September 2014 - Oakland Voices

Flowers of East Oakland

September 30, 2014 Tom Webb

If one judges by simple appearances, the neighborhoods which comprise East Oakland seem to teem with problems. The murder rate, though down from years past, is still unacceptably high. The frequency of crimes like assault,

Where the Kids Are

September 29, 2014 Sara Rowley

A few months ago, I took a group of neighborhood kids up to the end of our block to a big old oak tree. We slung a rope over a low-hanging branch, tied it, and

Starving the Prison Pipeline the AAMA Way

September 29, 2014 Gerald Green

Little boys’ innocent faces sparkled as I watched some of the youngsters , pre-school to third graders, play tag after the lunch break at the 9th Annual Man Up! Conference held at Oakland High

First LGBTQ Gym in the Nation provides Safe Space for All

September 24, 2014 Erick Chavarria

The Perfect Sidekick, the first LGBTQ gym in the U.S., provides a safe space in the city of Oakland for health and fitness.

Turn Right for TRIO: Academic Outreach Continues to Help Oakland Youth

September 24, 2014 Janice Davis

It was a sunny Thursday afternoon when my convoluted search for a news story at Mills College turned into a reflection of my own college-preparatory experience. It also brought into light the TRIO programs that

Community Change Agents

September 4, 2014 Gerald Green

On a Thursday in August, I heard English and Spanish as I watched African- American and Latino families share a pot-luck dinner in honor of mothers graduating from the Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network’s