2010 Class

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“No, I am not taking these off.” Momma was doing more pleading than pushing during one of our nightly battles as I changed her disposable underwear. “You cannot take these from me! They are not

My 3 siblings and I often become fictional or rearranged members of Momma’s imagination. Momma once told my youngest brother that he was “found by grandpa at the poker game.” I loved it when she

Last week, Momma and I visited Cousin Bernadette, who is in a nursing home suffering from ailments associated with dementia.  It was a pleasure to see her, even though Momma really didn’t quite comprehend the

By Jo Ann Bell Hurricane Katrina left Louisiana and Mississippi with memories of utter destruction. It’s been a month since those and other Gulf states marked the fifth year anniversary of the storm, and the

By Tyrese Johnson OAKLAND, CA – Many would argue that music is essential to a full life. It makes us laugh, cry and think. It is this idea that musicians at the Oakland Green Youth

By Peace Harmony OAKLAND, CA – A new habitat for female artists was born last November. Valerie Troutt started The Shepeople’s, a collective of female vocalists, musicians, poets, dancers, filmmakers, visual artists, craft makers, foodies and

By Ida Hancox OAKLAND, CA – For most of Shawn Vasquez’s life, he’s been in trouble with the law. He started ditching school to sell drugs before he was a teenager. He hit the ninth

It is one of the most painful, difficult, and quintessentially American words in our language. It’s been used to dehumanize, to hurt feelings, to show love, and to sell records. When popular talk radio host