Culture

Drummer’s beats bring crowds to Lake Merritt

Arrive at the corner of Oakland’s Grand Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard and you will hear the sounds of eclectic music emerging from multiple spots along Lake Merritt. Aaron Davis Warren, otherwise known as “Drummer Boy Aaron,” set up his drum set just before 10 a.m. on a recent Saturday to play for the crowd that comes from all directions. The 18-year-old pounds his drumsticks as he smiles widely at his growing audience. To his right, people carrying mushrooms and cabbage emerge…

Oakland teacher wins Teaching Tolerance award

On a Friday afternoon in the middle of a staff meeting at Aspire Public School’s Monarch Academy, second grade teacher Karen Schreiner felt her phone buzz. It buzzed again. And again. And again. The call was from an area code she didn’t recognize. Schreiner whispered to her principal that she’d be right back and stepped into the hallway. She called back. It was good news—she’d been chosen as one of five recipients of the Teaching for Tolerance Award. “I know…

New oral history map shows Oakland eviction data

After a year of collecting eviction data and personal accounts, members of the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project unveiled their latest oral history map and urged supporters to take action by protesting and raising awareness of evictions.