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"content": "\u003cp>When Saeed Crumpler comes to the Bay Area this weekend for the \u003ca href=\"https://bravemaker.com/film-fest/\">BraveMaker \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/film-festivals\">Film Festival\u003c/a>, he’ll be returning to the soil that launched an unlikely journey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For 20 years, the Oakland-raised Crumpler rapped under the stage name \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/balance510/\">Balance\u003c/a>, making music with \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/track/1uWkVUZVqH5142GmIZvWWM#:~:text=Fa%20Sho%20(feat.,%2C%20Jay%20Rock%2C%20Freeway%20%7C%20Spotify\">Kendrick Lamar\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/track/4pU8UwbehBafBSAu4zFEeq?si=0e7f32df5d1e41a4\">Traxamillion\u003c/a> before flipping the script in 2021 to become a full-time television and film writer. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Saturday, Crumpler appears alongside podcast host \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hilliardguess/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hilliard Guess\u003c/a> at the film festival’s \u003ca href=\"https://bravemakerfilmfest2025.eventive.org/schedule/6836717aa36cd38e4e27ab56\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Screenwriters’ Rant Room “Live” Roundtable\u003c/a> to discuss his unconventional path to Hollywood and unique approach to the industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13978193']Running July 10–13 in Redwood City, the BraveMaker Film Festival includes more than 90 film screenings, a dozen workshops and multiple panel discussions ranging from lighting techniques to character development. Founded by Redwood City’s own Tony Gapastione, the festival brings together Bay Area writers, filmmakers and actors to showcase their talents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gapastione says such platforms are important, particularly now, as Hollywood makes \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/09/24/1200770450/writers-strike-ends\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post-writers strike adjustments\u003c/a> and simultaneously recovers from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020765/thousands-flee-los-angeles-area-as-wildfires-burn-out-of-control-destroying-homes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this year’s massive fires\u003c/a>. Those challenges have been echoed by Governor Newsom, who last week \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/07/02/governor-newsom-marks-historic-expansion-of-californias-film-and-television-tax-credit-program-announces-16-new-projects-to-film-in-the-golden-state/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">signed a bill\u003c/a> more than doubling the annual funding of California’s film and television tax credit program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://bravemakerfilmfest2025.eventive.org/schedule\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">schedule\u003c/a> for this year’s BraveMaker Film Festival includes a variety of films, including a handful from East Bay screenwriters, like Kristina Thomas (\u003ca href=\"https://bravemakerfilmfest2025.eventive.org/schedule/6836709e05fd0071757f4141\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Saving All My Love\u003c/em>\u003c/a>), Nijla Mu’min (\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bravemakerfilmfest2025.eventive.org/films/683ccd4cbd8a37df3a5502a8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Noor\u003c/a>)\u003c/em> and D’Angelo “D’Lo” Louis (\u003ca href=\"https://bravemakerfilmfest2025.eventive.org/films/683ccd4cbd8a37df3a5502c5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Shoebox\u003c/em>\u003c/a>). Social events include a Saturday afternoon mixer hosted by Bay Area actor \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/latino-creatorsactorsfilmmakers-mixer-bravemaker-film-fest-tickets-1406816739739?msockid=170b5be2715564360361492870d165a9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Belgica Rodriguez\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978430\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 853px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13978430 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/download-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/download-1.jpg 853w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/download-1-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/download-1-768x1152.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Saaed Crumpler, TV and film writer. \u003ccite>(Jerry Jerome)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Prior to his rap career, Crumpler studied film at San Francisco State, and a decade ago he took a screenwriting class. But he sincerely champions the fellowship route, which led to him working on the Starz series \u003cem>Blindspotting\u003c/em> and MTV’s \u003cem>Hip Hop Family Christmas\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2021, while still rapping, Crumpler got accepted to the \u003ca href=\"https://writers.coverfly.com/competitions/view/nickelodeon-writing-program\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nickelodeon Writing Program\u003c/a>. He shadowed writers and worked across Paramount Pictures’ many subsidiaries. Once his foot was in the door, Crumpler went right in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wrote an episode of a Nickelodeon show called \u003cem>Blaze and the Monster Machines\u003c/em>, which my nephew, he’s three, loves,” Crumpler says. Simultaneously, he wrote \u003cem>Flatbush Misdemeanors\u003c/em>, “an R-rated comedy that takes place in Flatbush, New York.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13978142']Within a year, Crumpler signed a first-look deal with \u003ca href=\"https://deadline.com/2022/09/saeed-crumpler-overall-deal-sony-pictures-television-1235112994/\">Sony Pictures Television,\u003c/a> where he’s currently at work on several projects. “I’ve got an animated show, got a comedy, and we’ve got like two dramas,” says Crumpler. “All of them take place pretty much in the Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lack of Bay Area representation in TV and film pushed Crumpler to focus on hometown stories, he says, noting that he’s also written a number of unreleased movies, including a biopic on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mac-dre\">Mac Dre\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ahead of Saturday’s conversation, Crumpler, who lives in Los Angeles, offered some advice to storytellers looking to get into the industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollywood is indeed in flux, he says. It’s not as easy to film in Southern California as it once was, but the industry hub is still there. And while he’s a proponent of the fellowship route, he sees potential for indie television and filmmakers. It’s not exactly the same as the independent rap game in the Bay Area — where artists both make and distribute their art — but there are some parallels, he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13976029']“Instead of trying to make a movie for five thousand dollars,” Crumpler suggests, “try to make a three-minute trailer for the movie,” adding that filmmakers can take that as proof of concept to investors; it’s all about making a small iteration of an idea in order to show it to the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As an independent creator, your benefit is, you don’t have anybody trying to change your ideas,” he says. “Being an independent creative, you can just create and put it out without a filter. And sometimes those things take off.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This weekend, Redwood City will be full of creatives looking to launch their ideas into the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The BraveMaker Film Festival takes place July 10–13 at various venues in downtown Redwood City. \u003ca href=\"https://bravemaker.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When Saeed Crumpler comes to the Bay Area this weekend for the \u003ca href=\"https://bravemaker.com/film-fest/\">BraveMaker \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/film-festivals\">Film Festival\u003c/a>, he’ll be returning to the soil that launched an unlikely journey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For 20 years, the Oakland-raised Crumpler rapped under the stage name \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/balance510/\">Balance\u003c/a>, making music with \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/track/1uWkVUZVqH5142GmIZvWWM#:~:text=Fa%20Sho%20(feat.,%2C%20Jay%20Rock%2C%20Freeway%20%7C%20Spotify\">Kendrick Lamar\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/track/4pU8UwbehBafBSAu4zFEeq?si=0e7f32df5d1e41a4\">Traxamillion\u003c/a> before flipping the script in 2021 to become a full-time television and film writer. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Saturday, Crumpler appears alongside podcast host \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hilliardguess/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hilliard Guess\u003c/a> at the film festival’s \u003ca href=\"https://bravemakerfilmfest2025.eventive.org/schedule/6836717aa36cd38e4e27ab56\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Screenwriters’ Rant Room “Live” Roundtable\u003c/a> to discuss his unconventional path to Hollywood and unique approach to the industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Running July 10–13 in Redwood City, the BraveMaker Film Festival includes more than 90 film screenings, a dozen workshops and multiple panel discussions ranging from lighting techniques to character development. Founded by Redwood City’s own Tony Gapastione, the festival brings together Bay Area writers, filmmakers and actors to showcase their talents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gapastione says such platforms are important, particularly now, as Hollywood makes \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/09/24/1200770450/writers-strike-ends\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post-writers strike adjustments\u003c/a> and simultaneously recovers from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020765/thousands-flee-los-angeles-area-as-wildfires-burn-out-of-control-destroying-homes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this year’s massive fires\u003c/a>. Those challenges have been echoed by Governor Newsom, who last week \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/07/02/governor-newsom-marks-historic-expansion-of-californias-film-and-television-tax-credit-program-announces-16-new-projects-to-film-in-the-golden-state/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">signed a bill\u003c/a> more than doubling the annual funding of California’s film and television tax credit program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://bravemakerfilmfest2025.eventive.org/schedule\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">schedule\u003c/a> for this year’s BraveMaker Film Festival includes a variety of films, including a handful from East Bay screenwriters, like Kristina Thomas (\u003ca href=\"https://bravemakerfilmfest2025.eventive.org/schedule/6836709e05fd0071757f4141\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Saving All My Love\u003c/em>\u003c/a>), Nijla Mu’min (\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://bravemakerfilmfest2025.eventive.org/films/683ccd4cbd8a37df3a5502a8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Noor\u003c/a>)\u003c/em> and D’Angelo “D’Lo” Louis (\u003ca href=\"https://bravemakerfilmfest2025.eventive.org/films/683ccd4cbd8a37df3a5502c5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Shoebox\u003c/em>\u003c/a>). Social events include a Saturday afternoon mixer hosted by Bay Area actor \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/latino-creatorsactorsfilmmakers-mixer-bravemaker-film-fest-tickets-1406816739739?msockid=170b5be2715564360361492870d165a9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Belgica Rodriguez\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978430\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 853px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13978430 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/download-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/download-1.jpg 853w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/download-1-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/download-1-768x1152.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Saaed Crumpler, TV and film writer. \u003ccite>(Jerry Jerome)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Prior to his rap career, Crumpler studied film at San Francisco State, and a decade ago he took a screenwriting class. But he sincerely champions the fellowship route, which led to him working on the Starz series \u003cem>Blindspotting\u003c/em> and MTV’s \u003cem>Hip Hop Family Christmas\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2021, while still rapping, Crumpler got accepted to the \u003ca href=\"https://writers.coverfly.com/competitions/view/nickelodeon-writing-program\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nickelodeon Writing Program\u003c/a>. He shadowed writers and worked across Paramount Pictures’ many subsidiaries. Once his foot was in the door, Crumpler went right in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wrote an episode of a Nickelodeon show called \u003cem>Blaze and the Monster Machines\u003c/em>, which my nephew, he’s three, loves,” Crumpler says. Simultaneously, he wrote \u003cem>Flatbush Misdemeanors\u003c/em>, “an R-rated comedy that takes place in Flatbush, New York.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Within a year, Crumpler signed a first-look deal with \u003ca href=\"https://deadline.com/2022/09/saeed-crumpler-overall-deal-sony-pictures-television-1235112994/\">Sony Pictures Television,\u003c/a> where he’s currently at work on several projects. “I’ve got an animated show, got a comedy, and we’ve got like two dramas,” says Crumpler. “All of them take place pretty much in the Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lack of Bay Area representation in TV and film pushed Crumpler to focus on hometown stories, he says, noting that he’s also written a number of unreleased movies, including a biopic on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mac-dre\">Mac Dre\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ahead of Saturday’s conversation, Crumpler, who lives in Los Angeles, offered some advice to storytellers looking to get into the industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollywood is indeed in flux, he says. It’s not as easy to film in Southern California as it once was, but the industry hub is still there. And while he’s a proponent of the fellowship route, he sees potential for indie television and filmmakers. It’s not exactly the same as the independent rap game in the Bay Area — where artists both make and distribute their art — but there are some parallels, he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Instead of trying to make a movie for five thousand dollars,” Crumpler suggests, “try to make a three-minute trailer for the movie,” adding that filmmakers can take that as proof of concept to investors; it’s all about making a small iteration of an idea in order to show it to the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As an independent creator, your benefit is, you don’t have anybody trying to change your ideas,” he says. “Being an independent creative, you can just create and put it out without a filter. And sometimes those things take off.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This weekend, Redwood City will be full of creatives looking to launch their ideas into the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The BraveMaker Film Festival takes place July 10–13 at various venues in downtown Redwood City. \u003ca href=\"https://bravemaker.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "The Oakland Library Wants YOU ... to Make Weird History Dioramas",
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"content": "\u003cp>We’ve all been there. One minute you’re casually browsing newspaper archives in the library, the next you’re stumbling across a story from yore that’s so bizarre, you just \u003cem>have\u003c/em> to render it in miniature form.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, okay, so, no. We clearly haven’t all been \u003cem>there\u003c/em>. But apparently, there are enough people who get overcome with a history-fueled desire to create dioramas that the Oakland Library is building an entire exhibition around it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13910308']\u003cem>All the News That’s Fit to Build: Local News Dioramas \u003c/em>will take over the Oakland History Center on the second floor of the Oakland library’s main branch between early August and late November. The plan is for the show to be a creative and engaging way to bring stories from East Bay history into the present day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Best of all? The Oakland Library is specifically requesting that participants get as weird as possible. Examples of \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandlibrary.org/blogs/post/calling-all-crafters-make-an-oakland-history-diorama/\">newspaper story subjects that library staff think would make for good dioramas\u003c/a> include: a cop who put a raccoon in jail for disorderly conduct, a man who got accidentally buried up to his neck in mud at Lake Merritt, and a 1940s Hayward highway that was blocked by 10 tons of tomatoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All clearly excellent suggestions, but we at KQED Arts & Culture would like to add some to the pile, if we may be so bold. Such as:\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13957514/1896-mystery-airship-bay-area-ufo-history-victorian-aliens\">entire streetcar of witnesses in Fruitvale who saw a Victorian UFO\u003c/a> one night in 1896\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The “City of Oakland” hot air balloon pilots who went on a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13910308/city-of-oakland-hot-air-balloon-idora-park-piedmont-baths-neptune-beach\">mayhem-drenched near-death ride\u003c/a> in 1909\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The San Antonio Spurs players who, in 2014, were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13879301/5-haunted-bay-area-locations-to-scare-people-into-social-distancing\">terrorized by a ghost baby\u003c/a> in a Berkeley hotel\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934227/history-kids-weapons-dynamite-30s-40s-50s-tweens-with-bombs\">dumb 1950s teens in Walnut Creek who stole some dynamite\u003c/a> and shattered a square-mile’s worth of windows\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The seven West Oakland junkyard tweens who built themselves a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13910308/city-of-oakland-hot-air-balloon-idora-park-piedmont-baths-neptune-beach\">functioning rollercoaster in 1915\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>Feeling inspired yet?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you need some extra incentive, outstanding creations will be honored at a special reception on Oct. 4 with prizes provided by Kala Art Institute, Flax Art & Design, Fenton’s Creamery and East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Oakland Library is requesting that all dioramas — which must not exceed 6 inches in height — be delivered between July 21 and Aug. 2, 2025, along with a copy of the newspaper story it’s based on. (This should include important details like name of newspaper and publication date.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Creators are welcome to access the library’s archives and newspapers.com account for inspiration. Finding ghost baby and/or raccoon figurines is entirely up to you.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"OYPEnA font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">\u003cem>‘All the News That’s Fit to Build: Local News Dioramas’ will be on display at The Oakland Library’s History Center (125 14th Street, 2nd Floor)\u003c/em>\u003c/span>\u003cem>\u003cspan class=\"OYPEnA font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\"> between Aug. 9 and Nov. 29, 2025. Potential participants can find \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandlibrary.org/diorama/\">full instructions at the library’s website\u003c/a>.\u003c/span>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>We’ve all been there. One minute you’re casually browsing newspaper archives in the library, the next you’re stumbling across a story from yore that’s so bizarre, you just \u003cem>have\u003c/em> to render it in miniature form.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, okay, so, no. We clearly haven’t all been \u003cem>there\u003c/em>. But apparently, there are enough people who get overcome with a history-fueled desire to create dioramas that the Oakland Library is building an entire exhibition around it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cem>All the News That’s Fit to Build: Local News Dioramas \u003c/em>will take over the Oakland History Center on the second floor of the Oakland library’s main branch between early August and late November. The plan is for the show to be a creative and engaging way to bring stories from East Bay history into the present day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Best of all? The Oakland Library is specifically requesting that participants get as weird as possible. Examples of \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandlibrary.org/blogs/post/calling-all-crafters-make-an-oakland-history-diorama/\">newspaper story subjects that library staff think would make for good dioramas\u003c/a> include: a cop who put a raccoon in jail for disorderly conduct, a man who got accidentally buried up to his neck in mud at Lake Merritt, and a 1940s Hayward highway that was blocked by 10 tons of tomatoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All clearly excellent suggestions, but we at KQED Arts & Culture would like to add some to the pile, if we may be so bold. Such as:\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13957514/1896-mystery-airship-bay-area-ufo-history-victorian-aliens\">entire streetcar of witnesses in Fruitvale who saw a Victorian UFO\u003c/a> one night in 1896\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The “City of Oakland” hot air balloon pilots who went on a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13910308/city-of-oakland-hot-air-balloon-idora-park-piedmont-baths-neptune-beach\">mayhem-drenched near-death ride\u003c/a> in 1909\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The San Antonio Spurs players who, in 2014, were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13879301/5-haunted-bay-area-locations-to-scare-people-into-social-distancing\">terrorized by a ghost baby\u003c/a> in a Berkeley hotel\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934227/history-kids-weapons-dynamite-30s-40s-50s-tweens-with-bombs\">dumb 1950s teens in Walnut Creek who stole some dynamite\u003c/a> and shattered a square-mile’s worth of windows\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The seven West Oakland junkyard tweens who built themselves a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13910308/city-of-oakland-hot-air-balloon-idora-park-piedmont-baths-neptune-beach\">functioning rollercoaster in 1915\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>Feeling inspired yet?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you need some extra incentive, outstanding creations will be honored at a special reception on Oct. 4 with prizes provided by Kala Art Institute, Flax Art & Design, Fenton’s Creamery and East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Oakland Library is requesting that all dioramas — which must not exceed 6 inches in height — be delivered between July 21 and Aug. 2, 2025, along with a copy of the newspaper story it’s based on. (This should include important details like name of newspaper and publication date.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Creators are welcome to access the library’s archives and newspapers.com account for inspiration. Finding ghost baby and/or raccoon figurines is entirely up to you.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"OYPEnA font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">\u003cem>‘All the News That’s Fit to Build: Local News Dioramas’ will be on display at The Oakland Library’s History Center (125 14th Street, 2nd Floor)\u003c/em>\u003c/span>\u003cem>\u003cspan class=\"OYPEnA font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\"> between Aug. 9 and Nov. 29, 2025. Potential participants can find \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandlibrary.org/diorama/\">full instructions at the library’s website\u003c/a>.\u003c/span>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "This Young Oakland Artist Is Headed to the Kennedy Center, Despite Trump’s Takeover",
