Culture

Buddha of Oakland

When Dan Stevenson placed a stone Buddha across the street from his house in Oakland’s Eastlake neighborhood, it was out of desperation. “The corner was constantly being filled up with mattress and couches and junk and there was some drug usage, a lot of graffiti, people just standing around doing nothing—just depressing,” said Stevenson.  Stevenson and his wife, Lu, say they are not religious at all, but believe in the power of positive and negative energy, and so decided to…

Eight Berkeley Lab scientists present eight game-changing ideas

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory hosted the “8 Big Ideas” event last Wednesday, as part of its “Science at the Theater” initiative. During the event, eight scientists were invited to present game-changing concepts and progressive ideas in eight minutes each.

Oakland’s unconventional third Youth Poet Laureate finds her voice

17-year-old Sophie Elkin, named Oakland’s 3rd Youth Poet Laureate in August, writes about what she knows: the grit and grandeur of Oakland’s people and places and the less tangible but no less real world of adolescence. After a childhood struggling to come out to herself and her parents, Sophie hopes her poetry will help other women to find their voices the way she has.

Oakland Black Cowboys parade celebrates 40 years

Some historians estimate that as many as one third of cowboys in the old West were black, but black cowboys are largely absent in mainstream pop culture. As the Oakland Black Cowboys Association celebrates 40 years, its members reflect on what being a black cowboy means to them and their families.