On May 31, 2026, our community experienced the death of someone special. Tragically, beloved Sadao J. Oka Sr. was murdered (details are currently unknown with a pending investigation underway). For those closest to Sadao, we’re aware that he was developing a new business venture. Also, if you knew him well, you knew that his ideas were top notch. He was building One Mission Freight and was highly excited! One Mission Freight was to be a Black-owned and operated trucking/brokerage company with headquarters in the Washington D.C. area. He didn’t find success rewarding if absent of a purpose (that served his community). The full launch was coming soon but Sadao’s life ended before his vision was fully disclosed to the public. In his honor and memory, September Set reflects on his influence. And, we unveil the logo designed by Sadao for One Mission Freight 🕯️

Sadao Oka Sr. (above) in Kamakura, Japan at the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine

There is a passage in life where words become painfully inadequate. We search for language strong enough to hold both immense love and unimaginable grief, only to discover that neither can ever be fully contained. Today, as we honor Sadao, I find myself returning to something Bell Hooks taught us in All About Love: love is not merely something we feel—it is something we choose to practice. Love is an action, a commitment, a way of being that continues to shape us long after someone is no longer physically present.

Sadao embodied that kind of love.

To many, he was a visionary, an entrepreneur, a mentor, and a friend. To me, he was home. He was my safe place, my cheerleader, my partner in dreaming, and the person who constantly reminded me that there is always another possibility waiting to be built. He believed in me, sometimes even before I fully believed in myself.

But before all of those things, Sadao was a devoted father and a proud grandfather. His love for his son and granddaughter was unmistakable. He carried immense pride in who they were and who they were becoming. He celebrated their accomplishments, believed in their potential, and found joy in watching his family grow. His greatest hope was not only to leave them memories but to leave them a legacy—a foundation upon which they could continue to build. He wanted them to know that they came from someone who dreamed boldly, worked tirelessly, and loved them without reservation.

Sadao loved with intention. He saw people for who they could become, not merely for where they were. His generosity extended beyond material things; he gave people confidence, encouragement, and hope. He understood that real success was never simply about personal achievement—it was about creating opportunities so others could rise alongside you.

That belief was woven into his new project, One Mission Freight.

Many people will see a trucking company. I see a love letter to community.

One Misson Freight Logo designed by Sadao

One Mission Freight was never simply a business plan. It was Sadao's vision for economic empowerment, ownership, and collective possibility. He wanted to build something that reflected excellence while creating pathways for others. He believed deeply that Black ownership mattered, that representation mattered, and that building institutions that served our communities was itself an act of love.

Bell Hooks reminds us that love is transformative—that genuine love always calls us toward growth. Sadao transformed everyone fortunate enough to know him. His life challenged us to dream bigger, to love more deeply, and to measure success not only by what we accumulate, but by what we contribute.

His greatest legacy is not simply what he hoped to build.

It is what he built within us.

And nowhere is that legacy more evident than in his son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. They carry his resilience, his spirit, his humor, and his capacity to love. They are living reminders that the most enduring inheritance is not wealth or possessions, but character, values, and unwavering belief in one another. I pray that as they move through life, they will always know how deeply they were loved and how proud he was to call them his family.

Grief has taught me something I never wanted to learn: death can interrupt a life, but it cannot erase a love that has transformed you. Love changes the architecture of your soul. Once you have been loved well, you do not return to the person you were before. That is Sadao's gift to me.

I still hear his encouragement in moments of uncertainty.

I still feel his belief in me when I may have doubt.

I still carry his dreams alongside my own.

That is what enduring love looks like.

Bell Hooks writes that choosing love means choosing courage. Loving deeply always requires vulnerability because there is no guarantee of tomorrow. Yet even knowing how painful loss can be, I would choose this love again. Every conversation. Every laugh. Every dream we shared. Every ordinary moment that has now become extraordinary in memory.

Because love—real love—is never wasted.

Sadao's life reminds me that legacy is measured less by the years we are given than by the lives we transform. He transformed mine. He transformed countless others. His kindness, integrity, vision, and unwavering belief in people continue to ripple outward in ways none of us can fully measure.

As I celebrate his life, I realize that honoring Sadao means more than remembering him.

It means continuing the work of love he began.

It means believing in people the way he believed in them.

It means building community with intention.

It means choosing generosity over fear.

It means creating opportunities where barriers once existed.

It means carrying forward the vision he entrusted to us.

The logo for One Mission Freight is more than a business emblem. It is a symbol of a dream that refused to die. Every time I see it, I see Sadao's hope, his determination, and his faith that something beautiful could be built for generations yet to come.

**"love is an action, never simply a feeling."** -Bell Hooks

So, I do not say goodbye.

Instead, I say thank you.

Thank you for loving me with such patience and tenderness.

Thank you for reminding me that dreams deserve discipline.

Thank you for reminding me that leadership begins with service.

Thank you for reminding me that the most meaningful success is measured by how many people are better because we lived.

Thank you for loving your family and friends with a quiet strength that gave them confidence, security, and an enduring example of what devotion looks like.

And thank you for a love that continues to shape who I am becoming.

Bell Hooks believed that "love is an action, never simply a feeling." Sadao lived that truth. He loved through his presence. He loved through his sacrifices. He loved by building dreams for his family, investing in his community, encouraging those around him, and believing that a better future was always worth working toward.

Beloved Sadao, your earthly journey ended far too soon, but your mission did not. It lives on…in the family and friends who loved you, in every act of courage inspired by your example, in every opportunity created because of your vision, and in every life forever changed by your love.

As Bell Hooks reminds us, love does not disappear when someone leaves this world. It remains alive in what we practice, what we nurture, and who we choose to become.

I will continue to choose love.

I will continue to choose purpose.

I will continue to honor our vision.

And on my journey forward, I will carry you with me❤️