Knesset Member Samy Abu Shahadeh. Photo courtesy of The Knesset.
Oakland Pastors Support Palestinian Struggle
Sami Abu Shehadeh is one of only 10 Palestinian legislators in the 120-member Israeli Knesset (Parliament), even though Palestinians make up 20% of Israel’s citizens. Recently, he toured the U.S. to visit Palestinian American communities and to talk about his experiences as a Palestinian in the Knesset. One of his stops was in Oakland. One[Read more]
COVID Cases Rise in the Bay Area; Free COVID Tests...
COVID cases are rising in the Bay Area, and health officials are asking people to[Read more]
Councilwoman Carroll Fife Engages with Constituents, A’s team, around Howard...
Oakland City Councilwoman Carroll Fife called on residents from West Oakland and Chinatown, neighborhoods she[Read more]
Oakland City Council, Youth Commission Highlight Unhoused Youth Voices and...
On Monday, April 25, Oakland City Council held a special meeting with the Youth Advisory[Read more]
Oakland Schools Closed and Port Shut Down To Protest Closures...
On Friday, April 29, the Oakland Education Association held a one-day strike to protest the[Read more]
Fighting Fires With People: Seven Oakland Firefighters Talk About the...
This past summer, two Oakland firefighters came to my apartment building to get a replacement[Read more]
Fighting Fires With People: Seven Oakland Firefighters Talk About the...
This past summer, two Oakland firefighters came to my apartment building to get a replacement[Read more]
Markham Elementary Celebrates Living Schoolyard That Was Over Two Decades...
There was ample sunshine, a lot of cameras (including a drone), some people wearing business[Read more]
Ivy Hill makes me, an Oakland-born Chinese-Vietnamese woman, feel at...
For the first time, I feel part of an Oakland landscape, and can embrace being[Read more]
“Ghetto Gospel” EP Release on 4/20 at Oakstop Will be...
Transforming and evolving musically in times of strife has become a soothing balm for Mandala[Read more]
Binta Ayofemi is an Innovator Reclaiming Spaces for Black Art
Artist Binta Ayofemi bring Black joy and creativity to the art scene in Oakland and[Read more]
“The Town Talks:” A New Show Launches in Oakland, and...
Sometime during the pandemic, during distance learning, Nelda Kerr felt that her middle school students[Read more]
OUSD’s New Mask Policy Starts Monday
Starting next Monday, OUSD schools will not require masking while outdoors.
As Community Opposition to School Closures Continues, Legacy of State...
The opposition against Oakland school closures isn't giving up just yet.
African American Community Health in the Age of COVID
Dr. Saturu Ned on why the Black Panther Party survival programs of the past may[Read more]
Emotional Commemorative Ceremony in Honor of Oakland Journalist Chauncey Bailey
Family, officials, journalists gathered to commemorate slain Oakland journalist Chauncey Bailey and to unveil "Chauncey[Read more]
Managing and Adapting to Change During the Pandemic: Kevonna Taylor
We asked our Oakland Voices alumni community members and correspondents: How has pandemic life changed[Read more]
COVID Zooming, Blooming, and Mostly Not Dooming
"In some ways, phone, email, text and Zoom have increased my contact with friends."
Some Unexpected Outcomes of the Pandemic: Katharine Davies Samway
We asked our Oakland Voices alumni community members and correspondents: How has pandemic life changed[Read more]
“Health, Racial Equity, and Truck Transportation on 580 Under the...
How an Issue Raised by Oakland Middle Schoolers May be Sparking Changes
One Family’s Journey Through OUSD School Closures
Ariel Lloud, mom of two children at Grass Valley and organizer with Reparations for Black[Read more]
How My Life Has Changed Since the Pandemic: Amelah El-Amin
We asked our Oakland Voices alumni community members and correspondents: How has pandemic life changed[Read more]
State, Alameda County Ease Indoor Masking Requirements Starting Feb. 16
The state and Alameda County are easing up on indoor mask rules. Starting on February[Read more]
School Closures Will Impact Oakland’s Most Vulnerable Students: Disproportionately Low-income,...
Update: On February 9, around 1 a.m., the OUSD school board passed a modified resolution[Read more]
Oakland Voices Alumna Ayodele Nzinga Featured in ‘The New Yorker’...
Our Oakland Voices alumna, and Oakland’s very own first Poet Laureate Ayodele Nzinga, is featured[Read more]
Oakland Students, Teachers, Community Mobilize to Oppose District Plan to...
On a cold Monday night in the middle of a pandemic, almost two hundred members[Read more]
Two Black Outdoor Enthusiasts Share Experiences of ‘Making Space’ During...
Two African American women talk about what being outdoors meant for their well-being during the[Read more]
OUSD Creates List of Schools To Be Targeted for Closure
OUSD may be moving forward with closing more schools
Dope Only Sells Limited Edition Sweatshirts to Raise Funds for...
Beginning in January, Oakland Athletic League (OAL) is partnering with Dope Only Marketing, the creator[Read more]
Oakland Youth Artist Daria Belle Shares Her Artistic Process
Daria Belle exhibits her social justice and politically-themed art around the Bay Area, such as[Read more]
Oakland Students Call for Strike Next Week Over School Safety
As I struggled trying to figure out how to host a Zoom meeting for the[Read more]
Oakland Voices Co-Director Rasheed Shabazz’s Local Reporting Leads to DA...
