ST EOBHCSunset 072321 - Flipbook - Page 48
dear East Oakland,
oakland love letters
What is not to love about you? You are the gumbo of
Oakland. Each neighborhood, unique in taste, smells, and textures.
From your third generation Black and Latino families to our most
recent families from Mexico, Yemen, Eritrea, and beyond, you are
the best part of what makes Oakland special. East Oakland, you
have been called home to many and home you are to all. That’s
what I love about you. I love that you give space for folks to show
up in their indigenous clothes and their modern fashion, whatever
is worn, we know that it will be colorful and respected.
East Oakland, your strength is your voice. You do not stand for
injustice of any kind at any time. No matter the issue, no matter the
target, you speak your mind in fullness. You are Oakland’s sharpest
activists, advocates, and organizers who can pull together a campaign
Pecolia
in one discussion. You are the trailblazers who move through the
wilderness of politics to achieve success year after year. You shine on
flatbeds and protest signs. You are the best of the March, the soul of the drive for justice.
Manigo
Photo for fabric illustration: Elizabeth Studios
East Oakland, you are fierce and patient. Family and community matter to you. There is never a doubt in
me that you are able to pull together support for each other. You would give your last for a friend and
I thank you for showing that making our government systems repair harm and invest in our Black, Latino,
and Immigrant students and their families is equity in action. Thank you for showing that no matter what is
said, there is always a way to invest in community.
East Oakland, I take your strength, fierceness, shared responsibility, and your commitment to each other
wherever I go. You have shown me that we can live by our
values and that tomorrow will be better because
of every single one of you.
With great love,
Pecolia
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FOR THE LOVE OF BLACK EAST OAKLAND: EOBHC Sunset Report