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"content": "\u003cp>In many ways, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/_bdeveaux/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B. DeVeaux\u003c/a>’s mere existence is a challenge to the status quo. As a femme non-binary first-generation U.S. citizen of Afro Caribbean descent, the California born-and-raised artist sings about self-love, social justice and the power of community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But DeVeaux, an Oakland singer, songwriter and musician, isn’t running from that challenge. Instead, they’re on a collision course — later this month, they \u003ca href=\"https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage/2025/july/oakland-rising/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In February, the management of the 54-year-old historic institution was taken over by President Trump, who’s consistently promoted anti-queer, anti-immigrant and anti-Black legislation and rhetoric, including his vision for the Kennedy Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So for someone like B. DeVeaux, why perform there at all? While many other artists have \u003ca href=\"https://www.vulture.com/article/kennedy-center-canceled-events.html\">publicly canceled their Kennedy Center shows in protest\u003c/a>, the Oakland School for the Arts graduate speaks of a higher calling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I was ever going to be loud and proud and active, and take any kind of stand for my people,” they said during a recent phone call, “I feel like the time is now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978207\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1022px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978207\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-02-at-8.19.35%E2%80%AFAM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1022\" height=\"1248\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-02-at-8.19.35 AM.png 1022w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-02-at-8.19.35 AM-160x195.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-02-at-8.19.35 AM-768x938.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1022px) 100vw, 1022px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) B. DeVeaux, August Lee Stevens and NAIMA, who perform together as Oakland Rising at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. on July 18. \u003ccite>(Ariel Nava)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For the July 18 performance, B. DeVeaux will be part of the group Oakland Rising, along with musicians \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13954077/august-lee-stevens-better-places\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">August Lee Stevens\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/naima.nascimentomusic/\">NAIMA\u003c/a>. Ahead of the show, the three got some poignant advice from another East Bay local who recently chose to perform at the Kennedy Center despite Trump’s takeover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We spoke with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13971959/w-kamau-bell-kennedy-center-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">W. Kamau Bell\u003c/a> about it,” B. DeVeaux said. “His advice to us was about being intentional, because this may be something that you’re going to talk about for the rest of your life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bell also told the emerging musicians that while people will always have their opinions, what’s important is they make up their minds about what they’re doing it for. “Stand in your truth,” he told them, “you know who you are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13971959']Even as a young artist on the verge of releasing their fist album, B. DeVeaux is clear about the magnitude of this moment — and it all comes at a time when B. DeVeaux is on the move.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, B. DeVeaux released their first single, “\u003cspan dir=\"auto\">\u003ca href=\"https://unitedmasters.com/m/because-you\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Because You\u003c/a>,” from their forthcoming debut album, “Chrysalis.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>B. DeVeaux’s empowering lyrics and impressive vocals pair with acoustic guitar and drums to make a heartwarming R&B song. The emotional track, and the album as a whole, is a dedication to B. DeVeaux’s late sister, Taurian Wolfe-DeVeaux.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This week they finish a stint as an understudy in the musical \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13977677/co-founders-act-hip-hop-musical-west-oakland-silicon-valley\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Co-Founders\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Last week they performed alongside \u003ca href=\"https://www.kmuw.org/podcast/into-music/2025-03-06/into-music-vicki-randle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vicki Randle\u003c/a> at The Freight in Berkeley. And later this month they’ll be on stage at \u003ca href=\"https://www.etickets.com/concerts/country-folk/rhiannon-giddens/saratoga-ca/43024-641/d?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19895240153&gbraid=0AAAAApWhvDz9cxtiKMaKCBbcs-WjapRww&gclid=CjwKCAjwsZPDBhBWEiwADuO6y-bQpXEkHQ2ECwzFVo1awDdK89SPo5Xnb4L3o-JKg0EbuDVWRcwI1RoCc2sQAvD_BwE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mountain Winery\u003c/a> for a performance with Grammy- and Pulitzer-winning musician \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rhiannongiddens/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rhiannon Giddens\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978211\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1234px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13978211 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1234\" height=\"1646\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-2.jpg 1234w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-2-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-2-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-2-1152x1536.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1234px) 100vw, 1234px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In addition to singing, B. DeVeaux plays guitar, bass, and cajon percussion on their forthcoming album. \u003ccite>( Zoë Boston)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s quite a journey for the young artist who, at age 14, shared their queer identity with their family; their father responded by calling them a derogatory term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I decided to let people know who I was,” said B. DeVeaux, “it was met with anger, it was met with insults.” If they can deal with oppression coming from family for merely being who they are, they reasoned, what can society at large possibly throw at them?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On \u003cem>Because of You\u003c/em>, B. DeVeaux’s produces, arranges and plays every instrument, aside from piano by Jonathan Franaszek and drums by Bruce Cook. Recorded through \u003ca href=\"https://womensaudiomission.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Francisco’s Women’s Audio Mission’s\u003c/a> Local Sirens residency, the album captures B. DeVeaux’s poetic lyrics and uninhibited imagination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13975538']On the song “Pluto,” the artist visualizes a world where purple skies and red rain meet green birds, yellow dogs and sugarcane. It’s “where all the things you dream come to life, where nothing is out of reach or out of sight,” they sing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vocalist takes a more intrapersonal approach on the track “Sometimes You Need to Burn in Hell,” singing about accountability, growth, self-love and re-emerging from a low place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know somebody’s going to read that title and be like, ‘Oh my gosh, what?’” B. DeVeaux said. “But it’s also just real. You really gotta go through some stuff to get through it, and there’s no other way. You have to let stuff go, you have to cry, you have be angry, crash out, you know?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978205\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1184px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13978205 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1184\" height=\"1646\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-1.jpg 1184w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-1-160x222.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-1-768x1068.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-1-1105x1536.jpg 1105w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1184px) 100vw, 1184px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">B. DeVeaux’s songs often come from ideas recorded on voice notes, channeling the vibes of the music and the moment. \u003ccite>(Saman Qadir)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The album ends with the track “Safe Place,” a song inspired by a conversation with their mom. Reunited after eight years apart, B. DeVeaux’s mother suggested that they write a self-addressed letter. B. DeVeaux decided to write it in song form. While housesitting for a former teacher, they held a mahogany acoustic guitar, playing with some chords from the Beatles song “Blackbird.” After a few repetitions, the words came to them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel like a theme in my life,” said B. DeVeaux, reflecting on the content in the song, “has been the feeling of being unsupported or unloved; feeling like I’m not enough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That feeling was most prominent as a child, they said, noting that in adulthood — especially after their sister’s passing two years ago — the community’s outpouring of love has shifted their perception of support. Now, “I know that I’m loved,” they said. “I know I’m supported.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The song is what the younger version of what B. DeVeaux needed, as well as a warm hug for listeners, according to B. DeVeaux. Each time they perform it, they’re “carving out a little space for that younger person inside” of whoever’s listening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can be everything that you are for yourself,” they said. “You don’t have to go outside of you for anything. You are more than enough. You are here for a reason.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>B. DeVeaux performs July 18 as part of the group Oakland Rising at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. The concert will be made available to watch via livestream. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage/2025/july/oakland-rising/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In many ways, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/_bdeveaux/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B. DeVeaux\u003c/a>’s mere existence is a challenge to the status quo. As a femme non-binary first-generation U.S. citizen of Afro Caribbean descent, the California born-and-raised artist sings about self-love, social justice and the power of community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But DeVeaux, an Oakland singer, songwriter and musician, isn’t running from that challenge. Instead, they’re on a collision course — later this month, they \u003ca href=\"https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage/2025/july/oakland-rising/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In February, the management of the 54-year-old historic institution was taken over by President Trump, who’s consistently promoted anti-queer, anti-immigrant and anti-Black legislation and rhetoric, including his vision for the Kennedy Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So for someone like B. DeVeaux, why perform there at all? While many other artists have \u003ca href=\"https://www.vulture.com/article/kennedy-center-canceled-events.html\">publicly canceled their Kennedy Center shows in protest\u003c/a>, the Oakland School for the Arts graduate speaks of a higher calling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I was ever going to be loud and proud and active, and take any kind of stand for my people,” they said during a recent phone call, “I feel like the time is now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978207\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1022px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978207\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-02-at-8.19.35%E2%80%AFAM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1022\" height=\"1248\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-02-at-8.19.35 AM.png 1022w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-02-at-8.19.35 AM-160x195.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-02-at-8.19.35 AM-768x938.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1022px) 100vw, 1022px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) B. DeVeaux, August Lee Stevens and NAIMA, who perform together as Oakland Rising at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. on July 18. \u003ccite>(Ariel Nava)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For the July 18 performance, B. DeVeaux will be part of the group Oakland Rising, along with musicians \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13954077/august-lee-stevens-better-places\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">August Lee Stevens\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/naima.nascimentomusic/\">NAIMA\u003c/a>. Ahead of the show, the three got some poignant advice from another East Bay local who recently chose to perform at the Kennedy Center despite Trump’s takeover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We spoke with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13971959/w-kamau-bell-kennedy-center-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">W. Kamau Bell\u003c/a> about it,” B. DeVeaux said. “His advice to us was about being intentional, because this may be something that you’re going to talk about for the rest of your life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bell also told the emerging musicians that while people will always have their opinions, what’s important is they make up their minds about what they’re doing it for. “Stand in your truth,” he told them, “you know who you are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Even as a young artist on the verge of releasing their fist album, B. DeVeaux is clear about the magnitude of this moment — and it all comes at a time when B. DeVeaux is on the move.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, B. DeVeaux released their first single, “\u003cspan dir=\"auto\">\u003ca href=\"https://unitedmasters.com/m/because-you\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Because You\u003c/a>,” from their forthcoming debut album, “Chrysalis.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>B. DeVeaux’s empowering lyrics and impressive vocals pair with acoustic guitar and drums to make a heartwarming R&B song. The emotional track, and the album as a whole, is a dedication to B. DeVeaux’s late sister, Taurian Wolfe-DeVeaux.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This week they finish a stint as an understudy in the musical \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13977677/co-founders-act-hip-hop-musical-west-oakland-silicon-valley\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Co-Founders\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Last week they performed alongside \u003ca href=\"https://www.kmuw.org/podcast/into-music/2025-03-06/into-music-vicki-randle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vicki Randle\u003c/a> at The Freight in Berkeley. And later this month they’ll be on stage at \u003ca href=\"https://www.etickets.com/concerts/country-folk/rhiannon-giddens/saratoga-ca/43024-641/d?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19895240153&gbraid=0AAAAApWhvDz9cxtiKMaKCBbcs-WjapRww&gclid=CjwKCAjwsZPDBhBWEiwADuO6y-bQpXEkHQ2ECwzFVo1awDdK89SPo5Xnb4L3o-JKg0EbuDVWRcwI1RoCc2sQAvD_BwE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mountain Winery\u003c/a> for a performance with Grammy- and Pulitzer-winning musician \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rhiannongiddens/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rhiannon Giddens\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978211\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1234px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13978211 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1234\" height=\"1646\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-2.jpg 1234w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-2-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-2-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-2-1152x1536.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1234px) 100vw, 1234px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In addition to singing, B. DeVeaux plays guitar, bass, and cajon percussion on their forthcoming album. \u003ccite>( Zoë Boston)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s quite a journey for the young artist who, at age 14, shared their queer identity with their family; their father responded by calling them a derogatory term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I decided to let people know who I was,” said B. DeVeaux, “it was met with anger, it was met with insults.” If they can deal with oppression coming from family for merely being who they are, they reasoned, what can society at large possibly throw at them?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On \u003cem>Because of You\u003c/em>, B. DeVeaux’s produces, arranges and plays every instrument, aside from piano by Jonathan Franaszek and drums by Bruce Cook. Recorded through \u003ca href=\"https://womensaudiomission.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Francisco’s Women’s Audio Mission’s\u003c/a> Local Sirens residency, the album captures B. DeVeaux’s poetic lyrics and uninhibited imagination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>On the song “Pluto,” the artist visualizes a world where purple skies and red rain meet green birds, yellow dogs and sugarcane. It’s “where all the things you dream come to life, where nothing is out of reach or out of sight,” they sing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vocalist takes a more intrapersonal approach on the track “Sometimes You Need to Burn in Hell,” singing about accountability, growth, self-love and re-emerging from a low place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know somebody’s going to read that title and be like, ‘Oh my gosh, what?’” B. DeVeaux said. “But it’s also just real. You really gotta go through some stuff to get through it, and there’s no other way. You have to let stuff go, you have to cry, you have be angry, crash out, you know?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978205\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1184px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13978205 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1184\" height=\"1646\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-1.jpg 1184w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-1-160x222.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-1-768x1068.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/0-1-1105x1536.jpg 1105w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1184px) 100vw, 1184px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">B. DeVeaux’s songs often come from ideas recorded on voice notes, channeling the vibes of the music and the moment. \u003ccite>(Saman Qadir)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The album ends with the track “Safe Place,” a song inspired by a conversation with their mom. Reunited after eight years apart, B. DeVeaux’s mother suggested that they write a self-addressed letter. B. DeVeaux decided to write it in song form. While housesitting for a former teacher, they held a mahogany acoustic guitar, playing with some chords from the Beatles song “Blackbird.” After a few repetitions, the words came to them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel like a theme in my life,” said B. DeVeaux, reflecting on the content in the song, “has been the feeling of being unsupported or unloved; feeling like I’m not enough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That feeling was most prominent as a child, they said, noting that in adulthood — especially after their sister’s passing two years ago — the community’s outpouring of love has shifted their perception of support. Now, “I know that I’m loved,” they said. “I know I’m supported.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The song is what the younger version of what B. DeVeaux needed, as well as a warm hug for listeners, according to B. DeVeaux. Each time they perform it, they’re “carving out a little space for that younger person inside” of whoever’s listening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can be everything that you are for yourself,” they said. “You don’t have to go outside of you for anything. You are more than enough. You are here for a reason.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>B. DeVeaux performs July 18 as part of the group Oakland Rising at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. The concert will be made available to watch via livestream. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage/2025/july/oakland-rising/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "‘Just Makes No Sense’: Protests Continue in Oakland Over Slashed Arts Position",
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"headTitle": "‘Just Makes No Sense’: Protests Continue in Oakland Over Slashed Arts Position | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>In most American municipalities, the elimination of one management job in city government would hardly garner notice. But Oakland is not most American municipalities, which explains why, at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, more than 30 people had gathered on the steps of City Hall to call for reinstating the staff position of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/11976824/oakland-hires-its-first-cultural-affairs-manager\">Cultural Affairs Manager\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As simply as I can put it, the arts will not get by without this position,” said Cat Brooks, the Oakland artist, activist and previous mayoral candidate. “Anyone who is in the town, lives in the town or loves the town knows that arts and culture is our heartbeat. So if you’re interested in the heartbeat of Oakland, this position matters to you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It marked the third straight week of organized protests against the elimination of the position in Oakland’s latest budget, which was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043553/alternative-oakland-budget-aims-to-halt-fire-station-closures-boost-police-staffing\">adopted by city council\u003c/a> on June 11. New city expenditures, which cutting the Cultural Affairs Manager would help pay for, include $1.4 million in sideshow prevention, $1 million for the establishment of entertainment zones and an increase to police staffing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978245\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978245\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-01-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-01-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cat Brooks speaks at a rally outside of Oakland City Hall protesting the elimination of the Cultural Affairs Manager position from the city budget on July 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Explaining the need for a Cultural Affairs Manager to the average citizen poses a challenge, several attendees noted. It is a city government job, in a place where many artists and musicians are either unconcerned with or directly opposed to city government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I used to actually be one of those artists who did not really feel like the city had anything to offer me,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/kev-choice\">Kev Choice\u003c/a>, a musician and educator who \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13875113/oakland-appoints-cultural-affairs-commissioners\">joined the Cultural Arts Commission\u003c/a> in 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for artists savvy with grants — or those who get hired or contracted by nonprofits, which is to say nearly all artists in Oakland — the role of a Cultural Affairs Manager provides crucial support. Equal parts advocate, fundraiser, intermediary and ambassador, its impact more than justifies its \u003ca href=\"https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/search/?q=roberto+bedoya&y=\">$170,000 annual salary\u003c/a>, attendees on Tuesday said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978249\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978249\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-09-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-09-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Retired Cultural Affairs Manager Roberto Bedoya gives public comment at an Oakland City Council meeting advocating against the elimination of the Cultural Affairs Manager position from the city budget in Oakland on July 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Most people spoke highly of Roberto Bedoya, the former Cultural Affairs Manager who retired in 2024. Hired in 2016, Bedoya worked as a liaison to other departments, argued against cuts and grant delays, ran the public art program, drafted Oakland’s first-ever cultural plan and, importantly, secured money for the city’s arts and culture sector.