Culture

On Sunday evening in Oakland, approximately 3,700 miles away from devastated Haiti, more than 180 Bay Area musicians got together to deliver the sound of hope to the Haitian people.

In the wake of the powerful earthquake that rocked Haiti 12 days ago, Oakland’s Haitian community is organizing relief efforts, trying to protect Haitian immigrants from deportation, and praying for loved ones back home.

With “Belly,” an Oakland warehouse becomes a show space for artists who can no longer afford to limit themselves to galleries.

By September, the Oakland Food Policy Council hopes to tell city government officials how Oakland can produce more of its own food and help citizens eat healthier.

At Sankofa Academy in North Oakland, the students have a message: “R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Respect is all I really need!”

The talent and energy in “Hamlet: Blood in the Brain” is a testament to the hard work of the students and teachers of OakTechRep, Oakland Technical High School’s student theater company.

Opponents of Proposition 8 Rally outside federal court on Monday. Oakland North asks same-sex marriage supporters about their hopes for the federal trial.

Testimony in Perry v. Schwarzenegger featured vivid personal testimony about struggles with discrimination based on sexual orientation. The team defending Proposition 8, meanwhile, argued that the state has a compelling interest to allow voters to define marriage.

In a San Francisco courtroom packed to overflowing, attorneys on both sides of Proposition 8 argued this morning about whether the same-sex marriage ban is discriminatory or a justifiable expression of California voters’ will.