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Why Do Some People Become Peace and Justice Activists?
Why do some people become peace and justice activists, when other people who grew up in the same environment don’t? This question has intrigued me for a long time as I can’t explain my own activism. From my early teen years, I was aware of and a supporter of the “underdog.” I was good at …Read more…
Oakland Voices graduates its fifth class
On the last day of June, the 81st Avenue Library hosted the graduation of the fifth Oakland Voices class. Nine Oakland residents, spanning in age from 18 to 70, completed a community journalism project that is as colorful and diverse as Oakland itself. This crop of graduates have contributed a wide variety of projects. Three …Read more…
Dogs and minimizing force: Oscar Grant. However peace is possible
Dogs and minimizing force; Oscar Grant. However peace is possible.. June 14th, 2017. “My name is Uncle Bobby, the uncle of Oscar Grant, of course, Oscar’s mother Wanda is my sister.” Cephus Johnson is Uncle Bobby, and the “minimal use of force” policy is Oscar Grant’s family best hope of peace today. BART police and …Read more…
“Why do poor neighborhoods in Oakland have less?”
I am sitting at the Fat Lady Restaurant in Jack London Square with two friends. One friend grew up in a middle class family in Vallejo. Her mom is White and her dad is Black. The other friend is an upper middle class White woman who grew up in Suburban Denver and lives in Montclair. Then …Read more…
Contacting Oakland Unified School District: An Exercise in Frustration
Have you ever been put on hold for a long time and then been disconnected? Maybe you’ve searched and searched and searched online and can’t find what you’re looking for? Or, perhaps you’ve called and been unable to speak with a human being, despite hitting buttons over and over again? I’ve experienced crazy-making situations like …Read more…
Volunteer Artists Give Oakland’s Animal Shelter a Makeover
If you’re an animal lover, an animal shelter can be a depressing place. For decades, the reputation of Oakland’s mismanaged shelter was no exception. But as is often the case in Oakland, when a city agency flounders, a cadre of volunteers and activists come together to work with—or around—the city. Oaklanders embody that underdog, Do-It-Yourself …Read more…
Undercover Healing
“Forget about whatever you did. Just feel your heart.” -Kokou Soglo Katamani Every student in the room said that they would do it all again next year. These students at Leadership Public School (LPS) in East Oakland were still enjoying the high from performing West African drumming on stage in front of their classmates in …Read more…
Marvin
“I found them!! The anticipation was killing me. ” My father’s eyes were wide with excitement like I had never seen before. It was a rare occasion. It had been a few years since the whole family was back together in the dinning room to hear the big news. My brother, sister, grandmother, my dad’s …Read more…
My Neighborhood
I live a block above MacArthur Ave., between Fruitvale Ave. and 35th St., so we aren’t really in either the Dimond or the Laurel Districts. I looked it up once and learned that it’s called the Maple Heights neighborhood, but we’re not in the heights and I’ve never heard anyone refer to it that way. …Read more…