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After Tuesday’s protest, Bedoya spoke at the city council meeting to note $1.9 million in federal funds and $5 million in public-private partnerships that he had facilitated, and promised that, even in retirement, “I will help you find revenue.” Before he could finish, his microphone was cut off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13957786']The protest and city council meeting on Tuesday stood in stark contrast to the news that, across the Bay, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978179/san-francisco-artist-grants-sfac-2025-2026\">San Francisco had awarded more than $10 million in grants to artists and arts organizations\u003c/a> just that morning. Vanessa Whang, the chair of Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Commission, said the grants showed that San Francisco’s leaders were being “smart” about their priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though they are also facing deficits, they understand an investment in the arts and culture sector is what is going to make the city come back,” Whang said, noting the revenue-generating impact of the arts. “The most positive narrative that we have for Oakland right now is our culture. That’s why we get mentioned in \u003cem>The New York Times\u003c/em>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978250\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978250\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-10-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-10-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vaenssa Whang, chair of the Oakland Cultural Affairs Commission, gives public comment at an Oakland City Council meeting advocating against the elimination of the Cultural Affairs Manager position from the city budget in Oakland on July 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The grants in San Francisco are funded by a hotel tax similar to Oakland’s hotel and lodging tax. Raquel Iglesias, the former cultural funding coordinator who managed the grants program for five years, said that she and Bedoya had urged city administrators to issue grants in 2024 that were delayed, causing the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13957786/oakland-art-and-soul-festival-canceled\">cancellation of events like the annual Art & Soul Festival\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, Iglesias said, the Cultural Affairs Divison was given no access to general fund monies for grants. “We had just roughly $180,000 in hotel tax money that we gave out in \u003cem>tiny\u003c/em> grants,” Iglesias explained, adding that she and another staff member had as of last week raised roughly $600,000 from private foundations to backfill the money that the city rescinded for general operating grantees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland Symphony CEO Mieko Hatano, jazz musician and educator John Santos and Living Jazz executive director Lyz Luke joined those who spoke at the council meeting. Oakland Ballet’s artistic director Graham Lustig and Julie Baker, CEO of California Arts Advocates, are among the dozens of others who have urged the city to reinstate the Cultural Affairs Manager position.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978247\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978247\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-04-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-04-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Raquel Iglesias (center) attends a rally outside of Oakland City Hall protesting the elimination of the Cultural Affairs Manager position from the city budget on July 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even those with no direct income from the arts or the nonprofit world spoke on Tuesday about the importance of art and cultural programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the City Hall steps, the activist Minister King X held his phone to the loudspeaker microphone so that William “Will Bop” Edwards, currently incarcerated in Solano State Prison, could address the assembled crowd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13969048']“When I was young, we had places to go. We had things to do that would scare us away from trouble. And with those places that involve art and creativity, it would allow us to meet, learn, and understand our neighbors. So when we grew up, we were less likely to want to shoot and kill people that grew up with us, because we had a prior relationship with them,” Edwards said, before an automated prison announcement came over the phone line to say that the call was being monitored and recorded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group has vowed to keep protesting every week until the Oakland City Council reinstates the position, said Brooks, who referred to investing in art as a “public safety strategy” that provides revenue and jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rachel Sanders, a dancer and poet who moved to Oakland two years ago, said that in addition to the impact on her own practice, she was dismayed at the budget being pushed through without sufficient time for thorough review by the public, or even certain council members.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This move just makes no sense, and it feels like a betrayal,” Sanders said. “And that’s personal, you know? So that’s why I’m here.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In most American municipalities, the elimination of one management job in city government would hardly garner notice. But Oakland is not most American municipalities, which explains why, at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, more than 30 people had gathered on the steps of City Hall to call for reinstating the staff position of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/11976824/oakland-hires-its-first-cultural-affairs-manager\">Cultural Affairs Manager\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As simply as I can put it, the arts will not get by without this position,” said Cat Brooks, the Oakland artist, activist and previous mayoral candidate. “Anyone who is in the town, lives in the town or loves the town knows that arts and culture is our heartbeat. So if you’re interested in the heartbeat of Oakland, this position matters to you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It marked the third straight week of organized protests against the elimination of the position in Oakland’s latest budget, which was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043553/alternative-oakland-budget-aims-to-halt-fire-station-closures-boost-police-staffing\">adopted by city council\u003c/a> on June 11. New city expenditures, which cutting the Cultural Affairs Manager would help pay for, include $1.4 million in sideshow prevention, $1 million for the establishment of entertainment zones and an increase to police staffing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978245\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978245\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-01-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-01-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cat Brooks speaks at a rally outside of Oakland City Hall protesting the elimination of the Cultural Affairs Manager position from the city budget on July 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Explaining the need for a Cultural Affairs Manager to the average citizen poses a challenge, several attendees noted. It is a city government job, in a place where many artists and musicians are either unconcerned with or directly opposed to city government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I used to actually be one of those artists who did not really feel like the city had anything to offer me,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/kev-choice\">Kev Choice\u003c/a>, a musician and educator who \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13875113/oakland-appoints-cultural-affairs-commissioners\">joined the Cultural Arts Commission\u003c/a> in 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for artists savvy with grants — or those who get hired or contracted by nonprofits, which is to say nearly all artists in Oakland — the role of a Cultural Affairs Manager provides crucial support. Equal parts advocate, fundraiser, intermediary and ambassador, its impact more than justifies its \u003ca href=\"https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/search/?q=roberto+bedoya&y=\">$170,000 annual salary\u003c/a>, attendees on Tuesday said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978249\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978249\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-09-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-09-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Retired Cultural Affairs Manager Roberto Bedoya gives public comment at an Oakland City Council meeting advocating against the elimination of the Cultural Affairs Manager position from the city budget in Oakland on July 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Most people spoke highly of Roberto Bedoya, the former Cultural Affairs Manager who retired in 2024. Hired in 2016, Bedoya worked as a liaison to other departments, argued against cuts and grant delays, ran the public art program, drafted Oakland’s first-ever cultural plan and, importantly, secured money for the city’s arts and culture sector.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After Tuesday’s protest, Bedoya spoke at the city council meeting to note $1.9 million in federal funds and $5 million in public-private partnerships that he had facilitated, and promised that, even in retirement, “I will help you find revenue.” Before he could finish, his microphone was cut off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The protest and city council meeting on Tuesday stood in stark contrast to the news that, across the Bay, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978179/san-francisco-artist-grants-sfac-2025-2026\">San Francisco had awarded more than $10 million in grants to artists and arts organizations\u003c/a> just that morning. Vanessa Whang, the chair of Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Commission, said the grants showed that San Francisco’s leaders were being “smart” about their priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though they are also facing deficits, they understand an investment in the arts and culture sector is what is going to make the city come back,” Whang said, noting the revenue-generating impact of the arts. “The most positive narrative that we have for Oakland right now is our culture. That’s why we get mentioned in \u003cem>The New York Times\u003c/em>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978250\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978250\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-10-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-10-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vaenssa Whang, chair of the Oakland Cultural Affairs Commission, gives public comment at an Oakland City Council meeting advocating against the elimination of the Cultural Affairs Manager position from the city budget in Oakland on July 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The grants in San Francisco are funded by a hotel tax similar to Oakland’s hotel and lodging tax. Raquel Iglesias, the former cultural funding coordinator who managed the grants program for five years, said that she and Bedoya had urged city administrators to issue grants in 2024 that were delayed, causing the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13957786/oakland-art-and-soul-festival-canceled\">cancellation of events like the annual Art & Soul Festival\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, Iglesias said, the Cultural Affairs Divison was given no access to general fund monies for grants. “We had just roughly $180,000 in hotel tax money that we gave out in \u003cem>tiny\u003c/em> grants,” Iglesias explained, adding that she and another staff member had as of last week raised roughly $600,000 from private foundations to backfill the money that the city rescinded for general operating grantees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland Symphony CEO Mieko Hatano, jazz musician and educator John Santos and Living Jazz executive director Lyz Luke joined those who spoke at the council meeting. Oakland Ballet’s artistic director Graham Lustig and Julie Baker, CEO of California Arts Advocates, are among the dozens of others who have urged the city to reinstate the Cultural Affairs Manager position.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978247\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978247\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-04-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250701-OAKLAND-ARTS-FUNDING-PROTEST-MD-04-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Raquel Iglesias (center) attends a rally outside of Oakland City Hall protesting the elimination of the Cultural Affairs Manager position from the city budget on July 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even those with no direct income from the arts or the nonprofit world spoke on Tuesday about the importance of art and cultural programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the City Hall steps, the activist Minister King X held his phone to the loudspeaker microphone so that William “Will Bop” Edwards, currently incarcerated in Solano State Prison, could address the assembled crowd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“When I was young, we had places to go. We had things to do that would scare us away from trouble. And with those places that involve art and creativity, it would allow us to meet, learn, and understand our neighbors. So when we grew up, we were less likely to want to shoot and kill people that grew up with us, because we had a prior relationship with them,” Edwards said, before an automated prison announcement came over the phone line to say that the call was being monitored and recorded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group has vowed to keep protesting every week until the Oakland City Council reinstates the position, said Brooks, who referred to investing in art as a “public safety strategy” that provides revenue and jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rachel Sanders, a dancer and poet who moved to Oakland two years ago, said that in addition to the impact on her own practice, she was dismayed at the budget being pushed through without sufficient time for thorough review by the public, or even certain council members.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This move just makes no sense, and it feels like a betrayal,” Sanders said. “And that’s personal, you know? So that’s why I’m here.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"headTitle": "A Legendary Puerto Rican Chef Reemerges in Oakland — After 5 Years Behind Bars | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dropcap]F[/dropcap]lash back to 2015, when the hottest restaurant in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland’s\u003c/a> Dimond District wasn’t a trendy Asian fusion spot, or a Michelin-endorsed palace of fine dining, or a temple to California cuisine. It wasn’t even a proper restaurant, really. Instead, crowds of hungry people would line up inside the Two Star Market liquor store on MacArthur for a taste of slow-roasted pernil, grilled chicken thighs with garlic and caramelized onions, and fragrant, annatto-stained arroz con gandules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The liquor store takeout spot was called \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/borinquen-soul-dishes-out-puerto-rican-grandma-food-inside-an-oakland-convenience-store-2-1/\">Borinquen Soul\u003c/a>, and it specialized in what founders Eric “E” Rivera and Chris Caraballo liked to call “food for the homesick boricua.” At the time, it was the only Puerto Rican restaurant in the East Bay, and even though the place didn’t really have any seating to speak of, it routinely drew customers from as far away as Stockton and San Jose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then it just kind of disappeared. When Borinquen Soul closed in 2017, the two owners went their separate ways, and Rivera opened a new restaurant, W.E.P.A.!, that lasted less than a year. After that, nothing. Seven years passed without any word from the business. No explanation was ever given for why it had closed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Until a couple of months ago, that is. That was when Rivera, aka Chef E, suddenly reemerged at a little \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DHb5KNvypBd/\">pop-up takeout window in Vallejo\u003c/a>, where for a short time he was selling the same food I remembered from all those years ago — the same yellow rice flecked with pigeon peas and pimento olives, the ultra-crisp tostones and tangy mayuketchu. And if all goes according to plan, next month Rivera will complete his comeback. He’s opening a new restaurant in East Oakland’s San Antonio neighborhood called \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/puertoricanstreetcuisine/\">Puerto Rican Street Cuisine\u003c/a> that’ll serve all of the old favorites from Borinquen Soul. It will once again be the only full-fledged Puerto Rican restaurant in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977966\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977966\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/Puerto-Rican-Street-Cuisine_EG_27_qed.jpg\" alt='Two men stand on the roof of a restaurant holding a large Puerto Rican flag. The sign on the restaurant reads, \"Puerto Rican Street Cuisine.\"' width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/Puerto-Rican-Street-Cuisine_EG_27_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/Puerto-Rican-Street-Cuisine_EG_27_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/Puerto-Rican-Street-Cuisine_EG_27_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/Puerto-Rican-Street-Cuisine_EG_27_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chefs Eric Rivera (center) and Chris Lopez and stand on the roof of the 23rd Avenue restaurant in East Oakland. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This place is going to be an incredible spot in these next few months, where you can just get the best of the best food,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And as it turns out, there was a good reason why Rivera put his business on pause for seven years: He spent most of that time in jail, awaiting trial for a crime he says he didn’t commit.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A Life-Changing Turn of Events\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Born and bred in the Bronx, Rivera moved to the Bay Area to live with his aunt when he was a teenager, graduating from Independence High School in San Jose in the early ’90s. Back then, he was an up-and-coming rapper, performing under the name Mookie D. He was a member of the San Jose rap crew \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7SMjhzvxQ4\">Red Black & Green\u003c/a>, which put out an EP produced by KutMasta Kurt. He was good friends with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13868241/sway-calloways-free-block-party-celebrates-oaklands-cultural-well\">Sway Calloway\u003c/a>, too, in those early years before Sway became one of the hip-hop world’s most prominent interviewers and tastemakers — Rivera even wound up rapping on one of the first episodes of Sway’s \u003ci>Wake Up Show\u003c/i> on KMEL.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After high school, Rivera moved back to New York before returning to the Bay for good in 2008, dabbling in different jobs before he got serious about cooking. He was an amateur MMA fighter for a time and then worked as a strength and conditioning coach for the Oakland Raiders. In 2012, he and fellow Bronx transplant Chris Caraballo officially launched \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/borinquensoulwepa/\">Borinquen Soul\u003c/a>, initially as a food truck — the very first Puerto Rican food truck in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back then, Rivera recalls, it was just about impossible to find proper Puerto Rican food in the Bay: “When we came from New York, we got homesick right away. The food here wasn’t hitting home.” He and Caraballo started pulling up to Bay Area nightclubs, blasting loud salsa music from the truck when the clubs were letting out for the night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977875\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977875\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_16-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rivera prepares a plate of food for workers at the businesses surrounding his restaurant. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It just became an overnight hit,” Rivera says. “People were hitting us up like, ‘Bro, I don’t know how to pronounce your name, but man, that was the best food I ever had!’ It was just the best feeling in the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The truck quickly built up a large fan base, which stayed loyal through the business’ remarkable three-year run inside the Two Star Market liquor store, from 2015 to 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In many ways, then, the summer of 2018 was the high point of Rivera’s cooking career. Even though he’d closed Borinquen Soul after parting ways with Caraballo, his new restaurant, W.E.P.A.! (Where Everybody Parties At), was already \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/wepa-at-brix-581-rises-from-the-ashes-of-borinquen-soul-2-1/\">making a name for itself\u003c/a> with its menu of homey Puerto Rican dishes served inside a Jack London nightclub. Then came the ultimate validation: In June of that year, W.E.P.A.! got the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1oCNZuaF4I&t=247s\">\u003ci>Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives \u003c/i>treatment\u003c/a>, as the Bleached One himself gave Rivera’s loaded plantains and chicken chicharron mofongo the Flavortown stamp of approval. For a small, relatively unknown restaurant like Rivera’s, that kind of national TV exposure had the potential to be \u003ca href=\"https://www.eater.com/2018/12/20/18150707/guy-fieri-diners-drive-ins-and-dives-good-for-restaurant-business\">life-changing\u003c/a>. “It was like a dream come true, man,” Rivera recalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977878\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977878\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_23-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A tray of fried plantains under a heat lamp.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_23-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_23-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_23-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_23-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A tray of tostones and fried sweet plantains kept warm under a heat lamp. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Just a month later, that dream turned into a nightmare. Rivera says he was getting ready to open the restaurant on a Thursday afternoon when police officers showed up — without a warrant, he says — and grabbed him in the doorway. Rivera was arrested on a robbery charge and wound up serving five and a half years behind bars for a crime he insists he didn’t commit. He says there was even video evidence that proved he was at his restaurant the night the robbery took place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rivera eventually signed a plea deal, though, after he’d already been held in Dublin’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11945438/community-and-civil-rights-groups-hold-vigil-and-rally-over-recent-deaths-at-santa-rita-jail\">notoriously dangerous\u003c/a> Santa Rita Jail for four years without a trial. He says Alameda County prosecutors kept finding reasons to postpone the trial — a sign, he believes, that they knew they didn’t have a case. Still, the long years and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11918230/grand-jury-major-health-and-safety-violations-at-santa-rita-jail-require-urgent-attention\">awful conditions\u003c/a> in jail had worn him down. Rivera’s mother passed away while he was at Santa Rita. And like many of the inmates there, he spent most of his time in “\u003ca href=\"https://www.aclu.org/news/prisoners-rights/i-spent-16-months-solitary-confinement-and-now-im\">23 and 1\u003c/a>” solitary confinement, trapped inside his own thoughts, allowed outside his cell for only one hour a day. Rivera says prosecutors led him to believe that if he signed the plea agreement, he would be set free right away on time served. Instead, he wound up spending another year and a half in prison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The whole ordeal turned Rivera into something of an activist. Toward the end of his time at Santa Rita, he \u003ca href=\"https://www.ktvu.com/news/protest-at-santa-rita-jail-over-inedible-food-and-sheriffs-profit-on-rising-commissary-prices\">participated in a hunger strike\u003c/a> to protest the inedible, often rat-feces-infested food there (now the subject of a \u003ca href=\"https://clearinghouse.net/case/17341/\">class action lawsuit\u003c/a> that he’s joined). He’s also preparing to file civil lawsuits against both OPD and the California Parole Board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, Rivera believes his time in prison ultimately helped him to become a better, stronger person. He’d once turned a bit of common Puerto Rican slang — “\u003ca href=\"https://www.newsweek.com/what-wepa-puerto-rico-aid-bill-named-slang-means-cool-704857\">wepa\u003c/a>,” meaning “cool” or “all right!” — into a restaurant concept. One day, while he was in solitary lockdown, a new acronym appeared to him in a vision. Instead of lamenting, “why me,” Rivera spun those letters into a more positive mindset: “Whatever Happens, You Must Embrace.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I focused on how do I make myself better,” he says. “That’s essentially what happened.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977872\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977872\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Pink beans strained in a colander held over a large pot.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_09-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_09-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Habichuelas guisa — pink beans stewed in a sofrito base. