ST EOBHCSunset 072321 - Flipbook - Page 12
2008-2014
A statewide funder vision meets a legacy of
East Oakland organizing
At the invitation of TCE, residents and CBO staff came together in those early days to share their
dreams of a revitalized East Oakland. They talked of taking back what will be an empty Coliseum
into a mixed-use community space. They shared stories of their children suffering from asthma
from trucks parked idling in their neighborhoods. They spoke about volunteer hours spent cleaning
up trash dumped on their blocks. Staff from different community groups broke bread together and
found out they had much in common. This formative planning process identified three key themes
that guided EOBHC strategy forward:
• Healing: Community residents, especially youth, often held up healing as a priority for changemaking work in East Oakland. They asserted that young men of color—who are at the epicenter
of recurring trauma—should be supported as leaders in telling their stories and defining the
underlying problems and needs. The need for community healing was also referenced in the
context of understanding and acknowledging the demographic changes in East Oakland and
addressing the emerging tensions among and between old and newer families and communities.
• Hope & Transformation: Community residents identified hope and transformation as going
hand-in-hand with healing, which together comprise the roots of organizing and movement
history in Oakland. Their idea was to draw attention to this history as a way of providing
opportunities for learning and inspiration for residents. A vision for individual and community
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FOR THE LOVE OF BLACK EAST OAKLAND: EOBHC Sunset Report