Dozens of local queer leaders, community members and allies gathered at the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center on a rainy Thursday afternoon to celebrate the unveiling of the city’s first permanent rainbow crosswalk and the second anniversary of the Lakeshore LGBTQ Cultural District. The crosswalk was installed on Lakeshore Avenue, outside the LGBTQ center, symbolizing Oakland’s commitment to LGBTQ inclusion and visibility, the center said in a news release. Instead of paint, it is made from thermoplastic materials to ensure durability…
This story is part of “The Stakes,” a UC Berkeley Journalism project on executive orders and actions affecting Californians and their communities. It was co-published with the East Bay Times. Before Sergio Ardila joined the board of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, he was one of its clients. Ardila, who describes himself as a recovering addict, attended his first Narcotics Anonymous meeting at the center in 2022 through its Rainbow Recovery program and received rental assistance from the organization during…
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee held a news conference Thursday urging calm and unity as federal enforcement threats loomed over the Bay Area. “Oakland is and will continue to be a welcoming city for our immigrants and our refugees,” Lee said. “We will remain calm, focused, and united. We will not allow outsiders to create chaos or exploit our city.”. Her remarks came moments before President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he was calling off plans for a federal…
Thousands of people wore rainbow suits, held colorful flags and danced through the streets Sunday in downtown Oakland to celebrate the annual Pride Festival on its 15th anniversary. Sunday’s festivities kicked off with a parade down Broadway, near 21st Street, to Frank Ogawa Plaza, where a ticketed event featured DJs, live performances and speeches from drag queens and politicians. The festival included more than 100 booths by vendors and organizations, such as sponsors Gilead, a HIV-focused biotechnology company, tequila brand Patrón,…