Community

East Bay College Fund helps Oakland students get to college—and stay there

The East Bay College Fund awards up to forty sixteen-thousand dollar scholarships each year to low-income students from Oakland. Nearly all of these students are the first in their families to attend college, and nearly all have weathered the kind of personal challenges—such as violence, homelessness, or early parenthood—that could easily have blocked the way.

Community photo of the week: Peace altar

Every week, Oakland North will publish a photo submitted by one of our readers. This week’s photo is by Saleem Shakir and it was taken during the March 1 First Friday arts event. He writes, “This altar was being built in the middle of the street at First Fridays. I watched as people added flowers. I called it a peace altar because that was the sense I got from the intentions within the space. For me, it honored those who have been…

“Teaching Matters” forum encourages great teachers and community support for them

A gymnasium full of teachers, teenagers and community members are sitting around small tables and jotting down the names of their favorite teachers on blue Post-It notes at Edna Brewer Middle School. Stephanie Benjamin, a 17-year-old peer educator with Youth Uprising, met her favorite teacher during elementary school in Oakland. She reads from her Post-It: “Ms. Wallis knew what was going on with us. She wouldn’t just get on you for not doing your work, she’d try to figure out…