Community
Over 300 people convened at Scott’s Seafood Restaurant in downtown Oakland on Saturday night, to attend the 23rd annual gala of the Organization of Chinese Americans-East Bay (OCA-East Bay). In addition to featuring Asian American athletes the group presented $75,000 to the widow and son of Tiansheng Yu, the victim of a fatal attack on the 1800 block of Telegraph Avenue in Oakland this April.
Many of Oakland’s Ethiopian immigrants and their families and friends joined the Berkeley festivities Sunday for Enkutatash, an Ethiopian celebration of the new year.
Stephanie Benavidez has worked at the Rotary Nature Center for over 35 years, but now thanks to city budget cuts she is its only full time staff member. With only one full-time person on the job, and five part-time employees, it’s harder for the center to keep up with all of its work.
Muslims in Oakland are in the last third of the month of Ramadan–its most intense part, as observers continue to fast during daylight hours, declining both food and water until the sun sets. Daylight, and with it the Islamic obligation to fast, lingers long in August.
Several hundred people gathered on Saturday in Frank Ogawa Plaza, where promises of free back-to-school supplies attracted a wide range of students, from kindergarteners to college freshmen. Many parents arrived hours before the official start time, children in tow, in order to ensure a good place in line for the give-away.
Oakland is encouraging gluttony this weekend as the city hosts two festivals, flooding the streets with thousands of locals and out-of-towners eagerly waiting to sample the various treats.
To the untrained eye, Friday evening’s Raider Nation Celebration in Frank H. Ogawa Plaza was just another glorified salt-and-pepper-colored pep rally for the local professional club, stringing longtime supporters along for what could be yet another disappointing season.
Three new cafes in three blocks of College Avenue. Are they too close for comfort?
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the organizers of Art & Soul pulled out all of the stops for this year’s festival and thousands of people came to enjoy.