My Neighborhood Archives - Page 4 of 13

Martial Arts Sifu Bill Owens Reflects on his 50th Year

June 15, 2017 Kat Ferreira

It’s Saturday afternoon and three rows of children stand frozen in anticipation, waiting for their Martial Arts Master, Sifu Bill Owens, to walk them through the next sequence of gestures. After the children mirror his

A Children’s Book Desert in the Fruitvale? Not Quite

June 15, 2017 Katharine Davies Samway

If you walk up and down Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, you’ll pass by several independent bookstores, gift shops, and children’s clothing shops, all of which stock lots of books for children. In contrast, if you

Empowering youth, disrupting cycles of violence

June 14, 2017 Tony Daquipa

The weather, like the multicultural crowd, was beautiful. The music was danceable, the live artwork was politically conscious, and the tacos and aguas frescas were plentiful. Organized by Homies 4 Justice, an internship program of

Warriors Affirm Commitment to Oakland and Greater East Bay Youth

June 14, 2017 Monica Green

Oakland is celebrating the Warriors’ Championship win. Go Warriors! Dub Nation! When the confetti clears and the Warriors head across the Bay, what can the old hometown expect? “The Warriors are committed to Oakland and

A Place Where Community Happens

June 8, 2017 Tony Daquipa

“We’re all different, but we all have that love for Sequoia.” -Zachary Hile At the risk of missing the start of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, several generations of Sequoia students, families, and staff

Lake Merritt Monster Sighting Near Oakland A’s Proposed Stadium Site is a Sea Lion

June 7, 2017 Kat Ferreira

My first thought when I heard the splash and saw something slimy part the water was, “Dear God, the fabled Lake Merritt Monster has returned!” It was sunset and I was walking my dog Penny

Sidewalk Memorials: A Softer Side of Oakland

May 18, 2017 Sandra Tavel

Living in East Oakland is like having a close relationship with a problematic relative. You can call your auntie “crazy,” because she’s your auntie, but you can’t let anyone outside the family call her crazy.

Fruitvale after the Ghost Ship fire

May 17, 2017 Kat Ferreira

Note: this story originally aired on KALW Public Radio 91.7 FM in San Francisco as part of their “Sights & Sounds of East Oakland” series and was published on the KALW website. You can listen

Food Desert

May 15, 2017 Damu Dailey

East Oakland is considered a food desert. A food desert–according to the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture)–is defined as a “low-access community” where at least 500 people or 33 percent of the census tract’s population

While Everyone Else Is Sleeping, East Oakland Is Eating

May 11, 2017 Tony Daquipa

It’s a Monday evening just after 11 p.m. as I pull into the Tacos Los Amigos parking lot on East 14th Street (also known as International Blvd.) I was referred to this taco truck by