Local investigative reporting by Oakland Voices Co-Director Rasheed Shabazz leads to DA charges against towing[Read more]
Community gathers at Fruitvale Station in Oakland 13 years after...
Family, community gathers in Oakland to remember Oscar Grant.
Why showing up for the Oakland’s final Redistricting Commission meeting...
Redistricting impacts Oakland resident's political representation and access to resources.
One Oakland Woman’s Journey From the Streets to Being an...
On any given night, over half a million Americans experience homelessness. A 2019 count indicated[Read more]
Oakland Will Require Proof of Vaccination in Many Indoor Spaces...
Yesterday, Oakland City Council members passed an ordinance that would go into effect on February[Read more]
An Old Student Opines on Belonging and Otherness
This opinion piece was first published at The Citizen, Laney College’s news outlet. In America,[Read more]
Kids COVID Vaccine Requirements
When Oakland Students Need to be Vaccinated OUSD pushed back the deadline of vaccine requirements[Read more]
Violence in Oakland: ‘We Can Fix This’
There is a maxim in journalism, “If it bleeds, it leads,” and there have been[Read more]
What Counts: In Conversation about Public Safety
When every outlet from CNN to Fox leads with Oakland’s unprecedented crime wave, it causes[Read more]
Is It Time to Change the Definition of ‘Fully Vaccinated’?
This article is republished from Kaiser Health News. As more indoor venues require proof of[Read more]
First Detected Omicron Variant Case in U.S. Arrived in S.F.
The first known COVID omicron variant case has been reported in the U.S. after a[Read more]
Thanksgiving came early for unhoused East Oaklanders Thanks to Feed...
Thanksgiving came early for unhoused East Oaklanders at more than 75 encampments with Feed the[Read more]
Should We Prepare for a Winter COVID Surge?
Many of us are tired of hearing about COVID and would like to be able[Read more]
As concerts return, so do health and safety concerns
Concert festival season reemerged and there have been hundreds of concerts resurfacing all over the[Read more]
Talk of the Town: What is your dream for the...
Raheem Divine asked Oaklanders about their dreams for the future of the Town.
Talk of the Town: How have you ascended through this...
Oakland residents adjusting to pandemic through creativity, community care, and reflection.
Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan killed by motorist
Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan's public service included education, healthcare, and housing.
Oakland reacts to Gruden’s resignation from the Raiders
Longtime Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden resigned following the leaks of racist, sexist, homophobic emails.
Oakland Voices Alumni Update: Marabet Morales Sikahall Joins Chapter 510
Our Oakland Voices alumna Marabet Morales Sikahall (Oakland Voices 2016) recently joined Chapter 510 &[Read more]
Talk of the Town: What do you love about Oakland’s...
Tyla Brown asked Oakland natives, newcomers, and other Bay Area residents: "What do you love[Read more]
What comes to mind when you think about ‘Oakland’ and...
Marilu Aguilar asked Bay Area residents about their thoughts on Oakland.
Arts & Culture
Oakland Pastors Support Palestinian Struggle
Sami Abu Shehadeh is one of only 10 Palestinian legislators in the 120-member Israeli Knesset (Parliament), even though Palestinians make up 20% of Israel’s citizens. Recently, he toured the[Read more]
- “Ghetto Gospel” EP Release on 4/20 at Oakstop Will be Vibe Muzik’s Debut
- Binta Ayofemi is an Innovator Reclaiming Spaces for Black Art
- Oakland Voices Alumna Ayodele Nzinga Featured in ‘The New Yorker’ Film “The Game[Read more]
- Thanksgiving came early for unhoused East Oaklanders Thanks to Feed the Hood 19
- As concerts return, so do health and safety concerns
- Oakland Voices Alumni Update: Marabet Morales Sikahall Joins Chapter 510
- Talk of the Town: What do you love about Oakland’s food culture?
- Local Acts and Treats Found at Outside Lands 2021 This Weekend
Education
Oakland City Council, Youth Commission Highlight Unhoused Youth Voices and Issues
On Monday, April 25, Oakland City Council held a special meeting with the Youth Advisory Commission to give an informational report on youth homelessness in Oakland. Nationally each year,[Read more]
- Oakland Schools Closed and Port Shut Down To Protest Closures and Privatization
- Markham Elementary Celebrates Living Schoolyard That Was Over Two Decades in the Making
- “The Town Talks:” A New Show Launches in Oakland, and the Journalists are[Read more]
- OUSD’s New Mask Policy Starts Monday
- One Family’s Journey Through OUSD School Closures
- School Closures Will Impact Oakland’s Most Vulnerable Students: Disproportionately Low-income, Special Education, and[Read more]
- Oakland Students, Teachers, Community Mobilize to Oppose District Plan to Permanently Close Schools
- OUSD Creates List of Schools To Be Targeted for Closure
Masks We Wear
Masks: Is it over?!
Editor’s Note: Oakland Voices alumna Kevonna Taylor shares how she feels about mask guidelines, especially now with variants. Now that California is slowly re-opening, and masks can come off[Read more]
- Facial Freedom: An Escape from “Mask-ne”
- Confessions of a Maskhole
- 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
