Culture
Oakland artists strive to improve working conditions for public art creators in the city.
Earlier this month the Institute for Policy Studies, a Washington, D.C. think tank, reported that the average white family today has net assets of $141,900, compared with the $11,000 for African American families. This hollowing out of the African American family asset base is a nationwide phenomenon that can be explained by the shrinking African American middle class. It’s even more a factor in “strong market” regions like the Bay Area, where housing costs are soaring.
On Friday, December 4, Oakland’s Jack London Square drew crowds for a festive tree-lighting ceremony to celebrate the holiday season. Live music filled the square as the Oakland School for the Arts’ Vocal Rush, Chamber Choir and Jazz Guitar Ensemble performed holiday favorites. Other entertainment included performances by the Tap Dancing Christmas Trees and West Oakland Middle Schools’ Oakland Spirit Orchestra. Attendees petted live reindeer, decorated ornaments, and met with Santa Claus — among other activities sponsored by local organizations.
The Mills College administration announced in a press release Monday that the school will continue to offer an undergraduate dance major.
Oakland is predicted to become the capital of cannabis, as California’s first marijuana incubator sets up shop in Jack London District.
It is 7 p.m. and the young makers at Curiosity Hacked are swiftly moving between the laser cutter and their workbenches. This Tuesday, the kids have one mission in mind: creating BattleBots for the spring competition.
Grieving their ‘little angels’: Latina women in Oakland process the loss of their children, together
A Day of the Dead exhibit at the Oakland Museum of California highlights the work of MADRE, a local group who aims to help Latina women cope with the grief of child loss.
Founded in 2011 at the Oakland School of the Arts, the group is made up of high school students at the charter school. They have won the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA) three times, including this year in April. In 2013, they placed third on NBC’s The Sing-Off, a televised a cappella competition between some of the best musical ensembles in the country. With the level of success they’ve garnered, the group has decided to use their art as a form of activism: “aca-activism,” that is.
On December 1, the Mills Board of Trustees may make a final decision on whether to phase out the undergraduate dance major over the next few years.