We should no longer turn a blind eye to the abundance of love that flows through the heart of East Oakland. Katherine Brown - Oakland Voices 2012.
Oakland Voices is Taking a Short Break
Dear Oakland Voices community, It has been quite a year during the pandemic, and Oakland Voices staff members are taking a short break to recuperate and spend more time with our families. We will be back at the end of June and will have some exciting announcements as well. Please stay tuned!
Oakland Black Pride Director Olaywa Austin on Returning Pride to...
While San Francisco Pride events start June 11, and will be different from Oakland Pride,[Read more]
Facial Freedom: An Escape from “Mask-ne”
Editor’s Note: Oakland Voices alumnus and Editor-in-Chief of The Peralta Citizen, Ryan Barba was an[Read more]
Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: Dana Bergen Shares an Anti-Zionist Jewish Perspective
Jewish Voice for Peace was formed in 1996 by three Bay Area women, and is[Read more]
Lara Kiswani on the Successful Blocking of the Zim Cargo...
"Palestine is an internationalist issue, and an issue that concerns all social justice movements." -[Read more]
Oakland Voices Alumna Ayodele Nzinga is City’s First Poet Laureate
The City of Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Division announced today our first poet laureate: Ayodele Nzinga.[Read more]
Unmasking
Editor’s Note: Oakland Voices alumnus and correspondent Howard Dyckoff is in the vulnerable age category[Read more]
Bay Area’s hip-hop insiders say loss of artists are not...
Members of the hip-hop community are recognizing that a conversation about health and wellness for[Read more]
Oakland’s Nomadic Press Founder J.K. Fowler on Pandemic, Poetry, and...
For the past year, due to COVID-19 pandemic mandates, businesses and live events were closed[Read more]
What to Know About the New Mask Guidelines
Have questions about the new CDC mask guidelines?
Oakland Community Activist Shirley Gee in The Try Guys YouTube...
In March, the popular YouTube Channel The Try Guys shared “We Need to Talk About[Read more]
OUSD’s Restorative Justice: A Portal to Possibility
Oakland Voices correspondent Debora Gordon chats with 9 Restorative Justice leaders in OUSD.
Pipe Dreams: Makeshift Living in Oakland is Nothing New
Oakland Voices correspondent Kat Ferreira digs into the history of unhoused populations in Oakland, from[Read more]
COVID Vaccine for Younger Children in the Works
According to data from Alameda County, 45.7 percent of people in Oakland who are 16[Read more]
Oakland Voices – Training, Community for Emerging Storytellers in Oakland
Learn journalism, storytelling skills. Earn $1,000. Last day to apply is May 23.
Oakland Voices Alumnus Ryan Barba Attending UC Berkeley in the...
Oakland Voices alumnus (2017-2018 cohort) has been accepted to several UC’s, and will be attending[Read more]
Planterday Focuses on Bringing Mental Health Awareness, One Mobile Plant...
Plant therapy is a powerful way to strengthen mental health, boost immunity, anxiety and depression.[Read more]
Oakland Voices Alumna Iris M. Crawford Attending MIT Graduate Program...
Congratulations to Oakland Voices alumna Iris M. Crawford, who will be attending MIT's Graduate Program[Read more]
Oakland Author Aida Salazar Humanizes Border Detainees Through Children’s Book
Oakland author Aida Salazar's latest book delves into immigration centers for children to understand, through[Read more]
The Town Remembers Legendary Rapper “Shock G” of Digital Underground
Oakland reacts to death of Shock G, of Oakland's Digital Underground.
Derek Chauvin Found Guilty on All Three Charges
The jury members of the Derek Chauvin trial has found the former police officer guilty[Read more]
Oakland organizations working toward solidarity between Black and Asian communities
It’s a difficult time to prioritize emotions. Days after people took to the streets in[Read more]
Alameda County Moves to Orange Tier
Alameda County Moves to Less Restrictive Orange Tier Today
Coliseum vaccination site closing in April
Oakland has 25,870 COVID-19 cases. Alameda County has had 82,243 cases and 1,399 deaths. Vaccine[Read more]
‘From Oakland to Atlanta,’ community members send messages of solidarity,...
Fear in Asian American communities continues to build after a mass shooting in Atlanta and[Read more]
Poetry & Music at “Fluid” Open Mic by AnyXMeans
An online open mic for musicians and poets, paired with a live band, provides a[Read more]
COVID Vaccine Codes Intended for Low-Income Residents and Community Groups...
One of the ways in which the state has tried to ensure the vaccines are[Read more]
‘The sweetest escape’: a love letter to Oakland’s libraries
Libraries are physically closed, but they continue to serve their neighborhoods. One East Oaklander shares[Read more]
Crime, race, safety: what’s really happening in Oakland Chinatown?
The assaults have sparked international outrage and been widely called hate crimes. Is there evidence[Read more]
Filmmaker Alex Bledsoe Seeks Families in Oakland Who Experienced Lead...
Award-winning filmmaker seeking subjects from Oakland to interview about lead poisoning.
What We Learned From Last Year – Oakland Voices Correspondents...
Editor’s Note: We asked our alumni and correspondents to reflect on 2020, and/or what to[Read more]
Looking back on 2020: My Family’s Housing Journey and A...
Editor’s Note: We asked our alumni and correspondents to reflect on 2020, and/or what to[Read more]
Arts & Culture
Oakland Voices Alumna Ayodele Nzinga is City’s First Poet Laureate
The City of Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Division announced today our first poet laureate: Ayodele Nzinga. Ayodele was a part of the 2019-2020 Oakland Voices cohort. She is a playwright,[Read more]
- Bay Area’s hip-hop insiders say loss of artists are not isolated issues, long-term[Read more]
- Oakland’s Nomadic Press Founder J.K. Fowler on Pandemic, Poetry, and Publishing
- Oakland Author Aida Salazar Humanizes Border Detainees Through Children’s Book
- The Town Remembers Legendary Rapper “Shock G” of Digital Underground
- Oakland organizations working toward solidarity between Black and Asian communities
- ‘From Oakland to Atlanta,’ community members send messages of solidarity, resistance, and healing
- Poetry & Music at “Fluid” Open Mic by AnyXMeans
- Distance Learning, Halfway Across the World: Photo Essay By Cadence Patrick
Education
OUSD’s Restorative Justice: A Portal to Possibility
Oakland Voices correspondent Debora Gordon chats with 9 Restorative Justice leaders in OUSD.
- Oakland Voices Alumnus Ryan Barba Attending UC Berkeley in the Fall
- Oakland Voices Alumna Iris M. Crawford Attending MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing
- Oakland COVID Updates
- Distance Learning, Halfway Across the World: Photo Essay By Cadence Patrick
- Oakland’s Melrose Branch Library Workers During COVID-19: Photo Essay by William Truong
- Bringing the Political into the Classroom
- Oakland COVID News: Playgrounds Can Be Open, Alameda County Cases Rise
- OUSD has a targeted re-opening date of January 25, 2021, with many caveats
Masks We Wear
Confessions of a Maskhole
I learned there’s now a term to describe people like me who are undisciplined mask wearers — maskholes. You know the type: we slop them on like an old[Read more]
- Welcome to Las Vegas: My family searches for home in the midst of[Read more]
- Crafting a Mask to Match my Coronavirus Crown
- Masks will be around for a while, sew I’ll keep making them
- COVID-19: Different Masks for Different Situations
- With COVID-19 masks mandatory, smiles more important
- Wearing a COVID-19 mask triggers my trauma
- The bright side of wearing a mask: No one tells me I should[Read more]
- Unmasked: Finding kindness in strangers underneath the COVID-19 face masks
