Pecolia Manigo believes her ultimate hope for Oakland — what she calls “equitable democracy” — is attainable. For evidence, she points to her own experience: Manigo was unemployed when she moved to Oakland with her infant daughter two decades ago. Now she’s the political director of Oakland Rising, an organization that helped bring to Oakland’s 2022 ballot Measure W, which passed with 74% approval from voters. The measure provides $100 “Democracy Dollars” for residents to donate to candidates in local…
Beirut. Yerevan. Moscow. Cairo. Buenos Aires. Oakland. These cities were among the first havens for survivors of the Armenian Genocide in the early 20th century. Today, Oakland’s St. Vartan Apostolic Church remains a meeting place for the region’s Armenian community nearly a century after its founding in 1924. This weekend, St. Vartan will host a two-day festival featuring Armenian and Middle Eastern food prepared by members of the congregation, live Armenian music, traditional dancing, children’s activities, and vendors. Take-away food…
An event on Saturday that was intended to build community in East Oakland started with discord. “You don’t live here!” yelled Johnny Williams, interrupting Mayor Sheng Thao’s introduction to her second “Talking Transition” event. She was in the middle of discussing city investments in deep East Oakland. “You keep saying deep East Oakland,” continued Williams, “but we’re one Oakland.” Williams was referencing Thao’s slideshow, which projected her social media slogan “#OneOakland.” According to Sean Maher, Oakland’s acting communications and engagement…