Text by Melissa Batchelor Warnke. Photos by Luisa Conlon. It’s 6 am on a Sunday, and a group of men are sitting in a parking lot in the dark. They’re half of the Teen Challenge Choir—two dozen men and women in treatment for “life controlling issues.” They’re about to get in a big white van and head to the Cavalry Temple Church in Concord, California, about an hour north of the men’s home base in Oakland. It’s always cold this…
Grieving their ‘little angels’: Latina women in Oakland process the loss of their children, together
A Day of the Dead exhibit at the Oakland Museum of California highlights the work of MADRE, a local group who aims to help Latina women cope with the grief of child loss.
Photographer Ray Bussolari harnesses the symbolic power of tattoos to represent the experiences of foster youth.
Now, thanks to the efforts of the East Bay Astronomical Society, the Zeiss might illuminate Chabot’s planetarium again. The volunteer-run astronomy group recently launched the first phase of a fundraising campaign to save the Zeiss. They hope to collect $25,000 in donations via YouCaring, a crowd-funding site designed to help charitable projects raise money.
Oaklanders gathered by moonlight for a traditional Japanese celebration of the Harvest Moon.
Leah Goldstein is bobbing and weaving her way through a dozen girls poised to punch. Their tiny fists are held high, ready to strike. “Show me your fighting stance,” Goldstein says. “See how powerful you are? That’s enough to knock someone out if you hit them in the right spot.” The girls lunge at an invisible opponent. Sharp breaths cut through a chorus of giggles. Goldstein is leading a group of middle school girls in a self-defense course. The class…
Around 200 people gathered at a vigil Wednesday morning to honor the life of Antonio Ramos. Ramos, a West Oakland-based artist employed by the nonprofit Attitudinal Healing Connection (AHC), was shot and killed Tuesday while working on a mural on West Street between 35th and 36th Streets, under the 580 freeway.
Oaklanders get together weekly for a boozy drawing party at The New Parkway.
Running through February 21, the exhibit “Yo-Yos and Halfsquares: Contemporary California Quilts” highlights Afro-traditional quilts from Oakland collector