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And, as it turns out, he was able to start cooking again. Rivera says he was put in jail so soon after his feature on \u003ci>Diners, Drive-ins & Dives\u003c/i> that the episode was still airing regularly. When he was transferred to the state prison in Jamestown, a prison officer who had seen the show recognized him and said, “Man, I know you! What are you doing here?” The prison officer wound up recruiting Rivera to cook in the Jamestown prison kitchen, which he agreed to do — feeding 3,000 inmates at a time — as long as they let him make Puerto Rican food. Eventually, he was transferred over to become the head chef at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/facility-locator/conservation-camps/ben-lomond/\">Ben Lomond fire camp\u003c/a>, in the Santa Cruz mountains, where he was tasked with cooking for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021720/californias-reliance-on-incarcerated-firefighters-sparks-debate-over-low-pay-and-dangerous-work\">incarcerated firefighters\u003c/a> assigned to battle the region’s ongoing wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was cooking yellow rice. I was cooking carne guisa. We were doing habichuelas guisa,” Rivera says, laughing. “We were giving them the best food they ever had.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>An Improbable Comeback\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Since getting out of prison in December of 2023, Rivera says he’s been slowly working his way back into the Bay Area food scene, doing a handful of pop-ups and festivals and picking up catering jobs here and there. The whole time he’s been struck by just how many customers he’s run into who still have fond memories of Borinquen Soul — of snagging a piece of crispy pork skin from the Two Star Market location’s weekend pernil or, even earlier, buying chicken-and-rice plates off the food truck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13972834,arts_13960344,arts_13920581']\u003c/span>\u003c/span>For a tiny liquor store food operation that was only open for three years, Borinquen Soul had an outsized impact on the local food ecosystem. In fact, almost every notable Puerto Rican restaurant or food truck that’s opened in the Bay Area in the past decade has ties to that tiny convenience store kitchen. Anthony Lamboy of Boriqua Kitchen, the Bay Area’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13960344/puerto-rican-food-truck-boriqua-kitchen-bay-area-richmond\">only active Puerto Rican food truck\u003c/a>, did a stint at Borinquen Soul before branching out to open his own business. Cheo Ortiz, the chef-owner of La Perla, also started out as a cook there before taking over the Two Star Market’s kitchen once Borinquen Soul closed. He eventually expanded La Perla into a full-fledged Puerto Rican restaurant — \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2021/2/1/22256408/la-perla-puerto-rican-restaurant-oakland-opening\">Oakland’s only one\u003c/a> until it relocated to Castro Valley \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGFfaNdxfJr/?hl=en\">earlier this year\u003c/a>. And Lourdes Marquez-Nau, aka Chef Lulu, of vegan Puerto Rican spot \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/casaborinquena/\">Casa Borinqueña\u003c/a>, used to work the festival circuit with Rivera during that earlier food truck iteration of Borinquen Soul.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Call it the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nba.com/news/gregg-popovich-hall-of-fame-profile-2023\">Greg Popovich coaching tree\u003c/a> of Puerto Rican chefs in the Bay. As Rivera puts it, “Borinquen Soul was a big springboard for a lot of people to do really, really well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977873\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977873\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Two chefs add sliced onions to a big pot of stew.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_11-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rivera (center) and Lopez work on a big batch of pollo guisado. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rivera says he’s still close with all of those chefs. Just last week, Lamboy came over to the new spot to help him raise a Puerto Rican flag up on the roof. Meanwhile, Marquez-Nau, who just opened a second location of her restaurant \u003ca href=\"https://billypenn.com/2025/06/10/casa-borinquena-philly-vegan-puerto-rican-food-east-kensington/\">in Philadelphia\u003c/a>, recalls that she first got to know Rivera mostly as a customer — she, too, was a homesick New York boriqua who was craving real Puerto Rican food. She wound up helping out with the food truck, and when she decided to open her own business, Rivera came and showed her staff how to make the dough for alpacurrias (stuffed plantain fritters).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s like a brother,” Marquez-Nau says. “I will support Eric any way I can.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rivera’s hope, of course, is that Puerto Rican Street Cuisine will be a similarly impactful restaurant — both for the local East Oakland community as well as the Bay Area’s wider Puerto Rican diaspora. To start, the restaurant will function just as a simple takeout window. He’ll sell all of the big Puerto Rican staples he used to serve at Borinquen Soul: pernil, chicken encebollado, carne guisa, arroz con gandules, empanadas, pasteles, alpacurrias, and both sweet and savory plantains. He’ll serve his signature dishes that \u003ci>Diners, Drive-ins & Dives \u003c/i>made famous, too — the canoa (loaded plantains) and the fried-chicken mofongo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977879\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977879\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_24-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"The back of a red chef's jacket. The text above the palm tree logo reads, "Puerto Rican Street Cuisine."\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_24-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_24-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_24-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_24-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rivera’s custom chef’s jacket. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In a couple of months, he hopes to open for dine-in customers as well. There’s also a whole outdoor area in the back that he says is like a “hidden oasis,” where he eventually hopes to host private events, putting to use his custom slow cooker that can roast four pigs at once. And who knows? Eventually he’d like to expand to other locations as well, using his East Oakland flagship as a central hub to train his staff, just as he once taught other inmates to cook when he was the head chef in prison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some ways, Rivera’s journey to opening this new restaurant seems incredibly improbable after all these years. But he has lived and persevered through so many different lives already — a son of the Bronx, a rapper, a fighter, a coach, a chef, an entrepreneur, a prison activist, and now a chef once again. Who’s to say he’s done reinventing himself?\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/puertoricanstreetcuisine/\">\u003ci>Puerto Rican Street Cuisine\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> will likely have its soft opening around the second week of July at 1430 23rd Ave. in Oakland. To start out, the restaurant will be open for takeout only.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Borinquen Soul’s Eric Rivera is bringing the arroz con gandules back. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">F\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>lash back to 2015, when the hottest restaurant in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland’s\u003c/a> Dimond District wasn’t a trendy Asian fusion spot, or a Michelin-endorsed palace of fine dining, or a temple to California cuisine. It wasn’t even a proper restaurant, really. Instead, crowds of hungry people would line up inside the Two Star Market liquor store on MacArthur for a taste of slow-roasted pernil, grilled chicken thighs with garlic and caramelized onions, and fragrant, annatto-stained arroz con gandules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The liquor store takeout spot was called \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/borinquen-soul-dishes-out-puerto-rican-grandma-food-inside-an-oakland-convenience-store-2-1/\">Borinquen Soul\u003c/a>, and it specialized in what founders Eric “E” Rivera and Chris Caraballo liked to call “food for the homesick boricua.” At the time, it was the only Puerto Rican restaurant in the East Bay, and even though the place didn’t really have any seating to speak of, it routinely drew customers from as far away as Stockton and San Jose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then it just kind of disappeared. When Borinquen Soul closed in 2017, the two owners went their separate ways, and Rivera opened a new restaurant, W.E.P.A.!, that lasted less than a year. After that, nothing. Seven years passed without any word from the business. No explanation was ever given for why it had closed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Until a couple of months ago, that is. That was when Rivera, aka Chef E, suddenly reemerged at a little \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DHb5KNvypBd/\">pop-up takeout window in Vallejo\u003c/a>, where for a short time he was selling the same food I remembered from all those years ago — the same yellow rice flecked with pigeon peas and pimento olives, the ultra-crisp tostones and tangy mayuketchu. And if all goes according to plan, next month Rivera will complete his comeback. He’s opening a new restaurant in East Oakland’s San Antonio neighborhood called \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/puertoricanstreetcuisine/\">Puerto Rican Street Cuisine\u003c/a> that’ll serve all of the old favorites from Borinquen Soul. It will once again be the only full-fledged Puerto Rican restaurant in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977966\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977966\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/Puerto-Rican-Street-Cuisine_EG_27_qed.jpg\" alt='Two men stand on the roof of a restaurant holding a large Puerto Rican flag. The sign on the restaurant reads, \"Puerto Rican Street Cuisine.\"' width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/Puerto-Rican-Street-Cuisine_EG_27_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/Puerto-Rican-Street-Cuisine_EG_27_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/Puerto-Rican-Street-Cuisine_EG_27_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/Puerto-Rican-Street-Cuisine_EG_27_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chefs Eric Rivera (center) and Chris Lopez and stand on the roof of the 23rd Avenue restaurant in East Oakland. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This place is going to be an incredible spot in these next few months, where you can just get the best of the best food,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And as it turns out, there was a good reason why Rivera put his business on pause for seven years: He spent most of that time in jail, awaiting trial for a crime he says he didn’t commit.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A Life-Changing Turn of Events\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Born and bred in the Bronx, Rivera moved to the Bay Area to live with his aunt when he was a teenager, graduating from Independence High School in San Jose in the early ’90s. Back then, he was an up-and-coming rapper, performing under the name Mookie D. He was a member of the San Jose rap crew \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7SMjhzvxQ4\">Red Black & Green\u003c/a>, which put out an EP produced by KutMasta Kurt. He was good friends with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13868241/sway-calloways-free-block-party-celebrates-oaklands-cultural-well\">Sway Calloway\u003c/a>, too, in those early years before Sway became one of the hip-hop world’s most prominent interviewers and tastemakers — Rivera even wound up rapping on one of the first episodes of Sway’s \u003ci>Wake Up Show\u003c/i> on KMEL.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After high school, Rivera moved back to New York before returning to the Bay for good in 2008, dabbling in different jobs before he got serious about cooking. He was an amateur MMA fighter for a time and then worked as a strength and conditioning coach for the Oakland Raiders. In 2012, he and fellow Bronx transplant Chris Caraballo officially launched \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/borinquensoulwepa/\">Borinquen Soul\u003c/a>, initially as a food truck — the very first Puerto Rican food truck in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back then, Rivera recalls, it was just about impossible to find proper Puerto Rican food in the Bay: “When we came from New York, we got homesick right away. The food here wasn’t hitting home.” He and Caraballo started pulling up to Bay Area nightclubs, blasting loud salsa music from the truck when the clubs were letting out for the night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977875\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977875\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_16-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rivera prepares a plate of food for workers at the businesses surrounding his restaurant. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It just became an overnight hit,” Rivera says. “People were hitting us up like, ‘Bro, I don’t know how to pronounce your name, but man, that was the best food I ever had!’ It was just the best feeling in the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The truck quickly built up a large fan base, which stayed loyal through the business’ remarkable three-year run inside the Two Star Market liquor store, from 2015 to 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In many ways, then, the summer of 2018 was the high point of Rivera’s cooking career. Even though he’d closed Borinquen Soul after parting ways with Caraballo, his new restaurant, W.E.P.A.! (Where Everybody Parties At), was already \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/wepa-at-brix-581-rises-from-the-ashes-of-borinquen-soul-2-1/\">making a name for itself\u003c/a> with its menu of homey Puerto Rican dishes served inside a Jack London nightclub. Then came the ultimate validation: In June of that year, W.E.P.A.! got the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1oCNZuaF4I&t=247s\">\u003ci>Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives \u003c/i>treatment\u003c/a>, as the Bleached One himself gave Rivera’s loaded plantains and chicken chicharron mofongo the Flavortown stamp of approval. For a small, relatively unknown restaurant like Rivera’s, that kind of national TV exposure had the potential to be \u003ca href=\"https://www.eater.com/2018/12/20/18150707/guy-fieri-diners-drive-ins-and-dives-good-for-restaurant-business\">life-changing\u003c/a>. “It was like a dream come true, man,” Rivera recalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977878\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977878\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_23-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A tray of fried plantains under a heat lamp.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_23-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_23-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_23-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_23-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A tray of tostones and fried sweet plantains kept warm under a heat lamp. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Just a month later, that dream turned into a nightmare. Rivera says he was getting ready to open the restaurant on a Thursday afternoon when police officers showed up — without a warrant, he says — and grabbed him in the doorway. Rivera was arrested on a robbery charge and wound up serving five and a half years behind bars for a crime he insists he didn’t commit. He says there was even video evidence that proved he was at his restaurant the night the robbery took place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rivera eventually signed a plea deal, though, after he’d already been held in Dublin’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11945438/community-and-civil-rights-groups-hold-vigil-and-rally-over-recent-deaths-at-santa-rita-jail\">notoriously dangerous\u003c/a> Santa Rita Jail for four years without a trial. He says Alameda County prosecutors kept finding reasons to postpone the trial — a sign, he believes, that they knew they didn’t have a case. Still, the long years and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11918230/grand-jury-major-health-and-safety-violations-at-santa-rita-jail-require-urgent-attention\">awful conditions\u003c/a> in jail had worn him down. Rivera’s mother passed away while he was at Santa Rita. And like many of the inmates there, he spent most of his time in “\u003ca href=\"https://www.aclu.org/news/prisoners-rights/i-spent-16-months-solitary-confinement-and-now-im\">23 and 1\u003c/a>” solitary confinement, trapped inside his own thoughts, allowed outside his cell for only one hour a day. Rivera says prosecutors led him to believe that if he signed the plea agreement, he would be set free right away on time served. Instead, he wound up spending another year and a half in prison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The whole ordeal turned Rivera into something of an activist. Toward the end of his time at Santa Rita, he \u003ca href=\"https://www.ktvu.com/news/protest-at-santa-rita-jail-over-inedible-food-and-sheriffs-profit-on-rising-commissary-prices\">participated in a hunger strike\u003c/a> to protest the inedible, often rat-feces-infested food there (now the subject of a \u003ca href=\"https://clearinghouse.net/case/17341/\">class action lawsuit\u003c/a> that he’s joined). He’s also preparing to file civil lawsuits against both OPD and the California Parole Board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, Rivera believes his time in prison ultimately helped him to become a better, stronger person. He’d once turned a bit of common Puerto Rican slang — “\u003ca href=\"https://www.newsweek.com/what-wepa-puerto-rico-aid-bill-named-slang-means-cool-704857\">wepa\u003c/a>,” meaning “cool” or “all right!” — into a restaurant concept. One day, while he was in solitary lockdown, a new acronym appeared to him in a vision. Instead of lamenting, “why me,” Rivera spun those letters into a more positive mindset: “Whatever Happens, You Must Embrace.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I focused on how do I make myself better,” he says. “That’s essentially what happened.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977872\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977872\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Pink beans strained in a colander held over a large pot.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_09-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_09-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Habichuelas guisa — pink beans stewed in a sofrito base. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And, as it turns out, he was able to start cooking again. Rivera says he was put in jail so soon after his feature on \u003ci>Diners, Drive-ins & Dives\u003c/i> that the episode was still airing regularly. When he was transferred to the state prison in Jamestown, a prison officer who had seen the show recognized him and said, “Man, I know you! What are you doing here?” The prison officer wound up recruiting Rivera to cook in the Jamestown prison kitchen, which he agreed to do — feeding 3,000 inmates at a time — as long as they let him make Puerto Rican food. Eventually, he was transferred over to become the head chef at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/facility-locator/conservation-camps/ben-lomond/\">Ben Lomond fire camp\u003c/a>, in the Santa Cruz mountains, where he was tasked with cooking for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021720/californias-reliance-on-incarcerated-firefighters-sparks-debate-over-low-pay-and-dangerous-work\">incarcerated firefighters\u003c/a> assigned to battle the region’s ongoing wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was cooking yellow rice. I was cooking carne guisa. We were doing habichuelas guisa,” Rivera says, laughing. “We were giving them the best food they ever had.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>An Improbable Comeback\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Since getting out of prison in December of 2023, Rivera says he’s been slowly working his way back into the Bay Area food scene, doing a handful of pop-ups and festivals and picking up catering jobs here and there. The whole time he’s been struck by just how many customers he’s run into who still have fond memories of Borinquen Soul — of snagging a piece of crispy pork skin from the Two Star Market location’s weekend pernil or, even earlier, buying chicken-and-rice plates off the food truck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/span>For a tiny liquor store food operation that was only open for three years, Borinquen Soul had an outsized impact on the local food ecosystem. In fact, almost every notable Puerto Rican restaurant or food truck that’s opened in the Bay Area in the past decade has ties to that tiny convenience store kitchen. Anthony Lamboy of Boriqua Kitchen, the Bay Area’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13960344/puerto-rican-food-truck-boriqua-kitchen-bay-area-richmond\">only active Puerto Rican food truck\u003c/a>, did a stint at Borinquen Soul before branching out to open his own business. Cheo Ortiz, the chef-owner of La Perla, also started out as a cook there before taking over the Two Star Market’s kitchen once Borinquen Soul closed. He eventually expanded La Perla into a full-fledged Puerto Rican restaurant — \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2021/2/1/22256408/la-perla-puerto-rican-restaurant-oakland-opening\">Oakland’s only one\u003c/a> until it relocated to Castro Valley \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGFfaNdxfJr/?hl=en\">earlier this year\u003c/a>. And Lourdes Marquez-Nau, aka Chef Lulu, of vegan Puerto Rican spot \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/casaborinquena/\">Casa Borinqueña\u003c/a>, used to work the festival circuit with Rivera during that earlier food truck iteration of Borinquen Soul.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Call it the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nba.com/news/gregg-popovich-hall-of-fame-profile-2023\">Greg Popovich coaching tree\u003c/a> of Puerto Rican chefs in the Bay. As Rivera puts it, “Borinquen Soul was a big springboard for a lot of people to do really, really well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977873\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977873\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Two chefs add sliced onions to a big pot of stew.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_11-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rivera (center) and Lopez work on a big batch of pollo guisado. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rivera says he’s still close with all of those chefs. Just last week, Lamboy came over to the new spot to help him raise a Puerto Rican flag up on the roof. Meanwhile, Marquez-Nau, who just opened a second location of her restaurant \u003ca href=\"https://billypenn.com/2025/06/10/casa-borinquena-philly-vegan-puerto-rican-food-east-kensington/\">in Philadelphia\u003c/a>, recalls that she first got to know Rivera mostly as a customer — she, too, was a homesick New York boriqua who was craving real Puerto Rican food. She wound up helping out with the food truck, and when she decided to open her own business, Rivera came and showed her staff how to make the dough for alpacurrias (stuffed plantain fritters).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s like a brother,” Marquez-Nau says. “I will support Eric any way I can.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rivera’s hope, of course, is that Puerto Rican Street Cuisine will be a similarly impactful restaurant — both for the local East Oakland community as well as the Bay Area’s wider Puerto Rican diaspora. To start, the restaurant will function just as a simple takeout window. He’ll sell all of the big Puerto Rican staples he used to serve at Borinquen Soul: pernil, chicken encebollado, carne guisa, arroz con gandules, empanadas, pasteles, alpacurrias, and both sweet and savory plantains. He’ll serve his signature dishes that \u003ci>Diners, Drive-ins & Dives \u003c/i>made famous, too — the canoa (loaded plantains) and the fried-chicken mofongo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977879\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977879\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_24-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"The back of a red chef's jacket. The text above the palm tree logo reads, "Puerto Rican Street Cuisine."\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_24-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_24-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_24-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/PUERTO-RICAN-STREET-CUISINE_EG_24-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rivera’s custom chef’s jacket. \u003ccite>(Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In a couple of months, he hopes to open for dine-in customers as well. There’s also a whole outdoor area in the back that he says is like a “hidden oasis,” where he eventually hopes to host private events, putting to use his custom slow cooker that can roast four pigs at once. And who knows? Eventually he’d like to expand to other locations as well, using his East Oakland flagship as a central hub to train his staff, just as he once taught other inmates to cook when he was the head chef in prison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some ways, Rivera’s journey to opening this new restaurant seems incredibly improbable after all these years. But he has lived and persevered through so many different lives already — a son of the Bronx, a rapper, a fighter, a coach, a chef, an entrepreneur, a prison activist, and now a chef once again. Who’s to say he’s done reinventing himself?\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/puertoricanstreetcuisine/\">\u003ci>Puerto Rican Street Cuisine\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> will likely have its soft opening around the second week of July at 1430 23rd Ave. in Oakland. To start out, the restaurant will be open for takeout only.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "hella-juneteenth-oakland-museum-cookout-plate-last-supper-society",
