From the very beginning, at the orientation weekend in July, the Oakland Voices 2015 correspondents shared a connection that no one could really explain. It started during a writing exercise and they just clicked. That bond would help them navigate stories about resilient family members, neighborhood businesses trying to make a difference, community organizers providing essential services and their own reactions to President Barack Obama’s executive order regarding gun violence and regulations. They organized two successful, informative community forums on displacement, Oakland’s major issue. They made discoveries about their own neighborhoods and took on complex issues such as gentrification and human trafficking. They highlighted delightful and unusual holiday celebrations in their communities. At the end of the program, they said they felt they had found or rediscovered their voices and plan to continue to tell the stories they see around them. Here are some of the highlights of their work. - Brenda Payton, Oakland Voices Coordinator
They became advocates for healthy lifestyles. They reminisced about childhood inspirations. They celebrated the vibrancy of their evolving city, but with caution. They understand when change happens, people get left behind. The Sacramento Voices cohort for 2015-16 created a remarkably diverse body of work, writing about their South Sacramento communities with insight, depth and passion matched by no other media platform. Equally compelling was the quality of the writing. The pieces here reflect not just accumulated knowledge and snapshots of 10 lives lived in a specific place and time, but a unique community literary accomplishment of enduring journalistic craftsmanship. - Robert Graswich, Sacramento Voices Coordinator
Tent City Oakland
By Randy Filio
Oakland Voices
Old backboards, leaky roof, no wins and joy
By Ricardo Lopez, Jr.
Sacramento Voices
