DeFremery Park in Oakland

DeFremery Park is an island. A two-story light blue Victorian sits alone in a massive yard, surrounded by fields of vibrant green grass. It’s quiet in the park on most days, the building’s stoic presence adding a layer of calm to the surrounding West Oakland neighborhood. The house sits next to a tennis court, a…

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The Black Panther Party’s Ten-Point Program, 50 years later

Damion Square, a local Black student leader, sports a black beret in salute to the Black Panther Party at the party's 50th anniversary rally in Oakland. Photo by Rachel Loyd

The Black Panther Party (BPP) was founded on October 15, 1966 in Oakland, California by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. The party was a political organization that agitated for greater rights for Black people in the United States. Seale and Newton captured the attention of the country (and of law enforcement) through their tactic of openly carrying rifles and shotguns while observing police officers in their community.

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Africana studies community research center has a welcome debut

Guests could hear music and laughter the moment they walked through the entrance of Building L at Merritt College one chilly March evening. They were here for the community open house for the new Africana Studies Community Research Center and Curriculum, which focuses on educating the public on African-American Studies and history. Every inch of…

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Oakland celebrates the life of Tupac Shakur

On Friday afternoon, community leaders and over 100 local residents gathered on the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and 32nd Street in Oakland to celebrate the life of slain rapper Tupac Shakur and to commemorate what would have been his 41st birthday.

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