Culture
Evangelina Sanchez came to the United States when she was seven years old. Now she’s a student at California State East Bay, thanks to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). DACA is just one of Obama’s orders that President Donald Trump has threatened to overturn before taking office. That threat alone has changed things for Sanchez’s family.
In Oakland, a collective of 15 artists, who were previously complete strangers to one another, are expressing their reaction to the new Trump presidency through a different kind of protest, an art project they are calling 100 Days Action.
Oakland’s 7th annual Restaurant Week is underway with over 100 participating restaurants in neighborhoods across the city.
2016 brought another group of student reporters to Oakland North, and they covered the daily news of a changing city: The rising cost of rent and concerns about gentrification, the election of a new president and the protests that followed, the legalization of recreational pot use in California and the passing of a controversial city soda tax, the sex scandal that continued to plague the Oakland Police Department, street level efforts to help stem the rising tide of opioid addictions, and the Ghost Ship…
A big red house stands in the middle of Telegraph Avenue, two blocks from the Berkeley border with Oakland. It resembles Santa’s workshop: fun, colorful and packed with a massive amount of “stuff.” The building is two stories high and even on a normal day, found objects hang all over the property. From giant drive-thru Jack in the Box signs, to headless mannequins, vintage Victorian furniture or small quirky ceramic figurines, James Cross, the owner of the Antique Centre has it all—hidden somewhere in a corner of his store.
“What is the name of the type of whiskey that is named after a fast sailboat?” It’s Wednesday night at Room 389—trivia night, to be exact. Scattered throughout the dimly-lit watering hole are teams of no more than six, some clustered at the bar and high-top tables, some standing with answer sheets in hand, and others fortunate to be sitting at a booth. It’s round IV—the final round—and a team called Joan and The Scammers are contending for the number…
A group of disabled musicians, poets and other artists use their music for social justice work. Specifically, they aim to raise awareness and promote the disabled community.
A former grocery store and pizza spot turned community center is getting a fresh look thanks to the work of Refa One, a community artist. Refa started painting the sprawling seven-panel mural in October and hopes to finish by the end of the year. The mural, located in West Oakland’s Lower Bottoms neighborhood, includes a mix of African and African-American imagery, symbolism and cityscapes, from Timbuktu to Oakland. Refa has been painting murals in Oakland for over 15 years. Click…
One afternoon in the middle of summer, Beatriz Valencia’s son Jonathan came home with a question. The 7-year-old wanted to know if his mom knew that Donald Trump was running for president.