Last month, I attended the Latino Equity Summit at the Sheraton Grand in Sacramento, California. The Summit brings together Latino leaders, advocates and policymakers in an effort to discuss community solutions to assist the Latino community. This year marks a unique and historic moment in Latino politics; for the first time in the state’s history, …Read more…
About Rosalinda Hernandez
I am an Oakland native and graduated from the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, with a bachelor's degree in Political Science in 2003. While at Cal Poly, I was a member of Sigma Omega Nu and was the resident advisor for the multicultural tower of Yosemite Hall during the 2000-2001 school year. My passion for education and Oakland inspired me to focus my senior project on the state takeover of the Oakland Unified School District in 2003. After graduation, I returned to Oakland and was an AmeriCorps member in Oakland from 2004-2005, working on community building in Sobrante Park.
Bay Area Coalition fights human trafficking
Last month, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office hosted the Bay Area Human Exploitation and Trafficking (H.E.A.T) Watch Coalition’s first meeting of the year to discuss the demand for human trafficking. The idea is to attack the demand for sex in an effort to lessen human trafficking. Unfortunately, sex trafficking is a huge problem in …Read more…
Rep. Barbara Lee Town Hall on Gun Violence Highlights Impact on the Community
On January 30, 2016, I, along with my fellow Oakland Voices correspondent Aqueila Lewis, attended a town hall on gun violence hosted by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) at Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church. I was not prepared for the electrifying and emotional two hours that ensued. From the panelists’ remarks to the stories shared …Read more…
Deeper causes of gun violence
My earliest memory of actually seeing a gun is probably the gun my dad owned when I was a kid. It was a beautiful gun, or at least as I recall it. It had an ivory handle with a silver body. I think my dad grew up around guns in Mexico, so owning a …Read more…
Las Posadas Tradition continues
Growing up in East Oakland, in a Mexican-Catholic home, one of my favorite traditions about the holidays were Las Posadas at our local church in Jingletown. Las Posadas are a nine-day celebration celebrated throughout Mexico. Las Posadas start on December 16 and end on December 24, and are a re-enactment of Mary and Joseph seeking …Read more…
La Luz del Mundo’s Annual Christmas Tree Fundraiser
For five years now, La Luz del Mundo has set up a fundraising Christmas tree lot on 104th Avenue off of International Boulevard. I had the pleasure of speaking to a number of its members. They are a friendly and inviting group. The church was previously located on 94th Avenue but, unfortunately, a fire destroyed the location …Read more…
Change is…
During times of change, especially unwarranted change, I turn to certain quotes to remind me that change can be good. Oakland is undergoing a transformation right now. Change is everywhere. Is it good change? That, I think, is the thought going through the mind of every Oakland native right now. “Don’t look back, you’re not …Read more…
The Power of Sharing Stories
“The tears are for those stories that need to be told.” – Albertina Zarazúa Padilla, Curator for MiHistoria Earlier this month, the César E. Chávez Branch of the Oakland Public Library and MiHistoria held a storytelling workshop in celebration of Latino Heritage month. MiHistoria is a storytelling project that allows Latinas to become authors of their own stories. …Read more…
On a mission: Kelly Carlisle and Acta Non Verba
I called Acta Non Verba (“ANV”) to see if I could stop by for a tour of the farm and to interview Kelly Carlisle, the founder and executive director of the organization. Little did I know that the phone call would lead me directly to her. Carlisle answered the phone. I briefly introduced myself and …Read more…
Tears at the bus stop
I am at the bus stop around the corner from my house waiting for the bus. Cars are buzzing by left and right. Music blares from the cars– hip hop mixed in with Mexican banda music. Some are louder than others. I smell the pupusas being made by the food cart across the street. And …Read more…