Debora Gordon

About Debora Gordon

Debora Gordon is a writer, artist, educator and non-violence activist. She has been living in Oakland since 1991, moving here to become a teacher in the Oakland Unified School District. In all of these roles, Debora is interested in developing a life of the mind. “As a mere human living in these simultaneously thrilling and troubled times,” Debora says, “I try to tread lightly, live thoughtfully, teach peace, and not take myself too seriously.”

A collage of four families/OUSD administrators

Back to School in Oakland: A Board Member, Two Principals, and a Union Executive Board Member Share Their Perspectives

October 5, 2021 Debora Gordon

What back-to-school has been like so far this semester

Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: Dana Bergen Shares an Anti-Zionist Jewish Perspective

June 10, 2021 Debora Gordon

We felt the need for it to be clear that not all Jews support or defend what Israel does and those organizations don’t speak for all of us.

OUSD’s Restorative Justice: A Portal to Possibility

May 12, 2021 Debora Gordon

Oakland Voices correspondent Debora Gordon chats with 9 Restorative Justice leaders in OUSD.

An African American man with no hair smiles at camera while sitting, wearing a grey inmate uniform.

Prisoner and Accomplished Writer Jermon Clark Shares His Story

January 29, 2021 Debora Gordon

An Oakland man is seeking healing through writing.

the word "impeachment" written on a white board

Bringing the Political into the Classroom

January 13, 2021 Debora Gordon

“For the first time in my years of teaching, I taught “sedition,” “insurrection,” “coup d’état,” and “treason.””

OUSD Teachers in a Distance Learning World (Part 2)

November 18, 2020 Debora Gordon

OUSD teachers share the challenges of distance learning, and what it would take to go back to the classroom.

A collage of five different teacher's selfies and photos of them at work.

OUSD Teachers in a Distance Learning World

November 10, 2020 Debora Gordon

Oakland Voices spoke with some teachers about the challenges and surprises of distance learning.

Talk of the Town: New Citizens Voting for the First Time

October 27, 2020 Debora Gordon

Hear from three first-time Oakland voters: longtime immigrants who gained their citizenship status in the last year, in part, to be able to vote.

An image of a diverse group of seven teachers.

Seven OUSD teachers give sneak peek of first week of school

August 5, 2020 Debora Gordon

7 OUSD teachers respond to distance learning, and what the first week of school might look like.

COVID-19, Protest, Teaching, and Me

August 4, 2020 Debora Gordon

“After only six weeks back in the classroom, nearly all doors slowly closed: no café tete-a-tetes to solve the world’s problems or even our own, no exploring the nooks and crannies of the Bay Area, and teaching only from a remove.”