Black Every Month: SoBEO June Newsletter

Juneteenth is different this year. A pivotal moment in US history, yet so often overlooked, is now a national holiday. Here in Oakland, we have a brand new Black Panther Party museum opening on Juneteenth, right where the life of the legendary Huey P. Newton was taken. But don’t get it twisted. Juneteenth did not free us. Freedom, then as now is…


The Oakland REACH is taking on the digital divide #REACHforMore

By Lakisha Young, Executive Director, The Oakland REACH There’s no doubt this has been a really hard time for black and brown families in Oakland. But WOW, yesterday, was awesome. And we really needed it. The Oakland REACH came together – in partnership with a block of black-owned businesses on MacArthur Boulevard – to distribute…


A Fremont High teacher fights for her students’ future and their access to the internet

Saying Fremont High School in East Oakland serves a high-needs student population is a severe understatement. That was true before COVID-19 exacerbated inequities and made life that much more difficult for students, and educating them that much more challenging for their teachers. “You have kids who are homeless, you have kids who are unaccompanied minors,…


Last Week’s McClymonds Environmental Town Hall Meeting, A Recap and Video

Parents, Students and Community members jam packed The West Oakland Community Center to get a update on the status of McClymonds High School’s campus temporary closure due to a recently found contaminant called trichloroethylene, or (TCE) for short, underneath the school site in its ground water. The complete video is here, with the Mayor, Councilmember…


Our $75 Million Question and Youth Uprising’s Better Vision for Serving Justice Involved Youth

If you had $75 million to spend on the people in your community, how would you spend it? What type of services would help the youth thrive? How could our people benefit? Would you spend $75 million on a shiny new juvenile probation camp with 100 or so beds for young people, when the place…