Chapter 510

 

 

 

 

 

Inspired by 826 Valencia in The City, Chapter 510 is bringing literacy and creative writing support to the young folks of Oakland.  They describe their mission as, “Chapter 510 provides in-school tutoring, creative writing workshops, and publishing opportunities for K-12 students in Oakland.”  They elect the Oakland Youth Poet Laureate every year and publish the 510 Journal.   Take a minute, read the poem by Obasi Davis on their poster (pictured) and have your mind blown.  Check them out at http://www.Chapter510.org.

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King Baby stickers

 

We spotted these stickers in Adams Point (inside the mailbox at the corner of Bellevue & Grand) and in Uptown (on a bike rack outside Mua).  We have no idea who is behind this or what this means.  We fantasize it’s the work of a roving gang of rogue psychoanalysts, riffing on Freud’s theory of infantile narcissism (loosely summed up by his phrase “His Majesty, the baby”).

The bell hooks feminist phone intervention line

Getting harassed by someone to give out your phone number?  Don’t feel safe to decline?  Give them (669) 221-6251 as your number – when they call or text, they will get an automatically generated quote by the great feminist author bell hooks.

This didn’t originated in Oakland but, gosh darn it, it’s our blog and we can bend the rules to suit our fancy.

http://www.feminist-phone-intervention.tumblr.com/

Stop Telling Women to Smile project

Formerly wheatpasted to a freeway overpass where Martin Luther King Blvd. feeds onto Route 24. Sadly already painted over.

But you can check out Brooklyn artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh’s awesome portrait project addressing gender-based street harassment at her site:
stoptellingwomentosmile.com

And this Bust article:
Www.bust.com/art-project-provokes-dialogue-about-street-harassment.

Oakland Urban Paths

Oakland Urban Paths is a group dedicated to preserving the hidden pathways and secret stairways tucked into the hills all over Oakland that were once part of Oakland’s Key Route public transportation system.  These walkers, planners, historians and fundraisers are working to preserve Oakland’s heritage through a variety of activities in partnership with Walk Oakland Bike Oakland (WOBO) and the City of Oakland.  Come join them on the second Saturday of every month for one of their docent-led group walks that explores the history of Oakland.

http://www.oaklandurbanpaths.org

Phat Beets!

 

Phat Beets is a volunteer-based collective working to cultivate a more equitable food system in the North Oakland flats. They offer CSA boxes with food from urban micro-farms, a Saturday farmers’ market, Food n’ Justice workshops, youth empowerment programs and much, much more.

Check them out at : http://www.phatbeetsproduce.org

Morcom Rose Garden

A gorgeous, wheelchair accessible garden tucked just a block off Grand Avenue, this formal beauty is a riot of color and fragrance when in bloom. April and early May are excellent times to catch the roses in their full glory. Oakland Mayor Frank Morcom planted the first rose here in 1933, and today the garden is tended by tie-dye-sporting volunteers called the Dedicated Deadheaders: http://friendsofoaklandrose.com/volunteer/deadheaders

The utility pole gnomes

How could we not start our love affair with Oakland without paying homage to our City’s most charming residents, the 2,300 gnome paintings affixed to the bottom of utility poles throughout Oakland. An anonymous artist and his dog go out every night putting up small paintings, bringing magic and enchantment to our sidewalks. In one of his few statements, the artist said, “I’m a resident of Oakland who simply thought this would be a nice way to make my fellow Oaklanders happy and proud. . .We see too much garbage on the streets here, too many shootings, too much violence, not enough that makes one stop and smile. … They were meant to be an ongoing gift to my community.” We thank you.