"title": "Hella Juneteenth Brings a Good Old-Fashioned Cookout to the Museum",
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"headTitle": "Hella Juneteenth Brings a Good Old-Fashioned Cookout to the Museum | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>When Ryan Royster and Byron Hughes were tasked with putting together the food menu for 2021’s inaugural \u003ca href=\"https://www.hellajuneteenth.com/\">Hella Juneteenth\u003c/a> festival in Sacramento, the first thing they thought about were the backyard \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/barbecue\">barbecues\u003c/a> that had been a staple in their lives since they were kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a cookout, everyone would pitch in. “Your uncle might have been on the grill, and your aunt made the potato salad, and grandma made the mac and cheese,” Royster recalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13976970']\u003c/span>\u003c/span>The co-founders of \u003ca href=\"https://www.lastsuppersociety.com/\">Last Supper Society\u003c/a>, a self-styled experiential creative house and \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2022/9/9/23344692/last-supper-society-sacramento\">underground dining club\u003c/a>, knew they wanted to create “an intentional cultural moment,” as Royster puts it, for the first big Juneteenth gathering since the start of the pandemic — and the first since the holiday received \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11878430/biden-signs-bill-making-juneteenth-a-federal-holiday\">federal recognition\u003c/a>. How could they take that cookout concept, which was so quintessential and deeply personal in Black communities, and translate it to a large-scale event?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The answer, they decided, was the “Cookout Plate.” Instead of the kind of a la carte food-truck hop that’s typical of big festivals, guests could purchase one cohesive, carefully curated plate, just like the one your auntie might hand you at the cookout — except that each entree, side and dessert would be cooked by a talented Black Bay Area chef.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977532\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977532\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-18_qed.jpg\" alt=\"A volunteer ladles a big scoop of mac and cheese from a tray onto a paper plate.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-18_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-18_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-18_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-18_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mac and cheese getting served for the 2024 edition of Hella Juneteenth’s “Cookout Plate.” Juneteenth, which was designated a federal holiday in 2021, is a day of community and celebrating Black joy, freedom and culture. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Now held at the Oakland Museum of California, this year’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.hellajuneteenth.com/about-hella-creative\">Hella Creative\u003c/a>–produced Juneteenth event on June 19 will continue the Cookout Plate tradition. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/byronthe3rd/?hl=en\">Hughes\u003c/a>, an accomplished chef in his own right, has curated a plate featuring dishes from six different chefs: a black-eyed pea salad by Fernay McPherson of SF’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.minniebellssoul.com/\">Minnie Bell’s\u003c/a>, barbecue chicken from James Woodard of \u003ca href=\"https://smokinwoodsbbq.com/\">Smokin’ Woods BBQ\u003c/a> in Oakland, and mac and cheese by Michele McQueen at the museum’s own \u003ca href=\"https://townfarecafe.com/\">Town Fare\u003c/a> cafe. The Sacramento-based vegan chef \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/botanicalchef/?hl=en\">Nina Curtis\u003c/a> will contribute spicy grilled plant-based sausages and peppers to the plate, and for dessert, \u003ca href=\"https://poundbizness.com/\">Pound Bizness\u003c/a> bakers Nicole and Reggie Borders will serve lemon and 7 Up pound cakes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anyone who’s ever organized a big cookout knows that putting together a cohesive meal requires a certain setting aside of egos. After all, Royster says, “A lot of people think that their mac and cheese is the best.” But while all of the participating chefs wanted to put their best foot forward, they also understood that Juneteenth — which celebrates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States — was about more than just making the food taste good. Ideally, the cookout plate would also make people feel a sense of nostalgia and joy. “Let’s pull on some heartstrings,” Royster says. “Let’s dive into cultural memory.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977533\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977533\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-37_qed.jpg\" alt=\"Dancers dancing onstage in an outdoor amphitheater.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-37_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-37_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-37_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-37_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hella Juneteenth festivities will also include live DJs and plenty of dancing — as seen at the 2024 edition of the event. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The same goes for the rest of the Hella Juneteenth festivities, which will be spread across OMCA’s amphitheater and garden grounds. There will be wine tastings, Spades and dominoes tournaments, and facepainting for kids. The Golden State Valkyries will set up a half-court basketball court for anyone who wants to shoot some hoops. Live DJs will be behind the decks all afternoon, and folks will sprawl out on the grass with blankets and lawn chairs, enjoying the food and drink.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13956178,arts_13953702']\u003c/span>\u003c/span>Royster says that at this moment, when there has been a conscious effort to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13975661/national-endowment-for-the-arts-grants-canceled-nonprofits\">stamp out\u003c/a> certain \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13977200/the-great-quiet-quitting-of-dei-in-bay-area-arts\">cultural initiatives\u003c/a>, it’s more important than ever to celebrate Black joy and Black empowerment. “Regardless of what’s happening on the federal level or anywhere else, what we have seen is that the demand here in the Bay Area [for this kind of event] has not wavered,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After all, he says, what holiday could be more American than Juneteenth? “If you’re a person who supports freedom as an American ideal, you should be celebrating Juneteenth,” Royster says. “More people gaining freedom has to be what America is about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977534\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977534\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-16_qed.jpg\" alt=\"A Black woman reading a book while seated on the grass surrounded by other picnickers.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-16_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-16_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-16_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-16_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Charity Nichols reads a book on the lawn at last year’s Hella Juneteenth event on the Oakland Museum’s garden grounds. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This year’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.hellajuneteenth.com/\">Hella Juneteenth Festival\u003c/a> will take place at the Oakland Museum of California (1000 Oak St., Oakland) on June 19, 12–5 p.m. Tickets are \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hella-juneteenth-festival-a-celebration-of-black-culture-in-oakland-tickets-1319420374859?aff=web\">\u003ci>available online\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>; guests can also pre-purchase their Cookout Plate ($30), since they’re likely to sell out over the course of the event.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When Ryan Royster and Byron Hughes were tasked with putting together the food menu for 2021’s inaugural \u003ca href=\"https://www.hellajuneteenth.com/\">Hella Juneteenth\u003c/a> festival in Sacramento, the first thing they thought about were the backyard \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/barbecue\">barbecues\u003c/a> that had been a staple in their lives since they were kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a cookout, everyone would pitch in. “Your uncle might have been on the grill, and your aunt made the potato salad, and grandma made the mac and cheese,” Royster recalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/span>The co-founders of \u003ca href=\"https://www.lastsuppersociety.com/\">Last Supper Society\u003c/a>, a self-styled experiential creative house and \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2022/9/9/23344692/last-supper-society-sacramento\">underground dining club\u003c/a>, knew they wanted to create “an intentional cultural moment,” as Royster puts it, for the first big Juneteenth gathering since the start of the pandemic — and the first since the holiday received \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11878430/biden-signs-bill-making-juneteenth-a-federal-holiday\">federal recognition\u003c/a>. How could they take that cookout concept, which was so quintessential and deeply personal in Black communities, and translate it to a large-scale event?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The answer, they decided, was the “Cookout Plate.” Instead of the kind of a la carte food-truck hop that’s typical of big festivals, guests could purchase one cohesive, carefully curated plate, just like the one your auntie might hand you at the cookout — except that each entree, side and dessert would be cooked by a talented Black Bay Area chef.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977532\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977532\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-18_qed.jpg\" alt=\"A volunteer ladles a big scoop of mac and cheese from a tray onto a paper plate.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-18_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-18_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-18_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-18_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mac and cheese getting served for the 2024 edition of Hella Juneteenth’s “Cookout Plate.” Juneteenth, which was designated a federal holiday in 2021, is a day of community and celebrating Black joy, freedom and culture. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Now held at the Oakland Museum of California, this year’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.hellajuneteenth.com/about-hella-creative\">Hella Creative\u003c/a>–produced Juneteenth event on June 19 will continue the Cookout Plate tradition. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/byronthe3rd/?hl=en\">Hughes\u003c/a>, an accomplished chef in his own right, has curated a plate featuring dishes from six different chefs: a black-eyed pea salad by Fernay McPherson of SF’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.minniebellssoul.com/\">Minnie Bell’s\u003c/a>, barbecue chicken from James Woodard of \u003ca href=\"https://smokinwoodsbbq.com/\">Smokin’ Woods BBQ\u003c/a> in Oakland, and mac and cheese by Michele McQueen at the museum’s own \u003ca href=\"https://townfarecafe.com/\">Town Fare\u003c/a> cafe. The Sacramento-based vegan chef \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/botanicalchef/?hl=en\">Nina Curtis\u003c/a> will contribute spicy grilled plant-based sausages and peppers to the plate, and for dessert, \u003ca href=\"https://poundbizness.com/\">Pound Bizness\u003c/a> bakers Nicole and Reggie Borders will serve lemon and 7 Up pound cakes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anyone who’s ever organized a big cookout knows that putting together a cohesive meal requires a certain setting aside of egos. After all, Royster says, “A lot of people think that their mac and cheese is the best.” But while all of the participating chefs wanted to put their best foot forward, they also understood that Juneteenth — which celebrates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States — was about more than just making the food taste good. Ideally, the cookout plate would also make people feel a sense of nostalgia and joy. “Let’s pull on some heartstrings,” Royster says. “Let’s dive into cultural memory.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977533\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977533\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-37_qed.jpg\" alt=\"Dancers dancing onstage in an outdoor amphitheater.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-37_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-37_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-37_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-37_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hella Juneteenth festivities will also include live DJs and plenty of dancing — as seen at the 2024 edition of the event. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The same goes for the rest of the Hella Juneteenth festivities, which will be spread across OMCA’s amphitheater and garden grounds. There will be wine tastings, Spades and dominoes tournaments, and facepainting for kids. The Golden State Valkyries will set up a half-court basketball court for anyone who wants to shoot some hoops. Live DJs will be behind the decks all afternoon, and folks will sprawl out on the grass with blankets and lawn chairs, enjoying the food and drink.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/span>Royster says that at this moment, when there has been a conscious effort to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13975661/national-endowment-for-the-arts-grants-canceled-nonprofits\">stamp out\u003c/a> certain \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13977200/the-great-quiet-quitting-of-dei-in-bay-area-arts\">cultural initiatives\u003c/a>, it’s more important than ever to celebrate Black joy and Black empowerment. “Regardless of what’s happening on the federal level or anywhere else, what we have seen is that the demand here in the Bay Area [for this kind of event] has not wavered,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After all, he says, what holiday could be more American than Juneteenth? “If you’re a person who supports freedom as an American ideal, you should be celebrating Juneteenth,” Royster says. “More people gaining freedom has to be what America is about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977534\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977534\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-16_qed.jpg\" alt=\"A Black woman reading a book while seated on the grass surrounded by other picnickers.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-16_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-16_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-16_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/20240619_JuneteenthCookout_GC-16_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Charity Nichols reads a book on the lawn at last year’s Hella Juneteenth event on the Oakland Museum’s garden grounds. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This year’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.hellajuneteenth.com/\">Hella Juneteenth Festival\u003c/a> will take place at the Oakland Museum of California (1000 Oak St., Oakland) on June 19, 12–5 p.m. Tickets are \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hella-juneteenth-festival-a-celebration-of-black-culture-in-oakland-tickets-1319420374859?aff=web\">\u003ci>available online\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>; guests can also pre-purchase their Cookout Plate ($30), since they’re likely to sell out over the course of the event.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "seiji-oda-ethereal-blap-cupcake-no-fillin-human-nature",
"title": "On ‘Human + Nature,’ Seiji Oda Spreads Peace, Love and Ethereal Blap",
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"content": "\u003cp>While filming the video for his update of the classic Bay Area love song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCNlDgSQuLg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cupcake No Fillin\u003c/a>,” rapper, singer and producer \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13957194/seiji-oda-bay-area-rap-lo-fi-minimalist-hyphy\">Seiji Oda\u003c/a> stood in East Oakland’s Dimond Park, wearing a white T-shirt of a pink cupcake crossed out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The creators of the original anti-cupcaking anthem,\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thejankgod/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> B*Janky\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fathajefe/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">F.A. Tha Jefe\u003c/a> of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/officialtrunkboiz/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trunk Boiz\u003c/a>, stood nearby, surrounded by over two dozen people — musicians, dancers and community members. Some held cupcakes, others held scraper bikes; all of them chanted the song’s hook: \u003cem>Cupcake no fillin’ / I ain’t got time, ’cause I got a lot of women\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda took out his phone and started recording.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_HkJhiULLU\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted to capture that energy,” he says during a recent phone call. He then added that audio to “no fillins²,” a standout track from his latest album, \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/4nEuPqxYGQt3FLw8sOk6sQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Human + Nature\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland’s Seiji Oda burst into national consciousness last year with his lo-fi hit “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyxxSi8-Q-E\">a gentle gigg\u003c/a>,” which tamed the chaos of hyphy in favor of centered, Zen-like atmospherics. Fans dubbed it “therapeutic thizzing”; on its viral journey, it was reposted widely, including by SZA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13957194']For his follow-up, the 27-year-old of Japanese-Irish-Panamanian descent coalesced the sounds of Japanese babbling brooks and warbler birds, as well as Brazilian baile funk and Bay Area blap. \u003cem>Human + Nature\u003c/em> has pop rifts and 808 kicks, a smattering of top-tier Bay Area features and philosophical bars about love. There’s his grandmother’s piano, tranquil harmonizing and player lines like “Good hygiene / baby I stay flossing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And most of it started with voice notes. His field recordings of birdsong or the ocean would serve as a starting point for a song. “And then,” he says, “I’d kind of see where that takes me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976660\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13976660 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-800x530.jpg\" alt=\"People gathered at a park\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-768x509.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-1536x1018.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034.jpg 1545w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The ‘gentle gigg’ general himself, Seiji Oda (A’s hat, center) among people gathered at Dimond Park for the video shoot of ‘no fillins².’ \u003ccite>(Kenny Ko)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On the song “a leaf is a lung,” he recorded the sound of waves crashing, matched the soundscape with chords played on a keyboard and then imagined what sort of lyrics he’d spit if he were in that environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just made me feel kind of tropical,” he says, “so I sang.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda laid down lead and background vocals, then sampled himself and sang over it again. He then added some “mobby drums,” providing the combination of aggressive bass-heavy percussion and airy-melodic vocals that’s a staple in his music, he calls it “ethereal blap.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His love for hard-hitting drums is evident in the lead single “peaceful³,” featuring Vallejo’s\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/larussell/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> LaRussell\u003c/a>. On \u003cem>Human + Nature\u003c/em>, Seiji Oda changes up the drums on the second verse to sound like Mac Dre’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7N0J7o0z7U\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Boss Tycoon\u003c/a>,” underscoring LaRussell’s Furly Ghost-like flow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFUOi6fEEq8\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda refers to “peaceful³” as the heartbeat of the album, a song that segues seamlessly into the following track “Bossa Nova,” which illustrates his influences beyond the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been listening to so much baile funk,” says Seiji Oda, discussing the track he co-produced with Kiron KP and Quinn Carroll. Steeped in the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira since a kid, Seiji Oda notes that “Brazilian music– baile funk and bossa nova– they’re all kind of intertwined. So, I’ve been super inspired by that music lately.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976661\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13976661 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-800x1067.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-800x1067.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-1020x1360.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dancer and social media influencer Junebug pulled up to Seiji Oda’s ‘no fillins²’ video shoot in a huge Hyphy 101 t-shirt. \u003ccite>(Sydney Welch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On “green tea,” featuring Union City’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/officialkiyomi/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kiyomi\u003c/a>, a seemingly normal pop song packs a punch as the duo floats over their shared love of Bay Area bass. While making “ahead of myself” with Sacramento’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/natecurry_/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nate Curry\u003c/a>, Seiji Oda was inspired by his guest’s alien-like way of freely layering harmonies on a track.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then there’s “MOBBY MIYAZAKI,” with San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/y0ungbari/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Young Bari\u003c/a>, in which Seiji Oda pulls from another Bay Area classic — \u003ca href=\"https://soundcloud.com/youngbari/so-mobby-feat-fillmoe-rocky-prod-tfdr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Young Bari’s “So Mobby”\u003c/a> — and pairs it with a flip of Joe Hisaishi’s music from Studio Ghibli films directed by legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda even returned to his grandmother’s house in Japan for a spark of creativity. Her voice is layered into the mix of the minute-long interlude “yaki yasai (obaachan’s piano),” recorded while she was cooking. “I just wanted to capture that moment,” he says, “it just felt really intimate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And on “BEMYLIGHT” with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rexxliferaj/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Berkeley’s Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a>, he brings back the blap based on a voice memo of an uguisu bird, also known as a Japanese bush warbler.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976663\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13976663 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-800x1067.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-800x1067.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-1020x1360.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vallejo’s 9-year-old rising rap star Ave Rose Haro makes a cameo in Seiji Oda’s music video, filmed at Dimond Park in East Oakland. \u003ccite>(Sydney Welch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In fact, Seiji Oda sometimes starts recording a voice memo as soon as he wakes up. “I call it ‘meditation on the mic,'” he says, sometimes taking 20 or 30 minutes of his day to document his waking thoughts. On “time is a spiral, i think,” Seiji Oda convenes two different morning meditations into one philosophical track.