Culture
The storefront is simple—black tinted windows with bamboo shades and the words “Ramen Shop” emblazoned in white on the front door. No Japanese characters, no large flags.
On Saturday members of Lavender Seniors, based in Oakland, gathered at the San Leandro Community Church—where it has been meeting the second Saturday of each month for the past 18 years—to celebrate its final potluck lunch at that facility.
Enjoy the photo gallery for our weekly series, The Pulse of Oakland. This week’s featured ZIP code is 94605 in East Oakland. The area includes Eastmont, some of the Oakland Hills, the city’s zoo and more.
One month after a homicide forced city leaders and event organizers to question the future of Oakland’s First Friday art festival, the event returned this weekend—smaller and more low-key than past versions, but turnout was strong. The themes of the March 1 were peace and unity. People gave peace signs all night, some wore neon green t-shirts that read “Respect Our City,” and organizers held two moments of silence in honor of Kiante Campell, the 18-year-old who was shot and…
Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and a number of famous African Americans ancestors made an appearance at an elementary school in East Oakland on the final day of Black History Month. Ancestor Day 2013 at Ile Omode, a pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school in East Oakland, consisted of four and five year-old students dressing up as notable historical figures and delivering their most memorable quotes to a room full of parents and teachers. The audience cheered as students dressed as Dr….
For the third installment in a new photography series, here is this week’s photo gallery for The Pulse of Oakland—the featured ZIP code is 94603 in East Oakland. The area includes Elmhurst, Brookfield Village, parts of the industrial district and more.
In celebration of Black History Month, Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson and other community leaders hosted the 2nd Annual African American Organizations Making Connections “Strategies and Outcomes for Our Black Community” event on Saturday.
“My last trip in the penitentiary, I had to make a decision on what I wanted to do with my life,” said Reggie Bailey, sitting in the swiveling barber chair in his small shop in the heart of downtown Oakland. “I just decided to go to barber college.”
Enjoy this week’s photo gallery for The Pulse of Oakland project—this week’s featured ZIP code is 94602 in East Oakland. The area includes the Dimond district, Glenview, Oakmore and more!

