Culture

The Intertribal Friendship House developed out of necessity when American Indians were relocated to the Bay Area in the 1950s. Over time, the center has emerged into a nationally historic space for social services, organizing and building relationships, and continues to be considered the “heart” of the Bay Area American Indian community. The following Oakland North Interactive features two elders and other members of Oakland’s American Indian community speaking about their experiences in the city. [This interactive report is no…

Among the cars parked off of Claremont and Oak Grove, a U.S. Post Office truck stands out among the Toyota Corollas and Honda Civics. Dadra “Renee” Underwood, 52, has been driving this truck for 23 years. She is one of the 80 employees at the Grand Avenue Post Office. The stack of mail she delivers every day, if you piled it one piece on top of the other, would be around three feet high. Underwood is a petite woman. As…

This fall, Oakland North welcomes a new staff of 18 reporters, all members of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism’s class of first-year students. Got story ideas? Questions? Complaints? Please drop us a line at staff@oaklandnorth.net S. Howard Bransford S. Howard Bransford is a lifelong resident of Northern California. Prior to moving to the East Bay, he worked as a staff reporter in the town of Marysville, just north of Sacramento, and later as an independent writer for newspapers and…

On most weekend mornings in September, Oakland residents turn Lake Merritt into their outdoor track, with packs of joggers and cyclists circumnavigating the sunlit lake. But a canopy of gray clouds chilled the air one recent Saturday, making the morning in the emptier-than-usual park feel like winter rather than late summer.

Avast me, hearties! It’d be the 19 o’ September, and ye know what that be bringin’? Aye, it’d be International Talk Like a Pirate Day. September 19th is a holiday you won’t see marked on your calendar. International Talk Like a Pirate Day (hereafter referred to as ITLAPD) is a day when the pirate-enthusiastic community is encouraged to greet its respective self with “Ahoy!”, refer to people as “scurvy dogs” or “wenches,” and of course, express discontent/joy/agreement/and a multitude of other…

They wear plaid laceless sneakers and tattered jeans scrawled with indelible pen. They are self-proclaimed “high school rejects.” They are no older than 19, but they can absolutely school you on many aspects of contemporary Japanese popular culture—particularly as expressed in the comic book and video phenomena called manga and anime.

This week’s Game On: The Rockridge Ninjas. by Richard Parks/Oakland North

Koreans have lived in Oakland for decades, but in 2007 the city allowed a group of landlords the right to tax and manage several blocks on Telegraph Avenue, renaming the strip Koreatown – Northgate. The neighborhood speaks out on the area’s recent name change. Video by Puck Lo and Laurel Moorhead/Oakland North.

The late Hunter S. Thompson – no stranger to depravity himself – once called Oakland Raiders fans, “beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and wackos ever assembled in such numbers under a single ‘roof,’ so to speak, anywhere in the English-speaking world.“ Oakland North caught up with Raider Nation at the Coliseum before Monday’s opening night for the 2009 Silver and Black.   The evening ended in a 24-20 defeat to the visiting San Diego…

“It’s a sad memory, looking at that, especially at nighttime,” says an Oakland cafe owner whose business view takes in the padlocked, empty theater building that used to be the Parkway. A look at the loss of the popular neighborhood hub and the challenges hampering efforts to bring it back to life. by Sam Laird/Oakland North