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My overarching goal with music,” says Seiji Oda, “is to bring myself more peace, and then to share that with people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By documenting the sounds of the natural world, adding some drums and sharing it with the people, he’s achieving his goal — one ethereal blap at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Seiji Oda’s ‘Human + Nature’ is \u003ca href=\"https://seijioda.bandcamp.com/album/human-nature\">out now\u003c/a>. He also appears live and on stage multiple times later in the year, at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ7TSIkSaER/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SF Hip-Hop Festival\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://fairyland.org/event-calendar/fairyland-for-grownups-with-oaklandish/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fairyland for Grownups\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.hieroday.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hiero Day\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Ocean waves, birdsong and a remake of ’Cupcake No FIllin‘ accentuate the album's hushed-hyphy vibe.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>While filming the video for his update of the classic Bay Area love song “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCNlDgSQuLg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cupcake No Fillin\u003c/a>,” rapper, singer and producer \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13957194/seiji-oda-bay-area-rap-lo-fi-minimalist-hyphy\">Seiji Oda\u003c/a> stood in East Oakland’s Dimond Park, wearing a white T-shirt of a pink cupcake crossed out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The creators of the original anti-cupcaking anthem,\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thejankgod/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> B*Janky\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fathajefe/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">F.A. Tha Jefe\u003c/a> of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/officialtrunkboiz/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trunk Boiz\u003c/a>, stood nearby, surrounded by over two dozen people — musicians, dancers and community members. Some held cupcakes, others held scraper bikes; all of them chanted the song’s hook: \u003cem>Cupcake no fillin’ / I ain’t got time, ’cause I got a lot of women\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda took out his phone and started recording.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/C_HkJhiULLU'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/C_HkJhiULLU'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>“I wanted to capture that energy,” he says during a recent phone call. He then added that audio to “no fillins²,” a standout track from his latest album, \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/4nEuPqxYGQt3FLw8sOk6sQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Human + Nature\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland’s Seiji Oda burst into national consciousness last year with his lo-fi hit “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyxxSi8-Q-E\">a gentle gigg\u003c/a>,” which tamed the chaos of hyphy in favor of centered, Zen-like atmospherics. Fans dubbed it “therapeutic thizzing”; on its viral journey, it was reposted widely, including by SZA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>For his follow-up, the 27-year-old of Japanese-Irish-Panamanian descent coalesced the sounds of Japanese babbling brooks and warbler birds, as well as Brazilian baile funk and Bay Area blap. \u003cem>Human + Nature\u003c/em> has pop rifts and 808 kicks, a smattering of top-tier Bay Area features and philosophical bars about love. There’s his grandmother’s piano, tranquil harmonizing and player lines like “Good hygiene / baby I stay flossing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And most of it started with voice notes. His field recordings of birdsong or the ocean would serve as a starting point for a song. “And then,” he says, “I’d kind of see where that takes me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976660\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13976660 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-800x530.jpg\" alt=\"People gathered at a park\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-768x509.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034-1536x1018.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0034.jpg 1545w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The ‘gentle gigg’ general himself, Seiji Oda (A’s hat, center) among people gathered at Dimond Park for the video shoot of ‘no fillins².’ \u003ccite>(Kenny Ko)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On the song “a leaf is a lung,” he recorded the sound of waves crashing, matched the soundscape with chords played on a keyboard and then imagined what sort of lyrics he’d spit if he were in that environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just made me feel kind of tropical,” he says, “so I sang.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda laid down lead and background vocals, then sampled himself and sang over it again. He then added some “mobby drums,” providing the combination of aggressive bass-heavy percussion and airy-melodic vocals that’s a staple in his music, he calls it “ethereal blap.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His love for hard-hitting drums is evident in the lead single “peaceful³,” featuring Vallejo’s\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/larussell/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> LaRussell\u003c/a>. On \u003cem>Human + Nature\u003c/em>, Seiji Oda changes up the drums on the second verse to sound like Mac Dre’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7N0J7o0z7U\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Boss Tycoon\u003c/a>,” underscoring LaRussell’s Furly Ghost-like flow.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/BFUOi6fEEq8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/BFUOi6fEEq8'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Seiji Oda refers to “peaceful³” as the heartbeat of the album, a song that segues seamlessly into the following track “Bossa Nova,” which illustrates his influences beyond the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been listening to so much baile funk,” says Seiji Oda, discussing the track he co-produced with Kiron KP and Quinn Carroll. Steeped in the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira since a kid, Seiji Oda notes that “Brazilian music– baile funk and bossa nova– they’re all kind of intertwined. So, I’ve been super inspired by that music lately.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976661\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13976661 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-800x1067.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-800x1067.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-1020x1360.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0607-scaled-e1747944502890.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dancer and social media influencer Junebug pulled up to Seiji Oda’s ‘no fillins²’ video shoot in a huge Hyphy 101 t-shirt. \u003ccite>(Sydney Welch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On “green tea,” featuring Union City’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/officialkiyomi/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kiyomi\u003c/a>, a seemingly normal pop song packs a punch as the duo floats over their shared love of Bay Area bass. While making “ahead of myself” with Sacramento’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/natecurry_/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nate Curry\u003c/a>, Seiji Oda was inspired by his guest’s alien-like way of freely layering harmonies on a track.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then there’s “MOBBY MIYAZAKI,” with San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/y0ungbari/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Young Bari\u003c/a>, in which Seiji Oda pulls from another Bay Area classic — \u003ca href=\"https://soundcloud.com/youngbari/so-mobby-feat-fillmoe-rocky-prod-tfdr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Young Bari’s “So Mobby”\u003c/a> — and pairs it with a flip of Joe Hisaishi’s music from Studio Ghibli films directed by legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seiji Oda even returned to his grandmother’s house in Japan for a spark of creativity. Her voice is layered into the mix of the minute-long interlude “yaki yasai (obaachan’s piano),” recorded while she was cooking. “I just wanted to capture that moment,” he says, “it just felt really intimate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And on “BEMYLIGHT” with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rexxliferaj/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Berkeley’s Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a>, he brings back the blap based on a voice memo of an uguisu bird, also known as a Japanese bush warbler.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976663\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13976663 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-800x1067.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-800x1067.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-1020x1360.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/IMG_0602-scaled-e1747944615703.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vallejo’s 9-year-old rising rap star Ave Rose Haro makes a cameo in Seiji Oda’s music video, filmed at Dimond Park in East Oakland. \u003ccite>(Sydney Welch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In fact, Seiji Oda sometimes starts recording a voice memo as soon as he wakes up. “I call it ‘meditation on the mic,'” he says, sometimes taking 20 or 30 minutes of his day to document his waking thoughts. On “time is a spiral, i think,” Seiji Oda convenes two different morning meditations into one philosophical track.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My overarching goal with music,” says Seiji Oda, “is to bring myself more peace, and then to share that with people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By documenting the sounds of the natural world, adding some drums and sharing it with the people, he’s achieving his goal — one ethereal blap at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Seiji Oda’s ‘Human + Nature’ is \u003ca href=\"https://seijioda.bandcamp.com/album/human-nature\">out now\u003c/a>. He also appears live and on stage multiple times later in the year, at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ7TSIkSaER/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SF Hip-Hop Festival\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://fairyland.org/event-calendar/fairyland-for-grownups-with-oaklandish/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fairyland for Grownups\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.hieroday.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hiero Day\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "RyanNicole Gets Real About the World on New Album ‘#YoursTruly’",
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"content": "\u003cp>Over the span of just 30 days, multitalented Oakland-raised artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/msryannicole/\">RyanNicole\u003c/a> wrote her most recent album \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/31xPuOzRvLvNLJKm69rNmc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>#YoursTruly\u003c/em>\u003c/a> — and then dropped it on her on most recent birthday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inspired by the book \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/09/05/1193447515/the-artists-way\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>The Artist’s Way\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.vulture.com/article/doechii-crazy-persuasive-profile.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">re-popularized by rap star Doechii\u003c/a>, \u003cem>#YoursTruly\u003c/em> is the definition of multifaceted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reflecting on the finished project — “a grown woman album,” in her words — RyanNicole says, simply, “I like me at this age.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As she should. RyanNicole is a true lyricist. She’s also an event host and civically engaged activist who is rooted in her religious beliefs, her community and her family. Well-studied in the theatre arts, she’s also a writer and actor in the musical \u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/2024-25-season/co-founders/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Co-Founders\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which premieres at ACT in San Francisco on May 29 and runs through July 6.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976677\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976677\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/a1786616852_16.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/a1786616852_16.jpg 700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/a1786616852_16-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cover art for RyanNicole’s ‘#YoursTruly.’ \u003ccite>(Courtesy of RyanNicole)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And for her first album in nearly a decade, she has bars for the hip-hop heads alongside intimate lyrics for the poetry fans. She sings love songs and quotes luminaries. She calls peace into her life, and calls out community members and politicians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then there’s the title track, “the heaviest song on the album,” she says, dedicated to those who’ve taken their own lives — or considered it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>RyanNicole is open about her bouts with depression, and how she’s never reached that unfortunate point. But too many family and community members have, and it’s clear that we, as Black folks, don’t talk about it enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Growing up,” RyanNicole says via phone, “suicide wasn’t something that our people talked about.” The “folklore,” she says in audible air-quotes, was that “it was something we didn’t do.” Except that it is. \u003ca href=\"https://wisqars.cdc.gov/lcd/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">As of 2023\u003c/a>, suicide is the third leading cause of death among African Americans aged 15–34.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976676\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 791px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976676\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/unnamed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"791\" height=\"994\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/unnamed-1.jpg 791w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/unnamed-1-160x201.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/unnamed-1-768x965.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">RyanNicole in performance. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of RyanNicole)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the song, RyanNicole addresses the steps that lead people to suicide, as well as the community’s responsibility. It sits in the middle of an album that shows all directions of RyanNicole’s artistic ability; immediately following is a tranquil exhale titled “Peace Be Still,” a pause to acknowledge the surrounding beauty, inspired by \u003ca href=\"https://www.socratic-method.com/quote-meanings-interpretations/alice-walker-i-think-it-pisses-god-off-if-you-walk-by-the-color-purple-in-a-field-somewhere-and-dont-notice-it\">Alice Walker’s quote about noticing the color purple\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Being a Black woman, being a mother, being wife — there’s a lot of responsibility,” RyanNicole says. “Peace is not a passive thing. You have to call it into your life as aggressively as you would call violence into your life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Peace Be Still” is the polar opposite of the album’s opening track, “Chip” — as in, the chip on RyanNicole’s shoulder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13930886']“How you put the star on the cutting room floor? / No wonder every shot you take is always hella subpar / I was taught to stay humble, the meek shall inherit the earth / but being meek won’t bring my meals / Now run my check, I know my worth,” she says on the album’s first song, “Chip.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve \u003cem>been\u003c/em> pissed off about the state of my town,” RyanNicole says, reflecting on the energy that went into the song “Chip.” She’s seen elected officials make promises without any follow-through, and people make righteous complaints while failing to do the legwork to change things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The song opens an album that she calls a love letter, but RyanNicole is clear: Love is a double-edged sword, of affection and accountability. “People think love is sentimental and soft,” she explains. “It’s not always that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976675\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 769px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976675\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/unnamed-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"769\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/unnamed-2.jpg 769w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/unnamed-2-160x213.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 769px) 100vw, 769px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">RyanNicole. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of RyanNicole)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On the song “Guard Down,” though, RyanNicole explores the traditional romantic side of this thing we call love — specifically, the love of she and her husband. At a point in her life when she was done with love, a good girl scorned, she was headed into her “player era” when she met Michael, now her husband of 15 years. She thought he’d be the first person on her list of names during her player phase. Instead, “he ended up being the last person I ever wanted to kiss.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That song is followed by “Carmel,” a glimpse into the couple’s relationship 10 years later: busy working parents in the throes of life, but still making an effort to be romantic amid it all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13975538']The idea of “it all” is present in a lot of RyanNicole’s music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On “Thief’s Theme Pt. 2,” she surmises that “we all have a bit of larceny in us.” On “Kiss The Ground,” she counts her blessings, grateful for even the smallest acts. And on the album’s final track, “Apocalypse/ New Era (Remastered),” she recounts the “scary emotions” of the past two decades in this country; a period with glimpses of a Black renaissance, as well as a pendulum swing back toward the post-Reconstruction Era.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The track is ultimately a call for spiritual reckoning, and for humans to be in harmony with each other and the planet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even in this time, where things are dark,” she says, emphasizing that the news is readily full of things to be sad about, “there’s still hope.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RyanNicole’s ‘#YoursTruly’ is \u003ca href=\"https://ryannicole.bandcamp.com/album/yourstruly\">out now\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Over the span of just 30 days, multitalented Oakland-raised artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/msryannicole/\">RyanNicole\u003c/a> wrote her most recent album \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/31xPuOzRvLvNLJKm69rNmc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>#YoursTruly\u003c/em>\u003c/a> — and then dropped it on her on most recent birthday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inspired by the book \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/09/05/1193447515/the-artists-way\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>The Artist’s Way\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.vulture.com/article/doechii-crazy-persuasive-profile.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">re-popularized by rap star Doechii\u003c/a>, \u003cem>#YoursTruly\u003c/em> is the definition of multifaceted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reflecting on the finished project — “a grown woman album,” in her words — RyanNicole says, simply, “I like me at this age.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As she should. RyanNicole is a true lyricist. She’s also an event host and civically engaged activist who is rooted in her religious beliefs, her community and her family. Well-studied in the theatre arts, she’s also a writer and actor in the musical \u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/2024-25-season/co-founders/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Co-Founders\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which premieres at ACT in San Francisco on May 29 and runs through July 6.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976677\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976677\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/a1786616852_16.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/a1786616852_16.jpg 700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/a1786616852_16-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cover art for RyanNicole’s ‘#YoursTruly.’ \u003ccite>(Courtesy of RyanNicole)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And for her first album in nearly a decade, she has bars for the hip-hop heads alongside intimate lyrics for the poetry fans. She sings love songs and quotes luminaries. She calls peace into her life, and calls out community members and politicians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then there’s the title track, “the heaviest song on the album,” she says, dedicated to those who’ve taken their own lives — or considered it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>RyanNicole is open about her bouts with depression, and how she’s never reached that unfortunate point. But too many family and community members have, and it’s clear that we, as Black folks, don’t talk about it enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Growing up,” RyanNicole says via phone, “suicide wasn’t something that our people talked about.” The “folklore,” she says in audible air-quotes, was that “it was something we didn’t do.” Except that it is. \u003ca href=\"https://wisqars.cdc.gov/lcd/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">As of 2023\u003c/a>, suicide is the third leading cause of death among African Americans aged 15–34.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976676\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 791px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976676\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/unnamed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"791\" height=\"994\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/unnamed-1.jpg 791w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/unnamed-1-160x201.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/unnamed-1-768x965.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">RyanNicole in performance. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of RyanNicole)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the song, RyanNicole addresses the steps that lead people to suicide, as well as the community’s responsibility. It sits in the middle of an album that shows all directions of RyanNicole’s artistic ability; immediately following is a tranquil exhale titled “Peace Be Still,” a pause to acknowledge the surrounding beauty, inspired by \u003ca href=\"https://www.socratic-method.com/quote-meanings-interpretations/alice-walker-i-think-it-pisses-god-off-if-you-walk-by-the-color-purple-in-a-field-somewhere-and-dont-notice-it\">Alice Walker’s quote about noticing the color purple\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Being a Black woman, being a mother, being wife — there’s a lot of responsibility,” RyanNicole says. “Peace is not a passive thing. You have to call it into your life as aggressively as you would call violence into your life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Peace Be Still” is the polar opposite of the album’s opening track, “Chip” — as in, the chip on RyanNicole’s shoulder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“How you put the star on the cutting room floor? / No wonder every shot you take is always hella subpar / I was taught to stay humble, the meek shall inherit the earth / but being meek won’t bring my meals / Now run my check, I know my worth,” she says on the album’s first song, “Chip.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve \u003cem>been\u003c/em> pissed off about the state of my town,” RyanNicole says, reflecting on the energy that went into the song “Chip.” She’s seen elected officials make promises without any follow-through, and people make righteous complaints while failing to do the legwork to change things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The song opens an album that she calls a love letter, but RyanNicole is clear: Love is a double-edged sword, of affection and accountability. “People think love is sentimental and soft,” she explains. “It’s not always that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976675\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 769px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976675\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/unnamed-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"769\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/unnamed-2.jpg 769w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/unnamed-2-160x213.