Community
On Tuesday afternoon, Mary Boergers, a member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW)’s Oakland-Piedmont Branch, handed out candy bars to passersby at the Rockridge BART station and cried, “Equal pay for women! Would you like a candy bar?” Many people didn’t take the candy bars, shaking their heads—while some took them and said, “Thank you!” “This is just a great way to let people know, remind them that women aren’t making money as much as men,” said Boergers….
On Thursday, a row of people carrying umbrellas gathered in downtown Oakland, standing in a long line going down the entire block, despite the spurts of rain. Although the people in line were smiling, they were here to conduct a serious conversation. The panel discussion, hosted by Lincoln, an organization that helps children and families through social programs, was titled “Equity in Education.” The free event invited members of the community to come together and discuss important topics affecting the…
For high school football players across the country, it’s an uphill battle as they strive to become Division 1A scholar athletes who will go on to play college football. However, for Siale Liku, a junior offensive and defensive tackle at Oakland High School, this uphill battle might soon become a victory. He is currently being scouted by the University of California Berkeley, University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Fresno State University, San Jose State University, Washington State University, University of…
Every morning in front of Melrose Leadership Academy, the same choreography is repeated: the uproar of the children arriving at the school displaces squirrels and birds to the cherry and palm trees that adorn the sidewalk. At this public school, in the sanctuary city of Oakland, people exchange greetings in Spanish. The first poster near the school’s entrance doesn’t inform parents about opening hours or extracurricular activities. Instead, it states: “You have rights, don’t let ICE or police enter your…
On a bright Saturday morning, approximately 200 people gathered at the Boys and Girls Club in San Leandro in support of the campaign kick-off for Measure A: Alameda County’s Ballot Measure for Child Care and Early Education. Measure A will appear on the county’s June ballot in 2018. If passed, Measure A will enact a half-percent sales tax, which will generate approximately $140 million annually. The county will use the money to extend more childcare resources to low and middle-income…
Coco Coalition is a social enterprise dedicated helping women of the African diaspora to connect, grow and thrive. The enterprise’s mission is to create safe and empowering opportunities for women, while also addressing health and educational barriers faced by teen girls.
On February 27, the Supreme Court overturned a 2013 ruling that allowed immigrants who have been detained for at least six months the right to periodic bond hearings. The decision is concerning for many immigrant advocates, including Oakland-based nonprofit Asian Prisoner Support Committee (APSC). The organization provides “culturally competent” support and services to Asian Pacific Islander prisoners and the formerly incarcerated population. They’re worried that without the right to a bond hearing, many will remain detained indefinitely, including those seeking…
Oakland Technical High School has had a library with no librarian for years. Recently, a group of students turned a class assignment about social justice into a new group, which they called Students for Library Improvement.
Every sunny weekend since mid-January, volunteers have been building houses for the unsheltered residents of a local homeless encampment called The Village. Despite construction being pushed back due to rain, they are almost ready to move their first resident into a home. The Village is an activist-led group that’s been working to provide transitional housing to the homeless by building tiny homes on a plot of land at East 12th Street and 23rd Avenue, under a highway overpass in Oakland….