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April 1, 2023
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HomeAuthorsBrandy Collins

Brandy Collins

Two African American women wearing nice hats hold a wine glass and smile at an indoor spacious Black wine festival in Oakland
Arts & Culture

Black Vines Wine Festival Celebrates Black Vintners In Its 12th Year With a Sold Out Crowd

March 2, 2023 Brandy Collins 2

Although the Bay Area weekend forecast originally promised torrential storms, the skies cleared Saturday for the 12th annual Black Vines Festival, celebrating Black-owned wineries from across the world.   The festival was founded in 2011 by […]

A Black woman wearing teal pants and black face mask stands in front of colorful vending machine, with a shorter woman wearing yellow t-shirt and glasses holding a sci-fi book she wrote
Arts & Culture

Oaklandia Cafe x Bakery Debuts Afrofuturism book vending machine

February 10, 2023 Brandy Collins 1

If you’re sitting in Oaklandia Cafe x Bakery, you can watch as people see a new book vending machine and approach it with curiosity. Some even take pictures of the machine. The Sistah Scifi Afrofuturism […]

visitors at an art installation looks at a 3D artwork on the wall
Arts & Culture

“Khamsa” Multimedia Project Gives Voice to Black, Muslim, Immigrant and Refugee Artists in Processing Grief

December 8, 2022 Brandy Collins 0

Guled Muse explains to me that as a Somali immigrant to the United States, hip-hop music was his window to understanding not only Black people, but what was going on in the inner cities. “[It […]

Nightlight marquee of historic movie theater with the words "
Arts & Culture

“Oakanda” Tour Celebrates Marvel’s ‘Wakanda Forever’ with a Tour of Oakland’s Historic Black History Sites

November 18, 2022 Brandy Collins 1

Late in the afternoon next to the Grand Lake Theater, a group of strangers piled into a van to have a one-of-a-kind, educational experience in The Town. Called the “Oakanda tour,” this specialized guided tour […]

A mixed race African American woman with curly brown hair wears olive green shirt and poses for photo
Arts & Culture

“Every Song on this Album is a Love Song of Some Kind:” Hip-Hop Artist Mystic Chats About New Album

October 20, 2022 Brandy Collins 1

Mandolyn “Mystic” Ludlum, a longtime Oakland resident and Bay Area native, released her first solo album 20 years ago. In August, she released her third solo album, titled “Dreaming In Cursive: The Girl Who Loved […]

Arts & Culture

Offsides Production’s New Show “Normal Ain’t Normal” Co-produced by Oakland’s Josh Healey with Rosario Dawson

September 26, 2022 Brandy Collins 0

Across the cultural landscape, many new shows are creating storylines that either predate the pandemic or allude to the circumstances to normalize it. While some shows may include elements like face masks or talk about […]

A busy street intersection
2022 Elections

Election 2022: Oakland District 4 residents say public safety is a top concern

September 13, 2022 Brandy Collins 0

This November, residents in District 4 will pick between the two candidates competing to be their new councilmember: Nenna Joiner and Janani Ramachandran.  The D4 boundaries were redrawn by the city earlier this year. If you’re not […]

Arts & Culture

New “Artist As First Responder” Residencies focus on social, climate justice, and healing

August 4, 2022 Brandy Collins 0

Interdisciplinary independent curator artist Ashara Ekundayo stewards a myriad of artist residencies and fellowships she designed through her organization, Artist As First Responder (AAFR). Ekundayo has been creating spaces in Oakland that allow artists to […]

An African American director with a beanie chats with a tall man in a white tank top and with an Afro
Arts & Culture

How One Local Filmmaker Debuted First Film and Comic Book During Pandemic

July 15, 2022 Brandy Collins 0

Love Conquers All, a comic book and movie co-written by filmmakers Janell Grace and Malik Glass, is a story about Kennedy, a man reconciling his issues with trauma and grief after the passing of his […]

A group of African American band members, including two women wearing white dresses.
Arts & Culture

“Ghetto Gospel” EP Release on 4/20 at Oakstop Will be Vibe Muzik’s Debut 

April 13, 2022 Brandy Collins 0

Transforming and evolving musically in times of strife has become a soothing balm for Mandala Msanii (Baylis), leading to the creation of Vibe Muzik’s new EP, Ghetto Gospel. When Oakland Voices first featured Msanii (as […]

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Alumni Updates

Banner with one side that says "Oakland Voices Alumni Spotlight: Debora Gordon" and a photo of a woman wearing glasses with grey hair and bangs on the right
Oakland Voices Alumni Update

Oakland Voices Alumni Spotlight: Debora Gordon

Oakland Voices has trained dozens of community journalists over the years. We caught up with one of our alumna, Debora Gordon. In our last update about Gordon, we mentioned that she published a children’s book. As [...]
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a large group holds a sign facing traffic "Protest Oakland Schools"
Education

After a Year of Intense Community Action, New OUSD School Board Reverses School Closures

February 17, 2023 0

In January, a new school board comprised of some newly-elected board members decided on the fate of six Oakland schools that were set to be shuttered this school year. Last year at this time, the […]

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History and Mission

Brandy Collins is a writer and public services advocate born and raised in the Bay Area. She is a 2019-2020 cohort graduate from the Maynard Institute for Journalism, a correspondent for Oakland Voices, a blogger and the funny one in numerous group chats. She is concerned with civic engagement and leadership development toward making public works more efficient for the people. Brandy is full of Scorpio magic and self-proclaimed Professional Aunty. Follow her on Twitter @msbrandycollins or Instagram @story_soul_collecter.
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