Oakland – Page 2 – North Gate Radio

Ballet for Black and Brown Bodies

Alyah Baker is a dancer and entrepreneur in Oakland who teaches a dance class called Ballet for Black and Brown Bodies. Her mission is to make a historically elitist art form more accessible to a wider range of body types and people of color. We also talk to Coral Martin, dancer for Oakland Ballet, about her experience as a black ballet dancer.

Reclaiming space, reviving the legacy: A Black Panther mural makes its mark on West Oakland

The Black Panthers used to dominate the streets of West Oakland, protecting & serving their community but now, there are few visual reminders of their impact & presence. Learn how a local artist is working to change that.

Puerto Rico

Oakland nurse shares her experiences from the hurricane aftermath after spending two weeks in Puerto Rico helping victims.

Take a Walk with Witches

On a warm Sunday afternoon, a group of people gather for a tour around Oakland’s Lake Merritt. It isn’t just any tour – it’s a Witches’ Walking Tour. Phoenix Love Armenta, who calls herself the “Woke Witch,” leads the monthly, two-mile plant identification walk. She stops to point out boring-looking trees and shrubs that have hidden properties – magical, edible, or homeopathic. They’re plants we might normally ignore, but today they’re the star of the show.

Oakland Black Cowboys’ Association

North Gate reporter Rachel Cassandra spent time at the Oakland Black Cowboys’ Association parade in DeFremery Park, Oakland, CA. The Oakland Black Cowboys’ Association is an educational organization that teaches kids about black cowboys, who are often left out of mainstream media representations of the cowboy. Back in the day about one out of every…

Oakland Promise Turns Two

The Oakland Promise is a program designed to triple the number of Oakland students who graduate from high school over the next decade. Reporter Cassady Rosenblum checks in to see how it is going in year two.

Cooking Entrepreneurship for Refugees

Oakland Bloom is a kitchen and training program that provides cooking opportunities and cooking space for refugees in the Bay Area.

The World’s Biggest Eye Contact Experiment

Rachel Cassandra reports from The World’s Biggest Eye Contact Experiment, in Lake Merritt, Oakland. About 200 people showed up for the event. Participants sat down with a stranger, on yoga mats or cushions, and maintained silent eye contact for a minute or more. A psychology researcher weighs in on how awkward and unsettling this can be, although maintains that it can increase a feeling of intimacy. Participants were incredibly moved by the event, sharing that it made them feel connected to a stranger. Some found the experience to be spiritual.

Birdland

Birdland Jazzista Social Club was a a raucous, energetic, beloved music venue in Oakland. On February 27, it closed it’s doors for the last time.

The Heart and Beat of Adams Point

Coffee With a Beat was a beloved coffee shop in the Adams Point neighborhood of Oakland. It’s closed now and that’s not the way owner Nate Smith would have liked it.