When you listen to Tyrone Burns, 46, owner of “Pull-up Your Pants Barbershop” on 82nd Avenue and Hillside in East Oakland, you hear the voices of a teacher, counselor, coach, social worker, surrogate parent,[Read more]
By Brenda Payton OAKLAND VOICES COORDINATOR EAST OAKLAND – Oakland Voices correspondents have written about volunteers who are feeding poor people in their neighborhoods, resilient family members, organizations devoted to improving their communities as well[Read more]
http://cpa.ds.npr.org/kalw/audio/2016/05/WEB.ArtForclosure.mp3 This is my grandmother’s story as much as it is mine. I lived with her, Attaway, on 2657 67th Avenue from August 2006 to May 2012 and enjoyed every minute of it. But, a[Read more]
http://cpa.ds.npr.org/kalw/audio/2016/04/WEB.AtholPark.mp3 Two tennis courts, enclosed by a chain link fence, sit adjacent to Athol Plaza Park in Oakland, near Lake Merritt. Laila Espinoza is here nearly every weekend. She hangs a canvas on the[Read more]
http://cpa.ds.npr.org/kalw/audio/2016/04/WEB.EastSideArts.mp3 Turning down 23rd Avenue towards International Boulevard, I see the words “Culture is a weapon” painted the side of a building wall. Painted below are indigenous peoples, Black Panther party members and immigrant workers.[Read more]
In the lot tucked between Castlemont High and Center of Hope Church along MacArthur Blvd., three women are pulling down the flap of a pop-up tent. It’s an extra task, one of many, on this[Read more]
Statistics show that hunger is very prevalent in Alameda County. According to the Alameda County Community Food Bank, one in five residents within the county is suffering from hunger- related issues and need assistance feeding[Read more]
If you ask a journalist why he or she chooses to engage in this craft, you’re bound to find 101 reasons. But the newest community journalists trained by the Oakland Voices program were nearly univocal[Read more]
Last month, I attended the Latino Equity Summit at the Sheraton Grand in Sacramento, California. The Summit brings together Latino leaders, advocates and policymakers in an effort to discuss community solutions to assist the Latino[Read more]