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 769px) 100vw, 769px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">RyanNicole. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of RyanNicole)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On the song “Guard Down,” though, RyanNicole explores the traditional romantic side of this thing we call love — specifically, the love of she and her husband. At a point in her life when she was done with love, a good girl scorned, she was headed into her “player era” when she met Michael, now her husband of 15 years. She thought he’d be the first person on her list of names during her player phase. Instead, “he ended up being the last person I ever wanted to kiss.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That song is followed by “Carmel,” a glimpse into the couple’s relationship 10 years later: busy working parents in the throes of life, but still making an effort to be romantic amid it all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The idea of “it all” is present in a lot of RyanNicole’s music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On “Thief’s Theme Pt. 2,” she surmises that “we all have a bit of larceny in us.” On “Kiss The Ground,” she counts her blessings, grateful for even the smallest acts. And on the album’s final track, “Apocalypse/ New Era (Remastered),” she recounts the “scary emotions” of the past two decades in this country; a period with glimpses of a Black renaissance, as well as a pendulum swing back toward the post-Reconstruction Era.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The track is ultimately a call for spiritual reckoning, and for humans to be in harmony with each other and the planet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even in this time, where things are dark,” she says, emphasizing that the news is readily full of things to be sad about, “there’s still hope.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>RyanNicole’s ‘#YoursTruly’ is \u003ca href=\"https://ryannicole.bandcamp.com/album/yourstruly\">out now\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "A Couple Just Got Married on BART and Honestly, It Was Lovely",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976521\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976521\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Bart-wedding.png\" alt=\"Inside a train carriage, a Black woman wearing a purple satin gown and holding a large bouquet of purple and white paper flowers, stands smiling next to a white bald man in a purple and black suit. Before them is a female pastor in white and yellow robes reading from a small book.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2064\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Bart-wedding.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Bart-wedding-800x826.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Bart-wedding-1020x1053.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Bart-wedding-160x165.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Bart-wedding-768x793.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Bart-wedding-1488x1536.png 1488w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Bart-wedding-1984x2048.png 1984w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Bart-wedding-1920x1981.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Legends getting married on a gosh-darn BART train. Round of applause. \u003ccite>(Instagram/@sfbayarearapidtransit)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Stop what you’re doing and behold the sweetest thing you’re going to see all day: a beautiful couple getting married. On BART. With a perfectly coordinated purple wedding party, a bridal bouquet that could easily take up three seats, and a minister who stays positive, professional and pristine throughout, despite some BART train turbulence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13969644']The happy couple are Lenora and John — let’s call them Jonora! — and they opted to board at MacArthur Station in Oakland. The bride wore a backless purple gown and black sneakers. The groom did an Irish jig. The wedding party sang Too Short’s “Blow the Whistle” while boarding the train. The car’s handrails were decked out with green and purple garlands. Then the couple tied the knot in front of anyone who happened to be there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Why BART, you ask? Because it’s where the couple first met. According to Lenora’s wedding vows, the couple’s first ever encounter culminated in John literally carrying his future bride out of the station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A guy who risked his life and limb carrying my clumsy self down those stairs,” Lenora says about her beau. “I knew then and there you were either incredibly chivalrous or slightly insane.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amen to all of this. And warmest congratulations to the happy couple.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@sfbart/video/7506260742635572522\" data-video-id=\"7506260742635572522\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@sfbart\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@sfbart?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@sfbart\u003c/a>Congratulations to Lenora and John on their transit-oriented nuptials! The happy couple met on BART years ago and now they’ve tied the knot on a real-life in service train. Nothing beats a BART meet-cute (read about some more of those at the link in bio) but this is something else entirely. From the BART paper ticket bouquet to the dance moves, this whole wedding was an absolute slay.\u003ca title=\"♬ original sound - SFBART\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7506260796616231726?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">♬ original sound – SFBART\u003c/a>\n\u003c/section>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>[tiktok]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The happy couple are Lenora and John — let’s call them Jonora! — and they opted to board at MacArthur Station in Oakland. The bride wore a backless purple gown and black sneakers. The groom did an Irish jig. The wedding party sang Too Short’s “Blow the Whistle” while boarding the train. The car’s handrails were decked out with green and purple garlands. Then the couple tied the knot in front of anyone who happened to be there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Why BART, you ask? Because it’s where the couple first met. According to Lenora’s wedding vows, the couple’s first ever encounter culminated in John literally carrying his future bride out of the station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A guy who risked his life and limb carrying my clumsy self down those stairs,” Lenora says about her beau. “I knew then and there you were either incredibly chivalrous or slightly insane.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amen to all of this. And warmest congratulations to the happy couple.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@sfbart/video/7506260742635572522\" data-video-id=\"7506260742635572522\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@sfbart\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@sfbart?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@sfbart\u003c/a>Congratulations to Lenora and John on their transit-oriented nuptials! The happy couple met on BART years ago and now they’ve tied the knot on a real-life in service train. Nothing beats a BART meet-cute (read about some more of those at the link in bio) but this is something else entirely. From the BART paper ticket bouquet to the dance moves, this whole wedding was an absolute slay.\u003ca title=\"♬ original sound - SFBART\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7506260796616231726?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">♬ original sound – SFBART\u003c/a>\n\u003c/section>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Nearly a quarter-century after its release, \u003ca href=\"https://www.goapele.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Goapele’s\u003c/a> “Closer” continues to soundtrack people’s lives, from weddings to graduations. The song can be readily heard blasting from sound systems in the backs of Buicks in the Town, and uptempo house music remixes of it play constantly in sweaty nightclubs from London to Johannesburg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Late this month, the Oakland singer and songwriter will perform older and newer music alike — and of course, “Closer” — during a \u003ca href=\"https://yoshis.com/events/buy-tickets/goapele-2/detail\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">May 23 and 24 residency at Yoshis’ jazz club in Oakland\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few weeks ago, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DJHRCpnthh6/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">multiple Instagram accounts\u003c/a> began claiming that “Closer” was the first-ever music video by an African-American woman to be uploaded to YouTube.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wasn’t aware of it at the time,” Goapele tells me by phone. “But apparently this is true.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976022\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13976022\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A woman on stage performing in front of a microphone. \" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Singer and songwriter Goapele is excited to return to the stage in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Kristopher \"Squint\" Sandifer)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Produced by Amp-Live and Mike Tiger, “Closer” was released on three different labels and had three different music videos. The track has since been sampled by artists ranging from Drake to H.E.R., and the song’s legend only continues to grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s folks like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dnice/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[DJ] D-Nice\u003c/a>,” Goapele says of the legendary New York DJ, “that are like, ‘I just learned about your song,’” she says, laughing. “And I’ve known him for years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Musical longevity is what Goapele hoped for back when she was honing her pen game as a student at Oakland’s Skyline High School and Berklee College of Music. “At one point it was new music,” she says, reflecting on the process of writing “Closer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really humbling that it’s still resonating with people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13932465']Now based in Los Angeles, Goapele is looking forward to her first solo show in Oakland after time away. In the past couple of years, she’s done private performances with Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://rootscommunityhealth.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Roots Community Health Clinic\u003c/a> in East Oakland. She rocked the Lake Merritt bandshell at a free event hosted by social justice nonprofit \u003ca href=\"https://urbanpeacemovement.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Urban Peace Movement\u003c/a>. She’s also worked with local soccer team the \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandrootssc.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oakland Roots\u003c/a>, and new WNBA team the \u003ca href=\"https://valkyries.wnba.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Golden State Valkyries\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a full solo show at Yoshi’s is special. Performing at home gives her an opportunity to experiment, lean into song arrangements and collaborate with special guests. “I feel like at Yoshi’s,” Goapele says excitedly, “I kind of stretch out a little bit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to preparing for this show, she’s also working on new music — songs more connected to the African Diaspora.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Half of my family is still in South Africa,” says Goapele, whose father, Douglas Mohlabane, was an exiled anti-apartheid activist. She’s long felt the urge to make music reflective of her family’s homeland, and now she’s on the verge of sharing some of it. She mentions a song “a little more in the Afrobeats vein,” produced by Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djdsharp/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DJ D Sharp\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13250512\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13250512\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani.jpg\" alt=\"Goapele and Kehlani backstage at the Fox Theater in 2015, after Goapele appeared as a special guest of the singer.\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-240x240.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-375x375.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-520x520.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-32x32.jpg 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-50x50.jpg 50w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-64x64.jpg 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-96x96.jpg 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-128x128.jpg 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Goapele and Kehlani backstage at the Fox Theater in 2015, after Goapele appeared as a special guest of the singer. \u003ccite>(Goapele/Instagram)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Goapele’s latest album \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/2xF9wlV17S9GuId8WTTxSp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Colours\u003c/em>\u003c/a> dropped in November of 2023, its artwork a collaboration with renowned Oakland-based visual artist \u003ca href=\"https://hueman.art/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hueman\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hueman’s immersive artwork spoke to Goapele’s own experimentation with different modalities; at the time, she was pairing scented candles with her music “as a way to evoke a feeling past just the sound.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After teaming up for an immersive experience at \u003ca href=\"https://cielcreativespace.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ciel Creative Space\u003c/a> in Berkeley, the two completed \u003cem>Colours\u003c/em>. “It just felt very synergistic,” recalls Goapele. “I see music in colors,” she adds, “and I never was able to really express it on a project.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond her many collaborators from the Bay’s shared home turf, Goapele says it’s imperative that she works with people who speak the same cultural, creative and moral language, whether or not they’re from the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She credits this region’s natural scenery — redwood trees, huge bodies of water — as inspirations, coupled with the Bay’s history of grassroots activism and the recent elections of Congresswoman Lateefah Simon and Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And,” she adds, “I grew up at underground hip-hop shows at La Peña, watching jazz shows and listening to Tony! Toni! Toné!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It all adds up to to what she describes as a “resilient, rebellious, eclectic spirit,” where there’s ample room to be an individual — something she’s tapping into for her next performance and forthcoming project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not just one thing,” she says in reference to Bay Area culture, “we’re all of that. And we get to be complex, ya know?”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Goapele performs four shows total on May 23 and 24 at Yoshi’s in Oakland. \u003ca href=\"https://yoshis.com/events/buy-tickets/goapele-2/detail\">Details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "‘We’re Not Just One Thing’: Goapele on the Bay Area’s Eternal Inspiration | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Nearly a quarter-century after its release, \u003ca href=\"https://www.goapele.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Goapele’s\u003c/a> “Closer” continues to soundtrack people’s lives, from weddings to graduations. The song can be readily heard blasting from sound systems in the backs of Buicks in the Town, and uptempo house music remixes of it play constantly in sweaty nightclubs from London to Johannesburg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Late this month, the Oakland singer and songwriter will perform older and newer music alike — and of course, “Closer” — during a \u003ca href=\"https://yoshis.com/events/buy-tickets/goapele-2/detail\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">May 23 and 24 residency at Yoshis’ jazz club in Oakland\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few weeks ago, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DJHRCpnthh6/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">multiple Instagram accounts\u003c/a> began claiming that “Closer” was the first-ever music video by an African-American woman to be uploaded to YouTube.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wasn’t aware of it at the time,” Goapele tells me by phone. “But apparently this is true.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976022\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13976022\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A woman on stage performing in front of a microphone. \" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/download.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Singer and songwriter Goapele is excited to return to the stage in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Kristopher \"Squint\" Sandifer)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Produced by Amp-Live and Mike Tiger, “Closer” was released on three different labels and had three different music videos. The track has since been sampled by artists ranging from Drake to H.E.R., and the song’s legend only continues to grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s folks like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dnice/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[DJ] D-Nice\u003c/a>,” Goapele says of the legendary New York DJ, “that are like, ‘I just learned about your song,’” she says, laughing. “And I’ve known him for years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Musical longevity is what Goapele hoped for back when she was honing her pen game as a student at Oakland’s Skyline High School and Berklee College of Music. “At one point it was new music,” she says, reflecting on the process of writing “Closer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s really humbling that it’s still resonating with people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Now based in Los Angeles, Goapele is looking forward to her first solo show in Oakland after time away. In the past couple of years, she’s done private performances with Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://rootscommunityhealth.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Roots Community Health Clinic\u003c/a> in East Oakland. She rocked the Lake Merritt bandshell at a free event hosted by social justice nonprofit \u003ca href=\"https://urbanpeacemovement.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Urban Peace Movement\u003c/a>. She’s also worked with local soccer team the \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandrootssc.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oakland Roots\u003c/a>, and new WNBA team the \u003ca href=\"https://valkyries.wnba.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Golden State Valkyries\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a full solo show at Yoshi’s is special. Performing at home gives her an opportunity to experiment, lean into song arrangements and collaborate with special guests. “I feel like at Yoshi’s,” Goapele says excitedly, “I kind of stretch out a little bit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to preparing for this show, she’s also working on new music — songs more connected to the African Diaspora.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Half of my family is still in South Africa,” says Goapele, whose father, Douglas Mohlabane, was an exiled anti-apartheid activist. She’s long felt the urge to make music reflective of her family’s homeland, and now she’s on the verge of sharing some of it. She mentions a song “a little more in the Afrobeats vein,” produced by Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djdsharp/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DJ D Sharp\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13250512\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13250512\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani.jpg\" alt=\"Goapele and Kehlani backstage at the Fox Theater in 2015, after Goapele appeared as a special guest of the singer.\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-240x240.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-375x375.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-520x520.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-32x32.jpg 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-50x50.jpg 50w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-64x64.jpg 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-96x96.jpg 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-128x128.jpg 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/05/Goapele.Kehlani-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Goapele and Kehlani backstage at the Fox Theater in 2015, after Goapele appeared as a special guest of the singer. \u003ccite>(Goapele/Instagram)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Goapele’s latest album \u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/2xF9wlV17S9GuId8WTTxSp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Colours\u003c/em>\u003c/a> dropped in November of 2023, its artwork a collaboration with renowned Oakland-based visual artist \u003ca href=\"https://hueman.art/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hueman\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hueman’s immersive artwork spoke to Goapele’s own experimentation with different modalities; at the time, she was pairing scented candles with her music “as a way to evoke a feeling past just the sound.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After teaming up for an immersive experience at \u003ca href=\"https://cielcreativespace.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ciel Creative Space\u003c/a> in Berkeley, the two completed \u003cem>Colours\u003c/em>. “It just felt very synergistic,” recalls Goapele. “I see music in colors,” she adds, “and I never was able to really express it on a project.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond her many collaborators from the Bay’s shared home turf, Goapele says it’s imperative that she works with people who speak the same cultural, creative and moral language, whether or not they’re from the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She credits this region’s natural scenery — redwood trees, huge bodies of water — as inspirations, coupled with the Bay’s history of grassroots activism and the recent elections of Congresswoman Lateefah Simon and Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And,” she adds, “I grew up at underground hip-hop shows at La Peña, watching jazz shows and listening to Tony! Toni! Toné!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It all adds up to to what she describes as a “resilient, rebellious, eclectic spirit,” where there’s ample room to be an individual — something she’s tapping into for her next performance and forthcoming project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not just one thing,” she says in reference to Bay Area culture, “we’re all of that. And we get to be complex, ya know?”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Goapele performs four shows total on May 23 and 24 at Yoshi’s in Oakland. \u003ca href=\"https://yoshis.com/events/buy-tickets/goapele-2/detail\">Details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "documentary-tyson-amir-racism-california-schools",
"title": "A Double Feature Confronts Racism in California Schools",
