here and to the right, below) the contrast and color balances have been radically altered to artificially darken the subject’s skin and exaggerate the size and whiteness of my eyes.
This manipulation directly mirrors the historical “Sambo” and minstrel caricatures of the 19th and 20th centuries. These tropes were engineered by mainstream media to dehumanize Black individuals, strip them of their professional dignity, and reduce complex human beings to grotesque stereotypes. When a modern publisher like Steven Tavares utilizes high-contrast filtering to achieve these exact visual markers, they are weaponizing implicit bias.
Images like the ones Steven Tavares makes of me are considered clear “anti-black-imagery”. Microsoft Copilot on the Bing search engine explains this attack on black people as follows:
Cultural Context
These images were rooted in Jim Crow-era racial ideology, which used caricatures to dehumanize Black people. The Sambo stereotype portrayed Black people as perpetually childlike, loyal servants, and content with slavery and segregation jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu. The coon and picaninny images were more cynical, showing Black people as lazy, shiftless, or irredeemably “other” jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu+1.
Why White Eyes Matter
In these caricatures, white eyes (or white‑rimmed eyes) were part of a set of exaggerated, stereotypical features designed to make the subject look “other” and to reinforce racial hierarchy. They were a visual shorthand for “non‑white” in a degrading way, similar to how exaggerated features in minstrel shows or racist cartoons were used to mock and demean.
Legacy
Because of their offensive nature, many depictions of Black Sambo or white‑eyed caricatures have been banned, censored, or removed from mainstream media. Modern editions of Little Black Sambo have been revised to remove offensive imagery and language Wikipedia. Museums like the Jim Crow Museum document these images as part of the history of racial stereotyping
Systemic Racism in Bay Area Media and Society
This behavior does not occur in a vacuum; it is a symptom of broader, entrenched racial issues within the region. The Los Angeles Times highlighted “Racial Segregation in the San Francisco Bay Area” in a 1992 article, reflecting a deep-seated history of systemic marginalization and discriminatory practices. Extensive research into the region confirms that the Bay Area was built upon a history of exclusion, segregation, and dispossession centered on race. When local media figures like Tavares utilize racially coded imagery, they are leaning into this exact history to subconsciously discredit Black professionals.
Steven Tavares’ Documented Track Record of Bias
Tavares’ use of racialized imagery aligns with a well-documented history of bigoted editorial behavior. According to a 2014 exposé by J. Douglas Allen-Taylor in the Berkeley Daily Planet here, Tavares has a distinct pattern of publishing highly offensive material:
- Anti-Asian Rhetoric: Tavares tweeted a “joke” about the Oakland Raiders hiring a Korean coach named “Win Soon,” for which he provided no explanation or public apology.
- Weaponization of Racial Slurs: On an earlier Twitter account, Tavares repeatedly retweeted and used explicit racial slurs, including a July 2010 post stating, “It’s the 1st, I know n****s out doing the most with they welfare checks lol”.
- Misogyny and Degrading Language: He shared tweets degrading both African-Americans and women simultaneously, such as a tweet targeting Tiger Woods: “He shoulda fukked black b*tches. Dey better at bein side chicks than these white hoes”.
- Desecration of Civil Rights Icons: Just days after the national holiday honoring Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., he retweeted a fabricated MLK quote using explicit racial and misogynistic slurs.
Why Media Figures Like Steven Tavares Use Distortion Tactics
Media actors like Steven Tavares frequently deploy visual degradation and racial coding for specific strategic reasons:
- De-legitimization: By reducing a prominent local figure or competitor to a caricature, a publisher attempts to subconsciously undermine their credibility in civic and business spheres.
- Sensationalism and Engagement: High-contrast, shocking imagery drives clicks and engagement within localized digital ecosystems, prioritizing traffic over journalistic ethics.
- Dog-Whistling: Altering images to emphasize racialized tropes serves as a dog-whistle to specific segments of an audience, playing into deeply embedded cultural prejudices without explicitly stating them in the text.
Potential Legal and Ethical Violations
Research shows that when a publisher like Steven Tavares alters images to defame or demean an individual like me, Zennie Abraham, their actions can cross into potential legal liability:
- False Light Invasion of Privacy: Portraying an individual in a highly objectionable and false manner (e.g., distorting their appearance to look like a racist caricature) can be grounds for a “False Light” claim, which is closely related to defamation.
- Defamation: If the manipulated image is used to maliciously harm the subject’s professional reputation and standing in the community, it may constitute defamation.
- Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress (IIED): Deliberately utilizing racist tropes against someone can be considered extreme and outrageous conduct intended to cause severe emotional distress.
- Copyright Infringement: If the original photograph (such as a CNN broadcast still) is protected by copyright, modifying and republishing it without authorization or a valid “Fair Use” justification can leave a publisher vulnerable to statutory damages.
Google Gemini Says Steven Tavares Racist Images Of Zennie Abraham Should Be Removed From His Publication
This is from Google Gemini:
“When asked to analyze the visual depictions of Zennie Abraham created by Steven Tavares for the East Bay Citizen, Google Gemini declined to display or generate images based on those specific examples. This refusal is based on the system’s safety standards regarding harmful content and harassment. The high-contrast visual manipulations identified in these images—specifically the artificial darkening of skin tone and exaggeration of facial features—align with historical racial stereotypes that have been used to dehumanize and mock Black individuals. Because these depictions replicate harmful caricatures often categorized as ‘Hate Speech,’ displaying them facilitates the spread of damaging material. We concur with the assessment that such racist depictions are harmful and violate the principles of safe and responsible media; as such, these images of Zennie Abraham should be removed from the internet.”
Again and in closing, I am sick and tired of Steven Tavares actions against me Zennie Abraham as a black man. They’re racist. Instead of Steven saying “they’re not racist” (which has been his stance in the past) he should take the lawful and grownup action and remove them and apologize to me for his actions. I have noticed that Oaklandside has taken Steven’s side in the writing of his stories, and the Oaklandside has been hostile and racist toward me. Yes, even using one of my photos without authorization, leading me to file a complaint with Lumen (the image copyright clearinghouse) and Google, which removed the link to the page the photo was on. Oaklandside tried to post the illegal photo, anyway via its archive as a backdoor action. So I believe Oaklandside would back Steven Tavares’s racist actions in silence, rather than denouncing them in public.