In my last article, I profiled Missio Dei Oakland. In this article, I write about how I joined the church. Entering the darkest phase of my existence in 2015, I had developed the mentality of encountering things with no expectation of a positive outcome. The tragic death of a loved one opened a gateway …Read more…
Return of the land
Me a costado escribir estas palabras. Contar este cuento. Como capturar y darle su justo honor a esta tierra. En medio de todo lo que esta pasando regreso a la medicina sagrada de la tierra. It has been hard to write these words. To tell this story. How do you capture and give proper honor …Read more…
The Power of Christ in East Oakland
Missio Dei Oakland (MDO) is a house church network that is positively serving disadvantaged people in East Oakland through compassion, personal connection and spreading the gospel. ?In July 2012, a church start -up team of four individuals moved to Oakland to plant the ministry with the goal of creating a church for people who didn’t …Read more…
Design your destiny then print BIG.
Some people wait on life to define them and others design and define life for themselves. When you get that opportunity to show off your design, make sure you print big. Early Eighties In the early eighties, Dawaud Muhammad remembers black homeowners whose parents had migrated to Oakland from Louisiana and Mississippi as his neighborhood …Read more…
Dogs and minimizing force: Oscar Grant. However peace is possible
Dogs and minimizing force; Oscar Grant. However peace is possible.. June 14th, 2017. “My name is Uncle Bobby, the uncle of Oscar Grant, of course, Oscar’s mother Wanda is my sister.” Cephus Johnson is Uncle Bobby, and the “minimal use of force” policy is Oscar Grant’s family best hope of peace today. BART police and …Read more…
Volunteer Artists Give Oakland’s Animal Shelter a Makeover
If you’re an animal lover, an animal shelter can be a depressing place. For decades, the reputation of Oakland’s mismanaged shelter was no exception. But as is often the case in Oakland, when a city agency flounders, a cadre of volunteers and activists come together to work with—or around—the city. Oaklanders embody that underdog, Do-It-Yourself …Read more…
Undercover Healing
“Forget about whatever you did. Just feel your heart.” -Kokou Soglo Katamani Every student in the room said that they would do it all again next year. These students at Leadership Public School (LPS) in East Oakland were still enjoying the high from performing West African drumming on stage in front of their classmates in …Read more…
Marvin
“I found them!! The anticipation was killing me. ” My father’s eyes were wide with excitement like I had never seen before. It was a rare occasion. It had been a few years since the whole family was back together in the dinning room to hear the big news. My brother, sister, grandmother, my dad’s …Read more…
My Neighborhood
I live a block above MacArthur Ave., between Fruitvale Ave. and 35th St., so we aren’t really in either the Dimond or the Laurel Districts. I looked it up once and learned that it’s called the Maple Heights neighborhood, but we’re not in the heights and I’ve never heard anyone refer to it that way. …Read more…
100 Lunches Today, One Million Tomorrow
MARCH 4th, 2017.?Lake Merritt, Oakland. It is the first Saturday in March – quite an unusual day if you ask me. The rain comes and goes. The sun timidly hides behind the clouds, yet families, kids and a plentitude of Oakland’s homeless community populate the lake. Unsure of how I am going to spend the …Read more…