Jay runs a non-profit in Oakland called Hip Hop for Change. His goal is to create a more positive image of hip hop that does not reinforce the stereotypical images perpetuated by the mainstream music industry. “We’re trying to put our real image out there, so people can see our real culture, instead of making stereotypical tropes of our culture to entertain themselves with,” Jay said. “Those tropes that criminalize our black and brown youth.”
Frank Ogawa Plaza hosted Oakland’s first design fair on Super Bowl weekend. The organizers of the event, Our City, chose local artists to center their designs around the theme of play. The designs ranged from an outdoor living room installed with picture frames that allowed passersby to upload selfies; an adult-sized board of Mancala, a counting and strategy game; and an LED-lit basketball hoop. The fair also featured dance classes that caught the attention of Oaklanders clocking off from work…
Interactive Map: follow Jeremías’ journey as an unaccompanied minor, from his neighborhood in El Salvador, to resettlement in Oakland, here. In the shadow of the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris and the ongoing strife in Syria, America’s role in handling the refugee crisis has been catapulted to the forefront of political debates. Discussions about whether the United States would accept Syrian refugees began after governors from over 30 states said they would not welcome them within their borders. In…
Oakland North reporters went out to different locations across Oakland on Thursday, October 22, between 11 a.m. and noon to observe what happens throughout the city on an ordinary weekday morning.
Her eyes shift from the stack of papers in her hands then to her watch. She’s wearing a navy blue blazer, a peach-colored pencil skirt and a pair of black peep-toe heels. Watch to papers, papers to watch. The bus stops at Telegraph Avenue and 40th Street and a handful of people walk on. They know the drill. Passengers either tap their Clipper cards on the meter next to the driver or show their daily single ride passes, and then…
Hundreds of fast food and other low-wage workers gathered outside Oakland City Hall Tuesday evening demanding a higher minimum wage of $15 per hour. The demonstrations were part of a wider national campaign, Fight For 15, which has seen over 270 cities participating in similar protests.
On Monday, Wells Fargo launched a partnership with OBDC in an effort to support small businesses in the Bay Area. Through the Wells Fargo Works for Small Business: Diverse Community Capital program the bank will be partnering with CDFIs, including OBDC and later other local groups, to lend out $75 million to small businesses nationwide over the next three years.
East Bay Burkinabes got together Sunday at the Faso Braidy braiding shop on Webster and 19th Street to discuss the political situation back home and what lies ahead for their country after its September coup. For these former residents of Burkina Faso, the conversation was largely about what they can really do to positively contribute to the political situation back home.
It’s hard for immigrants to be away from their home countries. It’s even harder when they learn that there’s been a coup back home where their friends and families still live. On September 16, military guards in Burkina Faso took over the airwaves, announcing that they were now in charge. Burkinabes living in the Bay Area say they are concerned about the safety of their friends and relatives back home.
Ethiopians from the Bay Area gathered at Medhani Alem Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Oakland on Sunday to celebrate Meskel, a holiday that commemorates the finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena.
Local non-profit hosted SuperSATurday, a family 10K run at Lakeside Park in Oakland. The event was aimed at motivating students to take the SAT and linking them with resources
The three-day showcase begins September 23 with events alternating between four Oakland venues: The Starline Social Club, The Flight Deck, Duende and Miss Ollie’s.
Ethiopians in the Bay Area will be ushering in the new year a little differently this year. Oakland’s longtime iconic Enkutatash festival has been cancelled due to lack of funds, according to a letter distributed by Ethiopian Community Services (ECS). “For many years, this event has been graciously supported with a $25,000 grant from The Christensen Fund,” the ECS board of directors wrote in the letter. “Unfortunately the fund expired last year and is not available to ECS.” Tekeste Teclu,…