The Fruitvale District is huge. I cruised it on three separate days. There are three business districts surrounded by residences. I rode up Fruitvale Avenue and walked along Foothill Boulevard a few blocks in each[Read more]
The first thing that I saw of familiarity in the Laurel District was the Subway fast food restaurant across the street from the 76 Gas Station; it reminded me of my hometown, Philadelphia. Subway makes[Read more]
“I give them all the advice that I didn’t get.” -Michael Muscadine The weather, like the multicultural crowd, was beautiful. The music was danceable, the live artwork was politically conscious, and the tacos and aguas[Read more]
“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[Read more]
Oakland (December 15th, 2014)—Undeterred by the ‘Hella-Storm’, roughly 200 students, hailing from eight Oakland high schools staged a ‘die-in’ outside the Fruitvale BART station, disrupting business as usual for 4 minutes and 28 seconds. The[Read more]
By Debora Gordon Lam was, and perhaps still is, a young man with a lot of potential. He could have gone on to lead a life of commonplace trials and triumphs; having a family, a job[Read more]
By Debora Gordon Many, perhaps most, parts of this story have been hard to tell. I often imagine someone who might be personally affected by a particular part of the story looking over my shoulder.[Read more]
By Katherine Brown It is rare to encounter folks that have faced numerous adversities, yet never complain. They continue to hold their heads up high, dig in their heels, and keep pushing for a better[Read more]
By Debora Gordon Thi Bui, an art and digital media teacher at Oakland International High School, described herself as “a little reckless. I break a lot of rules. I’m very comfortable letting go of the[Read more]
By Debora Gordon Every time a student does poorly in school, or drops out, there is likely a great increase in the chances he will wind up in prison. I recall in my discussion with[Read more]
