ST EOBHCSunset 072321 - Flipbook - Page 17
“One of the things that I’m the proudest of was EOBHC recognizing
intentionally and building on and developing the power of residents. In a lot
of ways, that’s how I got my start with the REAL5 team in 2013. When I first
came back [from being incarcerated], I didn’t have a college degree and I
felt like I was not qualified enough. We are made to feel that way, and as a
result, folks don’t solicit our input. You get this sense of inferiority, and then
structurally it did not allow me to weigh in. EOBHC changed that.”
—John Jones III, Just Cities and EOBHC Resident Leader
EOBHC organized a series of successful, large-scale resident engagement events, including wellattended “Neighbor Days,” Resident Leadership Academies, and even a 200-person resident
summit that attested to resident interest and love for East Oakland. However, through it all, there
was a persistent lack of definition about what “resident-led” really meant.
EOBHC created intentional space for young leaders. The Youth Work Group and Youth Leadership
Board, staffed between the HOPE Collaborative 6 and EOBHC, demonstrated an effective
partnership that placed resident power at its center. In particular, the Youth Leadership Board’s
grant making was owned by the youth leaders.
Improving the material
conditions for residents
in East Oakland
Oakland’s rich history of community
organizing, and strong organizing
infrastructure, set the stage for early
policy victories by groups funded through
EOBHC. In 2012, the Revive Oakland
Coalition’s Campaign for Quality Jobs won
an agreement for the City of Oakland’s
portion of the Oakland Army Base’s
redevelopment project, which included
local hiring, living wages, protections
against discrimination of formerly
incarcerated job applicants, and the
creation of a community-based job center.
EOBHC also seized the opportunity provided by President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Again
in 2012, over 50 organizations, including EOBHC CBOs, worked together to enroll over 2,000
5 REAL Team was EOBHC’s Residents Engagement and Leadership working group.
6 http://www.hopecollaborative.net/
FOR THE LOVE OF BLACK EAST OAKLAND: EOBHC Sunset Report
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