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"headTitle": "A Double Feature Confronts Racism in California Schools | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>When \u003ca href=\"https://www.tysonamir.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tyson Amir\u003c/a> wrote his 2016 book \u003ca href=\"https://www.tysonamir.com/product-page/black-boy-poems-by-tyson-amir\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Black Boy Poems\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, he did so with the intention of assisting African American kids in their pursuit of education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s the same reason he started leading classroom workshops in the South Bay, discussing current events and history alike. And on the heels of the pandemic, as students returned to the classroom, teachers and administrators in several school districts noticed an increase in racist behavior, specifically directed at African American students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Amir is the subject of a short film about his work, \u003cem>Black Impact: The Leaders We Build\u003c/em>, which screens Friday, May 16 at the New Parkway in Oakland as a part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.fsmei.org/event-details/revolutionary-visions-film-festival\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Revolutionary Visions Film Festival\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Directed by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/am1creates/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AM1\u003c/a>, the film centers on \u003ca href=\"https://www.fsmei.org/_files/ugd/d695b3_a4edf48b9e9f466fa8d5ba3788043fbf.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a 2023 anti-racist resolution\u003c/a> at Bernal Intermediate School in San Jose. After it was implemented, it spread across San Jose’s Oak Grove School District and around the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amir believes this work is a model response to an nationwide issue. Last year the \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/reported-hate-crimes-schools/dl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Department of Justice reported\u003c/a> that, from 2018–2022, Black students were the most likely to be victims of hate crimes in schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976277\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1683px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976277\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.20.41%E2%80%AFPM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1683\" height=\"1046\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.20.41 PM.png 1683w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.20.41 PM-800x497.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.20.41 PM-1020x634.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.20.41 PM-160x99.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.20.41 PM-768x477.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.20.41 PM-1536x955.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1683px) 100vw, 1683px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amir Tyson speaks with a classroom in a scene from ‘Black Impact: The Leaders We Build.’ \u003ccite>(Courtesy Tyson Amir)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The year before, \u003ca href=\"https://idea.gseis.ucla.edu/publications/files/diverse-democracy-ca-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a UCLA survey\u003c/a> of 150 California principals showed that two-thirds reported instances of racist statements being directed at Black students — more than any other racial demographic by far, despite making up just five percent of all California public school students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently, \u003ca href=\"https://aclucalaction.org/state-of-black-education-2024-california-report-card/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the ACLU looked at the state’s education system\u003c/a> to see what, if any, fundamental changes have occurred in the 70 years since the landmark Civil Rights case Brown v. Board of Education. “California is the third most segregated state for Black students,” read one finding. “Enrollment for Black students in CA decreased by 47% from 2003 to 2023,” read another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And that’s the stuff that’s being reported,” says Amir via phone. “We know a whole bunch of stuff doesn’t get reported.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amir has witnessed students calling their Black classmates monkeys, the N-word and chicken munchers; one invoked picking cotton in demanding another pick up a ball of wadded notebook paper. “And this is in the elementary and middle schools,” Amir explains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13974210']In response, he worked with teachers and administrators to create and implement a contract for students. It outlined how to treat people of all races and ethnicities, and established a set of guidelines for educators handling racist remarks and actions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Partway through the 19-minute film, Amir speaks a plain truth about his efforts. “Just because you put something on paper doesn’t mean it’s going to solve the problems that it’s addressing,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What follows is faculty and students admitting that the contract is a starting point. One that’s brought about \u003cem>some\u003c/em> change, but that also requires further work and education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nonetheless, in subsequent years the contract’s framework has spread around the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976278\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1862px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976278\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.24.46%E2%80%AFPM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1862\" height=\"1039\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.24.46 PM.png 1862w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.24.46 PM-800x446.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.24.46 PM-1020x569.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.24.46 PM-160x89.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.24.46 PM-768x429.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.24.46 PM-1536x857.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1862px) 100vw, 1862px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amir Tyson speaks with a classroom in a scene from ‘Black Impact: The Leaders We Build.’ \u003ccite>(Courtesy Tyson Amir)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Hayward Unified School District passed a \u003ca href=\"https://mtedenmonarch.com/1414/news/husd-passes-n-word-policy/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">no N-word policy\u003c/a> based on the Oak Grove School District anti-hate speech policy,” says Amir, who adds that Castro Valley Unified School District and New Haven Unified School District in Union City have passed similar resolutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next step is supporting students outside of school, Amir says. That’s where his nonprofit, \u003ca href=\"https://www.livingmanuals.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Living Manuals\u003c/a>, comes in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After noticing students’ progress receding during the summer months, he began organizing trips for students to visit a Wellness Retreat Center just outside the United States in Baja California, complete with meals, history lessons and self-defense classes. It’s an extension, Amir says, of what his colleague in education, \u003ca href=\"https://jsassociates.org/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAad7oL_r8vqbvosQt7n0F9dDUiUgAWxcA7pRej5O8l6r90KzYLWJOkwxPHoxGg_aem_xoJnqFhZaj2sYsht567Jpw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Professor Jason Seals\u003c/a>, calls “a community of care.” (Professor Seals will also screen a film at The New Parkway on May 16 titled \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jason-seals-96b39035_through-their-eyes-stories-of-anti-blackness-activity-7287250470568443904-iSbK/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Through Their Eyes: Stories of Anti-Blackness\u003c/em>.\u003c/a>)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13971701']While working with the young people can bring incremental change, Amir believes real solutions will have to come from adults. “Teachers are mandated reporters,” Amir says, citing the California Education Code. Racism that students encounter is technically abuse, and Amir says in certain instances, teachers have witnessed it and said nothing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re trained to step in when you’re seeing a child being harmed,” Amir attests. “Don’t allow these children to be harmed,” Amir continues, “that’s your job as an educator, as an adult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of this work is in effort to give students three key tools that create a healthy educational experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One where “you can think, you can learn,” Amir says, “and you can build better relationships.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Black Impact: The Leaders We Build’ screens Friday, May 16 at the New Parkway in Oakland. \u003ca href=\"https://www.fsmei.org/event-details/revolutionary-visions-film-festival\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When \u003ca href=\"https://www.tysonamir.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tyson Amir\u003c/a> wrote his 2016 book \u003ca href=\"https://www.tysonamir.com/product-page/black-boy-poems-by-tyson-amir\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Black Boy Poems\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, he did so with the intention of assisting African American kids in their pursuit of education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s the same reason he started leading classroom workshops in the South Bay, discussing current events and history alike. And on the heels of the pandemic, as students returned to the classroom, teachers and administrators in several school districts noticed an increase in racist behavior, specifically directed at African American students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Amir is the subject of a short film about his work, \u003cem>Black Impact: The Leaders We Build\u003c/em>, which screens Friday, May 16 at the New Parkway in Oakland as a part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.fsmei.org/event-details/revolutionary-visions-film-festival\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Revolutionary Visions Film Festival\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Directed by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/am1creates/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AM1\u003c/a>, the film centers on \u003ca href=\"https://www.fsmei.org/_files/ugd/d695b3_a4edf48b9e9f466fa8d5ba3788043fbf.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a 2023 anti-racist resolution\u003c/a> at Bernal Intermediate School in San Jose. After it was implemented, it spread across San Jose’s Oak Grove School District and around the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amir believes this work is a model response to an nationwide issue. Last year the \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/reported-hate-crimes-schools/dl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Department of Justice reported\u003c/a> that, from 2018–2022, Black students were the most likely to be victims of hate crimes in schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976277\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1683px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976277\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.20.41%E2%80%AFPM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1683\" height=\"1046\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.20.41 PM.png 1683w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.20.41 PM-800x497.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.20.41 PM-1020x634.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.20.41 PM-160x99.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.20.41 PM-768x477.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.20.41 PM-1536x955.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1683px) 100vw, 1683px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amir Tyson speaks with a classroom in a scene from ‘Black Impact: The Leaders We Build.’ \u003ccite>(Courtesy Tyson Amir)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The year before, \u003ca href=\"https://idea.gseis.ucla.edu/publications/files/diverse-democracy-ca-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a UCLA survey\u003c/a> of 150 California principals showed that two-thirds reported instances of racist statements being directed at Black students — more than any other racial demographic by far, despite making up just five percent of all California public school students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently, \u003ca href=\"https://aclucalaction.org/state-of-black-education-2024-california-report-card/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the ACLU looked at the state’s education system\u003c/a> to see what, if any, fundamental changes have occurred in the 70 years since the landmark Civil Rights case Brown v. Board of Education. “California is the third most segregated state for Black students,” read one finding. “Enrollment for Black students in CA decreased by 47% from 2003 to 2023,” read another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And that’s the stuff that’s being reported,” says Amir via phone. “We know a whole bunch of stuff doesn’t get reported.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amir has witnessed students calling their Black classmates monkeys, the N-word and chicken munchers; one invoked picking cotton in demanding another pick up a ball of wadded notebook paper. “And this is in the elementary and middle schools,” Amir explains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In response, he worked with teachers and administrators to create and implement a contract for students. It outlined how to treat people of all races and ethnicities, and established a set of guidelines for educators handling racist remarks and actions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Partway through the 19-minute film, Amir speaks a plain truth about his efforts. “Just because you put something on paper doesn’t mean it’s going to solve the problems that it’s addressing,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What follows is faculty and students admitting that the contract is a starting point. One that’s brought about \u003cem>some\u003c/em> change, but that also requires further work and education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nonetheless, in subsequent years the contract’s framework has spread around the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976278\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1862px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976278\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.24.46%E2%80%AFPM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1862\" height=\"1039\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.24.46 PM.png 1862w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.24.46 PM-800x446.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.24.46 PM-1020x569.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.24.46 PM-160x89.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.24.46 PM-768x429.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-10-at-2.24.46 PM-1536x857.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1862px) 100vw, 1862px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amir Tyson speaks with a classroom in a scene from ‘Black Impact: The Leaders We Build.’ \u003ccite>(Courtesy Tyson Amir)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Hayward Unified School District passed a \u003ca href=\"https://mtedenmonarch.com/1414/news/husd-passes-n-word-policy/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">no N-word policy\u003c/a> based on the Oak Grove School District anti-hate speech policy,” says Amir, who adds that Castro Valley Unified School District and New Haven Unified School District in Union City have passed similar resolutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next step is supporting students outside of school, Amir says. That’s where his nonprofit, \u003ca href=\"https://www.livingmanuals.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Living Manuals\u003c/a>, comes in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After noticing students’ progress receding during the summer months, he began organizing trips for students to visit a Wellness Retreat Center just outside the United States in Baja California, complete with meals, history lessons and self-defense classes. It’s an extension, Amir says, of what his colleague in education, \u003ca href=\"https://jsassociates.org/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAad7oL_r8vqbvosQt7n0F9dDUiUgAWxcA7pRej5O8l6r90KzYLWJOkwxPHoxGg_aem_xoJnqFhZaj2sYsht567Jpw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Professor Jason Seals\u003c/a>, calls “a community of care.” (Professor Seals will also screen a film at The New Parkway on May 16 titled \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jason-seals-96b39035_through-their-eyes-stories-of-anti-blackness-activity-7287250470568443904-iSbK/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Through Their Eyes: Stories of Anti-Blackness\u003c/em>.\u003c/a>)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>While working with the young people can bring incremental change, Amir believes real solutions will have to come from adults. “Teachers are mandated reporters,” Amir says, citing the California Education Code. Racism that students encounter is technically abuse, and Amir says in certain instances, teachers have witnessed it and said nothing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re trained to step in when you’re seeing a child being harmed,” Amir attests. “Don’t allow these children to be harmed,” Amir continues, “that’s your job as an educator, as an adult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of this work is in effort to give students three key tools that create a healthy educational experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One where “you can think, you can learn,” Amir says, “and you can build better relationships.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Black Impact: The Leaders We Build’ screens Friday, May 16 at the New Parkway in Oakland. \u003ca href=\"https://www.fsmei.org/event-details/revolutionary-visions-film-festival\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "oaklash-2025-drag-block-party-oakland",
"title": "Oaklash Returns With an Epic Block Party, Drag on Skates and Wellness Workshops",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976196\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976196\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Mojo-Carter-at-Oaklash-2022-by-Rachel-Ziegler-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A drag performer on roller skates. \" width=\"2560\" height=\"2129\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Mojo-Carter-at-Oaklash-2022-by-Rachel-Ziegler-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Mojo-Carter-at-Oaklash-2022-by-Rachel-Ziegler-800x665.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Mojo-Carter-at-Oaklash-2022-by-Rachel-Ziegler-1020x848.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Mojo-Carter-at-Oaklash-2022-by-Rachel-Ziegler-160x133.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Mojo-Carter-at-Oaklash-2022-by-Rachel-Ziegler-768x639.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Mojo-Carter-at-Oaklash-2022-by-Rachel-Ziegler-1536x1277.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Mojo-Carter-at-Oaklash-2022-by-Rachel-Ziegler-2048x1703.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Mojo-Carter-at-Oaklash-2022-by-Rachel-Ziegler-1920x1597.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mojo Carter is one of the performers at Oaklash’s May 17 block party. \u003ccite>(Rachel Ziegler)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Amid attacks on trans rights and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13975921/national-endowment-for-the-arts-grant-cancellations\">defunding of the arts\u003c/a>, it feels like the queer community needs to come together, blow off steam and bolster its resolve more than ever. Enter \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklash.com/\">Oaklash\u003c/a>, a homegrown, grassroots drag extravaganza that takes over Oakland this weekend, May 16–18.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The event kicks off with ApocaLipstick Friday night at the White Horse, a queer bar going strong since 1933. Oaklash resident artist Obsidienne Obsurd — who is a classical violinist as well as an experimental, surrealist drag performer — will headline with a preview of their upcoming show, \u003cem>The Last 7 Days of Obsidienne Obsurd\u003c/em>. Performing alongside Obsidienne are Super Bloom, OMN, Miss Bea Haven & Poppa Bubbles, ViVi S Fierce and Piss E Sissy. [aside postid='arts_13975971']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The centerpiece of Oaklash will be an outdoor day party on May 17, with 60 performers, 40 vendors and seven DJs taking over four blocks of Old Oakland. Performers include \u003cem>RuPaul’s Drag Race\u003c/em> Season 11 winner Yvie Oddly, who’s known for gravity-defying dance moves and iridescent fashions; Nicki Jizz, host of San Francisco’s popular all-Black drag show Reparations; disco queen Bebe Sweetbriar; prolific drag king Mudd the Two Spirit; and Glamputee, a performer and disability justice advocate who recently led the twice-sold-out theater performance \u003cem>Glamputee’s LEG-acy Ball\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929146\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13929146\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"two colorfully dressed drag performers pose for the camera while people fill the street behind them at a drag festival\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1527\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-800x477.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-1020x608.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-160x95.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-768x458.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-1536x916.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-2048x1221.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-1920x1145.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mama Celeste and Beatrix Lahaine, founders of Oaklash, pose at 2022’s festival. \u003ccite>(Fred Rowe)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>An afterparty at nearby nightclub Fluid510, The Lash Down, follows the main event. And on Sunday, drag artists and fans can decompress at DeFremery Park at the Panther Skate Plaza Kick Back. Not only will there be drag on roller skates, but fitness studio Radically Fit will also offer two classes: Queer Calisthenics and Twerklates, plus free acupuncture and massage from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13971043/freedom-community-clinic-fruitvale-oakland-farm-orinda\">Freedom Community Clinic\u003c/a>, an Oakland organization bringing traditional medicine to the people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For diehard drag fans and those new to the scene alike, Oaklash is an ideal destination to appreciate the Bay Area’s multifaceted abundance of gender-bending expression.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oaklash goes down May 16–18. \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklash.com/\">Full lineup and tickets here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The centerpiece of Oaklash will be an outdoor day party on May 17, with 60 performers, 40 vendors and seven DJs taking over four blocks of Old Oakland. Performers include \u003cem>RuPaul’s Drag Race\u003c/em> Season 11 winner Yvie Oddly, who’s known for gravity-defying dance moves and iridescent fashions; Nicki Jizz, host of San Francisco’s popular all-Black drag show Reparations; disco queen Bebe Sweetbriar; prolific drag king Mudd the Two Spirit; and Glamputee, a performer and disability justice advocate who recently led the twice-sold-out theater performance \u003cem>Glamputee’s LEG-acy Ball\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929146\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13929146\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"two colorfully dressed drag performers pose for the camera while people fill the street behind them at a drag festival\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1527\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-800x477.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-1020x608.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-160x95.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-768x458.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-1536x916.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-2048x1221.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Mama-Celeste-and-Beatrix-Lahaine-by-Fred-Rowe-Oaklash-2022-1920x1145.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mama Celeste and Beatrix Lahaine, founders of Oaklash, pose at 2022’s festival. \u003ccite>(Fred Rowe)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>An afterparty at nearby nightclub Fluid510, The Lash Down, follows the main event. And on Sunday, drag artists and fans can decompress at DeFremery Park at the Panther Skate Plaza Kick Back. Not only will there be drag on roller skates, but fitness studio Radically Fit will also offer two classes: Queer Calisthenics and Twerklates, plus free acupuncture and massage from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13971043/freedom-community-clinic-fruitvale-oakland-farm-orinda\">Freedom Community Clinic\u003c/a>, an Oakland organization bringing traditional medicine to the people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For diehard drag fans and those new to the scene alike, Oaklash is an ideal destination to appreciate the Bay Area’s multifaceted abundance of gender-bending expression.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oaklash goes down May 16–18. \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklash.com/\">Full lineup and tickets here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
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"order": 1
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"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"order": 9
},
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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
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"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
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"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
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"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
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},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
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